What’s better than a big glass of wine on the couch after a brain-busting week in the office? A whole bottle of zero carb, zero sugar wine delivered straight to your doorstep that’s what. I know because that’s exactly what the lovely lot at SlimLine Wine did for me a couple of weeks ago in honour of their brand new health-conscious alternative to the red, white and sparkling wines we all know and love.
Okay, I don’t actually profess to love wine myself but when I saw a bottle of their Really Red sticking out of the box, I was pretty excited to give it a go. I can’t get behind brandishing drink products or foodstuffs as the enemy, nor do I believe in depriving yourself of what you love or feel guilt ridden for the foreseeable. I’m all about championing a healthy dose of indulgence on a daily basis but when I’m promised premium tipple at just 373 calories per bottle with no carbs, no sugar and all of the same flavour, it’s in my nature to put it to the test.
Along with the red, I was also very kindly sent a bottle of the Super Sparkling White (£10.99), which I guess is SlimLine Wine’s version of a more premium sparking white or Prosecco. Sadly (for you, not me) this bottle made it’s way into the bottom shelf of the fridge faster than you can say Olympus PEN so there’s no photographic evidence of our consumption. You’ll know from my 11 reasons why I’m a really bad food blogger post that I am sometimes prone to secret eating or in this case, secret sipping so I do apologise. Hic…
What I can tell you is that the bottle was shared amongst three very willing and experienced participants – and me. I was definitely willing but rather lacking in the experience department giving wine of any kind isn’t typically my tipple of choice (read: I just bloody love dessert cocktails). I can’t claim to have curated this strong focus group myself either; it just so happens that my other half and parents are very much ‘into’ their sparkling white wine but they certainly made for the perfect bunch to subject it to a rigorous and unforgiving critique.
So what did we really think of this zero carb, zero sugar wine?
Really Red – If I am ever to stray from my usual habits and fancy a glass of the old vino, red wine is my go-to. I love the richness, the warmth and how it gives you a better blush than any NARS beauty product. Novice though I am, I could still detect the absence of sugar in this recipe. The Really Red wine definitely had a more savoury aftertaste than your Malbec or your Merlot but then hey, it is a zero sugar beverage. I wouldn’t say this made it unpleasant – in fact I thoroughly enjoyed my mid afternoon glass of vinto tinto – but I’d place this as a health conscious addition to your wine cellar rather than a direct replacement for your old ruby red favourites. (FYI – it goes down an absolute treat with some dusty chocolate truffles!)
Super Sparkling White – The general consensus was that although this was notably not as strong in flavour as your standard sparkling white wines, it was definitely a decent alternative. Coming from three people who would drink Veuve Cliquot on tap if it was socially acceptable, I’d say this was pretty high praise. Light in colour and crisp on the pallet, this really is a great way to cut down on carbs and sugar content if you like a flute full of fizz (or three) at the weekend. With a punch more flavour and more traceable fruity notes, I’d say this would be near-on perfect.
All in all, we were all super impressed with the products and I hope to see them becoming readily available in shops in the near future. I’d be interested to see how cooking with the Really Red works out so if you do get your hands on a bottle and give it a go, do give me your verdict.
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This post was written in collaboration with SlimLine Wine but all words, photographs, opinions, teeth, hair, boobs and nails are my very own.