Thank you for visiting the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Web site. to serve you better, our Web site has undergone a significant redesign. you are seeking is probably still available on the Web site but is now in a different To assist you in finding the information you are looking for, we recommend that you visit one of the following sections on our new Web site: If you still can't find what you are looking for and need assistance, don't hesitate We hope you find your visit useful and we apologize for any inconvenience this changeVinson JA1, Teufel K, Wu N.Author information1Department of Chemistry, University of Scranton, Linden and Monroe Streets, 18510-4626, Scranton, PA, USAAbstractThe French have low coronary heart disease mortality with high fat consumption; this epidemiological anomaly is known as the "French Paradox" and is commonly attributed to the consumption of red wine. However, epidemiology studies have not convincingly shown a superiority of red wine vs. alcohol or other alcoholic beverages.

We have used the hamster model of atherosclerosis to determine the active ingredient(s) of red wine responsible for the beneficial effect. Hamsters (nine in each group) were given a cholesterol/saturated fat for 10 weeks to induce foam cell formation. Water or 6.75% ethanol was given to the control groups. Beverages tested included red wine, dealcoholized red wine, and red grape juice, all diluted in half. Ethanol and all beverages caused a significant reduction in atherosclerosis. The combination of ethanol in red wine had the largest effect in decreasing atherosclerosis by both hypolipemic and antioxidant mechanisms. When compared with dealcoholized wine and normalized to polyphenol dose, red wine's beneficial effects can be attributed entirely to the polyphenols. Grape juice had a significant benefit at a much lower dose of polyphenols than the wines. Grape juice was calculated to be much more effective than red wine or dealcoholized red wine at the same polyphenol dose in inhibiting atherosclerosis and improving lipids and antioxidant parameters.

This data suggests that polyphenolic beverages from grapes are beneficial in inhibiting atherosclerosis by several mechanisms. Grape juice or non-alcoholic red wine are an excellent alternative to red wine in this model of atherosclerosis.PMID: 11368998 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Publication typeComparative StudyMeSH termsAnimalsArteriosclerosis/prevention & control*Beverages*CricetinaeEthanolMaleMesocricetusRosales*Wine*SubstanceEthanolFull Text SourcesElsevier ScienceOther Literature SourcesCOS Scholar UniverseCited by Patents in - The LensMiscellaneousETHANOL - Hazardous Substances Data BankBack to list of questions We're often asked about non-alcoholic wines for those who wish to avoid alcohol.I'm sorry to say that the word on this is not promising. There are only a few brands of de-alcoholized wine, and after repeated tastings, I don't consider any of them satisfactory.The two U.S. brands I have tried are Fré and Ariel. These brands are widely available in wine stores, but I've found the whites to be bland and the reds actively unpleasant.

It's my opinion that three issues are at work here: First, the de-alcoholizing process is intrusive and seems to damage the wine, even though the makers claim otherwise. Second, alcohol is a key component of the customary flavor (and texture) profile of wine, and wines without it seem to be missing something; they seem lightweight and thin. Finally, to be blunt, these are inexpensive wines made from marginal grapes.wine os x fontsMy best advice to people who want to take a break from wine is to skip these near-wine beverages and go directly to more interesting and flavorful non-alcoholic alternatives: Quality fruit juices, sparkling water, good coffee or tea.top wine companies in indiaMaybe it's my border-South roots, but I find a fresh, well-made iced tea, strong and unsweetened with a squirt of lemon or lime, to come about as close to what I'm looking for in wine as any non-alcoholic beverage can: It's fruity and floral, with natural tannins and crisp acidity, and that sounds almost like a wine-tasting note.\r best wine for christmas present

Back to list of questionsTipsDrink in moderation and with food.If you're sensitive to histamine, consult your doctor and take precautions.If you find there's a type of wine that you enjoy and that doesn't give you headaches, try to stick with it or something similar.Related How-TosI’m New to Wine, How Do I Start?Advice on Wine-Food PairingsFinding a Customer-Friendly Wine Store Let’s talk headaches and wine. If you drink too much and you’re like most people, you will get a headache. And we’re not talking about migraines or cluster headaches, which are sometimes triggered by wine. Those are special cases, and you should be talking to a doctor about them anyway. We’re talking about otherwise headache-free people who drink a glass of wine and are seized by headaches. We’re not doctors, and even doctors have disagreements about why some wines cause headaches. But because we’re asked about headaches and wine so often, we did some research. Here’s what we found.

Many people seem to think that sulfites in wine cause headaches. The scientists and physicians we talked to said that’s not true. “Sulfites can cause allergy and asthma symptoms, but they don’t cause headaches,” says Frederick Freitag, associate director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago and a board member of the National Headache Foundation. We hear all the time from people who were on vacation somewhere overseas, had a wine that didn’t cause headaches and figured the wine didn’t contain sulfites because, unlike wines in America, the label didn’t say “Contains Sulfites.” Actually, sulfites occur naturally in all wine. It’s just that in the U.S., the government requires winemakers to print that on the label because sulfites can trigger severe reactions, even death, in some people, especially asthmatics with this sensitivity. Many winemakers also add small amounts of sulfites to their wines to help preserve them and to kill wild yeasts that can ruin a wine’s taste.

