We love drinking red wine when we sit down to dinner or we are out with friends. But for some of us having red wine brings on a headache that can be accompanied by nausea and flushing and sometimes a migraine after drinking even a sip of it. What’s the reason?

Its not the sulfites. Most people assume it is, because its on the label, but white wines, lunch meats and other products have more sulfites than red wine usually does.

You are probably not allergic to it. You can easily test it by having an antihistamine an hour before you start drinking red wine. Another Solution? Drink black tea before and during the time that you will be drinking wine. Quercetin, a bioflavonoid found in black tea, significantly inhibits the headache/flush response.

It may be tannins. Tannin is a chemical substance that comes from grape skins, stems, and seeds. It’s a natural defense mechanisms in plants that create a bitter, astringent taste. As age-worthy red wines mature, tannin molecules gradually accumulate and precipitate out of the wine in the sediment. So the more aged the wine, the less tanning.

Some people prefer European over American wines because American oak leaves leave stronger impressions in the oak barrel than European wines do, meaning more tannin transference.

A quick way to identify lower tannic wine bottles is to look for the sloped shoulder "Burgundy bottle". This is specially true for European wines, but several new world wineries have also adopted traditional bottle shapes.