Wine consists of fermented grape juice. Logical, because the main ingredient in wine is of course the pressed grapes. But in fact, a whole range of other ingredients are allowed to help make the wine a little better. Used in moderation, none of them are harmful to health. Nevertheless, there are many winegrowers who deliberately choose not to use them, either because of high quality standards or out of pride. It is usually possible to make a good wine without additives. However, it makes sense to use certain ingredients because they stabilize the wine, make it last longer and thus also have a great benefit for those who want to enjoy a delicious wine even after several years.
Headaches from sulphur?
A well-known example is sulphur, which is used to preserve wine for longer. It is usually noted on the bottles as: "Contains sulphites". In principle, sulphur is a substance that can also occur naturally in wine because it is produced during fermentation. There is a persistent rumor that sulphur in wine causes headaches. However, this is only true for a very small group of people with a real sulphur intolerance. This only occurs in around 5% of Germans. And even these people are the least likely to have problems with wine: industrially processed foods or dried fruit contain much higher concentrations of sulphur.
Histamine - the real culprit?
Apart from a few exceptions, sulphur must therefore be absolved of the accusation of causing headaches. So what could be the culprit? Another substance that is often blamed for headaches is histamine. Histamine is always produced when food is produced by fermentation or when ripening processes take place. This is therefore not an additive that the winemaker adds, but an undesirable by-product. Nevertheless, the work of the winemaker has a decisive influence on the histamine content in the wine. Improper cellar work or unripe grapes can increase the content.
Histamine in the human organism
In the human body, histamine serves as a messenger substance for inflammatory and allergic reactions and can therefore lead to unpleasant symptoms such as headaches, rashes and itching if ingested in high quantities. However, only people with a particular sensitivity to histamine react to such low concentrations as those found in wine. Other foods such as fish, cheese and sauerkraut have much stronger effects.
The real cause
Very few people are particularly sensitive to histamines or sulphur in wine. So there must be something else in the wine that is giving us the proverbial headache. And in fact, the solution to the mystery is closer than expected: once again, alcohol is to blame. Some people will no doubt say: "I've already got a headache from just two glasses of wine, so it can't be the alcohol." Well, of course it's not quite that simple. To understand the problem, you first need to know what happens in our bodies when we consume alcohol.
What happens to alcohol in our body?
When we drink wine, the alcohol it contains is absorbed through the intestines and reaches the liver via the bloodstream. There, the alcohol is first broken down into aggressive acetaldehyde and then later into harmless acetic acid. The liver manages to break down around 8 to 10 grams of alcohol per hour. This corresponds to the amount contained in a glass of wine. But what happens if two glasses of wine are drunk within an hour? Then there is a kind of congestion in front of and in the liver and the alcohol remains in the bloodstream. But the aggressive acetaldehyde is also not broken down quickly enough and is distributed throughout the body via the bloodstream. In the brain in particular, this substance causes tissue cells to release water. As this water has nowhere to go, it presses on the brain from the outside and we get headaches.
What can I do to avoid headaches after drinking wine?
In most cases, the cause of headaches is simply too much alcohol in too short a time. The triggering substance, acetaldehyde, is not an additive contained in wine, but a simple degradation product of alcohol. To avoid headaches, you should not drink more than one glass of wine per hour. It can also help to drink a glass of water every now and then, which reduces thirst and therefore also the amount of alcohol that is absorbed. People with sulphur and histamine intolerances should take care to drink wines that contain the lowest possible concentrations of these substances. Dry red wines from biodynamic production contain very little sulphur and are therefore more suitable than light-colored sweet wines, which usually contain more sulphur. On the contrary, high-quality white wines are more suitable for people with histamine sensitivity, as they contain only negligible amounts of histamines when matured properly. For everyone else, it is better to enjoy a slightly higher quality wine in moderation than to drink large quantities of cheap fusel. It goes without saying, doesn't it?
You can find suitable wines at vinoa.de!
Image sources:
Cover picture: © Quinn Dombrowski - www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/2372828532
Image in text: © Jordan Johnson - www.flickr.com/photos/winestyr/8692988715