Tannin in wine

If you are one of the unfortunate people out there battling headaches when you drink red wine, we may have the answer for you! Tannin is a histamine found in wine that can cause headaches. Red wine gets its color and some of its tannin from the skins and seeds it is fermented with. Red wine gains more tannin as it is aged in oak barrels. Try drinking lighter red wines such as Pinot Noir or Barbera which generally receive a lighter oaking or young wines that haven't spent much time in oak either. You can also find many red wines that are not oaked at all (read the back label on the bottle for this information), ask your local winery or retailer for suggestions. Play with types of oak, different wineries and different countries use different types of oak, we at Vivác Winery use 100% oak barrels. French Oak/ Hungarian Oak/ American Oak, each gives different flavors to a wine and may play a role in what you are sensitive to. The final word of advice is to be wary of type of oak addition, you may be able to drink wines actually aged in real oak barrels but not those that are aged with oak chips or oak dust (your cheapest wines will find these additives). White wines are separated from the skins and seeds immediately and are often not aged in oak at all (example is our limited edition Sauvignon Blanc aged in Stainless steel), these wines will be your safest bet. -Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!