While there’s been plenty of debate over what actually causes a “red wine headache” (that’s not a medical term, folks), many researchers peg it on histamines. They’re the compounds that are released when the body has an inflammatory reaction to something it believes is an invader, like pollen in the springtime. These compounds are also naturally found in the skins of grapes (meaning red wine contains more than white) and other fermented products, including beer, Scotch, aged cheese, and sauerkraut. MORE: Red-Wine Portabello Stew with Kale Some people can drink red wine without any problem, while others have a hard time metabolizing the histamines in the drink—that’s most likely you if you have a pulsing headache after a glass or two. But now, you also have a solution: Smart winemakers, like wine consultant Sebastian Ramello and his team at the Piedmont, Italy-based Veglio, have learned that harvesting thin-skinned grapes that test lower in histamine (then tweaking them to be even lower in histamine) results in a less headache-inducing red. MORE: Vegan Shocker: Wine May Contain Animal Products Through research, Ramello discovered that Veglio’s Dolcetto wine naturally had low levels of histamines compared to most reds—1.5 mg per liter in Dolcetto versus 5 mg per liter in the average red—thanks to the thin skins of the varietal’s grapes, along with lower levels of histamines in the soil of the Veglio vineyard. Ramello then further lowered the histamine level of the wine to 0.5 mg per liter—an acceptable amount for histamine-intolerant wine drinkers—by treating it with low-histamine strains of yeast during secondary fermentation. The process doesn’t change the taste or alcohol content of the wine. Ready to sip? Go online to find retailers. You can find Veglio’s Dolcetto and Barbera ($16)—both fruit-forward, light-bodied wines have no more than 0.5 mg per liter histamine levels—at wine stores across the country.
