This symptom is not a coincidence. It is most often a reaction linked to a substance naturally present in red wine.
Having a blocked nose after a glass of red wine is far from an isolated case. Many people describe this feeling of nasal congestion, sometimes immediate, without always making the connection with wine. This phenomenon is common enough to come up in consumer testimonials and in the ears of doctors, to the point of being confused with a simple cold or a temporary reaction. In reality, red wine is distinguished from other alcohols by its particular composition, which can trigger this type of reaction in even healthy people.
The composition of red wine comes from both the grapes and the winemaking process. Sulfites, used as preservatives, and tannins, naturally present in the skin of grapes, are often cited as causes of stuffy noses after drinking wine. Ethanol too. But another compound plays a central role in this reaction.
This compound is histamine. “Red wine contains a lot of histamine, produced during the winemaking process”explains Mickael Naassila, president of the French Society of Alcoholology in the magazine 60 million consumers for the month of January. Alcohol also facilitates the diffusion of this substance in the body, which can accentuate reactions in sensitive people. This is one of the reasons why red wine causes side effects more often than white wine or rosé.
Why does the nose get blocked after a glass of red wine?
In some people, histamine can cause blood vessels to dilate, especially in the nasal mucous membranes. Result: the nose becomes congested, giving a feeling of blocked nose or difficult breathing. This mechanism is comparable to that observed during certain so-called intolerance reactions, without it being an allergy in the medical sense. This nasal congestion can appear quickly, sometimes from the first glass, and be more marked when the wine is consumed on an empty stomach or drunk quickly.
Histamine intolerance does not manifest itself in the same way in everyone. In addition to a blocked nose, the most frequently reported symptoms are headaches, sometimes migraine-like, redness or a feeling of heat in the face, digestive problems (bloating, abdominal pain) and sometimes nausea.
There is no simple medical test to diagnose red wine or histamine intolerance. In practice, observation remains decisive. “To self-diagnose, avoid products rich in histamine for two weeks, such as red wine and seafood, but also cheeses and cold meats, then drink a glass of red wine to observe the effect” advises Mickael Naassila. If the stuffy nose and other symptoms disappear and then reappear when red wine is consumed again, the hypothesis of an intolerance is plausible.
In the event of repeated reactions, reducing or avoiding red wine often helps limit symptoms. Some people also notice a better tolerance with other types of alcoholic drinks, less rich in histamine. If nasal congestion persists or worsens, medical advice may be useful to rule out another cause.
