WINE MYTHS DISPELLED

There is a lot of Fiction out there when it comes to Wine

Wines, and especially the wines we promote, are complex. The complexity arises in its bouquet and on the palate, but also behind the scenes. Wine is more than a drink, and it is important to have a thorough understanding of what is really in the wine, how our body is equipped to metabolize it, and what components of wine are responsible for the effects that occur within our cells and body. There are a lot of misconceptions out there. The only non-fiction is that fake news is a thing, and it has also plagued the wine industry and influenced our knowledge and impressions to lead us astray.

Here we take a more scientific approach to dispelling those “latest and greatest myths” to get to the bottom of the long-standing falsifications or misunderstandings that have been in popular circulation for all too long.

8 Myths About Wine to Snuff out Now

1. Wine is just a combination of alcohol (ethanol) and water.

Sure, it is true that wine consists of two major compounds, alcohol and water. In fact, ~97% of wine is comprised of the two. But water and ethanol do not impart color in wine, nor do they lend to its array of flavors and aromas. As we know, water is colorless, tasteless and unscented. There are a multitude of other components in wine including acids (mainly, malic, lactic, and citric acid), carbohydrates, proteins, esters, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, flavan-3-ols, hydroxycinnamates, sulfites, and the list goes on and on (1,2).  But it is all these components that give us better understanding of why wines can have so many flavors and sensory attributes, and why your white wines can be pale and soft or have the hues of gold, sunflower or amber, while red wines might be a light, translucent rose, an opaque garnet, or nearly black as ink. They explain why your olfactory system detects apricot and hibiscus, green, vegetal grass clippings, or blackberries, spices, cigar box and leather. (Oh wow, right now, are you craving some wine?)

​2. Tannins and Sulfites in Red Wine caused my headaches.

We have all heard the common complaint from friends that the tannins and sulfites in wine are to blame for their post-red wine headache. But, is there any truth to it? Let’s break this one down.

​Tannins: tannins are found predominantly in red wines, because they originate from skins, seeds, and stems, and red wines allow for skin contact during maceration and fermentation procedures. Therefore, when a headache starts to brew after red wine consumption, it is very easy to point to tannins as the culprit. However, if we pause and dig a little deeper, we find that these same tannins are present in dark chocolate, tea, and spices, to name a few. “I got a pounding headache from chocolate” said absolutely no one ever.

​Sulfites: it is true that ~1% of the population has some sensitivity or allergic response to sulfur compounds. However, when we drill down, we find that this 1% is often also afflicted by asthmatic conditions and we also see from the medical literature that sulfites are tied to conditions of breathing difficulty versus headaches.

​So, what is it then, that is causing the wine headache? The most scientifically-backed explanation is histamine, one of the biogenic amines in wine. Histamine is found in grape pulp and skins. Because red wines are made with both skins and pulp, it would stand to reason that there would be a greater concentration of histamines released into the finished wine, as compared with whites. Once the wine is consumed, histamine is processed in our bodies in two ways:

1. ​Diamine oxidase (DAO) is the first enzyme that breaks down ingested histamine (3,4).
2. Histamine-N-methyltransferase (HNMT) is the second enzyme which then breaks down histamine in our cells (4).

​As you can imagine, some people have reduced enzymatic activity of either or both DAO and HNMT, triggered most likely by different genetic mutations (3).  In addition, alcohol can have an inhibitory effect on enzymatic activity, which can then dilate blood vessels and result in – ta-dah – a headache (5,6).

3. Lower alcohol wines are better for you.

​This depends on your goal. Of course, we’re not advocating to consume endless quantities of alcohol-rich beverages, but there are some interesting considerations when it comes to %ABV. In fact, a major misconception is that lower alcohol wine is also lower in sugar. This is not generally the case and can be explained through the simple science of fermentation. Grapes are harvested when the winemaker deems them ready, which is typically when they achieve a certain level of sugar (called ⁰Brix) and phenolic ripeness. The grapes are harvested and then undergo fermentation, the conversion from juice to alcohol via yeast performing their magic. Depending on the initial sugar volume and the yeast strain’s ability to convert the sugar, the wine will have a certain %ABV and a certain amount of remaining sugar, called residual sugar (RS). In other words, higher sugar in grapes at harvest can result in higher alcohol but lower residual sugar wines.

​It’s important to acknowledge one caveat here. Depending on the winemaker’s intended style, grapes might be harvested early, while both sugar and phenolics are low. This would result in a lower alcohol wine (something like Vinho Verde), which might give a light and fresh taste, but without the benefits of phenols, which is more expected for white wines and those that come from grapes that have not matured in the vineyard.

Putting this all together, one factor that is important in the concentration of phenolics is the time of harvest. Later harvests give grapes a chance to ripen, which potentiates the conversion of more sugar to a higher %ABV in finished wine. However, the difference between a glass of 11.5%ABV wine and a 13%ABV wine is actually quite insubstantial in terms of actual mL of alcohol consumed, so we may consider this a small but worthwhile tradeoff between sugar and alcohol consumption.

