# Campden..... headache?



## jamesjr (Nov 7, 2014)

Ok so ive very new to homemade wine but its a hobby I jumped into I'm currently just experimenting with 1 gallon juice wines and my first batch was just juice, yeast sugar and one campden tab.... not realy concerned with my recipee as I kno its not a real recipe its just something I threw together to try it out. I had a bad head ache within a glass and a half it was throbbing and half the next day. Now a glass and a half doesn't give me a buzz and I have just a abnormal tolerance to alchohol even tho I bearly drink 


My quistions to y'all is can campden give u a headache. And can wine be made without it? And maybe some experience you've had with it?


----------



## cpfan (Nov 8, 2014)

Campden is either potassium metabisulfite (aka K-meta) or sodium metabisulfite (aka Na-meta) depending on the manufacturer/formulation, and becomes sulphites in the wine. Sulphites are also a natural by-product of fermentation. So ALL wines contain sulphites. K-meta serves a couple of purposes in winemaking, but yes wine can be made without adding sulphites. I think most of us add sulphites for one reason or another, mostly to give the wine shelf life.

Can sulphites be the root cause of your headaches? Do you get headaches from dried fruit? If not, then you are probably not getting headaches from the sulphites (ie campden), because generally speaking dried fruit contains more sulphites than wine. You may be getting headaches from amines in the wine (and no you didn't add them). I believe that amine headaches are more common than sulphite headaches.

Depending on your wine-making process (amount of campden, time frame, amount of stirring, amount of sugar), your wine will contain different amounts of sulphites. If you put 1 campden tablet in the wine at the start, followed a reasonable wine-making process, and didn't add further campden, then I doubt that your wine is high in sulphites.

The whole thing regarding sulphites and wine, and wine headaches is not totally understood. Use Google to search for some related articles, read a few, and form your own opinion.

Steve


----------



## jamesjr (Nov 8, 2014)

Ok thanks ya I can eat dried dehydrated fruit. And ive even drank other wine that said it contains sulfites. So ya ill look it up. I'm realy hoping the win had nothing to do with it


----------



## jamesjr (Nov 8, 2014)

Do I even need sulfites? All my batches right now are one gallon and get drank within a week or two. And most of what I make is skeeter pee werzels orange wine and apple win variations. I will use them if I use hand picked fruit but other than that could I skip them or use citric acid?


----------



## Arne (Nov 9, 2014)

If you are drinking them that fast, you do not need to add the sulfites. If you are storing it for a time, the sulfites help preserve it. Arne.


----------



## jamesjr (Nov 9, 2014)

Ok great thanks arne I think you've answered almost all my quistions on here.... a big help thank u


----------



## Arne (Nov 10, 2014)

Let us know if you still get the headaches without the sulfites. I am wondering if it isn't just drinking the young wines doing it to you. Arne.


----------



## jamesjr (Nov 10, 2014)

Yea I will because right now I'm just experimenting with 1 gallon batches. I have a gallon of apple clearing right now then I have a werzels wow finishing up and neither of them did I add campden. I really hope I'm not a allergic to sulfites or anything crazy like that I enjoy this to much. I'm about to start a skeeter pee also.


----------



## wineforfun (Nov 10, 2014)

I am with Arne that it may be the young wine doing something to you. 
If you can drink other wine, then there is no reason you can't drink your own as all store bought wine contains sulfites.


----------



## jamesjr (Nov 10, 2014)

Ok kool ive only just recently started drinking wine to compare it to the one I make lol I was usually a beer drinker. And cheap beer at that. Not because I'm a hobo just cuz I like Busch lite but I like making my own everything and Ill let y'all kno later once that apple wine sits a little longer


----------



## jamesjr (Nov 13, 2014)

Ok guys I made a small half gallon of apple wine a couple weeks ago ( yes half gallon is small lol but it came with a glass jug) all I used was yeast ferm k go ferm and fermented to dry then added bentonite and put it in the fridge 3 days later crystal clear and I had a glass tonight. And...... no headache. I degassed it really good. I also talked to my mom and she can't drink wine either because of headaches. Up soon will be skeeter pee with no campden then
Also a wine I'm planing to start soon is fresh starfruit and ill use campden with that to make sure I dont have any nastys in there and that will be my next test. So I'm just going to ginnie pig my self to hopefully help some one else lol


----------



## BernardSmith (Nov 14, 2014)

Not a medical doctor but I believe true allergic reactions do not cause headaches. They may cause hives or they may cause anaphylactic shock. You may have some kind of reaction to whatever it is that caused the headache... but I don't think an allergic reaction results in a headache. I may be wrong... but...


----------



## jamesjr (Nov 14, 2014)

No I totally agree I dont think its an allergic reaction but I do think its something specific enough to figure out. I'd be really upset if I was allergic to wine in general lol


----------



## roger80465 (Nov 14, 2014)

Same here - not a doctor. I believe we can be sensitive to something without being allergic. Example, some brands of coffee turn my stomach inside out while others don't. I can't use any soap that contains sulfates but others can. I'm not allergic, just sensitive to it. I'm sure the same can be said for sulfites. If that is true, even more reason to make wine at home where you can control the amount.


----------



## Floandgary (Jan 5, 2015)

With very little research (WEBMD) you'll find that most any/all reactions to "sulfites" are centered around respiratory distresses. Those who suffer asthma are more prone. Headaches are more likely a reaction to the alcohol and/or other components of ingested foodstuffs. However as has been pointed out many times, the additives we use do serve a purpose and will cause no harm. More of anything is not necessarily better!


----------



## jamesjr (Jan 5, 2015)

Well ive made a few batches since ive last posted about the head ache deal amd havent had one since. Im not saying its got to do with the campden because it very well may not be but I havent used any since. Also ive just simply learned better technique. I honestly think it was just a freak headache but I still try not to use any sulfites if not necessary. As for now I make one gallon batches so I just throw the whole thing in the fridge


----------

