According to Paula J. Rackoff, MD, clinical associate professor of rheumatology at NYU Langone Medical Center, “Alcohol, in any form, can trigger attacks of the joint inflammation that characterizes gout. Alcohol may affect the kidney’s ability to filter uric acid; this, combined with increased levels of uric acid in the blood, can bring about an attack of gouty arthritis.”

In order to keep uric acid low, Dr. Rackoff recommends that gout patients hold off on drinking alcohol for the first few months after treatment. “Once they are on a stable regimen, they can resume drinking wine in moderation,” she adds, noting that two glasses a day is generally a good benchmark.

That said, there is good news for wine lovers for whom gout is a concern. In a 2004 Harvard Medical School study, researchers found no difference in gout development between people who consumed wine and those who abstained.