Virtually once every week, a customer will ask about or comment about getting headaches from red wine due to the sulfites.

• Sulfites or sulfur dioxide is a non-metallic, naturally occurring, compound that has been used since ancient times as a cleanser and fruit preservative.
• Sulfites have antioxidant and anti-microbial properties that keep away bacteria and oxidation that could mess with the wine.
• Sulphur's use is to maintain the stability and potency of some medications and as a part of common compounds used to preserve a wide variety of foods and food products.
• Sulfur readily is digested by the human body and is one small component of fats, bodily fluids, and skeletal minerals and is essential to life itself.
• According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, approximately 1% of the population has some sensitivity to sulfur compounds and sulfites and about 5% of asthma sufferers can have adverse sulfite reactions.
• To avoid affixing a warning label on a bottle of wine sold in the United States the amount of sulfites present must be at or below 10 parts per million (ppm).
• The maximum legal limit in the United States for sulfites in wine is 350 parts per million.
• According to an article from Benziger Family Vineyards, "On average, California wines contain about 150 to 200 ppm.
• There are no wines that are sulfite-free.

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Research in the area of Red Wine Headache or RWH (an official syndrome) points to the fact that sulfites do not cause the headaches people experience after consuming red wine.

According to the information available, the headaches usually are caused by other naturally occurring substances, like histamines, which can also cause a stuffy nose and rosy cheeks.

In addition, white wines, especially sweet whites, often have higher sulfite levels than red wines.

So, the next time you are with someone who complains about RWH and touts the headache-free after affect of white wine, recognize that the cause of the headaches may be something else in the red wine causing the problem.

The FDA estimates that about 1% of the population does suffer from some form of sulfite allergies that cause an allergic reaction (wheezing, hives, asthmatic responses), rather than headache.

All wines contain sulfites.

Sulfite are a natural byproduct of the fermentation process, however winemakers will also put in "added sulfites" on top of this, which is the controversial part.

While the United States requires a "contains sulfites" warning label, many countries do not. So even though a bottle of wine you purchase in a country outside the borders of the United Sates do not have a "warning label" that it contains added sulfites, it most likely does have the "usual" quantity of sulfites.

In the US, organic wine cannot be made with added sulfites as mentioned on the Organic Agriculture in the United States page of kennuncorked.com. Although slowly changing, it is unusual for a winery to want to go organic, because lack of added sulfites makes the wine extremely perishable.

NOTE: Use of and measurement of Sulfites:

• The addition of sulfites are due to their being a wonderful preservative.
• In the production of wine, the addition of sulfites usually is in small amounts measured in "parts per million" (ppm).
• The legal limit in wine is 350 ppm. (Code of Federal Regulation 27 CFR 4.22 (b)(1).
• The range for most wine with added sulfites seems to vary between between 25 to 150 ppm.
• The 100 ppm level is the total sulfites measured at the time of final bottling and it is allowable to have naturally occurring sulfites in organic wine. Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) labeling requirements requires wine labels to list "contains sulfites" if they exceed 10 ppm.

There are no absolutes about why some people get headaches after drinking wine, especially red wine. The best advice I can give is to keep trying until you find wines that do cause the discomfort. I usually suggest trying wines produced 100% in stainless steel, or different varieties, or styles of wine. Or simply drink more water before, during and after the consumption of wine.

Andrew L. Waterhouse, (Professor of Enology, Department Chair, John E. Kinsella Chair in Food, Nutrition and Health, Department of Viticulture and Enology), in his article Sulfites in Wine states, "Sulfites do not cause headaches!!!"

"There is something in red wine that causes headaches, but the cause has not yet been discovered. (Many people seem to connect their headache with the sulfite warning label, but sorry there is no connection). To avoid headaches, try drinking less wine, and drink with food. If you think sulfites are causing your headache, try eating some orange-colored dried apricots, and let me know if that induces a headache."

• Fruit juices
• Dried fruits
• Fruit concentrates
• Syrups
• Sugar
• Jams
• Gelatins
• Cake toppings
• Baked goods
• Pizza dough
• Frozen and dehydrated potatoes
• Processed vegetables
• Cheeses
• many Prescription medications
• more about Sulfite Sensitivity and additional products

References:

• Allergies and Sulfite Sensitivity. Retrieved August 09, 2009, from WebMD website: http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/sulfite-sensitivity
• Burros, M. (July 17, 2002). The Puzzling Red Wine Headache. Retrieved August 09, 2009 from The New York Times website: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/17/dining/17WELL.html
• Code of Federal Regulations. Title 21, Volume 4. Revised as of April 1, 2008. CITE: 21CFR201.22. TITLE 21--FOOD AND DRUGS. CHAPTER I--FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES - SUBCHAPTER C--DRUGS: GENERAL - (51 FR 43904, Dec. 5, 1986] http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=201.22
• Derr, L.E. (2005). When Food is Poison: The History, Consequences, and Limitations of the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004. Retrieved August 09, 2009 from the Legal Electronic Document Archive at Harvard Law School website: http://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/730/Derr05_FINAL.html.
• Diseases 101: Other conditions related to food allergy. Retrieved August 09, 2009 from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology website: http://www.aaaai.org/patients/gallery/foodallergy.asp?item=1c
• Food Allergies - Rare but Risky. (May 1994 - Updated December 2004). FDA Consumer. Retrieved August 09, 2009 from the United States Food and Drug Administration website: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/wh-alrg1.html
• Foulke, J.E. (October 1993). A Fresh Look at Food Preservatives. FDA Consumer. Vol. 27 Issue 8, p22, 5p. Retrieve August 09, 2009 from the United States Food and Drug Administration website http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fdpreser.html
• Govias, G.D. (N.D.). Sulfite Sensitivity. Allied Health: Articles of Interest. Retrieved from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology website: http://www.aaaai.org/members/allied_health/articlesofinterest/sulfite.stm
• LaVecchia, M. (June 1998). An Update to the October 1993 FDA Consumer Article: A Fresh Look at Food Preservatives. Retrieved August 09, 2009 from the U. S. Food and Drug Administration - Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition website: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fdpreser.html
• Papazian, R. (December 1996). Sulfites: Safe for Most, Dangerous for Some. FDA Consumer. Retrieved August 09, 2009 from the U. S. Food and Drug Administration website: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fdsulfit.html.
• Red Wine Headaches. (2002, June). Harvard Health Letter. Vol. 27 Issue 8, p6. Retrieved August 9, 2009, from Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition database): http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hch&AN=6657607&site=ehost-live
• Sulfite sensitivity. (August 2003). Retrieved August 09, 2009, from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology website: http://www.aaaai.org/members/resources/practice_management/samples/sulfite_sensitivity.pdf
• The Story with Sulfites. Retrieved August 09, 2009 from the Benziger Family Vineyards website: Behttp://www.benziger.com/pdf/Sulfites_EducationSS.pdf
• Thomas, P. (Dec 2008/Jan 2009). Better Booze. Ecologist. Vol. 38 Issue 10, p67-67, 1p. Database: Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition
• Waterhouse, A. L. (March 2007). Sulfites in Wine. Retrieved August 09, 2009 from the Waterhouse Lab website http://waterhouse.ucdavis.edu/winecomp/so2.htm