Cheap red wine is less likely to give you a headache, research finds

Cheers to that

Whether you’re a fellow migraine veteran or not, you’ve likely blamed cheap booze for one too many bleary-eyed hangovers in your lifetime. But now scientists are claiming our alcohol-induced headaches have nothing to do with the price tag of the bottle.  

Hangovers are the pits, there’s simply no other way to put it. But wine hangovers? Well, they’re a special form of torture inflicted upon the already unlucky portion of the population that experiences migraines. 

We’ve long subscribed to the idea that the more you pay for an alcoholic drink, the better quality drop you are given. But while some amateur sommeliers (i.e. that friend who claims to have mastered ‘tasting notes’) would rather suffer through the delayed consequences of their favourite trendy bottle than be seen purchasing an inexpensive label, experts are now urging us to reconsider our stance towards budget drops. 

In what could be one of the great scientific breakthroughs of the year, new research suggests our favourite budget bottles may provide the perfect workaround for migraine-susceptible wine lovers who want to avoid headaches. 

Like what you see? Sign up to our bodyandsoul.com.au newsletter for more stories like this.

What causes wine headaches?

Scientists have long explored the different physiological responses to certain alcohol types, linking particular habits, such as over-indulging in sugary cocktails or mixing up your drink order throughout the night, to a higher prevalence of pain the following day. 

Wine (particularly red varieties) appears to be one of the most common culprits when it comes to alcohol-induced headaches, prompting experts of the past to blame the presence of tannins, sulphites and histamines. But now, a new culprit has been named after thorough testing of several compounds found in red wine: Quercetin. 

The newly spotlighted compound is found in grape skins, “Quercetin absorbs ultraviolet light, so it’s sunscreen for the grapes,” explains Andrew Waterhouse, a professor emeritus of oenology (AKA wine chemistry) at the University of California. “If you grow your grapes with a lot of shade, they don’t make much of this,” he adds. “But if you grow them where they get a lot of sun, then they make more quercetin.”

But while this compound protects growing grapes from the wrath of the sun, and is a potent antioxidant that could potentially protect humans against chronic illness, it can unfortunately impede the body’s natural process for eliminating toxins when combined with alcohol.  

Even though red wine may not be your first drink of choice this summer, experts say a cheap bottle of red may be key to keeping your head (and wallet) happy. Image: Unsplash

As Waterhouse explains, the human body employs a well-oiled process to get rid of alcohol once it enters your system, beginning with the breaking down of ethanol in the liver. 

First, enzymes break down ethanol molecules into the carcinogen acetaldehyde, which is then turned into acetate, a harmless fatty acid, and finally broken down into waste. 

“Essentially, the quercetin from red wine stops the process halfway through,” says Waterhouse, explaining that when the compound enters the bloodstream it blocks the enzyme that usually converts acetaldehyde into acetate, leaving the body with a buildup of ‘nasty toxins’. 

Your morning-after head-pounding may have little to do with the price tag of our favourite bottle, and more to do with a single troublesome compound. Image: iStock

It’s more than just a hangover 

As someone who has spent my entire adulthood trying to out-manoeuvre chronic migraines, I can attest to the crippling reality of a ‘wine headache’. While anyone is likely to experience a hangover after over-indulging in alcohol, wine headaches tend to only affect the proportion of the population susceptible to migraines. 

The main difference between the two torturous ailments is unlike the delayed timing of a standard hangover, wine headaches can hit within minutes of taking a sip. Once in motion, the wine headache will usually develop into a full-blown migraine, meaning your usual hangover cures (an over-the-counter pain reliever and a large coffee) are no match. 

As Morris Levin, a neurology professor at the University of California, explains, red wine headaches are characterised by a “throbbing sensation all around the head, nausea and just overall feeling crappy.”

New research suggests our youthful resistance to head-pounding headaches wasn’t just a byproduct of age. Image: Unsplash

Why should we opt for cheaper bottles?

If your younger years of drinking were anything like mine, you’d have made a b-line for the bargain bottles with the obnoxiously bright ‘TWO-FOR-ONE’ sign attached. Because let’s face it, no one could afford to pre-game for parties on Penfolds Grange back then (or now…). 

So why are scientists now urging us to revive our drinking tastes of the past? “As a general rule, cheaper wines have less quercetin,” Waterhouse says. “Usually it’s because the grapes get less sunlight than those in, say, the really expensive cabernet they make in the Napa Valley.”

Since quercetin is only found in grape skins, white wine varieties (and most rosés) tend to be a safer wine alternative, given the skins are removed before fermentation. Of course, abstaining from alcohol types known to trigger migraines is the only surefire way to avoid a bad headache episode. 

Originally published as Cheap red wine is less likely to give you a headache, research finds