Wine Filter Systems

Do you get a headache from drinking wine? If so, you may have heard of wine filter systems. Manufacturers of these systems say that purifying your wine of sulfites may be the key to enjoying wine without unwanted side effects.

Do wine filter systems work? In this post, we will answer your questions about purifying wine. Then, we will point you toward a few of our favorite wine filtration systems.

What are Wine Filter Systems, and Why Would You Need One?

Wine filters are also called wine purifiers. They are simple systems designed to remove sulfites and histamines from your wine. Some wine filter systems are reusable, while others are single-use items.

The most common reason to purchase a wine purifier is to try and prevent headaches from drinking wine. But you might also get a filter system to try and prevent other symptoms that can accompany wine consumption such as skin flushing or congestion.

Why Does Wine Give Me a Headache?

There are a number of possible reasons why drinking wine could give you a headache. These include:

• Alcohol itself can produce inflammation in the brain.

• Sulfites may be responsible for spawning headaches in some wine drinkers. You can check out a study that confirms a correlation between the two here.

• Wine contains histamines, and some people’s bodies are sensitive to them, which might produce headaches.

• Flavanoids in wine are nutritious, and generally considered beneficial. Indeed, many people drink wine partly to increase their flavanoid intake. Nonetheless, flavanoids may cause headaches in some people due to their tendency to block the enzyme known as phenol sulfotransferase. This enzyme flushes out headache-inducing substances. When it is prevented from doing its job, headaches can result.

• Some wine headaches are the result of dehydration resulting in a hangover.

Do Wine Filters Really Work?

Rather than asking whether wine filter systems really work, what you should be asking is how likely they are to work for you.

Human bodies are complicated, and highly individualized. One person’s wine headaches might be the result of sulfites and histamines, while another could be reacting to flavanoids or the alcohol itself. Still another might simply keep winding up dehydrated.

If sulfites or histamines are causing or contributing to your headaches, then yes, there is a good chance that filtering your wine with a high quality purification system will make a difference.

Just keep in mind that purifiers cannot prevent all types of wine-induced headaches. Filtering your wine will not stop you from getting dehydrated, for example.

Best Wine Filter Systems

If you are interested in giving a wine filter a try, the two brands we recommend are PureWine and Ullo. Below, we introduce a couple of PureWine filtration systems as well as our favorite Ullo purifier.

1. The Phoenix Wine Purifier by PureWine 

PureWine has been around since 2014, and was created by a father and son who were trying to find a solution to their own wine-induced headaches. As the two happened to be scientists, they were able to come up with a system that purified wines of sulfites and histamines, but did not eliminate beneficial antioxidants. Their flagship product is the Phoenix wine purifier.

The Phoenix takes the form of a pouring device and air tube. You simply add one of the company’s Bio-Pod cartridges to the device, and then attach it to the bottle. Then, pour your wine as usual. It will pass through the filter on the way to the glass.

Why You’ll Love It

The Phoenix is reusable, making it a cost-effective long-term solution. It is highly effective at removing histamines and sulfites while preserving the nutritional and flavor profile of your wines. PureWine’s products also aerate wine at the same time they purify it.

You also will appreciate that the Phoenix is manufactured out of recyclable materials, making it an eco-friendly product. It comes backed by a 30-day guarantee.

Best For

If you want a reusable wine purifier that you can attach to the bottle, the Phoenix works great.

2. The Wand Wine Purifier by PureWine 

Another product we can recommend by PureWine is the Wand. Unlike the Phoenix, the Wand is not a reusable filter. It is a single-use item that can purify one glass of wine. You can purchase the Wand in packs of 3, 8, 30, 40 or 90.

Why You’ll Love It

Like the Phoenix, the Wand is ridiculously easy to use. Just pour your wine, and then stir it with the Wand for several minutes. Once you are done, you can remove it or leave it in the glass.

You will notice that the end of each Wand has a playing card symbol. This is handy, as it can help you tell your wine apart from someone else’s. You can break it off if you want to take the Wand out of your glass and then attach it to your glass as an identifier.

Best For

We recommend the Wand if you are hosting a party. Your guests can each choose individually whether or not they want to purify their wine. Plus, they will appreciate that the Wand helps them distinguish their glasses.

You might also want to think about purchasing the 3-pack of Wands if you are on the fence about whether or not to purchase the Phoenix or Ullo (see below). The 3-pack is pretty cheap, and gives you a way to test whether you have the type of wine headache that a filter system can help alleviate. If the results are good, you can then feel more confident purchasing a reusable purifier.

3. Ullo Wine Purifier

Finally, if you want to test out a different brand, we recommend this Ullo wine filter.  Like the Phoenix, it is a reusable wine purification system that selectively removes sulfites and histamines while leaving the rest of the wine’s nutritional content intact. Ullo also aerates wine simultaneously (you can switch this feature on or off as desired).

What makes Ullo different from Phoenix? Instead of attaching the filter to the bottle and pouring through it, you put it on top of your wine glass and pour through it.

Why You’ll Love It

Ullo is effective at purifying wine while preserving flavor and nutrition. You also will like that it is manufactured out of BPA-free materials; nothing leaches into the wine when you are using it. You can wash it in your dishwasher.

Best For

Ullo is just a tad more expensive than the Phoenix, and is in the same basic price bracket. So, we do not recommend choosing one or the other based on budget. Instead, we would suggest using Ullo if you would rather attach your purifier to your glass than your bottle. It really just comes down to whatever you prefer from an ease-of-use standpoint.

If you have unusually-sized or shaped wine glasses, you can pick up a decanter from Ullo and fit the Ullo Wine Purifier on top of that, then pour from there into your glass.

Start Drinking Purified Wine

You have now had a chance to check out a few wine filtration systems that are highly rated for their efficacy, ease-of-use and overall quality. To start purifying your wine now, click on any of the links in this post.