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!
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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