Some accolades for new low calorie wines

It was inevitable, in this age of weight consciousness, that a low calorie wine would make its appearance; and so it has. Accolade Wines has just released a new line of low calorie wines called "The Light Grape" that have been made with flavor and aroma in mind as well as reduced calories.

The first and most important question is how did they lowerthe caloric content of a wine? In wine the alcohol is the calorie factor and the more alcohol in the wine, the higher the number of calories. Accolade vintners were faced with the particularly difficult problem of how to reduce the caloric content of a wine without producing one that tasted like mouthwash. Modern chemistry came to the rescue with a process called reverse osmosis. Reverse osmoses is a system that has been used since 1992 to reduce the alcohol content of a wine whose grapes may have developed too much natural sugar and thus too much alcohol. The wine is passed through a filter designed to remove alcohol molecules while letting the flavor and aroma components pass through. Of course, that filter removes some of the other characteristics of a wine which previously let to wines that were pale by comparison to "the real thing." The Accolade vintners got around this by only filtering a portion of the wine and then reuniting it with the original wine thus lowering the alcohol to 8˝ percent and the calorie content to 80 calories per five ounce glass where the average for standard wines is approximately 125 calories per five ounce glass. But it doesn't end there. The original wine produced was made from grapes that were carefully selected to align them to the de-alcoholization process but still produce an acceptable wine.

As far as the wine itself is concerned, The Light Grape wines are not great wines, you don't get great wines for $12, but they are very good everyday wines and do stack up much better than many of the other lower calorie wines available today.

The Light Grape 2011 Rosé ($12). Just after we wrote that it is good to see rosé wines again another one pops up. This low calorie wine has been blended to result in a wine displaying the distinct aromas and flavors of cherries, summer berries and above all pomegranate. There is a very interesting fruit and mineral finish that lingers in the mouth. The wine is slightly on the sweet side which just enhances all of the attributes of the wine. This wine can accompany almost anything and is a great escape valve if you are not sure of what wine to serve with dinner.

The Light Grape 2012 Chardonnay ($12). Although made entirely of Chardonnay grapes, a bit of sweetness in the wine, suggests that it has been made in the style of a Riesling, slightly sweet. This is a very nice white wine with all of the aroma and flavor of apples and citrus that has made Chardonnay wines so popular and is the perfect accompaniment to the low calorie chicken and seafood dishes.

The Light Grape 2012 White Blend ($12). This wine, a blend of Pinot Grigio and Viognier, seems to have been specifically designed to accompany Asian foods and is also no slouch when served with Mexican or TexMex dishes. The wine is crisp and loaded with the flavors and aromas of honeysuckle and citrus and ends in a fruity finish.

The Light Grape 2011 Red Blend ($12). The Red blend is just that, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. Strangely enough, the flavor and aroma of each of the varieties shows right up front. The Petite Sirah contributes its signature blackberry, current, anise and black pepper, while the cab displays its cherry and blackberry to the blend. This is a perfect low calorie wine to accompany any of the meat dishes but since we are in the area of low calorie, the lighter the meat the better.