Wine consultant Sebastiano Ramello founded Low Histamines in 2011 with the aim of producing a range of wines with a histamine level of less than 0.5mg/litre. Histamines are found in a variety of food stuffs in varying levels, including wine, however up to 4% of the population is thought to be intolerant, with the most common complaint persistent migraines. Intolerance to the compound is heightened in people unable to produce sufficient levels of the enzyme Dao.
Foods known to contain higher levels of histamines include cured meats, mature cheeses, tomatoes and aubergines, as well as red wines. "I started this project because of my mother in the beginning as she was histamine intolerant. I'm a wine expert, not a doctor, so I worked with some doctors over the last five years to study more about this. Mostly histamines are found in red rather than white wine because the skins and the tannins carry more histamines".
