Enobytes Wine Blog

When UC Berkeley Professor Richard Mathies began prototyping the Mars Organic Analyzer (MOA), he never expected it would help millions of wine drinkers that suffer adverse reactions from consuming red wine.

Funded through NASA, Mathies set out to develop an instrument to detect life on Mars. His MOA prototype analyzes Martian soil samples to find a broad class of molecules like organic sugars, amines and amino acids, which are key components for detecting life on the planet.

Many of you are probably asking how this all ties into wine and why you would care. Consisting of many minor components, wine consists of many amino-based compounds including Tyramines and Histamines, which can trigger a wide range of symptoms from nausea, headaches and hot flashes to respiratory disorders and high-blood pressure for many wine drinkers. If you are one of many individuals that suffer adverse symptoms, help may be on the horizon. Read the rest of this entry »

I am certain many of you have heard the statement, “I can’t drink wine because I get headaches from sulfites”, or “I can drink white wine but not red because I am allergic to sulfites”. It is an interesting and debatable subject, but to be quite honest, I am not convinced that sulfites are completely to blame. On the contrary, I empathize with folks that suffer from some sort of reaction from drinking wine. I, myself do not experience allergic reactions, nor suffer illness or headaches while consuming red (or white) wine. However, the subject intrigues me none-the-less. Herein I will describe the facts and misconception about sulfites, which will hopefully educate and entertain you along the way. Read the rest of this entry »