Verdi Spumante

Mike has an interesting post over at Switch2GlutenFree.com that has an even more interesting comment string. The original post is dated August 8th, 2009 but still has active comments going as of today.

Why?

Because it hits the nail on the head with respect to the extreme complexity of figuring out whether foods and beverages are, or are not, gluten free. As I wrote about recently, some of the big risks for us celiac and gluten intolerance sufferers are those blanket statements like “wine is gluten free!”

Let’s take a closer look at that one. Is wine in fact gluten free? First and foremost, never rely on blanket statements about a food or beverage category. “Wine” is not gluten free. “Most” wines are gluten free. Could someone make a wine that is not gluten free? Sure. I picked up a bottle of wine looking substance in a very wine-like bottle the other day. This particular one was called Verdi Spumante. Turns out it’s a malt beverage. Ummmm. NO!

OK, so it’s not really wine in the first place, but the point is, you never really know what someone is going to put in a product so you have to check every brand and every variety – every time.

Back to the point of this post. What’s interesting about the thread at Switch2GlutenFree.com are the comments from some users about some vintners using a flour-based paste to seal wooden barrels. Hmmm. I happen to be one of those celiac’s that is extremely sensitive, so if there is a trace of anything, anywhere nearby, I’ll get sick.

I know from my personal experience that I can drink wine and be fine 80-90% of the time. Sometimes I get sick though, and I’ve never been able to pin down the source. Could it be a wine-related gluten poisoning? Maybe. Could it be one of a hundred other things? Maybe.

What say you? Is it time to whine about wine?