The Taster vs. The Drinker, and Sulfates

Another thing that I have noticed about wine is that consumers are split into two different groups: tasters and drinkers.
Tasters are people like me, wine lovers who not only like what they know, but enjoy tasting what they don't know.  Tasters enjoy going to vineyards, trying different wines made by different vintners, and hearing what the vintners have to say about the wine.  It is a great way to taste wines that aren't in the stores, that you may never taste again!  Many of the winery's wines are not widely distributed, especially if the winery is small.
Drinkers are the folks who are happy to buy the same bottle for dinner every week, enjoy the flavor, but don't have much interest beyond that.  Drinkers are like the Europeans who drink wine with dinner, although they may not have the experience or expertise that Europeans have with wine.  They just like the flavor of wine, and possibly enjoy the flavor of food more.  Tasters may turn into drinkers, or be both, but I have yet to see a sure and steady drinker turn into a taster.

In my own role as taster and drinker, I went to the Brooklyn winery for dinner one night.  I had a glass of the red "of the day", and a glass of Malbec.  They were both "old world" wines, meaning the grapes were grown in regions that have been producing wine for centuries.  Many people think that the old world wines are better quality, or more complex wines.  Well, this was the first time in years that two glasses of wine gave me a splitting headache.  The first time it happened, I asked around about why some wines would do that.  I was told that sulfates, commonly known as preservatives, were the cause.  Some wines put more sulfates in their wine than others.  Typically vintners assume that the wine will be consumed pretty quickly, so they won't put much sulfate in the wine.  In some cases, however, they won't take that chance.  This is when the wine can cause allergic reactions that vary from mild (headache) to bad (in my case, puffy eyes, red face, and a headache).  The latter has happened twice in my life, and I am grateful to say that few vintners put enough sulfate in their wine to give me such a bad reaction.
So, to all the wine tasters out there -- you have a chance to ask, before buying the wine, about the sulfate content.  To the wine drinkers who are not tasters, if a wine ever gives you a splitting headache, check the label.  Compare the sulfate content in that wine to another wine you've had.  Chances are, there's a big enough difference.  In either case, remember that Tylenol can cure a sulfate headache! 

This blog is for all tasters and drinkers out there who are curious about or interested in wine.  In my next article, I may write about a tasting!