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From: mgh@hou5h.UUCP (Marcus Hand)
Newsgroups: net.wines
Subject: Re: wineache
Message-ID: <387@hou5h.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 11-Feb-85 10:32:44 EST
Article-I.D.: hou5h.387
Posted: Mon Feb 11 10:32:44 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 13-Feb-85 04:27:36 EST
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Yes, I too have noticed a propensity for certain wines to give headaches.
For me, it seems to be cheap whites from southern and eastern europe
and california, and what I like to call "hot" reds from spain, algeria
and california. (By hot I mean wines made from grapes grown in hot regions.
I find the Rioja region of spain is typical, sometimes Zinfandels, and
particularly a certain paul masson generic dry red.  The wines have a
heavy almost musty taste, and feel slightly oily.  There are other
intangible characteristics which I can't describe without a glass in my hand!
Finally, the heavier Roussillons from southern france/pyrenee area
also can have this characteristic).   Strangely, the Italian reds
don't seem to share this quality -- I know not why.

There must be as you suggest some fermentation effect -- though what it
is I don't know.  I would dearly love to find out since I can drink cheap
red plonk by the bucketful in one cafe, yet in another, two glasses of the
heavy stuff and my mouth is like a turkish wrestlers jock strap the next
morning. (Not two mention having the Chicago Symphany orchestra rehearsing
Mahler's 10th inside my head)

But I can live with that.  What really eats my curiosity is this --
"Why do US beers and some european lagers (eg Heineken) give me vicious
headaches and upset stomaches if I drink any more than three?"
(and sometimnes it can be two).  Whereas my tollerance of Molson is about
four bottles,  of guinness is around 5-6 pints (before headaches, not before
getting drunk) and of most English beers is also around 5-6 pints.  It appears
to be nothing to do with strength either alcoholic or "body" -- it must be
either something to do with the fermentation process (bottom brewed versus
top brewed?) or some of the ingredients that go into these beers.  Anyone
know of any distinguishing ingredients?  A friend suggested it might be
rice -- any rice in Heineken or Beck's ?  Is there less rice in Molson than
Budweiser or Miller Light? (Yes, lights are just as bad as regular beers).

I don't think it can be the detergent that is used for preserving the beer's
head because Beck's does it to me and that comes from Germany where they have
that purity law (Only natural ingredients are permitted in beer -- hence all
the small breweries)

		Cheers,

			Marcus Hand.