Putting a Stop to the Red Wine Headache

Nov 02, 12:11 PM

Current Headlines: By Sara Cardine, The Record, Stockton, Calif.

Nov. 2--Some look for the answer to life's questions in the bottom of a wine glass. Others look there and simply find themselves with a nasty headache or a racing heart. For the latter, a study published Thursday by a group of University of California, Berkeley, researchers holds some measure of hope.

The team set out to test levels of two biogenic toxins in wine, beer and the Japanese rice wine sake thought to cause headaches in some people. Their finding, published in the journal Analytical Chemistry, supported previous research that drinks high in certain chemicals, notably red wine's tyramine, cause headaches and nausea.

The device they used to determine that, however, netted results in minutes as opposed to the hours it took other machines. It gives hope that one day consumers will be able to test products themselves and avoid the headaches altogether.

"It started as a personal quest," Richard Mathies, the Berkeley chemistry professor who led the research effort, said Thursday. "But I put two and two together and realized there is potentially more importance for all wine drinkers. Knowing what's in wine is important in its context."

He said that is especially true for people taking antidepressant drugs. The introduction of tyramine to that population can be life-threatening. Tyramine is part of a group of microorganisms known as biogenic amines, naturally occurring toxins that trigger blood vessel constriction in the head.

Mathies began the research because drinking even small amounts of red wine caused him to wake up in the night with a racing heart and high blood pressure.

His team used the university's Mars Organic Analyzer, a suitcase-size gadget developed through a NASA grant, to test the organic compounds found in fermented beverages. The study found that all red wines contained some levels of tyramine, with cabernet sauvignon leading the pack. Pinot noir and red dessert wines had low levels of the chemical, while Zinfandel tested in the middle.

The Lodi-Woodbridge wine region is known for its zins. Reaction among wine producers there was mixed.

"That's sad," Mike Matson, owner of the winery Vino Con Brio, said of the researchers' findings. "I think it's just one of those personal, body chemistry-type things."

Typically, wine drinkers associate headaches with red varietals more than they do white, Matson said. Some, who know the link is the amines in wine, seem to find relief by taking an antihistamine before they go wine tasting.

The research team tested wines throughout the viticultural process -- from when the grapes were picked through fermentation. Because tyramine did not present itself until the second process, known as malolactic fermentation, the team reasoned that the variety of grape itself made no difference in amine levels.

Matson said malolactic fermentation is a step that takes place, sometimes naturally but more often intentionally, after the initial fermentation, in which the fruit's acid turns to a lactic acid.

A lot of vintners use malolactic fermentation to produce a smoother, more buttery flavor in white wines and a less tannic, velvety taste in reds, he added. At Vino Con Brio, all red wines have gone through that process.

Mathies said he hoped more vintners would be willing to test their wines for tyramine -- and display the evidence in wine rooms and on bottles as a public health service. He's not sure winemakers are open to hearing that kind of advice.

But Stuart Spencer, program manager for the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission and lead winemaker at St. Amant Winery, said if it brings drinkers who once shied away from reds back into the fold, it is definitely good for business.

"Anything we can do to make people more comfortable enjoying a glass of wine is of benefit to all local winemakers and grape growers," he said.

Contact reporter Sara Cardine at (209) 546-8269 or scardine@recordnet.com.

Contact reporter Rick Brewer at (209) 546-8294 or rbrewer@recordnet.com.

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