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+--- Thread: Red Wines (/thread-18217.html)
- Max - 01-19-2004
Are White Zinfandel wines considered red wines? Where can I find a listing of red wines since that seems to be the only wine that you can drink on certain diets?
- Innkeeper - 01-19-2004
Hi Max and welcome to the Wine Board. White zinfandel is made from a red grape, but is not considered a red wine. This is because the healthful effects in red wines come from the skins. White zin only has brief contact with the skins, giving it the "blush" color. Regular zinfandel also sometimes known for clarification as "red zinfandel", does give you the benefits of red wine. The list of other red wines runs into the hundreds if not thousands. Your best bet is to go to a wine store a discuss things with the folks there. You will also be able to see with your own eyes which wines are red, white, or blush.
- wineguruchgo - 01-20-2004
Hey Max,
If you are talking Atkins and low carb diets like that you want a wine that is low in sugar. That's the reason they recommend Red wine.
Wines such as White Zin, Riesling, Gewurtztraminer have a high sugar level which is a no-no on these diets.
I agree with Innkeeper. Go to your local store and tell them you need a wine that has low residual sugar. Hope that helps.
- Kcwhippet - 01-20-2004
Max,
There was a study done awile ago that included data from the USDA and a few other sources that attempted to put together something akin to those Nutrition Facts you see on many food packages. As for the data pertinent to many diets, i.e., calories and carbohydrates, the findings were quite interesting. For a typical serving size of 5 oz of 12% alcohol wine the averages for a typical red wine came out to 102 calories and 2.41g of carbohydrates, and for a typical white wine it was 96.4 calories and 1.13g of carbohydrates. These figures are for wines fermented to dryness, but they can be a bit misleading because of the guidelines used by the USDA. While the carbs for a dry red wine come out to 2.41g, there is no dietary fiber and no sugars, so how can there be any carbs? Well, they're what the USDA calls "carbohydrates by difference" which is a catch all for anything that doesn't fall into one of four other categories - protein, fat, moisture or ash. They're not actually "real" carbohydrates, so they are totally acceptable on a low carb diet. If this isn't making a whole lot of sense, don't worry because you're not alone. Even the USDA has a problem defining "carbohydrates by difference" adequately.