Is red wine high in histamine?
Red wine is moderate in histamine: 260 red wines averaged 3.81 mg/L, about three times white wine, and alcohol slows histamine breakdown. All 10 published low-histamine diets exclude wine.
- Histamine
- Present
- Other amines
- Low
- Liberator
- Not on the lists we use
- DAO blocker
- Possible
Why sources disagree. Red wine averaged 3.81 mg/L of histamine, a fraction of what cured cheese carries, yet all ten published diets exclude wine. The alcohol, which hampers histamine breakdown, is the larger reason for caution.
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements, 2020 review 1 | Measured | Histamine in all 260 red wines; average 3.81 mg/L, median 1.90, highest 55.00. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 2 | All 10 exclude wine; the chart does not separate red from white. | |
| Review of low-histamine diets, 2021 2 | Alcohol and acetaldehyde compete with histamine for aldehyde dehydrogenase, so histamine accumulates. | |
| Review of histamine intolerance, 2020 1 | DAO deficiency can be temporary and reversible, caused by substances that include alcohol. | |
| Review of amines in beverages, 2022 3 | Skin contact, warmer fermentation and malolactic fermentation explain why red wines form more amines than white. | |
| SIGHI food list 4 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red wine 1 (Table 1, row "Red wine") | 260 | mean 3.81 mg/L, range 0.09–55 mg/L | median 1.90 mg/L; standard deviation 3.51 |
| Wine sold in Spain, all colours (group) 2 (Table 1, row "Wine") | 299 | mean 3.63 mg/L, range 0.09–34.25 mg/L, 95th percentile 12.3 mg/L | tyramine mean 2.42 mg/L (up to 15.85); putrescine and cadaverine not detected |
mg/kg = milligrams of histamine per kilogram of food; mg/L = per litre of drink. "Not detected" means below the laboratory's detection limit.
How freshness and processing change it
The histamine in red wine is made during winemaking, so it is already in the bottle when you buy it, and storing an unopened bottle longer was not studied in our sources. Bottles differ a lot: the 2021 review notes that fermented products vary even within one production batch. Cooking with red wine does not remove histamine, because it is heat-stable.
Averaged 3.81 mg/L in 260 wines; median 1.90; up to 55.00. (measured)
Not measured in dishes. Histamine is heat-stable, so simmering does not remove it. (estimate)
Why we rate red wine 2
Red wine is the drink most often blamed for histamine reactions, and the measurements back up part of that reputation. In a 2020 review from a University of Barcelona team, 260 red wines averaged 3.81 mg/L of histamine, against 1.24 mg/L for 83 white wines. Every red wine had some: the lowest was 0.09 mg/L. The highest was 55.00 mg/L, which is unusual next to the median of 1.90 mg/L. Half the bottles had less than 1.90, and a small number of much richer wines pulled the average up.
Why is red higher? A 2022 review of amines in drinks gives three reasons. Red wine is fermented with the grape skins, which release free amino acids, the raw material bacteria turn into amines. It is fermented warmer. And it goes through malolactic fermentation, a second, bacterial step that turns malic acid into lactic acid and in which amines, histamine among them, can form; in white wine production that step is short or left out. Winemakers can limit amines through hygiene, acidity and sulphite control, and by choosing bacterial strains screened for amine-forming genes, but a label will not tell you which wines were made that way.
Even so, 3.81 mg/L is modest. Cured cheese averaged 33.10 mg/kg in the same team's survey, and their 2021 review notes that wine and beer carry much less histamine than other fermented foods. The concern is the alcohol. Alcohol and acetaldehyde compete with histamine for the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase, so histamine accumulates, and the 2020 review lists alcohol among the causes of a temporary, reversible DAO deficiency.
We rate red wine 2, "moderate", and mark it disputed: its histamine alone puts it at 2, while all ten published diets exclude wine. Because the alcohol effect is the same whatever the colour, choosing red or white changes the histamine, not the alcohol. Talk to your dietitian before you test red wine again after an elimination diet.
Questions about red wine and histamine
Is red wine high in histamine?
It is moderate. 260 red wines averaged 3.81 mg/L, with a median of 1.90 mg/L; a few reached much more, up to 55.00 mg/L. The alcohol also slows histamine breakdown, which is why every published diet excludes wine.
Why does red wine have more histamine than white?
Red wine is fermented on the grape skins and at warmer temperatures, and it goes through a longer bacterial (malolactic) fermentation, a step in which amines can form. In white wine that step is short or absent.
Evidence behind this page
- Across 260 red wines, histamine averaged 3.81 mg/L (standard deviation 3.51), with a median of 1.90 mg/L, a lowest value of 0.09 and a highest of 55.00 mg/L. 1
- White wine averaged 1.24 mg/L across 83 samples, with a median of 0.45 mg/L. 1
- Histamine in wine and beer is much lower than in other fermented foods, but alcohol enhances histamine's toxic effect; alcohol and acetaldehyde compete with histamine for aldehyde dehydrogenase. 2
- DAO deficiency can be a temporary and reversible condition caused by the inhibitory effect of substances such as biogenic amines and alcohol. 1
- Maceration with grape skins, a higher fermentation temperature and malolactic fermentation, which is short or absent in white wine production, lead to higher amine formation in red wines. 3
- All ten published low-histamine diets exclude wine. 2
Sources
- Comas-Basté O, Sánchez-Pérez S, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla M, Vidal-Carou MDC. Histamine Intolerance: The Current State of the Art. Biomolecules 10(8):1181, 2020. doi:10.3390/biom10081181 (Comas-Basté O et al. 2020)
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? Nutrients 13(5):1395, 2021. doi:10.3390/nu13051395 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2021)
- Visciano P, Schirone M. Update on Biogenic Amines in Fermented and Non-Fermented Beverages. Foods 11(3):353, 2022. doi:10.3390/foods11030353 (Visciano P et al. 2022)
- Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI). Food compatibility list for histamine intolerance. histaminintoleranz.ch (accessed November 2026), 2026. Link (Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) 2026)