Does Wine Before Liquor Actually Make You Sicker?

Also, I tried Dolly Parton’s wine

There are many myths that we live with every day. Step on a crack, you will break your mama’s back, never split the pole when walking with someone you love, or never put your purse on the ground — you will go broke. I grew up with all of these myths and so many more. But, I’ve always had a rebellious spirit. I remember being in grade school, playing on the street in front of my house, I looked down and saw an enormous crack. I gingerly placed one foot and then the other, looking around to make sure no one was watching. I needed to know if it was in fact true. About 15 mins later, my mom jumped out of the car, said hello, and rushed into the house. Her back appeared to be fine. But, I was terrified for days…months even, why did I have to test it? With the exception of a few split poles, I never tested a myth again.

Years later in college (ok, let’s be real, it was actually high school), I was confronted with a new myth: Beer before liquor you’ve never been sicker, liquor before beer you’re in the clear. And soon after: wine before liquor you’ve never been sicker, liquor before wine, you’ll be fine. Now this was a myth I was willing to have some fun with, but I would be lying if I said I don’t think about this ridiculous order every time I pick up a glass or order a drink…to this day. So, for the sake of my sanity and possibly your future hangovers, today we will find out if the myth is true.

Regional Spotlight: Six Weeks in South Africa - Franschhoek

But first, we have one last stop in South Africa to complete our six week tour. For our final spotlight we are visiting Franschhoek, which translates to “French Corner.” It’s given this name because the region is heavily influenced by French winemaking and has deep roots in their traditions.

Franschhoek can be found in the Western Cape, southeast of Paarl. It’s located in a valley completely surrounded by mountains, often described as a natural amphitheater. It has a river that runs through it and the area gets a lot of rain, it’s considerably wetter than almost all other South African wine regions. It can get very hot, but the mountains do a great job of moderating the heat, especially at night. Therefore, grapes grown there can achieve ripeness and nice acidity.

Given their French roots (dating back to the 1600s with French settlers), it’s no surprise that more of the region’s varietals hail from France. They are known for:

• Cabernet Sauvignon: The most important grape of the region with flavors of black current, plum, cedar, and herbs.

• Chardonnay: It’s gaining in popularity in the region and grows best on the valley floor. Expect flavors of lemon, green apple, floral notes, and mineralit. Very similar to what you would get from a French chard.

• Semillon: They have vines over 100 years old! Therefore, it’s considered one of the region’s heritage grapes. Their semillon is lemony, waxy, herbal, age-worthy, and has great minerality.

• Cabernet Franc: A signature of the region, it grows well in the higher elevation areas. With their version you’ll get flavors of violet, herbs, and pepper. As a Cab Franc lover, I’m on the hunt for this one.

It should be noted, that they also produce spectacular sparkling wine in the region, using South Africa’s traditional method (MCC-Méthode Cap Classique). They use the exact same grapes found in France’s Champagne in wider South America, but apparently there are some other fun sparkling blends worth a try.

As for producers, give Klein Goederust a shot, it represents the first 100% Black-owned wine farm in Franschhoek. It’s a fairly old winery, but the ownership was bought out in 2021 (with the cellar opening in 2025), their story is beyond inspiring. When Paul Siguqa acquired the brand (it has been around since 1905) he knew a little something about winemaking, his parents were Cape Winelands farm workers. He later named their flagship sparkling varietal, Nomaroma MCC, after his mother. From working the farm, to ownership - in one generation. You can follow their story on Instagram here.

What a beautiful conclusion to our South African journey.

Wine In Culture: Wine Before Liquor You’ve Never Been Sicker

We’ve all heard it, some of you still treat it as bible, some truly couldn’t care less. But, for those of you that are wondering I won’t keep you in suspense: The order of alcohol doesn’t matter at all. Whew, let’s all take a collective exhale. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (I hate that I now know this organization exists), the order has nothing to do with it, the more alcohol you drink…the more it will impact you the next day. We all know this to be true. But, here’s where it gets interesting: The reason why this myth came to be is because statistically speaking, people tend to drink more when they start with wine and proceed to spirits or otherwise. It was never about the wine, it was us.

