Stop badmouthing sulfites, we may have the answer to your red wine headache
Scientists at the University of California, Davis believe they may have found the answer to one of wine's greatest mysteries (and miseries): why do red wines cause more headaches than other forms of alcohol? Popular opinion has long pinned the blame on sulfites, which are often augmented by small quantities of sulfur used during the winemaking process to retard the risk of bacterial spoilage. The problem with this theory is that sulfites are everywhere in preserved foods. So unless you are in the < 1% of the population with a true sulfite allergy and are brought to your knees by eating a dried apricot, there has to be another cause.
The research described here and just published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature, focuses on the body's synthesis of alcohol. In the simplest terms, when alcohol starts to break down, a toxic (sorry!) compound called acetylaldehyde is produced. For people with normal liver function, enzymes are relatively efficient at metabolizing the acetylaldehyde into less harmful byproducts. Cue the villain: in tannic red wines, a naturally occurring compound called quercetin appears to block the enzyme most responsible for processing acetylaldehyde, leading to a most unwelcome build up in your bloodstream. The more tannic the wine, the more likely there is a higher quercetin component. Note the researchers distinguish between what they call Red Wine Headache (RWH), a more immediate and debilitating reaction, and the typical result of a morning-after-headache caused by overindulgence.
While the research above was done in the lab and not with humans, it seems to identify cause and effect, and makes sense on the surface. What are the implications? Some people may have talented livers that simply do a better job of neutralizing acetylaldehyde and are relatively immune. We say relatively because let's be honest, everyone knows drinking excessive amounts of alcohol isn't good for you, and a red wine headache may be the least of the damage. For everyone else, if you think you suffer from red wine headache syndrome, the next part of the experiment should be attempting to compare how you feel drinking less tannic red wines to understand your quercetin tolerance. Here is a list of the red grapes that are among the least tannic for you to try, and some to theoretically avoid, recognizing that a few of these might be a little obscure and harder to find on a store shelf. The good news is that pinot noir is of course grown everywhere-look for cooler climates and lower alcohol if you can, for example Burgundy not California, or even better, the exciting new generation of German pinot noir labeled Spätburgunder. It appears that the more sun that hits the grapes, the higher the quercetin levels.
Low tannin (try)
Frappato (light red from Southern Sicily)
Pinot noir
Schiava (light hybrid grape from NE Italy)
High tannin (avoid)
Aglianico (Full-bodied wines from Campania, Italy
Bordeaux blends
Nebbiolo (Barbaresco and Barolo)
Sagrantino (the great red of Montefalco)
Also, I would add a rosé to the mix to test the hypothesis on the lightest of reds. And if so inclined, throw in an orange wine, which is a white wine that can pick up some tannin from skin contact during fermentation.
Please report back on your results and stay tuned for future developments. For me, this theory is now the leader in the clubhouse.
