“Clean wine” has become shorthand for “better-for-you wine.” The problem? Nobody agrees on what “clean” actually means.
Are “Clean Wines” Really Clean?
Plenty of brands market themselves as “clean wines.” Natural wines often inherit the same halo. But neither term has a legal or scientific definition.
As we’ll soon find out, there’s very little transparency around this topic, and the science is still evolving.
Feeling “Off” After Drinking Wine
Too much alcohol can leave anyone feeling wrecked: headaches, nausea, fatigue, dehydration, the works. However, some drinkers complain about the onset of these symptoms after just a glass or two of wine.
What is causing this?
Is it sulfites? Sugar? Alcohol sensitivity? Mystery additives?
Current research points away from sulfites or added sugar as the primary culprit for most wine-related reactions.
That “off” feeling you get from wine might come from a group of compounds called biogenic amines.
What Are Biogenic Amines?
Fermentation doesn’t just create alcohol and aroma compounds. It also creates biogenic amines: compounds like histamine and tyramine that may trigger reactions in sensitive drinkers.
You’ll find biogenic amines in many foods, including cured meats, aged cheeses, fermented foods, beer, kimchi, and wine.
Higher levels of biogenic amines (especially histamine and tyramine) may contribute to flushing, headaches, nausea, and fatigue in sensitive individuals.
One Extreme Example
In one case report, six individuals aged 22 to 27 went to the emergency room with symptoms resembling alcohol poisoning after drinking about 3 glasses of wine at a party. At 10.5% ABV, the wine’s alcohol level alone did not fully explain the severity of the symptoms.
After some microbiological testing, scientists found the wine contained what researchers described as “not negligible” levels of biogenic amines.
Which Wines Contain Biogenic Amines?
Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules for avoiding wines with biogenic amines because there is very little data available. (Read more about this below.)
What If You’re Sensitive to Biogenic Amines?
Some drinkers react strongly to biogenic amines (myself included). We experience flushing or get headaches easily after just a few sips of wine. So, here are some practical advice on what to do about it:
- Start with water. Dehydration muddies the picture fast.
- If you’re going to drink more than a glass of wine, keep in mind that red wines typically contain higher histamine levels than white, rosé, or sparkling wines.
- Despite our fears associated with sulfites, they help suppress microbial activity, which can reduce biogenic amine formation.
- When smelling wine, it’s useful to note that wines with excessive funky, mousy, or spoilage-driven aromas often correspond to elevated biogenic amines. (Keyword: “excessive.”)
- Wines with low pH (under 3.3) naturally resist microbial spoilage more effectively.
- Try to limit your consumption of foods high in biogenic amines (aged cheeses, cured meats, processed fish) when drinking wine.
- Some people recommend taking an antihistamine before drinking wine. We’d advise you to check with your doctor before trying this.
How Come No One Talks About Biogenic Amines?
Scientists have studied histamine’s role in allergic and inflammatory responses for more than a century.
A 1983 study published in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture measured amine content in wines and found that red wines contained more histamine than white wines.
Researchers later linked elevated histamine levels to malolactic fermentation —the process that softens acidity in most red wines and gives many Chardonnays their buttery character.
Why Isn’t This Regulated?
The European Union has discussed regulating biogenic amines, but no legal limits have been set.
One reason for this is the lack of available data on wine composition.
Certainly, some wineries take biogenic amines very seriously, compiling their own research and winemaking practices to produce wines with lower levels of biogenic amines. However, wineries aren’t required to share this information with the public.
For Now, Clean Wines = Marketing Fluff
It might be wise to feel skeptical of wines marketed as “clean” unless the brands share their hard numbers.
Additionally, just because a wine is “natural” doesn’t mean it has lower biogenic amines. In fact, in certain scenarios, native fermentations can increase the likelihood of compounds like histamine and tyramine forming.
So, the next time you read a bold statement about how a wine is clean, just remember that “clean wine” remains more a marketing category than a scientific one.