Your guide explores the cause of wine headaches. Get the latest information that explains why some people can't drink wine and why they will in the future.

Hangover is a term used to refer to feelings of discomfort after drinking alcohol in excess.. Last time, in Part I, we covered the history of the warning 'contains sulfites' and why sulfur dioxide is in wine. We eliminated sulfites as a source of wine headaches, however taking away that explanation leaves most of us in the dark about what causes this annoying problem, so let's take a look at what does cause misery for some people. What we find is something not just in wine but includes certain foods as well. First, let's take a quick look at a chart that identifies the categories of headaches. Scientists use these categories to help them determine what is causing the headache and we can use them just so we know which type we're talking about:  Types of Headaches  Cause  Vascular Headaches  expansion or contraction of blood vessels in the head  Tension Headaches  muscular contractions  Pressure or Traction Headaches    Inflammatory Headaches  infection Wine headaches are generally vascular headaches . So it's the vascular headache category that we're interested in and it's helpful to know that this includes migraine headaches. These types of headaches come about because something is causing blood vessels in our heads to either become smaller or larger. This contraction or expansion is causing pain. Here's a definition of wine headache. "Classic red wine headache follows within two hours of drinking less than two ounces of wine. The headache is often migraine (severe pain) in nature and may be accompanied by flushing and congestion". Let's break down the types of vascular headaches and see where wine fits into the picture. Here's a chart with some familiar names that may seem funny at first but they are helpful identifying types of food that may bite you back.  Types of Vascular Headaches  and their source  Hot Dog Headache  nitrate/nitrate ingestion  Chinese Restaurant Headache  monosodium glutamate  Wine Headache  Immediate  biogenic amines  Hangover  alcohol  Chocolate products  biogenic amines  Aged Cheeses  biogenic amines Fermented foods - Salami, sausage, pickles, sauerkraut, soy sauce, pickled herring  biogenic amines  Ice Cream Headache  eating something cold  Caffeine Withdrawal  caffeine  Hunger Headache  hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)  Mountain Sickness  motion sickness  Carbon Monoxide Poisoning  no or low oxygen getting to the brain Headache following Epileptic Seizure  low oxygen to brain Perhaps you have a headache by now! The important thing to notice here is that in wine two things can cause headaches, alcohol and something called 'biogenic amines'. We're familiar with the effects of alcohol and how to prevent hangovers but 'biogenic amines' cause headaches for some people who drink wine or eat things like chocolate, aged cheese, salami, sauerkraut, or pickles. Knowing about the group of biogenic amines gives us hope that one day this type of wine headache can be eliminated or controlled. How big a concentration of biogenic amines is present in a wine seems to determine whether or not a headache occurs, although scientists haven't pinpointed yet just what happens with these naturally occurring chemicals to cause headaches. They suspect that the amount that ends up in the final wine depends on the soil the grape vine is planted in and later in the process by the specific strain of yeast and bacteria that are active in the wine making. The concentration can be changed by modifying the soil certain grapes grow in and equally important they suspect that wine makers can lower the concentration of biogenic amines by the strain of yeast they choose to ferment the grape juice into wine and also by choosing the strain of bacteria that produces the malo-lactic fermentation. There's not much specific advice to offer at this point about how to be able to drink red wine and avoid this type of headache, although if you are prone and you find a red wine from a small producer that predictably makes his wine from a single vineyard each year and you don't get a hangover you may be on to your "port in a storm". Hang on to the name and buy their vintages. Next we'll look into that more familiar form a misery, the hangover. It'll be a lot more fun. Heh, heh. (to be continued)