Tannin count in red wine

[wineguruchgo]

Foodie I understand where you are going with this and I found some info on line about it. The article I read was from 7-8 years ago when I was still waiting tables. I carried it with me because I wanted my customers to drink red wine.

I thought searching the web after all these years would have returned a larger response, but I only found one article written. Here is what it says on the subject:

God created fleas, mosquitoes, poison oak, acne, corns, colic and Red Wine Headache just to be certain of Adam’s on going contrition.

Lots of people will mention in the tasting room that they are "allergic" to red wine. What they describe is a pounding, symmetrical headache, associated with nausea and sometimes a flushing or "hot flashes" sensation. It’s not pleasant. It occurs relatively soon after drinking red wine-within an hour- and it usually doesn’t take much more than a glass to trigger the effect.

Other beverages with considerably more alcohol do not trigger the headache, and white wine usually can be taken moderately with no ill effects. RWH is definitely different from the "hangover," which occurs 6 to 12 hours after drinking and only after imprudent amounts of consumption. Perhaps the most striking part of RWH is its resemblance to migraine headache, with its throbbing, severe pain and queasy stomach and quirks to circulation. Migraine is a common disorder, still of unknown cause, in which the blood vessels in the head constrict and then dilate. Indeed, red wine has been shown to be able to set off headaches in known migraine sufferers; but not all migraine patients experience this effect, and plenty of people without migraines do get RWH.

There is not a lot of scientific literature on RWH, since it isn’t rare, novel, or sexually transmitted. However, some new information has come to light. It may be easiest to describe what it is not.

It is not an allergic reaction to alcohol, sulfites, or additives. Amines (histamine and tyramine) were thought for a long time to be the culprit. While small amounts are present in grape skins they are not present in high enough levels to be problematic. Tannins or pigments in red grapes can set off a reaction in the blood system that resembles a migraine, but this seems to affect only a small portion of sufferers.

The most recent studies lean toward a grape skin derived material that may be absorbed, then converted by the body after lag time into an active agent.

That can in turn trigger the blood vessel disturbance. One such material is prostaglandin, which is a remarkably potent substance. Prostaglandin inhibitor medicines, such as aspirin or the more potent Advil or Nuprin, have been found to block the development of RWH in some people. Some people with RWH have found it worthwhile to test their own headache physiology by taking one of the medications (such as Advil), then drinking a small amount of red wine. Some find successful prevention. Others may simply need to stay with white wine.

People who claim that they can’t handle red wine are probably telling the honest truth. Be assured that it is not impurities or chemical additives or insecticide residues that cause RWH but rather a natural part of the grape as modified through natural fermentation. People respond differently to any natural substance. The key word to red wine headache is sensitivity.