Watching your carb intake, but still love sipping on a glass (or two) of vino every night? You might find yourself wondering a few things: Is there a lot of sugar in wine? What wine has the least amount of carbs? What’s the lowest sugar alcohol?
Wine isn’t the worst choice, as it is naturally low-carb, and much lower in carbohydrates than compared with other drinks, but not every wine is created equal.
According to Wine Folly, a standard 5 ounce glass of wine will contain between 0-4 grams of net carbs. Sounds like all wine should be low carb wine then, right? Wrong. The carbohydrates in wine come from unfermented sugars, which are the sugars left over after the fermentation process, known as the “residual sugar.” If the winemakers stop there, and only allow that small amount of natural, residual sugar to sweeten the wine, they’ll likely be met with a low-sugar wine. However, many wine producers add sugar, concentrates, and other additives to sweeten their wines in order to make the wines more consumer-friendly — doing this also saves time and money during the winemaking process. Unfortunately, many of those popular grocery store wine brands are culprits of this wine making practice.
Carbohydrates In Wine And Its Effect On The Body
More sugar equals more carbohydrates, and too much sugar and carbohydrates could very well contribute to health and weight issues down the road. When you consume carbohydrates in the form of sugar and starch, they are absorbed into the bloodstream, resulting in increased blood sugar levels. The body responds to this increase in blood sugar by releasing insulin into the blood to try and control those levels. If the body cannot control blood sugar, diabetes can occur.
Insulin in the body uses the carbohydrates to turn the sugar into fat to lower the blood sugar and to be used as energy. In a nutshell, carbs cause sugar to turn into fat in the body. That fat is not able to turn back into sugar, which means that the body uses the carbs as an energy source, instead of the fat. If you follow a Ketogenic diet, you limit your carb and sugar intake so much to the point where the body relies solely on fat for its energy, which is why people see such a drastic change in weight when they go Keto.
So, What Wines Are Low Carb?
While drinking alcohol on a Keto diet should typically be avoided, there are some wines that are low enough in carbs and sugar and are considered okay to drink. If you are wondering what wines are Keto friendly, it’s best to look for dryer varieties, and very low and sugar-free wines. It’s not always easy to figure out what wine has the least amount of carbs since wine labels do not include nutrition facts, but typically the drier the wine and the lower the ABV, the lower the sugar, and thus, the lower the carbs. According to PureWow, a Keto-friendly wine will have less than 13.5% ABV and wines from Italy, France, and Germany are usually dry.
SYLTBAR wines fit this description! Our wines are 100% naturally produced in Friuli, Italy. Our fine wines are all 13% ABV, and our sparkling wines are 11.5% ABV.
How Low-Carb SYLTBAR Wines Compare to Other Wines
SYLTBAR wines go through such a long fermentation process that the sugar levels are drastically lower than other wines. In fact, the Diabetes Research Institute of the University of Miami has tested the glucose levels in our Prosecco and Sparkling Rosé, and found that it is indeed much lower in sugar content than other well-known sparkling wines, Proseccos, Champagnes, and Cava. Our Prosecco has just 1.5 grams of carbs per 6 ounce glass and .29 grams of sugar, and our Sparkling Rosé has 1.54 grams of carbs and .33 grams of sugar. If you are looking for Keto and Paleo friendly low carb wines, SYLTBAR has you covered.
Shop Low Carb Sparkling Wines
Our sparkling wine’s four-month long fermentation process ensures that there is only natural fruit sugar left in the wine. The extra time used for this double fermentation process allows the grapes to fully develop their flavor, so there is no need to add any sugar, sulfites, or any additives at all. With less sugar comes less calories — a real selling point for our wines! Our Prosecco comes in at just 49 calories per 6 ounce glass, and our Sparkling Rosé is only 63 calories per 6 ounce glass. You’ll also notice that we calculate our averages based on a 6 ounce pour, instead of the industry standard 5 ounce. With SYLTBAR, you get way more bang for your buck!
Shop Low Carb Red Wines
Not only are our sparkling wines low in sugar, carbs, and calories, but so are our fine wines. If you are looking for low carb red wines, our Cabernet Franc is a great choice. It’s fermented for up to 16 months, only 115 calories per 6 ounce glass, and made from 100% Carmènre grape.
Shop Low Carb White Wines
Our low carb white wines include a Pinot Grigio, Pinot Grigio Ramato, and Friulano, which is similar to a Sauvignon Blanc, made from 100% Friulano grape and 125 calories per 6 ounce glass. The Pinot Grigio is made from 100% Pinot Grigio grape and also 125 calories per 6 ounce glass, while the Pinot Grigio Ramato, also made from 100% Pinot Grigio grape, is only 98 calories per 6 ounce glass.
If you are sticking to a low carb or low sugar diet, and want to make sure you are consuming wine that is considered the lowest sugar alcohol choice, avoid super sweet wines like Riesling or Moscato, dessert wines like Sherry or Port, and high alcohol wines like Amarone or Grenache. Wines such as these will more than likely have added sugars and are definitely not low carb diet-approved.
Low carb wines are not hard to come by, you just need to know where to look. Luckily, by visiting the SYLTBAR website and blog, you are on the right path!
