Yes, you can be allergic. My mother breaks out in hives if she drinks red wine....even a few sips. And my Mother in law claims that she is allergic, I have never seen her drink, but she claims that her throat starts to close. (I say claims, because as more information comes to light, I wonder if maybe she just says that rather than say, "NO, I don't drink, because several of my siblings are major alcoholics and I saw my life headed down that path." But whichever reason it may be, she has the foresight to not drink at all.