I tested low-calorie wines… winner was a delicious £8.50 summer sipper that you would never know is the healthy option
IF you love a tipple, but are watching your waistline a low-calorie wine could be the answer.
Weight Watchers endorsed its first ever bottle of plonk in the UK last month, clocking in at under 100 calories per glass.
With plenty of healthier vinos now available, Laura Stott sipped some low kcal options.
Lambrusco Rosato Dell Emilia 75cl £3, sainsburys.co.uk – 4/5
Kcals per 100ml glass: 67
PINK, frothy, fizzy and low calorie to boot, this is a total bargain of a summer fizz from Sainsbury’s and astonishingly good value at £3 a bottle.
Lambrusco is a style of sparkling wine which hails from Italy and this pastel-coloured bubbly comes from winemakers in the Emilia region in the north of the country.
Soft, fresh and vibrant to sip with lots of juicy fruit flavours and a bouncy pop on the tongue that isn’t overtly fizzy, it’s zesty and on the sweet side with a slight sparkle that slips down a treat from a flute.
At only 4 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV) it’s low alcohol as well as low calorie making it ideal for daytime celebrations in the sunshine.
Will pair well with low fat sorbets or a fruit platter.
La Gioiosa Prosecco Spumante Brut DOC 75cl £13.99, amazon.co.uk – 4/5
Kcals: 63
BUBBLY, bouncy Italian prosecco is a firm fizzy favourite and a flute of this fruity sparkling wine is perfect for anyone health-conscious about the calories too.
At 11 per cent ABV this is just as boozy as most other options so you don’t have to get low-alcohol booze in order to lower the kcals too.
Very nice to drink with dry, delicate and persistent bubbles, biscuity aromas and floral notes when you sip.
Packed with apple, lemon and pear tastes on your tongue.
This is a good-quality fizz ideal for calorie-conscious prosecco lovers as you won’t notice any compromise compared to your usual tipples.
Pour as an aperitif, glug with a summer salad in the garden or partner with some fish or lean meats from the barbecue.
SLW Rose 75cl £9.95, amazon.co.uk – 3/5
Kcals: 60
LOW calorie, low fat and low carb SLW stands for Slim Line Wines and this British brand was the first to introduce sugar-free vino to the UK six years ago – with red, white, rose and bubbly to choose from.
This pale pink glug from the South of France is ideal if you are keeping an eye on your sugar intake, but still want to enjoy a glass of something salmon coloured while sitting in the sunshine.
At 11 per cent ABV you’ll still get a boozy buzz from this tipple which is full of summer fruit flavours and has a pretty rose-petal coloured hue. Nice acidity when you sip.
Smooth and delicious. it tastes lovely and slips down a treat, although could be a little drier.
Would pair perfectly with chicken dishes too.
Traces Sauvignon Blanc 75cl £11.99, amazon.co.uk – 3/5
Kcals: 62
THIS classic crisp, zesty and fresh French sauvignon blanc is the first vino blanc to be endorsed by the Weight Watchers brand.
It contains 78kcals per 125ml glass, which equates to three points per serving – the measure by which the company encourages members to track their calories.
All wines have been approved for dieters who still want a drink, with ABVs of 11 per cent and contain zero residual sugar.
Grapes are harvested a few weeks earlier than normal before being monitored through a longer ageing process, to be sure that the whole process remains low calorie and sugar levels stay low.
A very tasty, tipple, lovely with some salty crackers – just don’t eat too many.
Piattini Pinot Grigio 75cl £10.99, drinkwell.com – 3/5
Kcals: 61
VERY dry, crisp and utterly delicious, you certainly won’t miss the calories or sugar while enjoying a glass of this gorgeous 11 per cent ABV Pinot Grigio.
Zesty and crisp with glorious apple notes and a whiff of summer wildflowers this Italian vino is refreshing, slightly tart and ideal enjoyed out in the sunshine with some healthy antipasti to nibble alongside like olives, marinated veggies or some spiced nuts.
Made in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy, which is famous for making this style of wine, you get all the classic flavours from this bottle but with zero residual sugar.
Keep a bottle on standby in the fridge and drink well chilled along with light meals, picnics or grilled chicken salads enjoyed al fresco – and guilt free!
Taste the Difference 2022 Bordeaux Rose 75cl
£8.50, sainsburys.co.uk – 5/5
Kcals 65
A BELTER of a summer bottle of French pink which is easy drinking and low calorie but you could easily pick it up while doing your weekly shop without even realising you had opted for a healthier vino.
Fantastic value at under a tenner this is a delicious summer sipper from across the Channel which has the mouthwatering pale pastel hue that screams warm weather glug, and is packed with berry flavours and a crisp, easy to sip finish.
At 12.5 per cent ABV this is higher in alcohol than most of the other low kcal sips so it’s ideal if you still want a weightier wine.
Delicious drunk as it comes as an aperitif or will match nicely with fresh summery salads, salmon, or prawns.
Escena Rioja 2022 75cl £11.99, drinkwell.com – 2/5
Kcals 76
BOTTLES of low-calorie reds are a little less easy to come by, but this classic berry-coloured Spanish Rioja has fewer calories than many of its counterparts, although still clocks in higher than most lighter-coloured vinos.
A classic smooth dry red which offers fruity, spiced and summer cherry flavours in a medium full-bodied vino.
Fresh and mellow, the finish does lack the traditional heft and punch you might expect but it will still do the job if you are a red wine lover trying to be calorie conscious while you glug.
Quite a pricey bottle but it will pair beautifully with beef dishes, or any meat grilled on the barbecue this summer.
Echo Falls Fruit Fusion Summer Garden 75cl
£5.25, tesco.com and asda.com – 2/5
Kcals: 74
THIS sweet, fruity, seasonal fizz is a lightly sparkling summery booze that is ideal for anyone watching the calories but who still loves the taste of a sweeter tipple.
At 9 per cent ABV it’s a little lower in alcohol than some other options and with more of a spritzer style in the glass.
It’s packed with fruity flavours such as strawberry, orange, cucumber, mint and elderflower that slip down very easily, not unlike a spiked squash or summer punch.
Light and inoffensive it’s made with a blended mix of grapes so perhaps it isn’t the most sophisticated choice out there, but it offers great value for money and it’s very easy drinking to share with pals, but without spending too many pounds, or putting any on either.