Is Champagne Gluten-Free?

Celiac.com 02/02/2023 - A few years back, we did an article on wines, which noted that they are almost always gluten-free. However, we still get a lot of questions about gluten-free alcohol, beer and wine. Lately we've seen a number of questions about Champagne. Specifically, is Champagne gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease? The short answer is yes. Here’s a quick rundown on the basics of wine, Champagne, and gluten.

Like other wines, Champagne is generally regarded as gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease and other gluten-related sensitivities. 

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That said, there are a couple of ways that wine and Champagne could come to contain gluten; but they are mostly due to old and discontinued wine making practices.

In the old days, barrel makers sealed wine barrels with wheat paste, which contains gluten. Before using them, however, winemakers steam clean them with a high pressure power washer to make sure that there is nothing that left in the barrels which will contaminate the wine. However, these days, nearly every winery in the world now uses non-gluten-based wax products to seal their barrels. 

Even wine from barrels sealed with wheat paste have been shown in testing to come in at under 5ppm gluten, and so are gluten-free. But again, almost no winery uses wheat pastes, so that's unlikely to be an issue with any wine or Champagne.

Another way wine could conceivably be exposed to gluten is if wheat gluten is used for a process called ‘fining.’ However, these days, the use of wheat gluten in fining is practically nonexistent. 

Again, even if fining used wheat, which it almost never does these days, a 2011 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that wines fined with gluten contained either extremely low, or undetectable, levels of gluten.

The only real reason that a wine or Champagne would contain wheat or gluten ingredients is if they were added after the fact, or during production.

That view is shared by  Marilyn Geller, CEO of the nonprofit Celiac Disease Foundation, who says "One thing for consumers to watch for is any wine or wine product that contains added colors or flavors, or that is made from barley malt, such as bottled wine coolers."

Bottom line: Check the label. If the product is a standard red, white or rosé, sparkling wine, or Champagne, then it is almost certainly gluten-free. 

Watch out for coolers or wine, sparkling wine or Champagne with added ingredients. 

As always, read labels, avoid gluten ingredients, and trust your gut. If you still have questions, do not hesitate to contact the winery directly.