"Do You Know the Truth? Sulfites and Wine Headaches"

In my now 40 years in the wine business I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had the sulfite and wine headache conversation. Besides the obvious “You’ve finished the bottle by yourself? No wonder you have a headache!”, there is still some question as to why people get a headache when they drink even a small amount of wine. And to be clear about this subject, we are talking about reasonable consumption and not a raging hangover from over-consumption. These things I can tell you for certain;

 

1. It’s not because it’s red. Studies show wine headaches are actually a bit more frequent when consuming white wine. 2. It’s not because the wine is from one place or another, there is absolutely no evidence that wine made in the U.S., Europe, or anywhere else is more or less of a culprit. 3. It is DEFINITELY NOT sulfites that cause these headaches! So please take a moment and read this excellent article from Lettie Teague in the Wall Street Journal, on this often misunderstood topic.                                                                                      

Cheers!

Adam Satchwell  Winemaker and General Manager, Shady Lane Cellars