<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

 
Thanks to all who replied! 

I got several responses that said wine is no problem,
and/or the article I had posted was only a future alternative,
so why worry? And since the article seemed to say that
there was NO immune reaction in vitro
that it should be ok if they use
gluten for fining.

Others said they don't need wine or alcohol anyway,
so why take the chance? 

Or that they had gotten reactions
to wine (like headache or gluten reaction) and wondered why.

One person mentioned using Kosher wine, which would not
have grain in it.

There were a couple though that had more details about the
wine making industry, which I thought were interesting.
A couple were posted to the group also, about flour being
used to seal barrels (something that would not have occurred
to me!). Here are some of the details:

1. Australian wines might be fortified, as New York state
wines might be also. California, Argentina, and Italian
wines seem to be ok.

2. Gluten was approved in Australia and New Zealand for use
in wine clarification, but if it is used, it *has to be on the
label*. 

3. Ditto for EU wines. Isinglass (fish bladder), eggs, and
casein are all used as clarification agents, but wines after
Nov 2005 have to have these on the ingredient list.

The kicker, however, is that this is a new labelling law,
and since wines don't come to market for at least a couple of years,
wine you buy NOW might not be labelled for gluten ingredients.

-------------

Now my understanding is that for US alcoholic beverages,
the labelling laws are still different, they do not need
to label allergens in wine. Or at least, the wine I'm buying
now has no ingredients listed at all.

But interestingly enough, the other day I *did* get 
a gluten reaction (and mine are pretty specific to
gluten) from wine, which I tested later from the
same bottle to be sure. Yep, it was the wine. THAT was
a Washington state bottle though. Since veganism is
big here, maybe they are not using the "animal" ingredients
any more for clarification?  I also read that BSE
is causing some winemakers to lose confidence in gelatine,
which has been the mainstay for wine clarification I guess.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11754564&dopt=Abstract

Here is what the Australian wine website says:


http://www.awri.com.au/infoservice/wine_and_health/faqs/

   1. Q. I am allergic to eggs/fish/milk/nuts and their products. I have recently noticed that there is often a statement on the label of wine bottles and casks, which says "fined with casein/potassium caseinate/milk/evaporated milk/milk products/egg white/egg products/isinglass/fish products/nut-derived tannins/nut-products and traces may remain" Can I safely consume this wine? show answer ›
   2. A. Wine may be 'fined' with processing aids, which are derived from eggs, fish, milk or nuts. The process of fining removes protein and other impurities from the wine, which may otherwise make the wine unstable. If the wine is made according to good manufacturing practice, there should be only traces of these processing aids left in the wine. As the wine industry is unable to accurately measure for trace levels of these processing aids at present, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (formerly the Australia New Zealand Food Authority) has advised that winemakers should include a warning statement on the label as a 'duty of care' for the consumer if they are at all uncertain as to whether the wine may contain traces of these processing
      aids.
If you have a known allergy to eggs/fish/milk/nuts and their products, then you consume wine at your own risk, as trace elements may be present.

-------------------
# Q. I have Coeliac disease. Can I consume wine? show answer ›
# A. Additives that contain gluten are not allowed to be added to still wine and dessert wine and, therefore, you can safely consume these products.

Australian-made sparkling wine does not contain any additives that contain gluten. While imported sparkling wine, Champagne, fortified wine and sherry may contain spirit derived from wheat grain, they do not contain detectable gluten and hence are considered to be 'gluten free'.

Australian-made and imported fortified wine and sherry may contain caramel colour, which is additive number 150a-d. While caramel may be derived from wheat starch, it does not contain detectable gluten and hence is considered to be 'gluten free'.

--------------------------------

Anyway, I'm going to be more careful about brands and keep
track. Turns out not all wines are created equal!

-- Heidi 

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