Oh that RWH!

A Strange Sulfite Blush
Debunking the Myth


Ow ow ow OW! I woke up with a killer RWH today. That is, I went to bed happily tipsy, dimly aware that my head was aching, and toward morning could no longer ignore the painful throbs beating against my skull. The inside of my skull. With a Thor-sized hammer whose blows increased in intensity with the rising of the sun. Or so it seemed. This, THIS is the price one pays for loving red wines. Sometimes that price seems too high, doesn’t it?

RWH=Red Wine Headache. It’s a recognized medical syndrome. . . recognized, but not well understood. Probably because would-be researchers are afraid to ask for grant money. Here’s what the pusillanimous scientific sorts have come up with on their own: What causes the dreaded RWH may be tannins; it may be histamines; it may be tyramine or some other chemical effect. What RWH is NOT caused by is sulfites.

Sulfites, which popularly are blamed for the queasy, stuffy-nosed, red-cheeked skull-pounding aftereffects of drinking red wine, are actually more prevalent in white wines. To which I say, Nya-nya-nya-NYA-nya. (Although I shouldn’t gloat, as white wines don’t usually cause headaches. What I SHOULD do is drink more white wines. Happily, that bit of self-advice coincides with the advent of warmer weather, always an inducement to quaff the clearer spirits.)

Sulfite, a natural byproduct of yeast fermentation, is used by winemakers as an antioxidant and anti-microbial. The FDA more than 20 years ago (that’s Before Bush, back when the FDA actually relied on science to formulate its positions) determined that a small portion of the population – less than 1 percent – is allergic to sulfites. These people lack the digestive enzyme that allows the body to process sulfites, which are also found in foods like cheeses and lunchmeats.

With its finding, the FDA required wines containing certain levels of sulfite to say so; that’s why wine labels may contain the phrase “contains sulfites.” Such information has oft been interpreted as a warning that people who get RWH’s should avoid red wine because of the sulfites. Not so. The warning on the label is intended for the wee minority who are allergic to sulfites. Sulfites can produce an allergic reaction – usually a breathing problem – in those lacking the aforementioned digestive enzyme; sulfites give headaches only to asthmatics.

In sum: If you have a sulfite allergy or asthma, you should avoid wine. I am so sorry.

For the rest of us, there are a few remedies out there to lessen the impact of RWH. First, ibuprofen or aspirin should be taken prophylactically. (If you don't have friends who are physicians, and therefore aren't familiar with this adverb, it simply means to take the pills BEFORE you begin your evening of wine.) I’ve tried this, and it seems to work. It is also suggested, probably by client-hungry dentists looking to bleach teeth, that one ingest black tea before and during wine drinking. I can’t remember why this is suggested – something about Quercetin, a bioflavin. I have not tried this. I think it would detract from the taste of the red wine, which is largely the point of red wine. For me, anyway. Also I think one would risk looking foolish, or piggish, or dam’ thirsty, with a mug of tea in one hand and a fat winey Riedel in the other. But suit yourself.

Or you can try mitigating the less pleasant effects of wine-drinking with some experimentation, with yourself as the subject. This needn’t be unpleasant; it merely requires that you record what you drink. Try different wines; different grapes; different countries of origin. Write down what you drink, and your reaction to it – your PHYSICAL reaction to it, not your degree of silliness or loquaciousness. Unless you want to.

The journaling/experimentation approach would involve sipping a half glass of wine, then waiting 15 minutes to see if a headache materializes. No headache, no problemo. At least not with that particular wine. See, write it down. Immediately. “I drank the Clos du Bois Zin (’99) with no ill effects.” Bad example, actually, as the 1999 Clos du Bois Zin isn’t a wine I’ll try again, most likely. It wasn’t big and Zinny enough, and there aren’t too many ‘99s out there in any case. But it didn’t give me a headache. And the point is that you can drink some reds without resultant headaches. You simply must discover which reds they are.

Joe Coulombe, the founder of Trader Joe’s, thinks that the solution to RWH lies in drinking older wines. Predictably, most Americans drink very young red wines from California. Enfants terribles, apparently: Some of the substances that cause hangovers become inert with age, so Coulombe suggests that drinking older wines will reduce both hangovers and RWH’s. The distinction between hangover and RWH? If you are laid low by a headache that comes six hours after “a full evening of drinking,” it’s a hangover. Don’t blame the red wine, don’t blame the sulfites, don’t blame your generous hosts. You overindulged, you’re hurting, and you need caffeine.

Winetaster opines that it is best to hydrate while imbibing, and to drink only really good red wines. Because guzzling water alongside your wine helps, and at least if you get a RWH, it may be worth the suffering.