Sulfites Give Me Headaches?
Do sulfites give me headaches? No, but they sure make me cranky.
It happened again. I popped into the tasting room to get a bottle of water and overheard some people telling Jose, the Tasting Room Manager, that they “usually only drink French wine because it doesn’t have any sulfites so they don’t get headaches from it”. Jose and I exchanged glances and smiled wearily. We both knew he had a good 10 minutes ahead of him to tactfully try to set them straight, and that they probably still wouldn’t believe him. He’d much rather talk about the vineyard source that gives the wine that nice anise aroma or help them decide where to have lunch. I had to fight my knee-jerk irritation. What I really wanted to do was scream “Who keeps perpetuating these myths???!!!” It was better for me to take my water and leave. 
Two things wrong with their statement:
1. All wines have sulfites regardless of country of origin.
2. Sulfites don’t give you headaches.
Now, let me back up my statements with facts from a much better source than my own humble self.
Regarding point 1, Andrew Waterhouse of the University of California at Davis, one of the best wine schools in the world, stated that European and American wines both tend to average about 80 parts per million (ppm) total sulfur, some more, some less.
Regarding item 2, the same Andrew Waterhouse stated unequivocally that there’s absolutely no indication that sulfites cause headaches. He suggests you eat some colorful dried fruit to put this to the test. The bright color testifies that the fruit has been treated with a hefty dose of sulfur, far, far above 80 ppm. If you don’t react to that, you don’t have a problem with sulfur. He even invited people to write to him if they believe they have compelling evidence that their headaches are caused by sulfur.
Can you buy wine with no added sulfites? Yes, you can, from any country including the US and its absence will usually be screaming at you from the label. But that doesn’t mean that the wine doesn’t contain sulfites. Sulfur is a by-product of the fermentation, albeit a small one, but all wines contain at least a few parts per million.
Wines with no added sulfites are difficult to come by because the vast majority of winemakers, including those who farm organically, find that their wine isn’t very good if they don’t add small amounts. Of course, we’d all like to make wine without adding the sulfur but so far we’re just not technically sophisticated enough to pull it off. The wine tends to have a short shelf life without it. Of course, there are those who disagree. Best way to hunt down some of these no-added-sulfite wines is online. Give ‘em a try!
Do all countries add sulfur? Absolutely, and the Europeans were the first to figure out that it’s a smart thing to do. Sulfur and wine have been partners in winemaking since at least Roman times – first as part of the seal, then as a barrel purifying agent and later as an outright additive.
Sulfur levels are generally lower now than they were a few decades ago because, with modern sanitation methods and winemaking techniques, we can get away with less. Typically, a bottle of Goosecross wine contains about 30 ppm at bottling time. The legal limit in the US is 350. Dried fruit may contain over 1000 parts ppm.
To be fair to this couple who were talking to Jose, it’s reasonable to assume that they think American wine is alone in adding sulfur because, up to very recently, America had a labeling requirement that European wines didn’t: if the wine contains 10 ppm or more, a warning must appear on the label regardless of where it was made. I’m happy to say that any wines made or sold in the EU, bottled after 11/25/2005, will have the same warning. The regulation is the same as that of the US. So, it means that when you go shopping for wine anywhere in the EU, you should see the warning on most whites and young reds by now. Austalia has a similar requirement. When you buy wine in Melbourne, you’ll see a reference to “preservative 220.”
I don’t like being fair when I feel so cranky. Buzzing around the internet to see what is said on the subject, there’s lots of good information, but misinformation also abounds. Especially about the headache thing. So, we can’t be cranky. We have to be fair and patient and explain. By the time we’ve explained it to every wine drinker on the planet you know what? They’ll figure out how to make good wine without adding sulfites!
I disagree,
Me and many friends, have the same problem with the headache. It might be the combination of alcohol and sulfites, that will cauze a headache. But 9 out of 10 times, a headache will occur. So, to me its not a myth, but an aching reality.
Hi, Dave! Thanks for writing and sorry about those headaches. It’s hard to think that scientists of this caliber can be wrong, so it occurred to me that maybe you’re one of those who gets the “red wine headache”? We know it exists, but we don’t know why. It has nothing to do with quantity consumed, as most wine-induced headaches do.
