An increasing number of people are choosing to go alcohol free with a common reason being to improve their health. For some, this can coincide with looking at a healthier diet by reducing carbohydrates, sometimes choosing to follow the Keto diet. Finding great non-alcoholic, low carb drinks is an important part of keeping to their diet. For wine lovers, this can be especially hard as non-alcoholic wines can contain up to 18g of carbs per glass.
I’ve reviewed a range of non-alcoholic wines and picked five with low carbs. Find out how many carbohydrates and sugar are in each non-alcoholic wine:
- Thomson & Scott Noughty Sparkling Chardonnay
- Torres Natureo Muscat
- Torres Natureo Syrah
- Torres Natureo Rose
- Very Cautious One Shiraz
As these wines are alcohol free, they already are low calorie compared to wines containing alcohol. However, they’re potentially not as low in carbs as you may think. I have a look at why alcohol-free wines still contain some carbohydrates and what that means for you.
Growing Trend in Alcohol Free
If you’re currently going alcohol free or thinking of going alcohol-free, you’re not alone. It’s estimated that 6.5 million people took part in dry January during 2021 and 25% of people now class themselves as semi regular drinkers of no and low alcohol drinks.
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With the slightly confusing rules regarding no and low alcohol drinks and the interchangeability of the terms no alcohol, low alcohol, non-alcoholic and alcohol-free, for the purposes of this I will class all non-alcoholic drinks as under 0.5% abv.
Low Carbs or Keto Diet & Going Alcohol Free
There’s a number of reasons that people might be looking to reduce the carbohydrates in their diet, with a popular reason being the Keto Diet.
With the Keto Diet, the key to its success is keeping the body in a state of ketosis. This is achieved by keeping the daily intake of carbohydrates low, normally under 50 grammes per day. In other words less than the carbohydrates in a plain bagel.
Everything consumed is included in this 50g which makes keeping a close eye on the carbs in drinks very important. As alcoholic drinks can have high carbohydrate volumes, some people decide this is a great time to make the switch and go alcohol free. Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as cutting the alcohol to reduce the carbohydrates.
Low Calories Does Not Mean Low Carbs
Alcohol free drinks tend to have lower calories than their alcoholic comparatives purely because they exclude the alcohol. With its seven calories per gram (almost as high as a gram of fat), alcohol can make drinks high in calories. However, removing alcohol (and hence the calories) doesn’t get reflected in a reduction in carbs simply because alcohol doesn’t contain any carbs.
Non-alcoholic wines can contain some sugar due to the way they are made. They start life as traditional wine from fermented grapes then are dealcoholised to remove the alcohol. However, the dealcoholisation process can reduce the flavour and aroma so it’s not fermented until it’s a strong wine (it’s strong wine that has low sugar volumes) leaving a small amount of sugar.
After the wine has been through the dealcoholisation process, this residual sugar still remains in the wine, leaving a higher sugar content compared to traditional alcoholic wines. In addition, some non-alcoholic wines have sugar added back to give them a richer mouth feel.
For those wine lovers on a low carb diet, this can be a problem. The best thing to do is look for the non-alcoholic wines with the lowest carb & sugar content.
Is Alcohol Free Wine & Beer Really Alcohol Free?
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Top 5 Low Carb Alcohol-Free Wines
I’ve reviewed the nutritional information on a number of alcohol-free wines and picked the those with the lowest carbohydrate content. They’re listed here, in order of their carbohydrate content.
Note: All of the carbohydrate and sugar quantities given per serving for small wine glass of 125ml.
1. Thomson & Scott Noughty Sparkling Chardonnay
Carbohydrates & Sugar: 3.6 g
Thomson & Scott launched in 2016 with a low sugar prosecco. Off the back of this success, it wasn’t long before they bought their non-alcoholic offering to market – Noughty AF, again with the focus on keeping the sugar content low without compromising on flavour.
The Noughty AF starts life as a sparkling Chardonnay which is then dealcoholised to retain it’s wonderful flavours and pale colour. It’s soft apple scent carries with it a touch of sweetness this is mirrored in the flavour.
Try the Thomson & Scott Noughty Sparkling Chardonnay – Buy Yours Today.
2. Torres Natureo Muscat
Carbohydrates & Sugar: 4.5 g
Famillia Torres have been making producing dealcoholised wine since 2008 and have used that time to slowly perfect their dealcoholised wines.
The white wine within their range is the Muscat with it’s exquisite floral scent, soft fruit flavours from the Muscat grapes and a hint of tangerine. This is reflected in the flavours that are crisp and smooth with a subtle citrusy finish.
Try the Torres Natureo Muscat – Buy Yours Today.
3. Torres Natureo Syrah
Carbohydrates & Sugar: 4.5 g
Here we have my favourite of all the dealcoholised wines and being low carb is an added bonus.
The Torres Natureo Syrah is a brilliant deep red colour with subtle fruit aromas plum and cherry. These carry smoothly through into the rich flavours finishing with a slightly sweet edge on the palate.
Try the Torres Natureo Syrah – Buy Yours Today.
