What is light wine? | Shopping: Food Network
Wine is a dinner staple in many households around the world, but like many of the finer things in life, it also has a few downsides. For starters, wine is particularly high in calories and alcohol (at least when compared to mass-market options like light beer and mulled wine).
But lighter wines, including those with lower sugar, lower calories, and lower ABV (or even no alcohol), still exist so you don’t have to compromise the taste or quality of each drink. sip. In fact, winemakers have found clever ways to preserve the expression and character of their wine – win-win. real grape masters who understand and appreciate the multidimensionality of palate complexity.
To answer all your burning questions about what to ask for stakes in an almost 600 billion dollar industrywe tapped the brains of several wine experts and professionals to take in the growing trend of light and low-calcium wines.
It is important to first distinguish the difference between light wine and low-alcohol wine. The former, in technical terms, refers to any “light” wine with an alcohol content of less than 12.5%.
Due to the demand for “lighter” options, it is now common to hear the phrase “light wine” when used to refer to a bottle with fewer calories, carbs, sugar, and/or alcohol. Just keep in mind that this double meaning never happened, much to the annoyance of researchers. As a result, you may hear them call these wines “healthier” or “diet-friendly,” which may not be entirely accurate from a nutritionist’s point of view.
It’s also important to note that lighter wines may not technically be wine at all.
“Low-alcohol and alcohol-free wines are somewhat of a paradox because legally it doesn’t exist where ‘wine’ must contain a minimum of 8% alcohol by volume unless specifically exempted. ,” Rachel Thrallscertified sommelier and wine trainer for Sonoma County Winegrowers.
“Many wine lovers don’t want to drink a high-alcohol bottle every night – they want options that fit their food and lifestyle without making them feel the effects of too much alcohol.” Virginie BooneWriter, wine critic and author of Good furniture pillar.
“Over the past five years, we have seen that consumers are increasingly health conscious about what they eat,” he said. “Longstanding dietary trends in food have extended to alcoholic beverages, with wine drinkers seeking wines lower in calories, carbs and sugar.”
As a result, the varieties not only tout the aforementioned lower calories, carbs and sugar, but also have ABVs as low as zero so that consumers – especially the younger generation – can join social gatherings. without sacrificing healthier lifestyle choices.
The most important element of “healthier” winemaking (at least from a winemaker’s perspective) is cutting calories and/or alcohol while keeping the grapes intact. Of course, you can mechanically separate the wine from its sugars, but it will likely result in a sour, almost medicinal flavor that lacks any resemblance to actual wine.
Overall, it seems that the most efficient way to make a lower-sugar wine is to pick the grapes early.
“One of the most natural ways to reduce sugar and alcohol in wine is to harvest grapes at a lower Brix level. Brix measures must level (sugar) in wine grapes to determine ultimately how much alcohol a wine will have,” revealed Karissa Krusepresident of Sonoma County Grape Growers Association. “The lower the Brix, while maintaining flavor and acidity, will result in a wine with lower calories and lower sugar.”
Will Wiles, senior director of winery for the Washington-based winery, said: “We choose cooler wine growing sites that have great flavors that grow with naturally lower sugar. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. “This combination results in lower alcohol and lower calorie wine without intervention. Many popular ‘better for you’ wines achieve lower alcohol levels by removing alcohol through filtration methods which can have a negative impact on character, complexity and flavour. It sounds simple to start in the vineyard, but we truly believe that will bring out the best in wine taste.”
While wine is legally not required to have a nutrition label with an ingredient list, watch out for impostors disguised with clever marketing.
“Just as Cheez Whiz is not real cheese, some of the brands in this category are not real wine at all,” says Beck. “They are processed drinks made by adding water and alcohol to a variety of flavorings and additives.”
Wiles recommends looking for brands with nutrition and ingredient information on the bottle. “Many brands are proactive about transparency because consumers increasingly expect it. It just makes sense that when you have access to knowledge about what you’re consuming, you can be confident in the choices you’re making. “
And while it may seem like a no-brainer, the first attribute you’ll want to look for is a product made from fermented grapes. What’s surprising is that this doesn’t always happen with many mainstream brands filled with artificial flavors and alcohol that don’t even come from fruit.
Now that you’ve got the hang of all that low-calorie stuff, here are light wine recommendations from the experts:
“Outside Liquid light wine (with early harvest grapes and nutrition label right on the can), I really enjoyed Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Dry Riesling from Washington state. It’s a dry, refreshing Riesling with nice fruit flavors and crisp acidity. It also happens to be a lower alcohol and lower calorie wine. Also from Chateau Ste. Michelle, Elements Peach Ginger White Blend Contains no added sugar and less than 100 calories a cup. It’s a decadent white wine with flavors of ripe, fresh peaches and just the right amount of ginger spice. Both are great options from Washington state that fit into the ‘better for you’ category. “
“The most interesting low-alcohol wine I’ve had recently is from a producer called Libby, is focusing on sparkling wine grown sustainably in California, with fewer calories and less alcohol. They bottle it with a crown cap and make pretty good white, pink and red versions. Other Sonoma County manufacturers to look for include Cruse Wine Co., Kivelstadt Cellarand Scribe Winery, but there are many people working to offer lighter wines. “