02/19/08 Red Wine Headaches

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. I was presenting a wine class recently and there were many of the usual questions at the end. As a result, I realize that every so often we need to revisit some of the most often asked questions about wine. So today - let's address red wine and headaches. Today we are answering one of the most commonly asked questions about headaches and wine - "Why does red wine give you a headache but white wine does not?" Headaches and their relationship to wine is broad topic to begin with. However, let us operate under the assumption that the headache in question, is not resulting from over consumption of wine. Hydration is a consideration in keeping headaches a bay. A good practice is to drink two glasses of water for each glass of wine that you consume. Many people immediately fault sulfites in wine; most likely, they are not the culprits. In the case of a person who claims to get headaches from red wine but not from white; sulfites are not the likely reason. The simple explanation being that there are usually more sulfites in white wine than in red. Some studies implicate histamines from the skins, seeds and stems of grapes. They may be more prevalent in red wines as the juice is in contact longer with the skins in order to gain color and other desirable characteristics. People who are sensitive to histamines may experience the expansion or contraction of blood vessels, which causes pressure in the head, and a headache. If red wine gives you a headache and you know it, then just stick with white wine. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net, and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.