How to avoid red wine headaches
It's not the sulphites* in red wines that cause headaches as most people think-- for white wines have more sulphur added to them than red wines. Why? Because white and yellow fruits like apples, peaches, pears (and white grapes) turn brown much faster than red fruits when cut open and exposed to the air. So winemakers add more sulphur to white wines than red wines to prevent them from turning brown and losing aromas/flavors -- which is referred to as "oxidation."
There are four factors that can affect whether or not you get a "red wine" headache:
- How much food is in your stomach
- How much sleep you had the night before
- How much water you have consumed during the evening (hopefully, a lot)
- But the most important factor is: How allergen-sensitive you are in general, especially toward histamines, which are a natural component of red wines -- which can be countered by taking an antihistamine pill one hour before you know you will be drinking red wine.
*Steroid-dependant asthmatics generally have a super sensitivity to sulphites and so could have headaches, blotches or suddenly feel a warm flush when drinking red wine.
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