Sulfites take the blame almost by default. Someone gets a headache after a glass of red, decides it must be the "chemicals," and starts hunting for bottles labeled sulfite-free. There's just one problem: every wine that has ever fermented contains sulfites, whether a winemaker adds them or not, which makes them a strange thing to single out as the culprit.

In short

The sulfite math doesn't add up

Yeast produces sulfur dioxide naturally as a byproduct of fermentation, meaning every wine ever made contains some level of sulfites, regardless of whether a winemaker adds any. What's labeled "no sulfites added" simply means nothing extra was introduced beyond what fermentation created on its own. More tellingly, white and sparkling wines typically contain higher sulfite levels than reds, since sulfites help protect delicate white wine from oxidation. If sulfites were the primary headache trigger, white wine should be the bigger offender — but for most people who report wine headaches, it's red that causes the trouble.

A more likely suspect: histamines

Red wine contains substantially more histamine than white, a natural byproduct of fermentation that increases when grape skins spend more time in contact with the juice, exactly what happens during red winemaking. Some people have reduced ability to break histamine down efficiently, which can trigger headaches, flushing, or congestion — symptoms that overlap suspiciously well with what people describe as a "wine headache."

Tannins may play a role too

Tannins, far more abundant in red wine than white, have been separately linked to headache triggers in some sensitive individuals, possibly by affecting serotonin levels in the brain. This is still an active area of research rather than settled fact, but it offers another plausible red-specific explanation that has nothing to do with sulfites at all.

The two most-blamed culprits for a wine headache — dehydration and sulfites — are often the least likely explanations for why it's specifically the red that gets you.

A newer piece of the puzzle

More recent research has pointed to a different mechanism entirely: certain flavonoid compounds concentrated in red wine skins may interfere with an enzyme your body relies on to fully break down alcohol's byproducts. When that breakdown process stalls, byproducts build up faster than your body can clear them, which is a well-established trigger for headaches. If this line of research holds up, it would help explain why red wine specifically, rather than wine in general, is the more frequent offender — and why the answer was never really about sulfites to begin with.

Don't rule out the simple explanations

Alcohol itself is a diuretic and a blood vessel dilator, both classic headache triggers on their own, with no exotic chemistry required. Drinking on an empty stomach, drinking quickly, or simply not hydrating alongside wine can each cause a headache regardless of what's actually in the bottle. Before blaming any specific compound, it's worth ruling out the far more mundane explanation that you just drank too much, too fast, without enough water.

What you can actually do about it

If red wine specifically triggers headaches for you, but white doesn't, sulfites are almost certainly not the reason, and reaching for "sulfite-free" wine is unlikely to solve the problem, since it won't reduce histamines or tannins at all. Trying a lighter-bodied, lower-tannin red, staying well hydrated, and eating something before drinking are all more likely to help than chasing a sulfite-free label ever will.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are sulfites in wine dangerous to most people?

For the vast majority of people, no — sulfites are generally recognized as safe at the levels used in wine. A small percentage of people, particularly some with asthma, can have a genuine sulfite sensitivity, but this is a specific, uncommon condition, not a mainstream cause of wine headaches.

Does white wine ever cause headaches too?

It can, but less commonly than red, which fits with histamines and tannins — both more concentrated in red wine — being more likely culprits than sulfites, since white wine actually contains more sulfites on average.

Will an expensive, well-made red still cause a headache if I'm sensitive?

Possibly, since the histamine and tannin levels that seem to matter most come from how long the wine ferments with its skins, not the price. Some people find lighter-bodied reds with less skin contact easier to tolerate, regardless of cost.