Please help. A Headaick from red wine

Dear experts, Please help me if you can. I like wines, especially reds. Rivers running reds with shores made of aged cheese is my vision of haven. But about five years ago I began to notice that drinking red causing me a terrible headache. It does not matter how much I drink. As much as one sip is enough. I don't think it is the wine. I suspect this is something in the wine. I did some research and noticed that I have this problem only with reds. It goes for all reds I tried, domestic and imported. But if I'm happy to find same wine bottled at the origin (Europe), it don't cause me any problem. I must say that it is true only for reds. I don't have this problem with whites, regardless of their origin or bottling. All this made me thinking that in the states all wines, or reds at least, imported and domestics, have some sort of an additive (preservative) added, which is causing me and might be others this terrible headache. I suspect that the industry started using some new conservative in late 90th, Please comment if you have similar experience or can shine some light on the issue. Sincerely, Red drunk.

Reply to
ayboro
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Whites havbe more preservatives than reds. That's because reds have tannins. Read up on the newsgroup you will find dozens of threads just like yours.

Reply to
Mike Tommasi

Try to find an amateur winemaker who makes red wine but does not age it in a barrel or use oak chips. If you have not problems with this wine, then the problem may be from the oak tannins from barrels or wood chips. I do not know why the European wine does not give you any problem and the above would not explain this.

Reply to
Dionysus

"Red wine headaches" are a known medical problem, but there is still controversy regarding its cause. Suggested causes are:

  1. Tannins
  2. histamine
  3. none of the above

You might try taking an antihistamine before drinking red wine to see if that reduces the problem, but be cautious as many antihistamines have a synergistic reaction with alcohol and may make you very sleepy or dizzy. Some people also find that an aspirin before red wine helps reduce the problem (but don't use Tylenol/acetominophen for this purpose).

HTH Mark Lipton

Reply to
Mark Lipton

Har. We used to do this before going out for a night drinking when in college...

Three beers and a Actifed. MUCH cheaper.

If you go that route...use care.

Reply to
JR

Firneds who have this problem with migraines after red wine have told me that the Crus Beaujolais - are much better than many other reds. That might tend to suggest pronounced tannin as a problem. Some have said that bottle aged wine of very good initial quality is also a help, again perhaps suggesting that it judicious use of oak does no harm provided the wine is given the time it needs.

Hope that may help - try a Fleurie or Chenas with 4-5 years in bottle. Moulin or Morgon may be better avoided at that age and kept somewhat longer (I prefer them like that anyway if the year was good.)

Cheers and good luck with what sounds to most of us on this group like a dreadful affliction.

Tim

Reply to
Timothy Hartley

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