• June 08, 2015

Low Histamine Wine!

For a few wine lovers, histaminies have been a contributor to headaches. With low histamine wines headaches are diminished or eliminated!

Wine contains many substances, which can be formed throughout the wine making process. These substances include water, alcohol, tannins, acids, biogenic amines and many others. Among these substances are histamines, which are part of the biogenic amines. Histamines form in the grapes during the wine making process, thus causing all wines to have histamines. Typically, a wine may contain between 10 - 20mg of histamines per liter. In order to obtain a wine that is low in histamines, many important steps must be taken throughout the entire production process.

Veglio Michelino e Figlio uses a natural method of preventing these histamines from forming, and through years of research has developed a natural method (a family secret) of reducing and practically eliminating histamines. Each step in the wine making production process must be carefully analyzed. The soil, types of grapes used as well as the refinement in tanks are just a few of the things that must be carefully considered for this process to be successful.

Veglio Michelino e Figlio’s Barbera d’Alba and Dolcetto d’Alba are derived from grapes grown in the districts of Diano d'Alba and Montelupo Albese. The soil is of medium texture and has been fertilized solely with aged manure. Its mineral composition plays a very important role in this entire process. Special work is performed in the vineyards to keep the grapes well separated from each other and well ventilated, so that harmful molds do not develop. When the grapes reach maturity, they are manually harvested (handpicked). This special attention provides certainty that all grapes are fully ripe and have no defects. The winery’s production area must be perfectly clean before grapes enter the building’s premises. All equipment must be thoroughly washed and cared after frequently during the production stages. It is important that the correct steps are followed during malolactic fermentation in order to obtain wines with these characteristics. The wines are then aged in stainless steel tanks. If executed perfectly, all these operations will lead to a wine low in histamine content.

It is important to remember that these wines are certified DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata), which means that they must adhere to strict government regulations. As with all DOC wines, these wines must be chemically analyzed and tested by a certified board before they are made available to consumers.

Veglio Michelino e Figlio is pleased to offer wines with low histamine content.