Wine Is Considered Gluten-Free, But There's A Catch

If you're avoiding gluten, you probably know that some forms of alcoholic beverages are on your no-go list. For example, since most beer is made with wheat, rye, or barley, its gluten levels can be as high as 25,920 parts per million. However, other formulations do exist, and you can find a few gluten-free beers worth cracking open. Thanks to the distillation process, grain-based spirits like bourbon are considered gluten-free. But what about wine? Since it's made from grapes, not grains, you may think it's a safer option. However, if it's essential for you to avoid all traces of gluten, it's worth taking a closer look at the way your wine is made.

Developing wine can be aged in all kinds of vessels, including new wine barrel trends like concrete. However, when wine is aged in traditional oak barrels, they are sometimes sealed with a small amount of wheat paste, which naturally contains gluten. This is especially common for red wines. The good news is that, during a recent laboratory test, wine stored in this way tested below the official limits for gluten, making it effectively gluten-free.

The other way wine can come into contact with gluten is during the fining process, when coagulants are stirred into the tank to help remove any particles that would create cloudiness or other undesirable traits. Not all wines go through this step — it's more common in whites, but less so in red and premium wines. These coagulants can be made of either organic or inorganic materials including wheat protein, which does contain gluten. However, the levels of gluten added through this method are so low that they're not considered a threat for those with celiac disease.

For most of us, it's reassuring to know that wine is effectively gluten-free. If exposure to minute levels of gluten is a concern, you can always contact the winery to ask which methods it uses, and choose a different product if you are uncomfortable with the answer. Otherwise, ask your local expert about companies that claim to be gluten-free — or simply drink spirits instead!