This is a good write up about the red wine headache and a physicican also offers a preventative solution: just pop an aspirin before you take that first sip. Read on: http://www.beekmanwine.com/prevtopbd.htm
If your headaches aren’t solely caused by red wine then something else is getting you. As the article says, there are many things in wine that may cause headaches, but sulfur doesn’t seem to be the prime suspect.
I feel for you! I sure wouldn’t want to pass up my glass of wine with dinner! Nancy
Another idiot who thinks sulfites don’t cause headaches. Yes, they DO. About one percent of the population is sulfite-sensitive to some degree. A smaller percentage has serious reactions. Wine, poptatoes, shrimp, corn products, caramel, or anything with significant sulfite levels gives me a headache, itching, difficulty breathing, a cough. There’s a reason why the FDA requires labeling of sulfites. Not sulfides or plain sulfur, just sulfites. It’s generally an enzyme deficiency rather than an allergy.
10 ppm is not a “safe” level. It’s just a level that is conveniently measured. Most people have no reaction to levels of 1000 or 2000 ppm. Some people, like me, show symptoms below 10 ppm. I can drink one small glass of no-added-sulfites organic wine. Anything more, and I risk problems breathing. Not common at all, but it’s real.
Hi, Bob. I think folks can disagree without being “idiots”. Many of us believe what is reported by credible scientists and, then, you have your own personal experience. We all know, too, that scientific studies can later be contradicted, but we have to go with what we know now. My regrets regarding your food limitations. Nancy
I had a quarter of a glass of red wine from Spain last night and I have a headache this morning. I get headaches from red or white but I have not figured out what the common denominator is.
There was a Fox News report a day or two ago (Nov 4 2007) that mentioned a Napa Valley Wine Association that came up with a device that you submerge in the wine and you get a measurement of the chemicals that supposedly give you wine headaches. (I did not get all the story as it was even confusing to the News Anchor, Bill Hemmer, who read the story.)
I was a waiter, captain, maitre ‘d for 19 years and drank a lot of wine in my day. I simply cannot enjoy it anymore. It is a shame to miss out on the pleasures of having a glass of wine with dinner. The wine industry needs to quit hiding the facts and come clean and help themselves and those of us who would still like to drink wine.
I am planning a trip to Spain in the spring. I will be on a tour of northern Spain and will be dining at various inns and restaurants. I cannot drink red wine as it gives me a headache and a itchy, constricted throat. (Raisins are also a problem. I get gastrointestinal upsets from them.) I think sulfite is the culprit in both cases. How will I know what I can drink while I’m in Spain? I usually can drink white wine, 1 glass, without a problem except for a slight headache, occasionally. I understand that all wines contain sulfite. But how will I be able to determine if the wine that is being served has extra added sulfite? What would be written on the label?
Hi, Joy! Thanks for writing! Lucky you to be going to Spain in the spring!
I’m grateful for your question because it prompted me to double-check my facts. I was all set to tell you that the EU doesn’t have any sulfite labeling requirements. That was true but, as of 11/25/2005 their requirement is the same as the one here in the USA: If the wine is 10 parts per million or more the label must say “contains sulfites”.
If you drink whites, many of them will be young enough to carry the warning. Wines bottled prior to 11/25/2005 are not required to change the label, so you won’t know. It’s a safe assumption that most any wine you select, warning or no, will contain 10 parts per million or more, because that’s an extremely low level.
