Wine Hangover? Do tell...

There are poisons besides alcohol itself that contribute to a brutal hangover. Nasty chemicals called congeners occur naturally in all fermented drinks. The general rule is that darker drinks such as red wine, bourbon, scotch, and brandy have more congeners than lighter drinks like white wine, vodka, and gin.

With wine, if people are particularly headache-prone, many will report that they suffer far worse headaches from red wines than white. This isn’t just anecdotal; there is a scientific reason - the headaches are caused by a reaction to certain chemical substances (tyramine and its ilk) found in black grape skins. However, this doesn’t apply to everyone. Certain people are also particularly sensitive to sulphur dioxide, an anti-oxidising agent added to just about all wines in an attempt to keep them fresh. While all wines sold within the EU have a regulated maximum sulphur level, organic wine producers tend to use reduced levels of sulphur; so you could argue that drinking organic wine is less likely to give you a hangover. Sulphur smells like bad eggs and will often make the bridge of your nose itch.

Other factors play into the mental anguish that may follow a glass (or bottle) of wine:

1. A bad harvest. If you are drinking wine that comes from a country where a small change in the climate can make a big difference to the quality of wine (France, Germany, New Zealand), then in a bad season the wine contains many more substances that cause hangovers.

2. Drinking it too young. Almost all red wines and Chardonnay are matured in oak barrels so that they will keep and improve. If you drink this wine younger than three years there will be a higher level of nasties that can cause hangovers. If left to mature these nasties change to neutral substances and don’t cause hangovers. As a rule of thumb, wine stored in oak barrels for six months should be acceptable to drink within the first year. If the wine is stored for twelve months or more in oak barrels, it should then be aged at least four years. Some winemakers have been known to add oak chips directly into the wine to enhance flavors (especially in a weak vintage and especially in cheaper wines); this can take years to become neutral.

While all this sounds a bit technical, a general rule of thumb (although not infallible) is that the more palatable the wine, the less likely the hangover. Although quantities drunk obviously affect this rule, my experience suggests (sadly) that more expensive wines tend to be less hangover-inducing. If you have a choice, drink less of a better quality wine.


Spill the wine, take that pearl.