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Higher quality red wines may be more likely to trigger headaches as they have more of the antioxidant quercetin, which was recently identified as a likely trigger (wein.plus reported). According to Professor Emeritus Andy Waterhouse, who led the research, the amount of sunlight the grapes are exposed to is responsible for the formation of quercetin. And since grapes for higher quality wines are exposed to the sun more often, they are more likely to cause headaches than cheaper wines with high yields per hectare. Earlier studies from Italy and Spain analysed the quercetin content of different varieties. According to this, Sagrantino and Tannat are the varieties with the lowest quercetin levels, although they contain a lot of tannin. Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon were identified as being particularly rich in quercetin.
In his doctoral thesis in the 1990s, chemist and winemaker Steven Price investigated the relationship between tanning and quercetin in Pinot Noir grapes. He says: "The factors that lead to high quercetin in grapes are considered prerequisites for a great red wine: small berries, light leaves, lots of sun on the grapes." Conversely, the shading of grapes by hail nets, for example, can lead to a lower quercetin content.
In order to confirm or refute quercetin as a trigger for headaches, teams from the University of California (UC) Davis are preparing a clinical study together with UC San Francisco. Both Waterhouse and Price caution against jumping to conclusions. "I've seen wine and health compounds come and go," says Price. "It takes a while to figure out what's actually happening. But there are a lot of things that affect flavonols like quercetin in grapes." His advice is, "Want to avoid headaches from red wine? Drink white wine."
(al / source: wine-searcher)