It’s hard to imagine life without a little vino here and there, a glass for the good times, and one for the bad. Unfortunately for some people with particular food allergies, one of the world’s oldest celebratory beverages is off-limits. Fortunately, the histamines and sulfites that plague many modern wines don’t have to be there forever, and if you’re one of more than half of wine drinkers who are negatively affected by these compounds, you’re in luck. So, sit down, pull a fresh bottle out of the wine cooler, and get ready for some good news.
PureWine has invented a number of products to help take the allergy edge off of your beverage, and their Wand is portable! Sounds like you may have a solution for this year’s Christmas party after all.
How It Works
Wine intolerance is a cute way of saying that your body isn’t happy with something in the bottle. It certainly could be the alcohol, but in the case of wine, there are a lot of things floating around in that bottle that could cause issues. Common side effects of wine intolerance are headaches, skin flush, congestion, runny nose, upset stomach, and of course, the obvious hangover.
Typically, your body’s reaction to wine in a negative fashion (intolerance) is a response to histamines and sulfites that occur in wine naturally. Histamines are a cell’s response to injury or allergic environments where contractions cause capillaries to dilate. Sulfites are sulfur dioxide, which you can find in many food sources. Many wine bottlers use sulfides to preserve wine, ensuring that they are shelf-stable, and if you open the bottle and re-cork, you can drink it a few days later.
Wine is typically purified several times before it is bottled. Wine filtration primarily removes stems, skin, and many other larger impurities. Many people utilize filters at home, removing smaller particles that make it through the bottling process. Still, histamines and sulfites remain a part of the liquid throughout this extensive filtration process.
The Wand takes the filtration process one step further once you pop the bottle open. Each single-use wand removes undesirable elements in the vino that you can’t see with the naked eye. Simply drop a wand into your glass, swirl it around and watch as the technology clings to the impurities in your beverage, preparing it for the perfect sip.
Wine Not?
Many people believe that wine aerators are the move when it comes to popping a fine bottle of burgundy or Barolo, but your vino has a complicated relationship with oxygen. You simply cannot force air into the wine; it happens naturally and slowly. What you can change, however, is the level of brain-bending histamines and sulfites present, which will allow you to imbibe without concern, so long as you don’t drink too much.
The Wand sells for just a few dollars per and has a unique wine charm at the end, so it’s easy to denote which glass is yours. For only $12, you can take home a 4-pack, but if you want the real value, grab the 90-pack for $155. And those who order over $25 will receive free shipping.
