Anyone else’s ability to drink wine worsen with age?!

[Island67]

I had one glass of red wine last night - ONE glass. I drank it at about 7:30pm. I have a headache and a teeny bit of post-alcohol anxiety this morning.

The other week I had two large glasses of white wine at lunchtime and got a cracking headache that evening, and felt slightly off for two days after.

Do I have to quit wine?!

(I’m in my early 40s.)

Yes. Have had many nights in the psst involving copious amounts of red wine. I like a drink!
Can only drink 1 glass of red these days before the headache kicks in.
Fare better on white or clear spirits but usually fall asleep after about 4 anyway.

This is the normal ageing process, you can't clear it out of your system as well. Alcohol is basically poison, just less of a problem when you are young.

Yes. Only in my 30s but going through surgical menopause. Alcohol (especially wine) has become the enemy. Sad face.

My ability to drink wine is as good as ever

My ability to deal with it the next day is awful

I read something once that said in your twenties, getting a hangover is Russian roulette, and they were always random
In your 30s, it’s still Russian roulette but every birthday, an extra bullet goes in the chamber..!

Same as Gappy - I can drink it, but don’t like the consequences!

My new wine rules are: only with food and a really nice wine. So tonight I’m making a nice salmon dish and I have bought one of my favourite whites which I only do once in a blue moon or I’d be having trouble with my bank balance as well as with my head!

As a PP said, the better the quality the better you’ll feel. If I drink Organic wine, I feel fine

I have to take a couple of painkillers before bed if I drink now as I know I'll get a headache the next morning.

So ... Essentially most of you are more interested in moaning about the problem than in looking for a solution?

I've tried organic @mayidestroyyou. Slightly better but sadly not a solution for me. I did Google biodynamic and find it hard to believe playing music to the vines makes a difference 😄. I don't think I can go through the pain to find out. I'm glad it works for you though.

mayIdestroyyou
yes ! It’s in the timing. You can’t ever go straight to a solution !! That really would never do.

My mum is in her 50s and she has had to stop drinking wine. A small amount now gives her a rash on her face and chest, and it makes her feel really ill.

@MayIDestroyYou

You need a biodynamic wine merchant. (And the patience to weed out 'natural' and organic wines from their lists.) Only the biodynamic wine is guaranteed (in my now extensive experience) to leave you free of nasty after effects.

It's the most miraculous discovery of my middle age.

Came on to say exactly this. It’s the way forward 100%

Biodynamic wine - that doesn't give you hangovers! Sourcery

I found my fitness levels really affect how i feel the next day. A few months without doing proper exercise and I feel rubbish after 1-2 glasses. If I am back in shape, i can survive a session with a few more glasses fairly well. Am late 40s.

I'm 50 and can't drink alcohol at all, unless I want a raging UTI.

I really miss a decent gin and tonic

Wine started disagreeing with me when menopause kicked in and I really miss it. Off to google biodynamic wine.

You're all going to hate me, but I'm mid 50s, post menopausal (just) and it's made no difference to me at all. I can drink one or two glasses of wine, which was my normal amount anyway, and feel fine in the morning. I just don't often want to drink much now, though; I'm more likely to fancy a glass of sherry on a Sunday evening

@Mugsen

I've tried organic *@mayidestroyyou*. Slightly better but sadly not a solution for me. I did Google biodynamic and find it hard to believe playing music to the vines makes a difference 😄. I don't think I can go through the pain to find out. I'm glad it works for you though.

Ha! I'm pretty sure none of the wines I've drunk recently have been subjected to Mozart, Mugsen.

In all honesty I lack the patience for details (though I do read up on the winemakers' backgrounds and credentials) - I'm just aware that vineyards that take biodynamic principles seriously manage to omit whatever the ingredients or practices are that have caused me problems in middle age.

I've noticed this generally means relatively smaller outfits who are not churning out billions of tons per year. Which does mean the wine is more expensive. (Particularly in Britain, as opposed to Europe.) So I drink less, but with much more enjoyment.

> ShirleyPhallus

I used to love wine in my younger days but it makes me feel awful these days so I've had to stop drinking it. It gives me palpitations, makes me feel sick and have a hangover off just one glass.

Had a few glasses last night as went to a bbq and was wide awake at 2.30am for hours. Totally not worth it! Am shattered.

Not sure if it's the sulfites in wine? I'm the same but have discovered I can drink organic wine/prosecco. Most supermarkets do a smallish range...

Yes, this sort of thing:

In order to produce authentic wines, they also avoid inoculated yeasts of any kind, and minimise sulphur, fining or filtration ...

Something in all this makes a huge difference.

I quit wine about 10 years ago for all these reasons. I'm 42

My mum is late 50s and announced to me the other day that she's quitting wine because she had a hangover off one glass.

She enjoys wine, and certain wines are ok, but others (especially the jammy red varieties which are my absolute favourites) give her an awful headache.

@MayIDestroyYou Could I ask if you’re able to share any merchants or wines you have found don’t make you ill/hungover? I tried organic but no success.

savagevines.co.uk/biodynamic-wine-retailers-uk/ This link goes to a short list of wine merchants who sell biodynamic wine.

It's true, as someone said above, that some supermarkets may stock the odd bottle (I had something luscious from Ocado a while ago, now no longer sold) but they're not a reliable source. And really, anywhere that could regularly supply a supermarket chain would probably be somewhat removed from lovingly nurtured soil.

So it's worth taking a look at your local / favoured online wine merchants. They're more likely to be proudly claiming to stock organic wine - but that may mean they have biodynamic wine, too. (Don't ask me the difference - I only know about the different effects on my fragile person.)