Trigger warning: I am now going to talk about the things that make our hangovers awful, showcasing that it’s not about order and it’s not about specific alcohol types, it’s just alcohol. If you are a millennial like me, and statistically drink more than any other generation :/ this may be a bummer, feel free to skip ahead to what’s in my glass. No judgement, life is hard enough. But, I promise I have some ideas if you want to cut back on those hangovers and learn the facts.

Still with me? Ok, here are the factors that really make those hangovers devastating, in addition to just volume of alcohol:

• Congeners: These are compounds produced during fermentation, they give our favorite drinks their flavor and aroma. But, they are also cellular impurities that irritate our blood vessels and tissue in the brain. And to make matters worse, they stimulate the body’s release of stress hormones that cause an inflammatory response. They are the real devil. And here’s the kicker: Darker spirits/wine tend to have more congeners than clear spirits. This is why red wine gets a bad rap. But, don’t go running to vodka, they still have it - just not as much.

• Sulfites: We covered this in the natural wine article, but they can be a contributor as well and we know they are found in wine. But, this is only a factor to those that are sensitive to sulfites. According to WebMd, that’s 1% of our general population.

• The Unholy Trinity: Then there are the things that alcohol does to us that make things tough the next day, I call them the unholy trinity: dehydration, gastrointestinal irritation, and disrupted sleep. These are the real culprits and they can have lasting effects.

Now that we know it has nothing to do with the silly order and that it’s actually just us, here are some personally tried and true methods to beat the hangover demon. I know this first hand as I’ve been testing it on myself. As a person who is studying wine and often tastes multiple glasses in one sitting, I am done feeling awful the next day.

• Drink your water: Build a 1:1 strategy, one glass of water for every drink. Trust me, it will become a habit.

• Eat a big meal: If you plan to have more drinks, just know, that food will hold you down. Try eating before you start drinking, on average, people drink less when they have a full stomach and those toxins won’t have direct contact with your intestines.

• Drink Low ABV: This is the biggest flex. I know for higher ABV wine, I can only have 1-2 glasses. But, I can have more with a 10-11.5% wine, so I gravitate to lower ABV when I know it’s going to be a long one. Check the label first and make a decision then and there. I have no advice for you when it comes to spirits, good luck - maybe just one martini or margarita.

• Be Strategic with Red Wine: I hate the slander, but the truth is those congeners will get you faster than with white wine, act accordingly. This also applies to all dark spirits, but again, this is wine newsletter.

• Don’t Drink After a Specific Time: This one is hard. I recently loss track of the time drinking wine with a friend and having a heart to heart, we looked at the clock and it was almost 2 AM. If you give yourself more time between your last drink and when your head hits the pillow, you can maybe counteract some of the sleep that is about to be impacted.

Every body is different, find what works for you. I will say, I’ve also found success with lowering the number of days I drink alcohol in total. And no, it doesn’t turn me into a monster during my drinking days/months. It has made me more intentional about them.

So, I’ll leave you with this: wine is meant to be enjoyed, savored, cherished. The aromas, the flavors, the structure - I’ve learned all of this is more enjoyable when taking it slow.

What’s in my Glass: Dolly’s Chardonnay

I was writing this very newsletter when I saw the news of Dolly Parton’s passing. I immediately let out a deep sigh. I don’t need to rehash everything that’s already been written, but like so many others, Dolly meant a lot to me. She was a larger than life figure that advocated for women that were “too much,” Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ rights, children’s literacy, and so many more causes. She challenged every narrative of filthy rich celebrities and country folk. And, she did it all with long acrylic nails, huge blonde wigs, legendary tight clothes, and an enormous smile. I don’t think there will be another like her.

After her passing, I did learn something new about her. She loved wine! In fact she loved it so much she started her own wine brand. So, “what was in my glass” got thrown away, I went out and found me some Dolly wine. I think she blessed my journey because I got the very last bottle at a grocery store 25 mins away.

Now, I’m not one for celebrity wine (we’ll have a whole article about that), but I had to try it. Her chardonnay is from California, so it has the usual heaviness/sweetness of the region, but it’s also a little bit sophisticated and very balanced. I feel like I can taste a little country in it. Aromas are lemon, strong vanilla, and green apple. Flavors are cream (almost sweet cream), white peach, and I get a little biscuit too - but maybe that’s just because it’s Dolly’s. Get this nice and cold and listen to Jolene, it’s a real treat.

Rest in peace, Dolly.