Our Story
How Drop It® Got Started
Have you ever noticed that you can easily get a headache when drinking wine and beer?
Since 1988, the FDA has required the addition of sulfites to wine in the United States as a preservative. If you were to pour yourself a nice relaxing glass of wine in most other countries, you would probably not get a headache as easily; you simply can enjoy the wine. In the U.S. there is a large percentage of the population that is sensitive or has a true intolerance to sulfites and tannins which can be the cause of wine headaches and other adverse reactions such as facial flushing or indigestion. Tannins are very heavy in Red Wines and can also give a young wine that astringent or dry feeling as it hits your tongue.
In beer, Phenols or Tannins keep the beer fresh, colorful, and balanced. They can also contribute to haze, flavors and astringency. There are 67 different Phenols and tannins in beer and several hundred phenol complexes. These phenols primarily come from the barley and hops. Plant sources such as lignin are the source for natural phenolic compounds found in Barley, hop bines, Hop cones, Barley straw and seed husks. Lignin and tannins are examples of phenols in beer. Specialty Malts typically have more phenols, especially those using smoked hardwoods or peat fires during the brewing process.
Mine is the story of someone that could not drink wine for many years. Just a small amount of wine would produce a throbbing headache. I wanted to enjoy a glass of wine at the end of a long day, on an occasion with friends, or a special night out. I started doing a little bit of research and after much work and discovery, I developed Drop It® into a patent pending product. After years of helping thousands of customers enjoy their wine again, we have added Drops for your Hops™ to the WineRX family for those that easily get adverse reactions from a small amount of beer due to the sulfites and tannins!
This is not a product that will reduce the effects of drinking too much wine or beer. This is for those who are sensitive or intolerant to the sulfites and or tannins in wine and beer. The best advice is to drink responsibly to enjoy your wine and beer.
Sulfites, Tannins, Wine and Beer
There are very few wines that are made without some use of sulfites, in fact they are naturally occurring and the most widely used preservative in wine. Wine is perishable and subject to legal storage conditions. It is estimated that to 1% of the population has an increased sensitivity to sulfites. It is also estimated that more than another 1% will say they experience headaches and other symptoms.
Wine makers also love tannins. Tannins occur naturally in wines through grape skins, seeds and stems and act to protect the wine. Tannins help give wine its flavor profile and boldness.
However, many people report getting a Red Wine Headache also known as RWH. In fact, Reds are usually lower in sulfites than Whites because the additional tannins act as a natural preservative in Reds. Sulfite sensitivity can vary in degree with one or more of a combination of symptoms. Even in small amounts, Sulfites and Tannins are often enough to keep someone from enjoying a glass of wine to avoid the symptoms.
While some beers may show that they don’t contain sulfites, this is not actually the case. This means that they do not contain any added sulfites, however beer does naturally include sulfites. Sulfites in beer occur during fermentation and will stay in the beer throughout the whole process. There are also many naturally occurring tannins in beer. With many new craft beers, we are seeing the addition of new ingredients and aging processes that also increase the tannin and sulfite levels in the beer.
Why Choose Drop It®?
Why not?
There are very few wines that are made without some use of sulfites, in fact they are naturally occurring and the most widely used preservative in wine. Wine is perishable and subject to legal storage conditions. It is estimated that to 1% of the population has an increased sensitivity to sulfites. It is also estimated that more than another 1% will say they experience headaches and other symptoms.
Wine makers also love tannins. Tannins occur naturally in wines through grape skins, seeds and stems and act to protect the wine. Tannins help give wine its flavor profile and boldness.
However, many people report getting a Red Wine Headache also known as RWH. In fact, Reds are usually lower in sulfites than Whites because the additional tannins act as a natural preservative in Reds. Sulfite sensitivity can vary in degree with one or more of a combination of symptoms. Even in small amounts, Sulfites and Tannins are often enough to keep someone from enjoying a glass of wine to avoid the symptoms.
While some beers may show that they don’t contain sulfites, this is not actually the case. This means that they do not contain any added sulfites, however beer does naturally include sulfites. Sulfites in beer occur during fermentation and will stay in the beer throughout the whole process. There are also many naturally occurring tannins in beer. With many new craft beers, we are seeing the addition of new ingredients and aging processes that also increase the tannin and sulfite levels in the beer.
