Wine and grape allergies – a beginner's guide

Written by Dr Donald A Dibbern Jr. 

As a board-certified allergy physician, as well as an avid wine enthusiast, I have long been interested in the myriad intersections between wine and medicine. In particular, there have been some recently published articles in the professional scientific literature that purple pagers may find fascinating. First off, we should clarify what is meant by certain terms, such as allergy. Although many use this word loosely to mean simply any adverse reaction to substances that most others tolerate, that is not strictly scientifically accurate. In fact, by definition, true allergic reactions must involve a known...