Healthy wine. 

Is it legit or an oxymoron? 

Perhaps a more relevant question:  is it worth the bother? 

Many wine drinkers apparently think so,

judging by the proliferation of lifestyle-conscious options

currently on wine shelves and online.  

One of the most popular “healthy” wine companies is FitVine.

The founders of FitVine came up with a series of unique processes

regarding fermentation, filtration and more. 

Those processes resulted in wine that has less residual sugar

as well as fewer sulfites, carbohydrates and calories.

FitVine has a sizable portfolio…nine different varietals including

Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay…

making it a major player in the healthy wine game. 

We put two FitVine varietals to the taste test.

The 2019 Chardonnay was disjointed. 

It seemed as if citrus fruit flavors…lemon?  grapefruit?…

were trying to make their presence known. 

But they were watered down and thus,

got lost in the background.

Overall, it was just odd.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon was less of an outlier,

more of what you’d expect from a traditional Cab. 

It had hints of tobacco and dark fruits.  For a wine that

claims to be lower in sugar, it was quite sweet. 

One of our tasters put it best:  “It tastes like wine.” 

And there you go.

The two FitVine varietals we tasted were mediocre at best. 

Perhaps the savings in sugar/carbs/calories would make

the sacrifice in flavor worthwhile.  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

We compared the numbers and found the difference

between traditional wine and FitVine was not as dramatic

as you would assume. 

For example,  calories in a five-ounce glass

of regular Chardonnay – 120.  Calories in five ounces of

FitVine Chardonnay – 117. 

Regular Cabernet Sauvignon calories – 122.

FitVine Cabernet Sauvignon calories – 117. 

While I can’t recommend FitVine,

I can get behind a healthy lifestyle. 

I suggest that rather than converting to a

lower sugar/carb/calorie wine,

you instead stick with the wine you like…

just enjoy it in smaller quantities.