Strategies for relief

The unwelcome side effects that can result from drinking wine including headaches and hangovers are a common complaint, particularly among red wine drinkers. Determining why you’re experiencing symptoms begins with understanding the compounds in wine that can cause problems and then taking measures to reduce their negative effects.

Thanks to new research about quercetin, the list of culprits in wine falls into three primary categories: tannins, biogenic amines (BAs), and alcohol. While the compounds that trigger hangover symptoms for one individual may have no impact on another, alcohol impedes our ability to metabolize them and, in the case of the amine histamine, even stimulates the production of more.

Although the synergy between these compounds is complex, once you’ve determined which are responsible for triggering your individual response, it’s very likely you can reduce or even eliminate their effects. While histamines and sulfites can pose challenges for wine drinkers who are particularly sensitive to those compounds, quercetin has been identified as the likely culprit for most wine-related headaches.

Quercetin, a pigment found in many plants, fruits, and vegetables, is one of the most common and well-researched flavonoids. With more antioxidant power than vitamin C, vitamin E, or beta-carotene, it is highly beneficial to human nutrition. However, high levels of quercetin like those found in ultra-premium red wines can interfere with the metabolism of alcohol by inhibiting the production of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ADLH), an enzyme produced by the liver that breaks down acetaldehyde. When acetaldehyde isn’t metabolized fast enough, it can trigger hangover symptoms like flushing, headaches, and nausea.

The amount of quercetin present in a finished red wine is initially determined by the vineyard. Studies like an August 2006 report in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis have found that prolonged sunlight exposure during the growing season produces grape clusters with as much as ten times higher quercetin content than that found in shaded clusters.

In 2023, researchers at the University of California, Davis, identified vineyard practices commonly used to produce ultra-premium wines that lead to higher production of quercetin, among them trellised vines, crop thinning, and leaf removal. While increased levels of quercetin are directly linked to viticultural practices, winemaking decisions concerning extended extraction, oak aging, and storage temperatures can also contribute.

The way we metabolize compounds like histamines and tannins like quercetin varies and is probably linked to our genetics. For example, about 40% of East Asians have a dysfunctional form of ADLH, which is why they disproportionately experience facial flushing and hangovers when drinking alcohol.

Relief from wine headaches

For those afflicted by these headaches, there may be some relief in sight in the form of a compound extracted from the Japanese raisin tree (Hovenia dulcis). Dihydromyricetin (DHM) is widely known for its ability to promote alcohol metabolism in the liver and reduce hangover symptoms. While DHM supports the breakdown of alcohol and lessens its intoxicating effects, it doesn’t directly influence the specific metabolic pathway involving quercetin’s conversion to quercetin glucuronide that results in acetaldehyde buildup.

According to Daniel Morando, a wine industry veteran and founder of supplement brand The Wine Fix, DHM helps reduce excess acetaldehyde by enhancing the activity of ALDH. By accelerating the breakdown of acetaldehyde, DHM helps to clear it from the body more quickly.

Morando, who has spent the past 15 years working in wholesale wine sales across Southern California, discovered DHM while searching for relief from wine-induced headaches. “Two glasses of Napa Cabernet were giving me worse headaches than four bourbon Manhattans,” he says. “I wasn’t overindulging; I was reacting to something.” That “something” was acetaldehyde.

Following a tip from a fitness influencer, Morando began exploring DHM. When he experienced relief, he founded The Wine Fix, selling bottles of 90 650-milligram capsules of pure DHM (no additives) online for $50. After trialing various dosages, he recommends taking one capsule for every two glasses of wine. “One of my greatest pleasures is a blockbuster Cabernet Sauvignon—something I thought I’d never be able to enjoy again without consequences,” he says.