I've never heard of such a thing. How cheap are we talking about? And is this your personal experience?

Hi barnmom - it's only from australian wines - the 4 litre casks all made by "reputable" companies - some of the biggest wine manufacturers in the world - Hardies, Coolabah, etc

and it is a personal thing - it only started about three months agho and when I showed my doctor he checked me out for all sorts of diseases (cholera was one of them!!!) - and then we figured out it is the wine and something the manufacturers are now putting into their cheaper products. The wine companies refuse to answer my emails - so I have to start taking bottles of good stuff to barbecues

I googled the topic of red wine and black tongues and found a wine actually called "Black Tongue." A Syrah from Washington priced at $29.00 so it isn't the bargain bin crapola or from Australia. I know that Australia is famed for its Shiraz aka Syrah. Perhaps the wine you bought had a high percentage of this varietal in the blend.

I also found the following on a message board:

: If you're drinking peptol bismol (bismuth) for a hangover, that will turn your tongue black.

: : Drinking red wine is giving me a black tongue. Anyone know why?

: : : Pepto bismol contains bismuth which when combined with the small traces of sulfer found in the intestinal tract creates bismuth-sulfide, a compound that indeed causes darkening of the tongue. As far as the red wine goes, I think it may be the dark color of the wine that stains your tongue black. Try brushing your tongue after drinking red wine! (P.S. I am not a doctor; I had the same problem with pepto bismol and found this info through online research!)

I'm not a big red wine drinker so I have never had this happen. If I drink more than one glass it will be white wine. If red, usually just one. And rarely more than 2 glasses of anything. Oh, I can drink it, I suffer badly!

Here is a link that might be useful: Black Tongue

Black tongue is classic from certain Aussie shirazes. However, you can get it from plenty of cabs as well. It's not a mark of a lesser wine. Plenty of great wines may give you a little black tongue--especially if you drink enough of it within a short period of hours ;-)

I drink all kinds of red wine (even the $100 per bottle wines - which I don't consider cheap at all) and my tongue turns black no matter what type of red wine I drink.