“I grow a small number of grapes and make my own wine,” says Dr. Freitag, “and if you don’t do something to shut down the native yeasts and bacteria that come in with the grape skin, you’re going to get wine that is absolutely horrific. Sulfites are the most benign way of doing that, but they don’t cause headaches.” Some people think wines labeled “organic” don’t have sulfites, but that’s not true, although those wineries might not add any additional sulfites. Frey Vineyard, of Mendocino, Calif., for instance, doesn’t add any sulfites, and its labels say that. Lolonis Winery, also of Mendocino, makes “wines that are low in sulfites or have a small amount added, but sulfites will never have anything to do with headaches,” says Maureen Lolonis. “Without sulfites,” she says, “a wine has no shelf life.” Although experts say more study is warranted, and there is dissent, a lot of research suggests that the headache culprits might be histamine and tyramine, other chemical substances that are naturally present in wine.

Histamine dilates blood vessels and tyramine first constricts then dilates blood vessels — ouch! Dan L. Keiller, president of the newly formed Medical Wine Interest and Education Society in San Diego, says several studies from Europe show that “red wines, in general, contain more histamine than Champagnes or sparkling wines and those usually contain more histamine than [still] white wines.” Indeed, headaches from red wine are so common that the phenomenon has its own name, “RWH syndrome”-that’s “red wine headache.” But, Dr. Keiller hastens to add, “Histamine content does not correlate consistently with color, bouquet or taste characteristics of the wine.” People who most often have trouble with histamine in wine, Dr. Keiller and others say, are those who lack an enzyme in their intestines that can help them metabolize histamine. Tyramine, meantime, can cause your blood pressure to rise, and that triggers headaches in some people. These same people might get headaches from aged cheeses, smoked or cured meats, and citrus fruits.

Dr. Freitag, who has studied the health effects of wine for more than a decade and makes Riesling from the 18 vines in his yard, adds, along with other researchers, that other substances that contribute to the flavor and special characteristics of wine, such as congeners, are also suspect. Even the wood in which the wines are fermented or aged can make a difference. “Some people are sensitive to the differences in the growing regions. Some can drink a California red wine but God help them if they drink a French Bordeaux or Burgundy,” Dr. Freitag says. “There are different characteristics of the soils that are picked up and translated into the chemical mix in the grape itself.” The amount of tyramine varies depending on the type of grape, Dr. Freitag says. “Riesling is one of the higher tyramine-containing wines,” he says. “Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs are low … Chiantis are higher than Rieslings, Sauternes are low and Bordeaux are low. Californians are, as a rule, pretty low.

“A lot of European wine country is very rocky, limestony, and how the grapes grow and the amount of protein they produce, maybe even differences in the kinds of yeasts that are used, may make a difference,” Dr. Freitag adds. But once again, nothing here is absolutely clear, or without controversy. When we asked for information from the Wine Institute, the California-based industry advocate, it sent a 1996 paper on wines and headaches by Mark A. Daeschel, professor of Food Science and Technology at Oregon State University. We tracked Dr. Daeschel down while he was harvesting Pinot Noir grapes for a friend. “There’s really nobody out there who wants to support the type of research that needs to be done to definitely nail all of this down,” he told us. “We can’t go to the federal government. They’ll say ‘just stop drinking.’ And wineries are hesitant because they don’t want to raise the issue that there may be a problem. But it’s a complex situation. It’s a combination of things and also the physiology of the consumer.

Some people’s triggers go off quicker than others’.” There is some research that indicates psychological issues also are important. Several researchers noted that people responded differently to substances that cause them headaches depending on their state of mind, which might explain, in part, the-wines-on-vacation syndrome. Think about the common question: Why does Champagne give me such a headache? Maybe the answer is that the bubbles carry alcohol to the bloodstream faster. But maybe part of the answer is that people drink more Champagne than they think they do during the festive occasions at which it’s often served, and aren’t eating food with it. And that brings us back to alcohol. When we posed the question of headaches and wine to Stanford professor and heart surgeon Thomas Fogarty, the owner of a California winery by that name, he straightaway said with a chuckle, “The most common reason is overdose. The other is histamine in wine.” Bob Green, an owner of Union Square Wines and Spirits in New York City, points a finger to crude alcohol in cheap wine.

When sugar is added to grape juice to produce alcohol to boost the alcohol content of a wine, it creates a less pure kind of alcohol, he suggests, and that helps trigger headaches. How about going the extra mile, to wines without any alcohol at all? Removing the alcohol “may not remove the headache-related factors from a wine,” says Dr. Freitag. So what’s a body to do? Elizabeth Holmgren, director of Research and Education at the Wine Institute, suggests you drink in moderation and with food, and that if you’re sensitive to histamine, consult your doctor and take precautions. Some doctors and researchers say taking antihistamines, ibuprofen or aspirin before you drink is effective in preventing headaches. Also, Vitamin B6 can help your body metabolize histamine, some say. But, remember, some people can have harmful reactions to the use of these over-the-counter drugs with alcohol, so ask your doctor first. Drinking plenty of water when you’re having wine might also help.

Dehydration can cause headaches, too. Dr. Freitag says, “I would recommend that someone choose a white wine over a red and drink modest amounts. If you drink wine with any regularity and if you find there’s a type of wine that you enjoy and that doesn’t give you headaches, try to stick with it or something similar. If you’re at a dinner and you get headaches from red wine, there’s nothing wrong with taking a few sips of it, but your glass should never get terribly empty. “If you’re sensitive in general,” he says, “most people tend to tolerate the wines from California, Washington and Oregon more than European wines, grape type to grape type.” We know there are a million other explanations for all of this- and everyone has a point of view. But this is truly the bottom line: If headaches are preventing you from fully enjoying wine, you really should talk to your doctor. This article was adapted from a Tastings column by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher published in October 2000.