A Naturally Low-Alchohol, Low-Calorie Wine for Under $15? Yes, Please

Lago Vinho Verde Rosé $14.99

It’s fun writing about an “interesting” $42 bottle of natty wine made only in small batches (think: 125 cases of the stuff) that you have to order from the winery, but as much as it offers respite from reviewing the same-old same-old, I’m always left with the feeling that it’s not much help to the ordinary consumer—someone who shops at the BCL, is price sensitive and isn’t looking to be challenged after a hard work week, but rewarded. And, increasingly, someone who is wanting to embrace wellness a bit more.  So, when a wine is naturally low in alcohol, naturally low in sugar and under $15, well, that’s the imbiber’s trifecta.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that the wine comes from Portugal’s Vinho Verde region, a locale that’s been famous for best buys for decades. And thanks to a quality push in the last several years, the wine coming out of the region is the best it’s ever been and while the prices have slowly crept up (stalwart Casal Garcia was under $10 forever, but now checks in at $15) it’s still one of the best value regions in the world.

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There are a few things that separate this wine from the VV pack. For starters it’s a rosé: an expression that was once quite rare in the region famous for crisp white grapes. It’s made with 100 percent Vinhao, a varietal I was completely familiar with before I just typed it for the first time in my life right now (you gotta love the Portuguese and their obscure grapes). And, secondly, it’s not made by some Goliath corporation (I can’t imagine how many bottles of Casal Garcia are made per year, but it would be an absolute tonne), but by a normal operation with an actual winemaker.

Most importantly, this wine is just so darn drinkable. I love white Vinho Verde, but often run into consumers who would like a daily sipper to have little less acidity (a phrase never uttered by wine writer or somm). This version solves that issue; the palate is soft by VV standard so it’s more like a cherry and cantaloupe fruit salad of a wine. Juicy, but light and fantastically approachable. It’s naturally low in both alcohol and sugar—so it’s 10 percent and 80 calories a glass. Wine has always been made like this in Vinho Verde, so it’s not a case of an existing wine monkeying with their “real” wine to get it down in alcohol, but rather the style they’ve been making here for decades. Plus, it has a slight frizzante (bubbles at a level much lower than Champagne, but still fun) to toast your infinite wisdom in finding this wine.

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