Are there any health benefits to sugar free wine?

This week my daughter asked me to do some research on the benefits of sugar free wine.  I had not even heard that this was a new thing.  Seems odd as who ever heard of wine having a lot of sugar?  Curious, I did do some research on the subject.  If you Google “sugar free wine” you will find a lot of topics coming up including:

If you enjoy drinking some wine, should you even be concerned about the sugar in wine?  Do some wines have added sugar?

Those interested in a more detailed explanation of “sugar” in wines, can read the full article, Don’t Trust ‘Sugar-Free’ Wine  which provides an excellent explanation of the natural sugar in wines and the added sugar in some wines.

Natural sugar in wines.  Most people know wine is made from grapes.  All grapes contain the natural sugar, fructose.  This fructose is absolutely necessary to make the alcohol content of any wine.  “Basic fermentation requires yeast and sugar – the yeast, a living microorganism, essentially eats the sugar [fructose] and turns it into alcohol and CO2.”  There is some residual sugar left over and the amount of this sugar determines if a wine is dryer or sweeter. 

Do wines have “added sugar”?  Many people confuse natural sugar in foods like the fructose in fruit with the added sugar that manufacturers add to foods and drinks.  It is the added sugar in our diets that we need to focus on as most Americans have way too much added sugar in their diets.  (See:  Added Sugars and Risks for Your Health )

Yes, some wines have added sugar and some have artificial sweeteners.  “…winemakers add more sugar during the fermentation process to give the end product a higher alcohol concentration or to spur a second fermentation that creates more CO2 as in sparkling wines.”  However, “any sugar added in the fermentation process… is mostly used up in the creation of the alcohol”. 

If you want to avoid added sugar in wines, what do you look for?

Choose dryer wines or “semi-dry” wines.  As noted in Makerwine.com, “Little known fact – nearly all dry wines from reputable small producers have little-to-no residual sugar and correspondingly few carbs.”  When they make dry wines, they use up the natural sugar in the grapes.  “grape juice becomes wine when all the natural sugars from the fruit [fructose] are “eaten up” by yeast and converted to alcohol and CO2…”   “In a dry wine, fermentation has been allowed to complete fully, and there is no residual sugar left in the wine.” 

What the “Clean” wines, “low-carb” wines, “zero sugar” wines “don’t tell you is that all dry wines from high quality producers fit that criteria…” 

Some dry red wines with little residual sugar (3 g/L) include “Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Merlot.” 

Dessert wines like a Port would have more residual sugar like 100 g/L. 

To avoid added sugars in wine, do you have to choose wines labelled “sugar-free”, or “clean” wines?

No.  Many wines have no added sugar even if they aren’t labeled “sugar-free” or “clean” wines. 

The Food Network has some advice on wines with less sugar.

“In general, a dry wine – one that’s not too sweet – will fall into the lower-sugar category.  When shopping for low-sugar sparkling wine in particular, look for a bottle with the descriptor “brut”, “dry” or “extra dry”.  If you see the words, “asti spumante” or’ Mascato d’ asti’, these wines would be sweeter sparkling wines that can have “from 10 to 25 grams of sugar per serving”, says dietitian Maryann Walsh. 

Walsh’s guide to lower-sugar wine shopping. 

Red wines with about 1-3 grams of sugar per 5 ounces.  (1-3 grams of sugar means 4-12 calories from sugar so very low in sugar.)

  •            Cabernet Sauvignon
  •  Merlot
  •  Pinot Noir
  •  Tempranillo

White wines: dry white wines have about 1-3 g sugar per 5-ounce glass.  (About 4-12 calories from sugar so again, very low in sugar.)

  •           Chardonnay
  • Pinot Grigio
  • Sauvignon Blanc

Wines with higher sugar contents include: dessert wines, late harvest wines, ice wines. 

Conclusion:  To make wine, sugar is needed.  The TakeOut article recommends: “ignore the buzzwords on the label and focus on flavor.  Wine is an indulgence, and the perfect bottle is the one that tastes the best”.   Those who are concerned about “added sugar” may want to focus more on the added sugar in sodas, energy drinks, fruit drinks like Sunny D, or in Grande coffee and other drinks.  For example, white hot chocolate at Starbucks has 55 grams of sugar, White Chocolate Mocha has 53 grams of sugar and the Chai Tea Latte has 42 grams of sugar.  

Sources:  Dry Farm Wine – Sugar Free Organic Wine , Keto Friendly-Zero Sugar Wine  , Sugar Free Wines   , Don’t Trust ‘Sugar-Free’ Wine  , Added Sugars and Risks for Your Health , added sugar , Makerwine.com , Food Network , guide , article , drinks  Image Sources:  Red wine , Zero sugar wines , Zero sugar wines

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