LowCarb Living....

New Low-Carb Wines Pour It On

When Brown-Forman Wines introduced One.6 Chardonnay and One.9 Merlot this summer, the company brought wine to the forefront of the low-carb beverage scene. Many of those living the low-carb lifestyle already knew that moderate wine consumption could be part of a healthy diet and that wine is naturally relatively low in carbs, but the immediate popularity of One.6 and One.9 has meant more wine is being poured in low-carb households than ever before.

The first brand of lower carb wine available in the U.S., the new family of wines (pronounced “one-point-six” and “one-point-nine”) is named for the carb count per glass. “These wines give consumers exactly what they have been asking for--a low-carb wine that tastes great,” says Anthony Varga, vice-president and global brand director for Brown-Forman Wines.

Varga’s company even created a website for the wines (www.lowcarbchard.com), which contains tasting notes (the Chardonnay is “light, crisp, and complex,” while the Merlot is “delicious, medium-bodied”), winemaker profiles, wine and low-carb food pairings, recipes, carb comparisons to other beverages, and more. The wines were created by a trio of female winemakers: Jill Jepson, Cara Morrison, and Nancy Walker.

“We’ve already received unwavering support from our distributor partners, restaurateurs, and retailers,” says Varga. “It’s a testament to the strength of the low-carb lifestyle, the consumer differentiation of our offerings, and the great taste of One.6 Chardonnay and One.9 Merlot.”

What may be missed by some is that wine is generally low in carbs anyway. Wine contains approximately 2 to 3 grams of carbs per 4-ounce (watch out for sugar added to certain wines, like white zinfandel). In April, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau ruled that the term “low carb” can appear on labels and in advertising if the wine in question contains no more than 7 grams of carbs per 5-ounce serving--which covers the majority of wine being poured at homes and restaurants worldwide.

This ruling has meant many wineries are using bottle hangers and more to market their wines as low-carb, with more targeted wines and marketing sure to follow. As with other low-carb foods and beverages, the results are more choice and taste than ever before!

One.6 and One.9 retail for around $10 and can be found in most supermarkets.