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

I posted a question to the viticulture listserver about CD and wines
recently.  Will summarized the replies later but this reply from a winemaker
and dietitian deserves an immediate post.

--------------- Original Message ---------------
From: Lincoln, Pam <[log in to unmask]>
To: Multiple recipients of list VITICULTURE <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 1999 5:53 PM
Subject: Re: Wine and Gluten Intolerance

Dear David,

I do not believe there is much (if any) gluten present in most wines to
start with.  There is none in grapes as they're not grains.  Anything that
is usually added to wine (eg. yeast nutrient, although I would question
whether there is any gluten in the standard mixes, which are usually just
DAP - diammonium phosphate, which is a highly purified protein product,
hence unlikely to contain gluten) is usually either digested/utilised by the
yeast or settled/fined out - as you're aware, gluten is a protein, and one
of the key activities winemakers focus on to make a shelf-stable wine, is to
use bentonite (a natural clay) or a similar product to remove the (small
amounts of)protein, which cause haze if left in the wine. I am not familiar
with the type of "soda pop" wines described by Katie.  In Australia, such
"doctored" products would probably not be able to be labelled wine!  I would
strongly recommend you seek the advice of a dietitian (the USA has
Registered Dietitians so you can be sure of getting appropriate advice)
about your CD.  I do believe it is important to listen to your own body to a
certain extent, but I would be very surprised if good quality wine presented
a problem.  You will find that wine (and some spirits) are on the lists of
"foods to include" for CD diets, for good, sound and scientific reasons -
there's not likely to be any gluten in them!   I hope you continue to enjoy
your favourite beverage, in moderation of course!

Cheers

Pam Lincoln
Dietitian/Trainee Winemaker