Zero-sugar wine that halves the calories
FOR those of us who love wine but hate the calories that come with it, Christmas might have just arrived early.
A new brand claims it has made the world’s first zero sugar wine, with an average of 373 calories per bottle. That compares to around 600 calories in a normal bottle.
SlimLine Wine claims to use a revolutionary process that filters out the natural sugars in wine grapes, while retaining the alcohol level.
Founder Paul Gidley says customers will not miss out on flavour, due to the quality of the pinot noir, pinot grigio and chardonnay grapes used.
SlimLine, a British company backed by Dragons’ Den star James Caan, is to start selling its range of four wines later this month.
It is preparing its first shipment of 400,000 bottles to the UK from its vineyards in Piedmont, northern Italy. Its sparkling and rose wines cost £10.99 a bottle, while a white and a red cost £8.99 each. All are 10.5 per cent ABV.
Mr Gidley said: ‘To date, creating a wine that is low in carbs, sugar or calories has meant to drastically sacrifice taste, flavour and ABV.’
He added: ‘Our wine has none of the sugar or carbs. It was created for the way we want to live today. It is better and healthier.’ There are other low-calorie wines on the market. SlimLine is up against red and white versions from Marks & Spencer, with a similar calorie count and an alcoholic strength of 8.5 per cent, costing £7.50 a bottle.
Aldi also has a range of low-calorie wines that contain as little as 55 calories a glass. Its collection, called Featherweight, has a lower alcohol level than regular wines at 5.5 per cent ABV and bottles cost as little as £2.99. And drinks company Thomson & Scott has brought out a ‘Skinny Prosecco’ in the UK, which has about 67 calories per class versus 150 in standard fizz.
Andrew Misell, of the campaign group Alcohol Concern, said: ‘There are lots of good reasons to cut back on your calorie intake to achieve a healthier lifestyle.
‘However, it’s important to remember that low calorie doesn’t always mean low alcohol.’