sulfites

Does she have problems with white wines? White wines have sulfites as well although generally perhaps not as much as some reds. The amount of sulfites added to a wine depends on the pH of the wine. For example a wine with a pH of 3.6 will require about 60 ppm. A wine with a pH of 3.5 will require about 50 ppm and a wine with a pH of 3.4 will require about 40 ppm. I think you can get an idea of the relationship. A lot of the California wines are high alcohol, and high pH. White wines generally have lower pH than red wines (around 3.3 or so) and therefore less sulfites are needed.

If you want to experiment with reds you might try a wine that is generally a little more acidic than some such as a Chianti or Sangiovese. These may have less sulfites - depending on the winemaker.

Also note that most red wines are barrel aged while most whites are not - exceptions of course for some Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. I personally feel that some people experience problems with reds not because of sulfites but because a lot of commercial red wines are aged in new oak or are heavilly oaked. I think it may be the oak tannins from the barrel that is the source of headaches and not necessarilly the sulfites.

In my opinion, a lot of commercial wineries over oak their wines. One way to cover up defects in a wine is to oak the hell out of it. Some people like the smell and taste of oak - like a cigar box. To me, this completely covers up the fruit of the wine. This is just a personal preference - a lot of people like a lot of oak and many are unaware that whay they are smelling and tasting is NOT the fruit of the grape but the barrel it was aged in.

I do not know which comercial wineries use older oak or not as much oak aging. This will just take some research and experimenting on your part. Personally, I make my own wine - about a 100 gallons a year and have my own backyard vineyard. A lot of people who say they don't like dry red wines change their mind when they drink mine because I am not a fan of heavy oak and I age my wines in an older barrel that has already given up a lot of its oakiness. The wine still benefits from micro oxygen uptake through the staves. Hope this helps.