If health and wellness are a top concern for you — but you also love to sip on a glass (or two) of good wine, we’ve got some news for you… Alcohol content matters! Pay attention to the percentage of alcohol, listed as the ABV, of a bottle of wine, and take this into consideration before you purchase a bottle at the store or order at a restaurant. Higher alcohol content also means... higher calories.

The alcohol content in wine varies a lot depending on the grapes, specifically how they were grown and harvested, and how the production process goes, e.g., the method used for fermentation. The range is anywhere from about 5-20%, and this percentage of alcohol correlates directly to the amount of sugar (both residual and added) that is in the wine.

Residual sugar is the natural sugars that develop from the grapes during the fermentation process. The longer you allow the grapes to ferment, the more natural sugars will develop, and the wine itself will be flavorful and aromatic enough, and have a decent level of alcohol, to be left as is. However, many wine producers choose to cut that fermentation process short, as this saves both time and money. Instead of allowing those natural sugars to develop, they add extra sugars and sweeteners to make the wine palatable, which in turn increases its alcohol level even more.

The basic idea here is that the more sugar that is present in the wine, the more calories it will set you back, and the higher its alcohol content it will be.

But, the thing is… Wine brands are not required to add nutrition facts to their wine bottle labels, so the sugar and calorie level is not information is not always that readily available unless you do your own research. However, now that you know that high alcohol level equals more sugar, and thus more calories, you can use the ABV noted as an indicator to choose the more waist-friendly wine when comparing options.

Let’s take a look at some of California’s most well-known sparkling wine brands and their alcohol levels. You will notice that all of these varieties are all higher in alcohol levels than Mr SYLBAR Premium Prosecco and Mrs SYLTBAR Sparkling Rosé, which are 11.5%.

• Meiomi Sparkling Wine: 14% ABV

• Decoy Cuvée Sparkling Wine: 13.5% ABV

• McBride Sisters Sparkling Brut Rosé: 13% ABV

• Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc: 12.6% ABV

• Mumm Napa Sparkling Wine: 12.5% ABV

• Roederer Estate Brut: 12.5% ABV

• J Vineyards Brut Cuvée Sparkling Wine: 12.5% ABV

• Chandon Brut: ABV 12%

• Mrs SYLTBAR Sparkling Rosé: 11.5% ABV

• Mr SYLBAR Premium Prosecco: 11.5% ABV

The average 5 oz. glass of Prosecco is around 100-140 calories. As you can see from the above list, each of these sparkling wines range from 12-13.5% ABV, while a 6 oz. glass of Mr SYLTBAR is only 49 calories and 63 calories for Mrs SYLTBAR, and both are 11.5% ABV. The difference in the alcohol content percentage may not be that much, but the calorie count sure is! 

Aside from lower alcohol sparkling wines having a lower calorie content, there are other benefits as well.

• There is more focus on flavor than the amount of alcohol in the wine. Without an overpowering alcohol level, the tasting notes are more pronounced, and you can really take in the delicate flavors and aromatics. Many times, lower alcohol wines are more delicate, more refreshing, light, and crisp, when compared to higher alcohol wines.
• Less is more! It is a very well-known fact that consuming too much alcohol is not good for our health and can lead to various concerns in the long run if alcohol use is abused. With a lower alcohol sparkling wine, it is much more likely that you can moderate your consumption levels, yet still be able to enjoy a few glasses at dinner, hanging out with friends, or at a social event.
• As we mentioned, lower alcohol sparkling wines will also have less sugar, which makes them a far better choice if you are following a low-sugar diet like Keto or Paleo, or simply prefer to watch your sugar intake in general.

At SYLTBAR, we are all for living a well-balanced lifestyle, and we believe wholeheartedly that drinking wine does not need to be eliminated for you to do so! SYLTBAR is our Happy, Healthy, Daily Juice — and it can be yours too! Not only are SYLTBAR wines lower in alcohol content, and in turn lower in calories and sugar, but they are also very low in sulfites too. 

Sparkling wine that’s better for your health and lessens the chance of a hangover? Sounds like a win-win to us! Shop for low alcohol Prosecco and Sparkling Rosé at SYLTBAR, or look for Mr and Mrs in your favorite local restaurant, market, or wine shop! Visit our locator to see what restaurants and stores carry our wines near you.