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Unlike many other drinks, keeping wine keto isn’t as simple as looking for “low-carb” or “sugar-free” on the bottle. You have to know the specific varieties to choose and avoid. And, more importantly, how to enjoy your keto wine without kicking yourself out of ketosis. Let’s go over the best wines for keto!
How to Order Wine on Keto
Just say “I want your driest white wine”. This is a sure fire way to get a good low carb option when you are dining out. Dry is the opposite of sweet in the wine world.
If you don’t think your waiter knows anything about wine, you can further specify by saying “Make sure it is not sweet”. That should cover you if you’re dining out, but continue reading for an in depth guide to your best wine options on a keto diet if you’re looking to build your collection.
The Best Wines for Keto
We’ll cover the best wine varietals later on. Here are your best options for ordering keto wine online. These are companies and services that specifically guarantee their wines to be low sugar content and keto friendly.
Dry Farm Wines
Dry Farm Wines is the go to options for most keto wine drinkers. They curate wines and lab test them so you can be 100% certain that they are low carb. If you’re a wine lover then Dry Farm Wines is definitely the option for you.
Revel Wine
Revel Wine is another great online wine service. They specialize in organic and sulfite free wines, and make it easy to select dry wines. Definitely a top choice if you’re serious about your wine.
The California Wine Club
The California Wine Club doesn’t specialize in keto friendly wines, but they are one of the most respected names in online wine subscription services. These wines are more expensive than the other options, but are well worth it if you’re looking for quality.
Palo61
Palo61 is the only name on this list that makes their own wines. A cool bonus is that these wines actually have a nutrition label on them! Palo61 is a good option for super low carb wines with most of their bottles clocking in at less than 1g of carbs per glass.
Can You Drink Wine on a Keto Diet?
You sure can! In fact, wine is one of the most keto-friendly alcoholic beverages. That’s great news for anyone who just can’t stomach alcohol like spirits.
However, not all wines are suitable for a keto diet. A glass of white or red wine can have anywhere from one to 12 grams of carbs per serving – or sometimes even more!
What Makes a Wine Keto-Friendly?
There’s more to wine than color and flavor. Have you ever asked a bartender for a wine recommendation, and been asked if you’d prefer something dry or sweet?
This is an indicator of how much sugar the wine contains. Sweet wines have the most wines, while “dry” wines contain the least. But surprisingly, this isn’t added sugar, but a key part of making almost all forms of wine.
Where Do the Carbs in Wine Come From?
Wine, like all alcohol, is a fermented food – fermented grape juice, to be exact.
During that fermentation process, the sugar from the grapes is gradually “eaten”, and that grape juice eventually becomes alcohol.
The longer the grapes ferment, the more sugar gets eaten – and the less sugar is left in the final product.
The sugar that’s left is called residual sugar. Sweet wines are fermented for a shorter period of time, so they contain a lot more sugar than a dry wine that’s been fermented for longer.
Of course, some wine-based drinks – such as wine coolers and sangria – are mixed with other high-carb drinks, like soda. This increases the sugar in your drink.
Even sangria made with the driest red wine isn’t going to work for a ketogenic diet!
The Best Wine for Keto – and the Worst
You don’t need to know the difference between a Sauvignon Blanc and a Cabernet Sauvignon, or a Pinot Grigio and a Pinot Noir, to know your way around a wine list. We’ve put together a handy guide to help you understand which wine has the least carbs and sugar, and which ones to avoid on a keto diet.
Best Red Wines by Grams of Carbs per Serving
Good news for red wine lovers! Some of the most delicious red wines also happen to be low-carb.
Not to mention they pair amazingly with some of your favorite keto foods like steak and cheese.
Look for these low-carb red wines on the menu:
- Cabernet Sauvignon – 3-4g net carbs
- Chianti – 3-4g net carbs
- Dry Rosé – 3g net carbs
- Grenache – 4g net carbs
- Malbec – 4g net carbs
- Merlot – 3-4g net carbs
- Pinot Noir – 3-4g net carbs
- Red Zinfandel – 4-5g net carbs
- Sangiovese – 4g net carbs
- Syrah – 4g net carbs
Best White Wines by Grams of Carbs per Serving
Don’t be fooled by that crisp, light taste. Plenty of white wines are low in sugar and totally suitable for a ketogenic diet.
The best news? Champagne definitely makes the cut!
