Letter: A solution for sulfite sensitivity

When I saw the July 20 column entitled “Your ‘sulfite-free’ wine is lying to you,” it immediately caught my interest. You see, I am one of those “1 %” people who truly have a sulfite sensitivity. I am not sure where the author’s “1%” knowledge comes from because, unlike what the author said, it is not a sulfite “allergy” as many doctors have told me, but it is a sensitivity.

The sensitivity level is on a spectrum, and mine is a strong sensitivity in that if I drink wine with sulfites, or eat dried fruit or have shrimp, or other foods containing sulfites, my eyelids and cheeks swell up and I get rashes, etc. The sensitivity is so strong that I have been prescribed an EpiPen, and on two occasions, I had to take steroids for two weeks to lessen the inflammation.

In my research about sulfites in wines, I agree with the author that all wines have naturally occurring sulfites; it is the added sulfites, which are preservatives, that create the reaction. If others have similar reactions to wines with sulfites, I wanted them to know that the labels saying “sulfite free” do mean “no added sulfites,” and in fact, those wines do minimize the frightening reaction to the preservative. 

I have found a great solution for drinking wine with a simple wand that removes the sulfites. I use the Pure Wine stick, but there may be others that work equally well. I am not writing this as a sales job, I have no business connection to the product, but it works for me and I appreciate that.  

Michelle Neumann-Ribner
Edwards