4. You have to search far and wide for “keto-friendly” wines because wines contain sugar.

There are many people now who subscribe to a Low Carb High Fat (#LCHF) or ketogenic diet, both of which may serve as prudent strategies to improved health (7,8).    However, a number of people following this dietary pattern also believe they need to completely eliminate “adult beverages” which is not the case. In fact, there are many dry wines that, when consumed in moderation, can be a nice occasional complement to a meal. Assuming a standard pour size of 5oz or 150mL of wine, the majority of dry wines are between 0.6 – 1.7 carbs, or 0.15 – 0.45 grams of residual sugar per serving. Furthermore, don’t be fooled into be charged extra for low-carb wines – nearly all dry red wines are low carb.

5. Wine before bed will help you sleep better through the night.

The study of alcohol’s effect on sleep dates back to the 1930s, when preliminary work revealed that alcohol (in wine or other “adult beverages”) can affect sleep, physiological processes that occur during sleep, and daytime alertness (9).   The field of research around alcohol consumption and sleep cycles has continued to expand since then. While there is the notion that wine (or other alcohol) before bedtime can have a calming effect, the effect on sleep cycles, when monitored using an electroencephalogram (EEG, for brain activity), electrooculogram (EOG, for eye movements) and electromyogram (EMG, for muscle activity), tells a different story.While several studies have indicated reduced sleep latency, in other words, the subject’s ability to fall asleep more quickly, they have also shown that quality of sleep is disrupted as alcohol is metabolized. This is generally referred to as the “rebound effect.” During this rebound period, the sleeper undergoes light sleep patterns and potentially periods of wakefulness (10). The relationship between nocturnal sleep and daytime alertness has also been shown to have a correlation with declined psychomotor function and response times (9,11). In multi-day studies, whereby sleep is disrupted by alcohol, the effect on diminished daytime alertness is additive.

6. Lighter colored rosés are lower in sugar.

Ok, so actually, this one was new to us until a recent conversation with a friend. Uncertain of how widely circulated this rumor is, it served as the inspiration for dispelling the different fallacies and misconceptions out there so was worth including, even if briefly. The color of the ros has zero direct correlation with its sugar content. Color hue and intensity is related to the amount of time the juice is permitted to macerate with grape skins. Time of maceration is directly related to the richness of the color. In relation to health, we can assert that a ros that has had more skin contact time would have a higher concentration of both anthocyanins and other phenol compounds, which have been widely studied and associated with health. Drink the darker rose.

7. Decanting and letting the wine breathe is a bunch of rubbish.

It depends on the wine; not all wines need decanted while others will benefit from both a little agitation and decanting.

First of all, why decant?

1. Some wines, especially those with some age on them, may have sediments that have fallen out of solution as the wine ages. Decanting allows for the separation of these sediments from the liquid nectar we crave so much.
2. Related to this is the sensory or visual impact of wine. If you go to a restaurant and are looking for wine service as part of your experience, you might be agitated if your wine is hazy or filmy. Decanting provides greater visual appeal and can contribute to the experience.
3. Some wines benefit from a little bit of oxygen exposure before drinking them. This may be particularly true for high-tannin and full-bodied wines, as the oxygen allows the flavors and aromas to become more pronounced.

So, what are some general rules to follow in choosing which wines get decanted?

1. Young white wines do not benefit from decanting. They’re typically fresh and structured, and decanting might disrupt some of the elements that give the wine its backbone.
2. Older white wines actually may benefit from a brief decanting. People do not often consider this but tartaric crystals can form in aging white wine, so separating out these deposits may be of benefit to avoid any grittiness during the wine-drinking experience. Orange wines, which result from the maceration of white grapes, can benefit from a brief period of decanting.
3. Young reds or light-bodied reds typically do not need decanted. Beaujolais and Pinot Noir, for example, come from thin-skinned cultivars and they’re appreciated for their delicacy;  however, decanting would render them too delicate.
4. Wines coming from thicker-skinned red and black grapes may benefit from decanting. There are typically more layers and complex tasting notes to these wines that often can only be revealed if they are given time to “breathe.” Some suggestions on varietals worth decanting include cabernet sauvignon, syrah, tannat, malbec, and monastrell to name a few.
5. And the defiant one – Nebbiolo. Beloved as the grape that produces Piedmont’s Barolo and Barbaresco, it is actually a thin-skinned grape. In young Nebbiolo-based wines, there are actually a large volume of anthocyanins which give the wines a darker color. In addition, these younger wines have particularly grippy tannins. They pair very well with fat-marbled meat dishes and can benefit from a couple swirls and some deep breaths in the decanter before enjoying.

8. Sulfite-free wines exist. 

Fortunately, and especially in Europe right now, there is a push to produce high-quality natural and biologic wines. These are often mistaken as “zero-sulfite” wines, but the truth is there is no such thing as a truly sulfite-free wine. The “industry standard” for calling a wine “zero-sulfite” actually allows for up to 10mg/L. The real distinction is that you can get a wine with zero ADDED sulfites.

 Grapes, taken from the vineyard, all have some naturally occurring sulfites on their skins. Additionally, grape products may come into contact with sulfites during the winemaking and fermentation process.​

​The myth within a myth is that any amount of sulfites are bad for you. Sure, too much of anything is a bad thing, but in fact, molecular SO2 and free bisulfite HSO3- contribute antimicrobial properties and antioxidant benefits, respectively (12).

In Summary

Wine is a beautiful and tasty thing, there’s no denying that. In order to fully appreciate wine, it is worth taking some time to think about the concepts and rumors that have been perpetuated. Hopefully this quick list provides some pause and consideration in your quest to make more-informed decisions about what you drink, how you drink, and when you drink.

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