Cheap wine gives me headaches

[Berry_Crawford]

@John Morris

I think it might be sulfites. A lot of cheap wines are made with the knowledge that the customer will leave the unopened bottle out on the counter. Having tried making vinegar from mid-range California chardonnay once, I can testify that there are some mighty potent preservatives in cheaper wines. The stuff just wouldn’t turn.

Is the sulfur that one smells often on Riesling sulfites? Because Ive never had a headache of this type from Riesling

[Wes_Barton]

@Berry Crawford

@Doug Schulman

I have noticed that I get headaches from cheap wine, beer, or spirits after having consumed relatively little.

Ive found that if Im going to get a headache from a wine it happens almost immediatly. Like within a few minutes to an hour.

I get headaches from cheap alcohol, but some wines give me migraines. With the latter, the key is paying attention, as that fuzzy non-headache migraine symptom comes on immediately with the first sip, to a small degree. So if I spit it out and dump the glass it’s not too big of a deal.

I’ve read 70% of red wine headaches are from amines, which I think are what cause my migraines. Bees and wasps are among the sources.

Sulfites cause something like 4% of red wine headache. There are plenty of other products with higher levels of SO2 that you should know if you’re sensitive.

It’s clear one of the main causes of headache from cheap alcohol is, well, cheap alcohol, as in non-ethanol alcohols. I wouldn’t discount other nasty stuff, including preservatives, too.

[Mike_Miller]

If it makes you feel any better, you can get a headache from expensive wine, too. You’ll just have to drink a lot more of it!!

[G_D_y_e_r]

I just learned about an additive that is present in some subset of wine, Velcorin (dimethyl dicarbonate). It supposedly is some rather nasty stuff, but hydrolyzes in water to methanol and carbon dioxide. The quantity of methanol produced should be quite low when used correctly (i.e. not dangerous), but it’s not an alcohol we can process in any appreciable quantity, either. Perhaps trace levels could cause minor symptoms like headaches and hangovers.

It’s used as an antimicrobial agent to kill yeast and bacteria, and is especially effective for low acid wines where sulfites cannot protect the wine sufficiently. To me this sounds like an easy drinking, low acid, low sulfite wine built to sip right off the shelf–a grocery store wine. Or perhaps a massive low acid wine that is unfined and unfiltered . . . .

[Berry_Crawford]

@G. D y e r

I just learned about an additive that is present in some subset of wine, Velcorin (dimethyl dicarbonate). It supposedly is some rather nasty stuff, but hydrolyzes in water to methanol and carbon dioxide. The quantity of methanol produced should be quite low when used correctly (i.e. not dangerous), but it’s not an alcohol we can process in any appreciable quantity, either. Perhaps trace levels could cause minor symptoms like headaches and hangovers.

It’s used as an antimicrobial agent to kill yeast and bacteria, and is especially effective for low acid wines where sulfites cannot protect the wine sufficiently. To me this sounds like an easy drinking, low acid, low sulfite wine built to sip right off the shelf–a grocery store wine. Or perhaps a massive low acid wine that is unfined and unfiltered . . . . [stirthepothal.gif]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing this.

I wonder how prevalent its use is.

[cnpotter]

I think the headache symptom might be an allergic reaction to something more prevalent in inexpensive wine than the pricier stuff. I think I have this problem with certain wines. But if I take an antihistamine dose (like an Actifed tablet) prior to drinking I have no reaction. (Of course I sleep through the tasting so maybe I consume less - No just kidding ).

[G_D_y_e_r]

@Berry Crawford

@G. D y e r

I just learned about an additive that is present in some subset of wine, Velcorin (dimethyl dicarbonate).

I wonder how prevalent its use is.

So do I. It’s not something I’ll lose sleep over as the big danger seems to be in handling the raw chemical prior to its breakdown. I’d bet the level of methanol produced is less than what the yeast make in fermentation in most cases.

The real interesting question would pertain to high end wines. If a producer wants unfined, unfiltered wines for marketing and/or taste reasons, but also wants microbial stability, this Velcorin additive sounds like a magic bullet. And they can say the magic words “unfined, unfiltered” while not saying “Velcorin-ed.”

[Bob_Hunnicutt]

You think cheap wine is bad try cheap tequila.



or better yet, don’t.