Sulfites -- Do They Cause Your Wine Headache?

I've heard it from too many people. They can't drink wine, particularly red wine, because it gives them headaches. And, the reason is that they are allergic to sulfites. And, they know this because red wine gives them headaches.

With apologies to those who truly have sulfite allergies, most of the people claiming that they can't drink wine because it gives them headaches and headaches are caused by sulfites are just wrong. That's it; they are wrong.

Yes, wines, particularly red wines have sulfites. They occur naturally in grapes, and further during fermentation, and are also often added as preservatives. But, people with sulfite allergies have very specific reactions to those sulfites.

As Yogi Berra would have told you, you could look it up.

Reactions to sulftte allergies are ashmatic and histamine-based in nature. Those poor souls who are afflicted get rashes and hives. They wheeze. They might have heart palpatations. But, according to every reputable website, and some unreputable ones as well, that I have seen that have addressed the topic, sulfite allergies do not cause headaches.

If you are one of those people who swears that I am wrong, let's consider some other food products that have, generally, higher levels of sulfites than red wines do. Potato chips. Do they give you headaches? How about dried fruits? Sweet potatos? V8 Juice? Fruit-filled pastries? Frozen peas?

For all those people that say that red wine does it to them and that is why they stick to white wine, perhaps they should look at the differences between red wine and white wine. Red wines tend to have higher alcohol content. They are more tannic; in fact, most white wines do not have noticeable if any tannins at all. And, my observation is that most people who drink red wine do not drink water while they are drinking the red wine (no, not mixing them). Those things are more likely the cause of the headaches.

So, unless you truly have a sulfite allergy, give it another try. Keep a large glass of water next to you and for every glass of red wine, have a glass of water. And, I am guessing you may not get that headache.