Why Do Some Wines Give Me a Bad Reaction?

So here we are, approaching the middle of my least favourite month, reflecting on the fun that was Christmas and how I could make it even more fun by avoiding one or two of the headaches that got.

So, what is it, other than the bleedin’ obvious, that gives us bad reactions to wine? The bleedin’ obvious being a little bit too much, which is one of the hazards of my job.

Well, spoiler alert… It’s very unlikely to be sulphur (sulphates), or, as it comes in wine, sulphur dioxide (So2). Did you know that there is perhaps more sulphur in a bag of chips than there is in a bottle of wine???Sulphur is a natural product that keeps things fresh. It stops salads going brown and it keeps a wine vibrant and free from bacteria - it’s a protecting agent; totally natural and, to 99% of us, totally harmless.

Here though are some tips on how to make the next series of celebrations go without a headache. Or for that matter another unwanted reaction - facial flushing, nausea and other not so fun things.??

Without wishing to be too crass (as there’s a lot of science and research behind this), it’s principally about a combination of the elements or compounds that naturally occur in wine and how our bodies react to these.??We’re all different, thank goodness, so we’ll react in different ways. Note here that I’m talking about natural compounds in wine, the by-products of fermentation. These products exist every bit as much in natural wines as they do in other wines, and they are:

1. Phenolic Flavonoids:??These are much tastier than their name would imply. Found in the skin’s, pips and stalks of the grape these give us all the deliciousness in our wine: - the texture, the mouth feels, the colour and much of the wines flavour. They’re found more in red wine than white because red wine is fermented using skins, pips and sometimes the stalks.??These release enzymes in our gut causing our body to release excess serotonin in our brain, giving us our unwanted headache. Read here to find out more…?https://www.guildsomm.com/public_content/features/articles/b/jennifer-angelosante/posts/phenolics

2.???Biogenic Amines: These are again natural products of fermentation and the key one to be concerned about is Histamine.??We metabolise these and regulate how much go into our bloodstream but, for those of us who aren’t great at metabolising them, it can mean that too much goes into our blood. Excess histamines in the blood can lead to a bad reaction - facial flushing, headaches, nausea etc.?

But it’s not just about flavonoids and amines. In fact, for most of us it’s not about flavonoids or amines at all.??The sad news is, it’s far more about the ratio of alcohol to water.?Hydration is critical to keep wine doing fun stuff for us. So, here are my top tips to fun partying after dry January:

1)??Drink lots of water before, during and after you drink lots of wine.

2)??Perhaps choose White over Rosé over Red (something I would struggle with).

3)??Try an antihistamine pill before drinking.??

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