My daughter used to have a similar problem and finally figured out it was certain wines contained sulfites that were responsible for the headaches. You could experiment trying some more high end wines (expensive) that may not contain these additives. It would be very hard to control this out in restaurants but you might find one that agrees with you for drinking at home. Just a theory that may or may not work. I love wine and would miss it terribly. As it gives me acid indigestion.

Also, make sure you drink plenty of water when drinking wine. It's important to stay hydrated.

This is a good article. red wine headache

I love the occasional glass and would be bummed not to have it.

I have a friend who began doing that a few years ago, achieving a mega headache after even a small amount of wine. If it were me, I'd just skip the wine altogether, having a drink isn't worth not feeling well. But, she will keep a bottle of wine labeled 'organic' (has no added sulfites) and if she's entertaining, she will have a glass from that - no headache. Organic wine isn't that easy to find in this smaller community, I've looked so I would have something here to offer her and have found it but I haven't looked recently to be able to give you a label. BTW, she is early 50's, healthy and active, a nurse, nothing else going on in the way of heath or medication to tie the wine headache to and she can drink a margarita without pain later.

I realize I'm responding on an older thread but I'm just glad to know that I'm not alone! I am experiencing the exact same problem as for the last year I am unable to drink a glass of wine without a horrible headache. I am 61 and post menopausal. I only drank occasionally with friends and I miss that.

Me too, no headache, just don't feel well. Our bodies change in many ways as time passes.

That happened to me over 10 years ago and I haven't had wine or any kind of alcohol since then. I am 64 and post menopausal. I miss having a glass of good red wine or a Margarita, but it wasn't worth the headache afterwards

My sister had the same thing happen and now has the occasional glass of wine without sulfites.

Mine is a little different. I get a very scratchy throat and my eyes burn a little - it almost feels like I'm having allergy symptoms. I think it's the histamine in the wine. I'm not happy about it.

Not migraines, but I find many wines will give me a headache within 10-15 min of drinking it. I now stick to Italian wines as they are the cleanest. I've also had no difficulty with organic wine. Maybe it will help you?

One of my coworkers told me this week that she can no longer drink either red or white wine after going through menopause. She drank wine before with no problems, but apparently something changed in her body during menopause and she gets a migraine if she drinks it now.

Not so much a headache, but just waking up feeling lousy the next day.

I agree about the sulfites, but also I think the wine was old! This is when ordering a single glass of wine.

I noticed I never had the same reaction when drinking a fresh bottle at home.

I never could drink wine (sour stomach and headache), but I'm OK with spirits. Weird.

Always strange to find an ancient post from yourself!

I'm the OP and yes, something definitely changed at menopause. I get ferocious migraines with wine, both red and white--although white a bit less so. I now only drink white wine spritzers and make sure I do so only with a meal. Hard liquor is just as bad for me.

At least I'm saving money on booze purchases!

There are quite a few reasons why all of a sudden the wine doesn't agree with you and why it gets worse with age..

Our bodies metabolize alcohol differently then other nutrients and food going into the body. As I've found as I get older my body doesn't metabolize and digest foods as well as they used to, and I've become intollerant to many foods like gluten and lactose. Alcohol is no exception.

In addition, allergies can be a predominant reason why you get headaches when drinking wine. There are many factors that go into developing wine..like regions, grapes, soil, and fertilizers. These can create allergies like you've never experienced before. Also, many of the less expensive, very popular wines are more like "wine beverages", high in additives and variety of different flavors appealing to the palette. Taste great but not great for you. Talk to a sommelier and find a wine that your body can tolerate. There should be no reason why you have to suffer!!

An old thread, but an interesting one. Allergies can appear at any time; we're not always born with them. My daughter developed an allergy to shrimp--much to her dismay--in her 30's. When I was in my 30's I became allergic to potatoes . . . couldn't even be in the vicinity of raw potatoes. A couple of decades later, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, artichokes, and okra joined the list. All contain solanine.

I still miss tomatoes. We used to grow at least five varieties of them every year. along with eggplant, okra, and lots of peppers. Now my son and DIL grow all these things, plus lots of potatoes. I won't even go near the plants.

I wonder if the liver plays a part in some food reactions. Solanine is a poison, but present in such small quantities that most people's livers process/detox it without a problem. Mine apparently does not. Regarding the reaction to wine, maybe there's a liver-alcohol connection involved. It wouldn't be surprising.