Perth-based firm claims victory in war against hangovers

Jan 25 2011 by Andrew Welsh, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

VINTNERS from Perthshire yesterday claimed to have uncovered a potential cure for the misery of hangovers.

Experts at Perth-based Exel Wines reckon that determined Scots pursuing a New Year detox can console themselves with the knowledge that the answer to avoiding a morning-after sore head lies in the “unique” qualities inherent in genuine vineyard-produced tipples.

The firm’s has ‘hand-picked’ Welgegund Pinotage from South Africa as an example of a wine that can help maintain a guilt-free diet, citing far fewer toxins in its content to pollute the human body than are contained in more commonly found brands.

According to Exel’s Russell Wallace, the age-old Latin saying “in vino veritas” – or “in wine there is truth” in English – is a maxim to stand by.

“Drinking a higher quality wine will help hangovers, diets and detoxes simply because there are fewer toxins in the body,” the South Street distributor declared.

“Wines sourced from small producers are preserved using very little sulphates, making them less toxic to your body, which in turn means goodbye hangover.

“There are hundreds of old wives’ tales for easing a hangover. While these to some extent help a hangover, many will agree that they are definitely not a cure.

“We would recommend people start asking questions about their wine from their supplier as this is the only way labelling laws are likely to change.”

Each vineyard has its own method of fermenting their harvest, with producers introducing sulphates to the wine mix as a preservative.

But sometimes levels can be too high, causing the dreaded hangover.

“The reason why mass producers need to add so much sulphate to their yield is because they use machinery to pick the fruit, and often rotten fruits slip through the quality control process,” said Mr Wallace.

“Additionally, sulphates rid the harvest of bacteria left behind from pests including wasps, lizards and birds.

“Smaller producers do all their harvesting by hand, so have a much better quality control procedure when it comes to picking only the best fruits, and do not require excessive amounts of sulphates to cleanse what’s going into the wine.

“You will also find that many small producers adhere to organic and biodynamic methods.”

Lovers of sweet desert wines are advised to try a dryer wine to avoid a headache, while those who are more partial to white wine than red are also more at risk of a sore head – but following the same principles is supposed to help.

“Check if it’s got less than 10 parts sulphate per million per bottle, and if it does, you should be hangover free the next day,” added Mr Wallace.