It should come as no surprise that having a fair crack at the cab sav can leave folks with a sore head. But for some poor souls it’s not a hangover that’s kicking in, rather a bona fide allergy that’s doing them wrong.

A new study conducted by Apramita Devi et al. published in Scientific Reports has found a new culprit could be to blame for the intense headaches and migraines that some people get after a glass or two of red wine.

The study states: The cause for this effect has been attributed to a number of components, often the high level of phenolics in red wine, but a mechanism has been elusive. Some alcohol consumers exhibit flushing and experience headaches, and this is attributed to a dysfunctional ALDH2 variant, the enzyme that metabolizes acetaldehyde, allowing it to accumulate. Red wine contains much higher levels of quercetin and its glycosides than white wine or other alcoholic beverages.

Science.

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Basically what this breaks down to is a build-up of volatile organic chemical compound acetaldehyde, which occurs naturally in the fermentation and distillation process. Certain factors including genetics, BMI, health status and liver count all contribute to how the body processes acetaldehyde which can be withstood in small amounts. If the booze isn’t broken down fast enough, the buildup of acetaldehyde makes our heads hurt.

The researchers ran lab tests on more than a dozen compounds in red wine, finding a flavanol called quercetin, found almost exclusively in red wine, is processed in the body into various substances. One of these, quercetin glucuronide, turned out to be particularly effective at blocking the enzyme that converts acetaldehyde into acetate. If the acetaldehyde isn’t converted into acetate, it builds up in the bloodstream and causes headaches.

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Presently there is already a drug on the market being used to treat alcohol-use disorders called disulfiram. It replicates the painful side effects that come with drinking red wine when taken with alcohol.

Grapes make quercetin in response to sunlight, so grapes grown in exposed clusters can have five times more quercetin than other reds. Skin contact during fermentation, fining processes and ageing technique also affect quercetin levels. The findings could help people who are prone to red wine headaches to opt for lower quercetin levels as well as influence winemakers when catering to a more sensitive audience.

We’ll spare you any more medical jargon but the long and short of it is that researchers are going to continue to conduct studies into the effects of quercetin levels in relation to acetaldehyde to make drinking red wine a more universal pass time.

In the meantime, here are some handy tips on how to avoid the pain:

• It may seem obvious but drink plenty of water. Water will dilute the acetaldehyde in the bloodstream and could lessen the headache that’s coming.
• Minimal sulphite wines (such as organic, biodynamic and natural) may trigger a less intense reaction to their sulphite-heavy counterparts.
• Opt for a white or rosé. Both green and red grapes contain quercetin, but for white and rosé wines, the skins are removed immediately after the fruit is crushed. The skins are left in while red and orange wines ferment, so more quercetin leaches into the wine.
• Low tannin and thin skinned grapes are less prone to induce a headache so try one of those instead of a big Barossa shiraz.
• Take your time. If you’re the sort of person who gets hit with a headache from the reds, start with a small glass. If it’s going to happen, it’ll likely be within the first 15 minutes of drinking.

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