White wine is made from green grapes and is generally lower carb than red wines. Here are your top picks for keto-friendly white wines:
- Dry (“Brut”) Champagne – 2-3g net carbs
- Chardonnay – 2g net carbs
- Pinot Blanc – 3g net carbs
- Pinot Grigio – 2-3g net carbs
- Prosecco – 1-2g net carbs
- Dry (“Trocken”) Riesling – 1-5g net carbs
- Sauvignon Blanc – 2g net carbs
Wines to Avoid
Dessert wines aren’t just named for how well they pair with cake. They’re often loaded with sugar, making them somewhat of a dessert all on their own – and definitely not great for keto.
These wines can have anywhere from five to 12 or more grams of net carbohydrates per glass. Make sure to skip these if you’re following a keto diet:
- Moscato
- Mulled wine
- Port
- Sherry
- Sangria
- Sweet Riesling
- Sweet Rosé
- Wine coolers
Tips for Drinking Wine on Keto
While we can’t tell you the difference between a wine with chocolate undertones and citrus aromas, we can help you to enjoy your next night on the wines without impacting your ketosis.
And if you want more tips for drinking on keto, be sure to check out our extensive guide on Keto Alcohol here.
Know What to Order
When it comes to alcohol on a keto diet, failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Make sure to keep our list of recommended keto wine handy so you know what to look for.
Don’t be afraid to ask the bartender for their driest wine. If in doubt, avoid dessert wines and look for the words “dry”, “trocken” and “brut”.
Pace Your Drinks
Drinking alcohol on keto hits different. Literally.
If you follow a keto diet, your body isn’t holding nearly as much glucose from carbohydrates. This means you might absorb alcohol a lot faster – and feel the effects a lot more intensely, too.
In other words, you might get a lot drunker, a lot faster on keto. And with fewer drinks. At least it’s cost-effective!
And if you’re going to limit the carbohydrates from wine, you don’t want to be throwing back drinks too fast! Even a few grams of carbs per glass can add up after a night of drinking.
Drink Lots of Water and Electrolytes
Alcohol is dehydrating, and even more so when you’re in ketosis – without the extra glycogen, your body isn’t storying as much water.
This means you should be extra vigilant with both your water and electrolytes before and after drinking. There’s a good reason hangovers on keto are so notorious!
And if you need something to discourage you from going overboard on the drinks, remember: getting kicked out of ketosis can sometimes feel like having a hangover. Combine that with an actual hangover and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
Choose Lower-Carb Foods
Sometimes following a keto diet requires you to be a little strategic with your carbohydrates for the day. So if you’re planning on using 10 grams of carbs on a couple of glasses of wine alone, you’d better be smart with that budget.
This means sticking to lower-carb foods both before and after having a drink. Luckily, a lot of keto foods just so happen to go amazingly with a nice glass of wine. Think a nice steak dinner, or a beautiful charcuterie board with artisanal cheeses, cured meats and pickles.
Watch the Pour
We’re all guilty of being a little generous when it comes to our definition of “one glass” of wine. After all, how big is the glass?
That said, standard drink sizes are, well, standardized. A glass of wine is approximately five to six ounces. This is what you’d expect to receive when buying at a bar.
If you’re drinking at home, things can be a little less accurate. And before you know it, you’re accidentally consumed an extra half a glass per drink – and a lot more sugar and carbs per glass, too.
Just like with your food, practice measuring out an exact five or six-ounce glass so you can gauge an accurate, standard pour. This will help to stop you from going overboard and accidentally kicking yourself out of ketosis – and ending up with a nasty hangover.
What If I Don’t Like Wine?
Don’t love wine? Then don’t drink wine on keto! After all, it’s not your only low-sugar alcohol choice.
If you’re a beer or cider fan, you may be able to find low-carb versions. Unlike wine, these usually carry a “low-carb” label – and sometimes state the carbohydrates on the bottle or can!
You might also have better luck finding a keto-friendly beer or cider at specialty craft breweries.
However, your best alcohol option on a keto diet is spirits. They’re by far the lowest-carb alcoholic drink and can be combined with sugar-free mixers to create some pretty delicious concoctions.
Be warned, though: cocktails at bars are often loaded with sugars from sneaky syrups and mixers. We love to make our own keto-friendly cocktails at home that are just as sweet, without the added carbs!
Check out these recipes for a fun night in:
Best Places to Buy Keto Wine
Not feeling confident about buying any old dry wine from your local liquor store? Don’t trust your local bartender’s judgment? Your best bet is to source keto wines from a specialty retailer.
While there’s still not a huge amount of businesses selling low-carb wines, our two favorites are:
Have you found any keto wine online or in stores? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
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