# Low-Carb Bone-Dry Wine?



## DiggingDogFarm (Dec 1, 2012)

I've got diabetes and would like to produce a red wine or apfelwein that's as low in carbohydrates as possible.
Can someone set me on the right path?
Best yeast, etc.....???

Thanks!

~Martin


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## Fabiola (Dec 1, 2012)

That would have to be a wine extremely low in alcohol (around .5%) to be considered low carb and gluten free. What I had read (I cook for a diabetic family member), all dry white wine is suitable for diabetics without modifications, because only has approximately 3-4 grams of carbs per five-ounce glass. In commercial low carb wines, the USDA’s nutrition database lists 1.18 g of carbs in a 5-ounce serving of white wine, and 2.51 g in five ounces of red, which is not much difference from a regular dry wine.


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## DiggingDogFarm (Dec 1, 2012)

Thanks!

Alcohol doesn't have carbohydrates, but it does, of course, have calories.
I'm not concerned about the alcohol level.

I'd like to produce a red wine or apfelwein that has 1.9 grams (or lower) of carbs per 5 ounce serving, like a commercial low-carb wine that was on the market a few years ago, if i could only find out how.


~Martin


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## DiggingDogFarm (Dec 1, 2012)

These are the commercial wines that i was referring to above, one.6 (chardonnay) and one.9 (merlot), unfortunately, I don't think that they're still being produced.







~Martin


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## winemakingscientist (Dec 2, 2012)

Fabiola is right that regular dry wine is pretty low in carbs to start out with. But if you buy a bottle you can't always tell from the label how dry it is, so what you're trying to do makes sense. If you make it yourself you'll know how dry it is. 

You want a yeast strain that will tolerate more alcohol than the wine, so that the fermentation stops when the yeast run out of sugar, not when they die from alcohol poisoning. LalvinEC1118, Lalvin ICV-K1, and Red Star Premier Cuvee all have a high alcohol ceiling (at least 18%). It would also make sense to add yeast nutrients, which will help the yeast grow well and therefore finish the fermentation. If the yeast get too cold they can stop fermenting before the wine is dry. EC1118 likes room temp. Premier cuvee and ICV-K1 have a wide temp tolerance. ICV-K1 is known as a pretty "hardy" yeast. I think I would start with that one.


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## DiggingDogFarm (Dec 2, 2012)

winemakingscientist said:


> But if you buy a bottle you can't always tell from the label how dry it is, so what you're trying to do makes sense. If you make it yourself you'll know how dry it is.



Yes, that's exactly what I'm thinking.



winemakingscientist said:


> You want a yeast strain that will tolerate more alcohol than the wine, so that the fermentation stops when the yeast run out of sugar, not when they die from alcohol poisoning. LalvinEC1118, Lalvin ICV-K1, and Red Star Premier Cuvee all have a high alcohol ceiling (at least 18%). It would also make sense to add yeast nutrients, which will help the yeast grow well and therefore finish the fermentation. If the yeast get too cold they can stop fermenting before the wine is dry. EC1118 likes room temp. Premier cuvee and ICV-K1 have a wide temp tolerance. ICV-K1 is known as a pretty "hardy" yeast. I think I would start with that one.



Thank you!!!
That's exactly what I was looking for!

~Martin


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## winemakingscientist (Dec 2, 2012)

You're welcome. If you think of it, let us know how it goes.


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## cpfan (Dec 2, 2012)

Martin:

I have no info on your level of experience or what you would like to make, except "red wine or apfelwein".

My initial thought is to suggest a standard wine kit (ie not a Mist wine like Blackberry Merlot). A regular red wine kit made properly should suit your requirements.

In my experience, Winexpert and Vineco kits tend to ferment down to .992, while RJ Spagnols kits finish around .995. Not a big difference but perhaps enough to avoid the RJS kits.

Steve


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## DiggingDogFarm (Dec 2, 2012)

cpfan said:


> Martin:
> 
> I have no info on your level of experience or what you would like to make, except "red wine or apfelwein".
> 
> ...




Thanks for the info, Steve!
I'm certainly open to any and all suggestions as to the best wine to make.
The approach I'm going to take is to make a wine that's as low in carbs as possible and see if I like it, hopefully it won't be too bad, a little bone-dry wine is better than no wine at all....I hope! LOL I really must limit carbs as much as possible.

As far as experience goes, I have no experience making wines in a formal way, for ages we practiced what i call "shotgun winemaking" ....it was hit or miss naturally fermented wine...wild grape, elderberry, dandelion, hard cider, etc.

~Martin


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## Craveman (Dec 2, 2012)

Hi Martin,

Are you a type 2? Newly diagnosed? The reason I ask is I am a type 1 and have been for about 26 years and I am on a carb counting diet where number of carbs doesn't technically matter as long as I can get an accurate count and take the proper amount insulin. Wal-Mart sells a short acting insulin cheap and you can get it without a prescription but talk to your doctor first of course.

Since you mentioned the apfelwein I would try that first because it will probably cost a good bit less to experiment with than a good red wine kit. If you do not like the apfelwein, well you are only out about $30 bucks vs $65-$85 for a good kit. Or you could buy some of your favorite wine and see which ones affect your blood sugar the least. Have fun with the experimentation!


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## DiggingDogFarm (Dec 2, 2012)

Thanks Craveman!

I'm type-2, diagnosed 2 years ago, I've been able to control my blood sugar and stop taking metformin by following Dr. Bernstein's plan...no more than 30 net grams of carbohydrate per day, 6 grams at breakfast, 8 grams each at lunch and dinner, two snacks at 4 grams each....it's worked very well for me...my a1c is less than 5.

~Martin


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## Jaiart (Apr 6, 2013)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> Thanks Craveman!
> 
> I'm type-2, diagnosed 2 years ago, I've been able to control my blood sugar and stop taking metformin by following Dr. Bernstein's plan...no more than 30 net grams of carbohydrate per day, 6 grams at breakfast, 8 grams each at lunch and dinner, two snacks at 4 grams each....it's worked very well for me...my a1c is less than 5.
> 
> ~Martin



How did the lo carb wine experiment go? I'm not diabetic but I too want to make a low carb wine.


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## saramc (Apr 7, 2013)

Interested also. The bottom line will be the lower the alcohol content, the drier the wine, the lower the carb count per 3.5oz serving. Decent article here, with three references for additional reading.... http://www.livestrong.com/article/79080-calories-carbs-glass-wine/

This is interesting: http://www.wineintro.com/basics/health/calories.html


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## Jaiart (Apr 8, 2013)

saramc said:


> Interested also. The bottom line will be the lower the alcohol content, the drier the wine, the lower the carb count per 3.5oz serving. Decent article here, with three references for additional reading.... http://www.livestrong.com/article/79080-calories-carbs-glass-wine/
> 
> This is interesting: http://www.wineintro.com/basics/health/calories.html



Low alcohol content? What's the use... Nevermind lol


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## jswordy (Apr 8, 2013)

I thought the more important aspect of drinking for diabetics was this:



> In the liver, an enzyme similar to gastric ADH metabolizes the alcohol, which is converted to energy by a coenzyme called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is also used to convert the glucose you get from other carbohydrates to energy; while NAD is being used for alcohol, glucose conversion grinds to a halt.



Source: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-your-body-processes-alcohol.html


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## saramc (Apr 8, 2013)

I do not know if you have seen this, but it is an article which provides carb counts on several commercial brands, including hard liquor-wine-beer... http://hasfit.com/health-articles/diet-nutrition-articles/alcohol-carbs/


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