4. The Very Cautious One Shiraz
Carbohydrates & Sugar: 5.6 g
Here we have another red, this time The Very Cautious One Shiraz.
This wonderful Shiraz as a vibrant red colour they could expect from a wine it’s packed with such ripe Berry fruit flavours. A subtle hint of vanilla and oak flavours accompany the fruits give this a rounded, complex and enjoyable flavour.
Try the Very Cautious One Shiraz – Buy Yours Today.
5. Torres Natureo Rose
Carbohydrates & Sugar: 5.9 g
We finish this list and make it 3 for three for the Torres Natureo range of non-alcoholic wines, ending with their Rosé.
This gorgeous Rosé carries an exceptional flavour in its wonderful pale raspberry pink colour. The aromas have a subtle hint of cherries and red berries with some floral undertones. These are carried through onto the palate producing a light and smooth Rosé that’s perfect to enjoy on all occasions.
Try the Torres Natureo Rosé – Buy Yours Today.
Keeping The Carbs Low For Ketosis
Whilst none of these are anywhere near the 18g of sugar some non-alcoholic wines contain, you still need to be aware of how much you’re drinking. All the values given above are for a small glass of wine at 125ml. Drinking larger glasses of wine could easily have you creeping towards the 50g carb limit for ketosis without you realising it.
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For example, two large glasses of the Rosé would actually be 23.6g of carbs/sugar, or nearly half your carbohydrate daily announce on the keto diet. So how do you make sure that you don’t inadvertently drink your way out of ketosis?
Simple Trick To Help You
It sounds overly simple, but one easy trick to help keep within this limit is to buy a small wine glass.
A study the Georgia Institute of Technology showed reducing plate size from 12” to 10” resulted in a 22% in calories in the portion. Why not do this with your wine glass to help reduce your carbohydrate intake.
It will reduce the chance of accidentally pouring a larger glass of wine than in tended, plus make it easier to keep track of the amount of wine you’re drinking, and therefore the carbohydrates you’re consuming.
Health Benefits of Going Alcohol Free
I’ve talked about the health benefits of going alcohol free a number of times, so I won’t repeat myself here. However, one additional benefit of going alcohol free when on a low carb diet is your food decisions are unimpaired by alcohol.
Those moments after a few drinks where you might have given in to temptation are no longer a risk. You’re more likely to make good decisions and work towards achieving your goals.
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Alcohol Free Wine & Beer – Can You Get Drunk on 0.5% Drinks?
This is especially important on a keto diet when consuming too many carbs can break the state of ketosis in the body. Being able to keep on the straight and narrow will help you achieve your goals much faster.
More Nutritional Info
If you’re looking to find out more about these non-alcoholic wines, we’ve put together a useful nutritional information table that compares all of our drinks.
Looking at this nutritional information it also raises an interesting alternative to non-alcoholic wine. One that you certainly wouldn’t think of if you are comparing traditionally alcoholic drinks – beer!
Why Not Try Alcohol Free Beer
With beer normally being associated with the dreaded beer belly, it may sound crazy to suggest beer when writing about low carbohydrates. However, in the world of non-alcoholic drinks, things are turned slightly on their head. It’s actually beer that comes out with a lower carbohydrates value per 100ml.
Here are some great non-alcoholic beers that are also very low in carbs. Just click on the links if you want to give them a try:
- Drop Bear Beer Co New World Lager
- Drop Bear Beer Co Tropical IPA
- Drop Bear Beer Co Yuzu Pale Ale
- Nirvana Brewery Hoppy Pale Ale
- UNLTD Lager
You can see the full details of their carbohydrate and sugar volumes in our nutritional information table, plus compare them against the non-alcoholic wines.
Choosing the Low Carb Non-Alcoholic Wine For You
From looking at the nutritional information and seeing the carbohydrates and sugars in non-alcoholic wines, there’s no perfect zero carb non-alcoholic wine that can be drunk endlessly. Instead, when choosing a low carbohydrate non-alcoholic wine, it’s important to be aware of the volume of carbohydrates they contain to avoid picking one with high amounts of sugar.
With the Thomson and Scott Noughty, the entire Torres Natureo range and The Very Cautious One Shiraz, it’s possible to enjoy a glass of wine with the low carbs. By being aware of how much you’re drinking and pouring small glasses, it is possible to enjoy a glass of non-alcoholic wine when on a low carb or keto diet.
Now it’s up to you to choose which wine you think you’ll enjoy the most.
Try Low Carb Alcohol-Free Wine
If you want to try some of these great tasting alcohol-free wines, head on over to Wise Bartender and use the code GOODSTUFF to receive a 5% discount on your order.
They stock all the wines featured above and even have a variety pack with the full range of Torres Natureo. You can get yours by clicking on the links below:
- Thomson & Scott Noughty Sparkling Chardonnay
- Torres Natureo Muscat White
- Torres Natureo Rosé
- Torres Natureo Syrah Red
- Torres Natureo Variety Pack
- Very Cautious One Shiraz
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