Headaches after champagne: the truth about sulfites
You've had a lovely evening, a bottle of champagne, and woken up the next morning with a headache. The first thing you blame is the champagne. The second is sulfites. Sometimes that's fair. Often it isn't.
Here's what we actually know.
What sulfites are, without the jargon
Sulfur is a natural mineral found in soil. When it burns, it produces sulfur dioxide. That gas dissolves easily in water, and it's in this liquid form that winemakers have used it for decades.
Why? Because sulfites do three things in wine: they act as antioxidants, disinfectants, and bacteriological regulators. In plain terms, they stop wine from turning, oxidizing prematurely, or developing unwanted bacteria. Without them, most wines wouldn't survive transport or aging.
Here's what matters: sulfur is already naturally present in grapes, which means it exists in every wine without exception. The label mention "contains sulfites" doesn't mean large amounts were added. It means the level exceeds 10mg/L, which is almost always the case.
The numbers: what the rules actually say
The European legal maximum for sparkling wines is 185mg/L of total SO2. That's the ceiling, not the standard.
In practice, champagnes average around 50mg/L. Natural sparkling wines allow up to 30mg/L under the AVN charter. Both are far below what the law permits.
Our approach: as little as possible, not zero
Our philosophy is straightforward: if you can do without it, don't add it.
In practice, our cuvées contain between 10mg/L and 40mg/L of total SO2 depending on the vintage and the blend. Well below market average, and a long way from the European ceiling.
At disgorgement — the final stage of champagne production, around six months before release — we add no additional sulfites. A deliberate choice, consistent with how we work at every step: intervene as little as possible.
Cuvée Nude is the clearest expression of that approach.
So why the headache?
The honest answer is that sulfites are rarely the only culprit. Alcohol remains the primary cause of wine-related headaches. Histamine, found especially in red wines, is another frequent factor. Dehydration is consistently underestimated.
People with genuine sulfite sensitivity typically have asthma and react quickly, within an hour of consumption. A headache the morning after points more reliably toward other causes.
What is true: wine with fewer added sulfites is generally less aggressive on the body. That alone is reason enough to keep levels low.
What you probably didn't know
Sulfites aren't exclusive to wine. You'll find them in vinegar, mustard, dried apricots, packaged lasagna, macarons, brioche, and most processed foods, often in significantly higher concentrations than what's in a glass of champagne.
If you can eat supermarket lasagna on a Sunday night without issue, the sulfites in your champagne probably aren't your enemy.
Our Cuvée Nude contains just 16mg/L of sulfur dioxide, roughly eight times below the market average for champagne. That number reflects exactly what we're after: a wine with nothing to hide.
