What do you think of when you hear the word carbohydrates? Most people’s thoughts automatically go right to potatoes, pasta, bread, crackers, chips, and pretzels. We are trained to consider these foods that use hefty amounts of white flour and all the crispy, crunchy snacks as a primary source of carbohydrates that we often forget that carbs are also found in fruits and vegetables, some dairy and beverages — alcohol included. 

It’s a well known fact that beer has a high amount of carbs due to the fact that it’s created using ingredients like hops, barley and wheat, and all of these things are forms of carbohydrates. But did you know that some wines also have carbs? According to popular wine website, Wine Folly, a standard 5 ounce glass of still wine can have anywhere from 0-4 grams of net carbs, depending on its amount of residual sugars. However, the site’s charts show sparkling wines can be a bit higher. This could be because, as we have told you many times before in previous blog posts, many mass-produced sparkling wines have a lot of sugar and/or sweeteners added to them. Higher sugar content means higher carb content. 

So, this leads us to an obvious question…

What’s the deal with carbs in Prosecco vs champagne?

The main thing to remember is that all wine naturally contains sugar. The difference is that some wines have only natural sugar that is left over from grapes after fermentation, called residual sugar, and some wines have artificial sugars that are added during the production process in order to enhance the wine’s flavor. Sugar, whether natural or added, is a carbohydrate, and wines that add more sugar on top of the already naturally occurring sugar will automatically have more carbs. When it comes to looking for sparkling wine varieties with less carbohydrates, look for wines that specify no added sugars. 

There is one easy, surefire way to know you are getting the best low-sugar, low-carbohydrate sparkling wine, however… And that’s by always shopping with SYLTBAR! You can even see the sugar content of SYLTBAR Premium Prosecco and Sparkling Rosé compared with other well known brands — just look at the side-by-side comparison!

Low Calorie, Low Carb Prosecco

Mr SYLTBAR Premium Prosecco is known for its low-calorie point, at just 49 calories per 6 ounce glass, and it’s incredibly low sugar count, at only .3 grams per six-ounce glass! This is due to the fact our Prosecco goes through a much longer fermentation process. SYLTBAR sparkling wines ferment for at least four months, while other winemakers only allow their wines to ferment for a few weeks in order to save time and money. They cut the fermentation process short, only to then add extra sugar to not make the wine sweet, but to make the wine even drinkable! Because the production is shorter, the grapes are not fully developed and need that added sugar to taste good, at minimum.

SYLTBAR’s long fermentation allows the grapes to develop to their fullest potential so there is no need to add sugar. The wine is already good enough on its own, from the natural flavors of the grape, without any need for excess sugar or sweeteners. 

Although dry sparkling wines, such as Prosecco, Champagne and Cava, are typically not very high in carbs — usually around two grams per five-ounce serving — SYLTBAR Prosecco carbs  are still much lower, especially because we consider a serving to be six ounces rather than five. Comparing the calorie count is just as impressive. A six-ounce glass of other well known Proseccos is around 100 calories, and for Champagne, around 140 calories. It should be noted that Champagne is always going to be higher in calories because it contains more alcohol compared to Prosecco. Champagne is 13%, while most Proseccos are 11%. SYLTBAR Prosecco, however, contains a slightly higher alcohol content than what you normally see on the market — 11.5%, due to the longer fermentation. 

Generally Mass Produced Wine = Lots of Carbs

The moral of the story here is that there may or may not be carbs in Prosecco brands you find at your local grocery store or your favorite wine shop. It all depends on the wine producer. For the most part, the Proseccos found in the U.S. are mostly mass-produced, with no true winery behind the production. Instead, they are produced in big facilities, hiding behind boutique labels. 

With SYLTBAR, you always know what you’re getting. Our lower sugar content has even been proven by the Miami University Diabetes Research Institute. With SYLTBAR, you know you will always have a low-sugar, low-carbohydrate, low-calorie Prosecco to sip on, any time of day, any time of the week, any time of year!

Visit our online store to shop SYLTBAR Prosecco and all of our other low-sugar, low-sulfite, vegan and 100% naturally produced wine. You can also check our store and restaurant locator to see if SYLTBAR is available to purchase and/or order a glass or bottle somewhere closeby!