# Using 0 calorie (artifical) sweeteners for back sweetening



## Val-the-Brew-Gal (Jun 1, 2015)

I was recently diagnosed with insulin resistance and although I have chosen to adopt a low carb eating lifestyle, I am not ready to give up my daily glass of Dragon Blood or my wine making addiction. From what I have read, dry wine (in moderation) has little effect on blood sugar, but as soon as you have a sweeter wine, you need to be aware of the carbohydrates involved. Therefore, I have started looking for alternatives to sugar and fruit juice to back sweeten my fruit wines. I am going to do some experimentation but thought that perhaps others would benefit from the things I try or can add there own insight, failures or successes in this area. 

Now even though I want a sweetener that is 0 calories and has no effect on blood sugar levels, I don't want aspartame or something equally as questionable when it comes to its effect on your health! I have been doing tons of research regarding sweeteners to see which ones are generally considered "healthy" and ones containing erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol, keep coming up as good tasting with no affect on blood sugar, so that's where I decided to start. 

(Disclaimer...I am currently using an infused tequila for these experiments because I don't have any wine ready for backsweetening at this time. However, am assuming results will translate to Dragon Blood or other fruit wines.)

A couple erythritol sweeteners that received mention by name or good feedback were Lakanto White Sweetener with Monkfruit and Swerve. I decided to start with the first option in a 5th of the infused tequila. It initially did not dissolve very well but, after lots of shaking and waiting, it eventually did completely incorporate into the tequila, leaving a clear product. The bag was fairly pricey considering the amount it contained (which was less than 2 cups) and not quite enough to do my 1/2 gallon of tequila, so I decided to add some Swerve to the second 5th. The Swerve immediately clouded up the liquor and after several days, it has not cleared or completely dissolved. I have resorted to filtering it (not once but twice) and it now looks pretty decent but it has been a pain in the butt and I'm not sure how much sweetness has been removed in the process.

I will be conducting a taste test very soon to see how the 0 calorie alternatives stack up to the agave sweetened version (the normal and much loved way I have finished the tequila previously) and will post back. I do know at this point that the Lakanto is pretty expensive to consider using it for a 6 gallon batch of wine and the Swerve isn't viable due to the clouding factor.

I am going to play with some other alternative sweeteners in the next couple weeks and will share any more information as it comes up. I know that Splenda is a much used and considerably less expensive option but I am worried about the bitter aftertaste noted by some.

If you have experimented with sugar alternatives, I would love to hear your experiences!


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## Julie (Jun 1, 2015)

somebody on here awhile ago was using agave nectar and said it worked very well. Also think about Stevia, it is a natural sweetener.


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## Val-the-Brew-Gal (Jun 1, 2015)

Julie said:


> somebody on here awhile ago was using agave nectar and said it worked very well. Also think about Stevia, it is a natural sweetener.



From what I have gathered in my research "Agave nectar/ syrup is basically high-fructose corn syrup masquerading as a health food. Agave syrup is produced from the blue agave, which is also used in making tequila. It's about 1.5 times sweeter than sugar, but also provides 1.5 more calories - the effect is in result the same. It has a lower GI than sugar but it's 90% fructose, which has damaging effects on our metabolism. Verdict: Avoid it." 

Source http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/post/2013/06/10/Top-10-Natural-Low-carb-Sweeteners

As for Stevia, that is on my list to try!

Thanks for the input


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## Kraffty (Jun 1, 2015)

Hi Val, I just came across this a few minutes ago, I was also going to suggest stevia of some type.
Mike

http://inhealth.cnn.com/eating-with...on-sugar-substitutes-and-diabetes?did=t1_rss5


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## DoctorCAD (Jun 1, 2015)

Today its Stevia, but remember when saccharin was the best sweetener ever? Until it kills you!


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## RevA (Jun 2, 2015)

I use xylitol; it's also a alchol sugar,tastes like sugar to me and doesn't seem to ferment. Just be careful not to use too much, in LARGE doses it has a laxative effect, don't think it will be an issue for backsweetning unless you want to sweeten the wine till,its like syrup...


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## wineinmd (Jun 2, 2015)

DoctorCAD said:


> Today its Stevia, but remember when saccharin was the best sweetener ever? Until it kills you!


Exactly. The health food crowd reminds me of 5-year-olds at a soccer game. Everyone runs after the ball, someone kicks it the other way, then they all run after it again.

Irish moss. Get it! Everyone run! <Stampeding noise> Wait! Irish Moss is a derivative of carageenan? Carageenan is probably bad for you. Let's blog about it! 
Agave nectar. Get it! Run! <Thundering herd noises> Wait! It's 90% fructose? Crud. That's worse than regular sugar. Let's blog about it!
Stevia.... Get it! Run!


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## Val-the-Brew-Gal (Jun 2, 2015)

RevA said:


> I use xylitol; it's also a alchol sugar,tastes like sugar to me and doesn't seem to ferment. Just be careful not to use too much, in LARGE doses it has a laxative effect, don't think it will be an issue for backsweetning unless you want to sweeten the wine till,its like syrup...



Thanks for your input! I can't imagine that it would be an issue, like you said, especially if you are only consuming a couple glasses at a time.


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## Val-the-Brew-Gal (Jun 2, 2015)

Kraffty said:


> Hi Val, I just came across this a few minutes ago, I was also going to suggest stevia of some type.
> Mike
> 
> http://inhealth.cnn.com/eating-with...on-sugar-substitutes-and-diabetes?did=t1_rss5



Thanks, Mike!


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## Val-the-Brew-Gal (Jun 2, 2015)

DoctorCAD said:


> Today its Stevia, but remember when saccharin was the best sweetener ever? Until it kills you!



Exactly and of course when you jump down the rabbit hole that is the internet when trying to gather information, you can find articles and blogs to support any side of the equation. For me, I'm just trying to find something that is at least in the realm of "natural", is shown to be "safe" for diabetics, tastes good, and doesn't cloud up my wine. Should be easy, right? LOL


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## willie (Jun 4, 2015)

Stevia has been in use for a number of years now with no ill effects. 
About a year ago I did some research using Stevia to back sweeten a 6 gal. Batch of wine. What I understood was it didn't work well that way. The Wine as it aged started to develop an off taste. But when Stevia added to a fresh poured glass of wine it tasted just fine. My main squeese and I found that The Stevia brand resolves well in hot or cold liquids where as the Great Value brand from Wal-Mart only desolved well in hot liquids. Must be a slight difference in processing.

Will


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## seth8530 (Jun 5, 2015)

I can't vouch for the insulin resistance component of it. .... but during your first experiment the tequila could of clouded up because many things tend to be less soluble in alcohol than in water. I would try again with water and see if the same thing happens.


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## kryten (Oct 15, 2015)

It's not exactly 'natural' but Splenda has been mentioned frequently on various sites as a good zero calorie backsweetener.


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