New Year’s Eve is called “amateur drunk” night because folks who do not regularly consume alcohol decide they might as well join the “oh-be-joyous” fest on the last night of the year.
Too much wine can cause a hangover just like other alcohol beverages. Here are some suggestions on how to avoid or survive:
• Take a non-drowsy antihistamine before drinking. Histamines can contribute to hangover.
• Drink low alcohol wines: less than 13% is a good target.
• Drink wine with food, preferably on a full stomach.
• Spend more money and get better wine. Low-end wines and flavored wines tend to have more wine additives and often more sugar. Additives and sugar are wine hangover villains.
• Match each glass of wine with a glass of water. Lack of hydration is a principal cause of hangovers.
• Avoid mixing wine with other types of alcohol, particularly higher alcohol drinks after you finish your wine drinking.
• Stop drinking two hours before sleep.
• Drink lower-alcohol white wine or less tannic red. Surprising to many, red wine tends to produce less of a hangover. The chemical acetaldehyde is a byproduct your body produces metabolizing ethanol and is major cause of hangovers. Red wine has the lowest levels of acetaldehyde among wines. Sherry, brandy, and some sweet wines have the highest.
• Drink in moderation, the obvious prevention method, but one easily forgotten amid the fervid frivolity as midnight approaches.
Tasting notes:
• Trivento Reserve Malbec, Mendoza 2019: Smooth, fun, larruping good expression of Argentina’s signature grape. $10-12 Link to my review
• Quinta da Raza Dom Diogo Arinto Vinho Verede DOC 2020: Fresh, lively delight. $13-16 Link to my review
• Beronia Verdejo, Rueda DO 2019: Tart, refreshing, excellent acidity. $15-18 Link to my review
• Casanova di Neri Irrosso Rosso, Toscana 2018: Impressive depth and complexity for a wine at this price point. $18-21 Link to my review
• Ramōn Bilbao Rosado 2020: Wondrous mouthfeel; rosé made in Provençal style. $20-22 Link to my review
• Daou Vineyards Discovery Rosé 2020: Delicious, marvelously approachable rosé you can afford to just kick back and enjoy. $22-26 Link to my review
• Farmhouse Vineyards Oh Hey, Charolais Roussanne 2019: Roussanne is Texas substitute for chardonnay. Near play of charolais (a breed of cattle) and chardonnay likely is no accident for this quality Texas white. $30 Link to my review
Last round: New Year’s resolution: I am going to work hard on being less condescending when writing about wine. (Condescending means talking down to people. Wine is an alcoholic beverage, most often—but not necessarily—made from grape juice.) New record—broke my resolution in less than a minute.