# Do women prefer white wine to red? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** wine\ **Created:** [April 23, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-prefer-white-wine-to-red/619663 "2012-04-23T03:49:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-prefer-white-wine-to-red/619663/41 "2012-04-23T23:26:19Z")
My wife detests white wines. She likes a good zin or shiraz or a meaty cab or barolo. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-prefer-white-wine-to-red/619663/42 "2014-01-02T17:56:22Z")
Bumping this old thread. This is just my experience, but … the majority of women I know claim to get bad headaches, and sometimes full-blown migraines, if they drink more than a few sips of red wine. They’re fine with white wines, though. I’ve never known any men who report getting headaches from either red or white wine. I live in a regionally prominent [AVA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Viticultural_Area) where wine culture is front and center, so the sample size here is fairly large. Have there been any studies about why men and women might have such different physical reactions to red and white varietals/blends? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-prefer-white-wine-to-red/619663/43 "2014-01-02T18:19:43Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > My wife detests white wines. She likes a good zin or shiraz or a meaty cab or barolo. I’m in the same boat, and consider myself blessed for it. Although I am happy when we’ve got guests over to have reason to pick up some Marlborough Sauv Blanc or some white Burgundies. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-prefer-white-wine-to-red/619663/44 "2014-01-02T18:48:56Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Bumping this old thread. > > This is just my experience, but … the majority of women I know claim to get bad headaches, and sometimes full-blown migraines, if they drink more than a few sips of red wine. They’re fine with white wines, though. I’ve never known any men who report getting headaches from either red or white wine. I live in a regionally prominent [AVA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Viticultural_Area) where wine culture is front and center, so the sample size here is fairly large. > > Have there been any studies about why men and women might have such different physical reactions to red and white varietals/blends? I don’t know, but reds give me a headache. I put up with it because I like red wine, but must have an allergy to the sulphites. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-prefer-white-wine-to-red/619663/45 "2014-01-02T20:27:19Z")
I prefer red to white. Argentinian malbecs are my favorite du jour, though I’ve been getting bad headaches the last two times I drank them. (Oh noes!) I prefer white wine in the heat of the summer, preferably chilled and mixed with some fruit. Otherwise, it’s too light or sweet for me. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-prefer-white-wine-to-red/619663/46 "2014-01-02T20:38:44Z")
I prefer rosé. Feel free to mock away. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-prefer-white-wine-to-red/619663/47 "2014-01-02T20:54:32Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I prefer rosé. > > Feel free to mock away. No mocks here. Rose can be great, something refreshing and relaxing to wash down dinner with. I recently had the [2012 Tablas Creek “Patalin” rose](http://www.tablascreek.com/wine/198/2012_patelin_de_tablas_rose) and it was great. About $20 where I am and worth every penny. [Domaines Ott](http://www.domaines-ott.com/?page=vin) makes great rose too, but it’s a bit [spendy](http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/dom+ott+de+selle+cote+coeur+grain+rose+provence+france/2). **Chefguy** , have you tried taking an antihistamine about a half hour before trying red wine? It might help. I’ve no idea why many more women than men would get headaches from red wine. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-prefer-white-wine-to-red/619663/48 "2014-01-02T21:22:36Z")
My wife and her mother prefer reds. I’m the one who prefers whites and roses. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-prefer-white-wine-to-red/619663/49 "2014-01-03T00:02:16Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I think some women profess to prefer white because they think that’s what a woman is supposed to like and they want to appear proper or something. I put these nitwits in the same category as women who won’t eat on a date because they don’t want to appear greedy or “a pig”, then binge on Haagen-Daaz when they get home. Ha! Do you remember when white wine spritzers were popular? I think it was the '80s. I bet the women who drank them went home and guzzled chianti or something. > [@PunditLisa](#): > > I prefer white wine in the heat of the summer, preferably chilled and mixed with some fruit. Otherwise, it’s too light or sweet for me. Have you tried white sangria? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-prefer-white-wine-to-red/619663.md?page=2)