Traditionally, white wines are higher in sulfur than reds, so I wonder if sulfites are actually the culprit for you. It may be something else, for instance light-bodied whites are often lower in alcohol than full-bodied reds. Some folks are subject to the “red wine headache”. There’s information below about one study that offers a little help:
“In 1981 Herbert Kaufman, M.D., reported that the prophylactic ingestion of aspirin prevented the red wine headache syndrome, RWH, (Lancet 1981; 1: 1263). He also noted that once RWH begins, aspirin has little or no effect in altering the headache. Five years later, in a non-controlled study, Kaufman reported that aspirin inhibited the immediate and late phases of RWH, and the proposed mechanism was through interruption of prostaglandin synthetase (Immunology and Allergy Practice; 7: 279-84). In a new controlled study, Kaufman and Dwight Starr, M.D., Mt. Zion Hospital and Medical Center, examined, through blind evaluation, various inhibitors of prostaglandin synthetase (IPS) drugs, aspirin, Acetaminophen, and Ibuprophen, to test if the RWH could be prevented by the prophylactic use of these specific medications.” Dr. Kaufman’s research is well known. I got this quote from Beekmans Wines and liquors: http://www.beekmanwine.com/prevtopbd.htm
Wine and headaches is a subject that goes round and round, but no one seems to have a clear answer. The only thing I can suggest is that you start noticing the alcohol levels to see if you respond best to low alcohol wine. It seems that we all tend to overlook the alcohol even though, second to water, it’s the biggest ingredient.
I hope you have a wonderful time in Spain! Cheers! Nancy
This is all very interesting. I tend to believe it is not the sulfides as well.
However, I get headaches from wine because I am allergic to mold. But these are not tension headaches, these are vascular headaches (or vascular migraines). Sometimes severe, sometimes just annoying. My doctor recommended I stay away from all alcohol. I seem to get fewer headaches with spirits than wine, but I’m not sure why. Although I do know that one of the spirits on my “allowed-but-be-careful” list is Tequila. Cheese can give me headaches as can winter and spring weather.
As my allergist has told me, if your throat is “itching” or feels “scratchy”, you may very well be on the verge of having a life-threatening allergic reaction.
Thanks for your comments, blathermoore. They say that alcohol opens blood vessels and increases the blood flow to the skin. If the vessels in your nose and sinus areas swell, the pressure could give you a headache. You’re surely right to rely on your Dr. on something like this.
Incidentally, sufides are a little different from sulfites. When the wine smells like rotten eggs we know we made a boo-boo and have noticeable hydrogen sulfide as our punishment (although the situation can be mitigated). Sulfites (sulfur dioxide) are deliberately added to the wine as a preservative and you shouldn’t smell or taste sulfites unless we added too much.
Sulfide info for all you wine geeks: http://www.etslabs.com/scripts/ets/pagetemplate/blank.asp?pageid=350
Nancy
I’m unsure if all of this info has helped me understand…
Being in my late 40′s, I’ve been drinking wine for some time. I have been partial to wine over liquor for 10 years. I have also been dealing with killer allergy headaches over the last 5 years. So, when I began having major headaches after drinking wine, I began to record which ones, what kinds, reds, whites, foreign, domestic, etc. I have yet to come up with any trend. I adore wine, and am extremely frustrated that I cannot choose one that I will be sure will not make me sorry the next day.
Hi, Sherry! Thanks for writing! That is such a bummer! I wonder if other foods cause any reaction. If so, a Dr. might be able to isolate the cause. Of course, wine and food share a number of components yeast, acids, phenolics, histamine, proteins…) so perhaps… Beyond that, I wish I could be more helpful. You might try to contact these people to see if their study has revealed anything useful.
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00163735?recr=open&cond=“Nut Hypersensitivity”&rank=1
Thanks, again, for writing and best of luck to you! Nancy
Sorry to change the subject! But this past year I have noticed that wine, gin and tonic, brandy alexanders (that is about all I drink) make my eyelids burn and turn bright red! I am a one drink every once in awhile person. I have been told that this is related to sulfites. Anyone else have this problem?
Hi, Ruth. My, oh my! You should ask your physician. If these are the only drinks you consume, the most obvious thing they have in common is alcohol. I have never heard of it before, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a good answer to the question. My understanding is that sulfites are very hard for asthmatics to tolerate, but the symptoms would be respiratory. If you tolerate dried fruit and processed foods without symptoms, it’s probably not the sulfites, but it’s best to check with your doctor. Thanks for writing. Nancy
I don’t drink wine but I have discovered that less than a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar will give me a roaring headache in less than a minute after consumption. I’m pretty sure it’s the sulfites.