Red Wine

Red wine is made from dark-skinned grapes, and the skins are the whole difference between red and white. The color, the tannin and most of the polyphenols come out of the skins and seeds, not the juice, which is nearly colorless in almost every grape. White wine is pressed before fermentation. Red wine ferments with the skins in the tank.

How red wine is made

Grapes are crushed and the juice, skins and seeds go into a fermenter together. Yeast converts the sugar to alcohol over days to a couple of weeks, and during that time the alcohol and warmth pull color, tannin and flavor out of the skins. The wine is then pressed off the skins. Most reds then go through a second, bacterial step called malolactic fermentation, in which lactic acid bacteria convert sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid.

That second step matters for reactions. Published analysis of commercial wines has found red wine carries more histamine and putrescine than white, and attributes the difference to malolactic fermentation, where the same bacteria also turn the amino acid histidine into histamine.

Types of red wine

Red wines are named for their grape, and the grape sets the style. Cabernet Sauvignon is thick-skinned, high in tannin and full bodied. Merlot is softer. Pinot Noir has thin skins, so it comes out lighter in color and tannin. Malbec sits between them in body. Tannin is the drying, grippy feel on the gums, and thicker skins and longer skin contact mean more of it.

Calories, carbs and sugar

Nearly all table red wine is fermented dry, so little sugar survives and the calories come mostly from the alcohol. USDA-derived listings put a 5oz glass of red table wine at roughly 125 calories and under 4g of carbohydrate. Alcohol content runs from about 11.5% to 16%, and the higher the ABV, the more calories in the same pour.

Histamines, tannins and sulfites

Red wine rates very high on histamines and tannins here, and that is why drinkers who flush or get headaches usually blame it. Sulfites are the commonly blamed ingredient, and they are the weakest suspect. In the US, a wine with 10 parts per million or more of sulfur dioxide must say “contains sulfites.” Almost every wine does, red included. But reds typically contain less added sulfur dioxide than whites: EU limits for dry wine are 150 mg/L for red and 200 mg/L for white, because the polyphenols in red wine already act as antioxidants. The sulfites in this category’s profile reflect that nearly all red wine carries them, not that red is the heaviest.

For how red compares with white, see red wine vs white wine and beer vs red wine. If you want the lowest-impact bottle in the category, start with the healthiest red wine.