Red wine and heartburn

You are in the middle of a romantic evening with your favorite person, sharing a tasty red wine that you discovered on your last wine tour and BAM! – suddenly you are in the middle of a great gastronomic crisis. Forget the romance. You have a four-alarm fire raging through your abdomen and you need relief, quick!

Whether you know it or not, you’ve just fallen victim to a common danger when drinking wine: red wine and heartburn. Many people report higher rates of heartburn when they drink red wine than when they drink any other alcoholic beverage. But instead of trying to pinpoint the cause of their problem, they stop drinking red wine altogether.

That’s unfortunate because red wines represent some of the best vintages in the world. In the region where I write about wine, New York State, quality reds are becoming the norm with Pinot Noirs, Merlots and Cabernets that are simply out of this world.

As a wine lover, you can’t afford to eliminate red wines from the tasting equation. But since severe heartburn isn’t acceptable either, you’ll need to get to the bottom of your red wine and heartburn dilemma ASAP. These are some of the common red wine suspects that can play a role in causing heartburn.

Tannins. You’ve probably heard that red crops are rich in antioxidants. That’s true; in fact, tannins actually prevent oxidation during the wine’s aging process. Tannins are found in the skins and seeds, so reds have more tannins than white wines (the skins and seeds are removed during the white wine making process). Tannins, commonly associated with wine headaches, are also believed to contribute to heartburn and wine-based acid reflux, but no more than coffee, which is also a high-tannin beverage.

Histamines. Most people associate histamines with allergies. But believe it or not, histamines are also an important aid in digestion. They are produced by the stomach as a way to protect it from damage. Without histamines, your stomach would not be able to produce enough stomach acid for proper digestion. The problem is that red wines are known to contain a large amount of histamines. It’s possible that too much red wine could result in higher levels of histamines than your stomach can handle and lead to elevated levels of stomach acid.

Acids. All wine has a certain acidity. But contrary to popular belief, white wines are generally more acidic than red wines. However, wines produced in colder climates tend to contain higher acid levels than wines produced in warmer climates. So if you want to avoid heartburn, all you have to do is focus on red wines produced in warmer locations, right? Not quite. Low acid red wines produced in warmer locations also contain more histamines than wines produced in cooler areas. In the end, it is a trade-off between the histamines and the acidity of the wine.

So how can you avoid heartburn by drinking red wine? Since I’m not a doctor, it should come as no surprise that my first suggestion is to consult your doctor. Beyond that, experiment with different vintages, paying close attention to details such as where it is produced, its acidity level, etc. Start with reds that were produced in warmer climates like Australia and gradually work your way up to vintages that were made in cooler climates like New York State.

If heartburn is still a problem, consider taking an over-the-counter histamine blocker, either immediately before or immediately after drinking a tempting Shiraz or Cabernet. There’s a good chance that a combination of acid awareness and histamine inhibitors will allow you to uncork your favorite bottle of red without fear of heartburn or acid reflux.

Now if only we could do something about those wine headaches.