523295 Wed May 28 07:37:47 -0700 2008 12 34 Wine 0 3726744 My husband and I recently purchased a case of Herding Cats Cab/Shiraz from Whole Foods at the suggestion of one of the wine staff people. It is very inexpensive ($5 a bottle, I think.) Anyway, it seems to give me a MAJOR headache that lasts through the night and into the next morning even if I have only consumed a glass or so. Has anyone else had a similar experience? I drink a lot of different types of wines and have only had this issue with one other kind: another inexpensive one, Charles Shaw a.k.a. "Two Buck Chuck." I'd also be interested to hear any theories in regards to what about these particular wines might be causing the headache. Wed May 28 07:37:47 -0700 2008 43622 JenBoes 1 3727646 Apparently the 'red wine headache' is still a bit of a mystery. But it isn't due to the whole "contains sulfites" thing (no matter what my mother may tell you). http://www.beekmanwine.com/prevtopbd.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_wine_headache Wed May 28 11:27:33 -0700 2008 3726744 57993 happyrobot 2 3728574 But it's not all reds (I drink mostly red) and I'm also not thinking it doesn't have to do with price point/mass production, etc. There is a French red (the name escapes me but there are two chickens on the label) that is at around the same price point that does not give me any trouble. Wed May 28 15:30:57 -0700 2008 3727646 43622 JenBoes 3 3728797 Ms JenB, you expressed doubt that the problem is related to the mass/bulk production method, but the two wines with the problem for you fit that category. The French won't be using the same methods necessarily as the cali's and ozzies. Have you had the problem with a $15-40 btl. of red? If the problem isn't a matter of your taking hydration precautions as kindly suggested by Mr. Hunt, my suspicion would fall on the industrial/mass production methods--worst case, a contaminant. Of compounds common to all wines, if tannin is the culprit, it could be the use of fresh wood chips in place of real barrels, but I lack the knowledge of the production methods to go beyond guessing. Wed May 28 16:36:46 -0700 2008 3728574 11012 moto 4 3751767 Thank you. I think the industrial/mass production methods might be the problem. The only two wines that have ever given me a headache are the two I mentioned. Thanks for the input. Thu Jun 05 06:44:15 -0700 2008 3728797 43622 JenBoes 1 3728745 Often, headaches can be caused, or at least triggered, by dehydration, especially in the blood vessels in the head/brain. Tannin can act as a dehydrating agent. It's always good to drink a glass of water/glass of wine. There could be other elements, to which you have a degree of sensitivity. Pinpointing the exact cause might be tough. Sounds like Herding Cats ought to come with a package of Bufferin, or something... Hunt Wed May 28 16:20:54 -0700 2008 3726744 11329 Bill Hunt 2 3728800 Good advice Bill Hunt. I can't tell you how many people think they are allergic to reds when they are simply dehydrated. I have even talked to my allergist about this subject. He agrees. Some people are allergic to sulfites. Some are allergic to certain types of trees (think oak barrels). That is the only type of allergy they could test for. So everyone else... please drink some water. Wed May 28 16:38:08 -0700 2008 3728745 180467 WineUnleashed 3 3728874 AND, if one is the host/hostess of a wine tasting party, please do not put lemon into it. That's nice on the porch at lunch, but suddenly, every wine tastes like it has nothing but citrus elements. Hunt Wed May 28 17:01:02 -0700 2008 3728800 11329 Bill Hunt 4 3728998 Couldn't agree more! I even dislike flavored bubbly waters when I am tasting wine. Gosh, do I sound like a princess or what! It's all in the name of wine. Wed May 28 17:54:03 -0700 2008 3728874 180467 WineUnleashed 1 3766070 Good advice about the lemon. Never thought about that. I'm wondering when the headaches arrive. I've sipped from (red) wine glasses before and gotten near instantaneous headaches from them, headaches so fast you just cannot fathom it coming from the wine. I've reasoned the tannins, residual chemicals from the skins. . . just a mystery I guess. Fresh air tends to do wonders, however. Tue Jun 10 06:15:11 -0700 2008 3726744 124704 Icantread 2 3769279 How quickly after drinking do the headaches occur? You said instantaneously? That fast? Five minutes? Twenty? Any other symptoms at the same time? This is a different type headache than the OPs cheap wine headache. But, just to make sure, was that cheap red wine you were sipping when the headache came on instantaneously? Wed Jun 11 02:28:47 -0700 2008 3766070 18222 maria lorraine 3 3770238 last time was at a function, which I can only guess used some lower echelon bottles and i definitely had a light headache within five minutes and a couple sips. I was blown away by that. I've had some that arose later on (20 minutes-1 hour). It has NEVER happened to me with a decently priced bottle of wine. This was one of those extracted Australian shirazes with a label I did not recognize. Wed Jun 11 09:29:07 -0700 2008 3769279 124704 Icantread 3 3848202 I had the beginnings of a headache before I finished the glass. Tue Jul 08 07:52:20 -0700 2008 3769279 43622 JenBoes