After a semester in Rome, I had my fair share of wine. Of course I loved it, but what I didn’t love was the fact that wine gave me major headaches, and I was almost always hungover the morning after. Luckily for me, one of my friends (Hey, Lindsey) spent the summer as an intern at Üllo, a company that makes products dedicated to solving these very problems.
Enter: Üllo. A wine purifier that removes the hangover-causing sulfites that are added to wine.
So, what are sulfites?
While they are a natural byproduct of the fermentation needed to make wine, they are also added to wine to maintain freshness and protect the wine from oxidation. According to this Bon Appetit article, "1961 Bordeaux would be considered trash vinegar rather than a treasure."
But here's the problem with them...
While the FDA estimates that only about one in 100 people are truly allergic to sulfites, many more have intolerances or sensitivities that haven’t been officially diagnosed. Sufferers can have symptoms ranging from hives to nausea to flushing and itching.
And of course, there is the infamous wine hangover. You’ve been there. I’ve been there. It’s unfortunate, but it happens.
So naturally I had to give Üllo a try and put it to the test.
Since white wines usually have more sulfites than red wines, I put it to the test with a bottle of Pinot Grigio. I had about 3 glasses. I obviously had reporting to do so I didn’t want to get too crazy, but I knew I needed enough to be able to test if I got a hangover or not.
Did it work?
To my surprise, I woke up hangover free. I’m not going to lie, I was kind of skeptical at first. But considering how bad my hangovers can be, I was pleasantly surprised. I also didn’t develop the pre-sleep headache that I usually get when I drink wine.
Ok but how does it work?
Üllo works by using a selective sulfite filter. Each filter is good for one bottle of wine and can fit in nearly any glass or decanter. All other elements of the wine are left untouched and only the sulfites are trapped.
I'll be honest here. For the average college student, Üllo ain't cheap. It's the perfect kind of thing to add to a birthday, Christmas, or even graduation gift list. But for someone who loves wine but not the hangovers, Üllo is an investment worth making.