Wine And The Difficult Tomorrow

Wine And The Difficult Tomorrow

What is really at stake in the glass

The festive season is approaching, with its office parties, reunions and sometimes drunken evenings, so we toast, we prolong the conversations, and the glasses fill up. But why are some awakenings more difficult than others, alcohol, sugar, sulfites? Explanations circulate as fast as bottles. Would organic, biodynamic or regenerative wines be better tolerated? To understand, we must distinguish the immediate reactions of the hangover and look at the contents of the glass. Because alcohol remains at the center of the story, and the hangover usually appears when the blood alcohol level drops back to zero. This does not mean that alcohol is no longer responsible, because the disturbances it triggered continue after it has been eliminated. Sleep is fragmented, the stomach irritated, and inflammatory reactions contribute to the malaise, and dehydration contributes to thirst, but it does not explain everything, and of course drinking water does not immediately renew the body.

ALDH2 The liver mainly converts ethanol into acetaldehyde and then into acetate.

Acetaldehyde is a toxic intermediate, normally eliminated quickly thanks to enzymes, especially ALDH2, and it can contribute to adverse effects, especially in people who eliminate it poorly. But to present it as the only one responsible for the difficult tomorrow would be excessive: a scientific journal published in 2020 points out that the data do not reduce the hangover to its accumulation.

And when the face immediately reddens with red, white, beer and spirits?

What they have in common is ethanol. In some people, reduced ALDH2 activity promotes the buildup of acetaldehyde, which can cause histamine release and redness, sometimes accompanied by palpitations or nausea. This histamine then comes from the body, not necessarily from the drink. This is often an intolerance rather than an allergy. An organic wine does not suppress this mechanism; masking redness with an antihistamine does not protect against the effects of acetaldehyde, if this is the case, it would be wise to talk to your doctor.

The sugar in the grapes feeds the yeasts, which transform it into alcohol.

Sugar can also be added to increase the potential strength, when the rules allow it. If it is fermented, it does not necessarily make the wine sweet. Conversely, a sweet wine can retain only sugar from its grapes, so sweetness does not reveal industrial production. For the same volume and degree, two wines of different sweetness provide the same amount of alcohol, and research does not allow us to designate sugar as the main explanation for a difficult tomorrow, nor to propose it as a remedy.

What then should we think of "chemicals"?

The expression mixes very different substances. In winemaking, sulfites protect against oxidation and certain microorganisms; tartaric acid adjusts acidity; bentonite helps stabilize proteins. Other treatments correct certain defects. It is also necessary to distinguish between additives and processing aids, which are used during production and then withdrawn or greatly reduced. A list of authorized products is not the recipe for every bottle, and their presence is not enough to demonstrate responsibility in hangovers.

Sulfites

However, sulfites deserve special attention in sensitive people. They can trigger reactions, especially respiratory reactions in some asthmatics. Headaches have also been observed in predisposed consumers. This does not make them the universal culprit. A reaction after a drink and a hangover after a drunken evening are two different situations, even if they may share some symptoms.

Natural impostors

Wine also contains molecules that no one has added. Histamine and other biogenic amines can be formed by the action of microorganisms. In some people, they can contribute to redness, digestive disorders or headaches, and their presence depends on the conditions of production. A low intervention does not guarantee a low histamine content, but be careful, the control of fermentation also counts.

A new lead, Quercetin

A more recent lead concerns quercetin, a polyphenol found in grape skins, and it has been shown that red wines generally contain more of it than white wines, due to maceration with the skins. In 2023, researchers showed in the laboratory that one of its metabolites, quercetin-3-glucuronide, could slow down ALDH2, and their hypothesis is that this inhibition promotes an accumulation of acetaldehyde and contributes to certain headaches after drinking red wine. The mechanism is plausible, but its role remains to be confirmed in humans. This lead mainly concerns pain that appears quickly, sometimes after one or two drinks. It reminds us that "natural" (or "raw") does not automatically mean "better tolerated". Exposure of the bunches to the sun and winemaking influence the quercetin content. It is therefore not possible to predict a consumer's reaction based on the price, the appellation or the artisanal character of a bottle.

Why do some wine lovers feel better about eco-responsible wines?

Their experience can correspond to a real difference between the bottles, without the certification being the direct cause. The alcohol content is a first clue, because for the same volume, a 12% wine provides 20% less alcohol than a 15% wine. The quantity served, the meal, the pace of consumption and individual sensitivities can also change the comparison.

For a happy tomorrow

To give yourself a better chance for an ordinary tomorrow, the first lever to pull is quantity: drink less or, for the same quantity of wine, choose a wine with less alcohol. Cool climates often offer an appealing avenue, as slower ripening can lead to grapes with less sugar and thus wines of more moderate alcohol content. But freshness does not necessarily mean little sunshine, and the grape variety, the vintage and the harvest date also count.

You have to look at the label

The label will display the alcoholic content of wine, the blood alcohol level for the alcohol in the blood. A lower degree reduces the dose received for the same volume; it guarantees neither good tolerance nor the absence of symptoms.

Conclusion

Why, then, choose Bonde Fine Wine's wines?

Because our interest goes beyond the question of tomorrow. Bonde dedicates its selection to small American artisan producers committed to eco-responsible practices. Organic, biodynamic or regenerative farming, and these approaches have different requirements and methods, but they place the work of the land at the heart of the choice. So, each estate deserves to be understood through its concrete practices. At Bonde, this selection is accompanied by a conversation: who grows the grapes, how the wine is made, what taste it expresses and what to share it with, and our advice also allows you to choose an alcohol content, and a style adapted to the occasion. These wines do not carry a promise of health, but offer a more attentive relationship with the product, its origin and the people who create it. Choosing Bonde means giving a place to this agriculture and these craftspeople, and then taking the time to discover their work in the glass. To reduce the risk of hangovers, the secret is simply moderation:

Less alcohol, more attention to the pleasure of each glass.