Going Alcohol-Free: An Easy Way to Cut Calories

With the new year upon us, it’s the perfect time to start the year on the right foot and prioritise your health. After a year like no other, 2021 is the time to focus on both physical and mental health. Alongside eating better and exercising more, one easy way to cut calories is to reduce or moderate your alcohol intake and look for non-alcoholic options.

HOW MANY CALORIES IN A GLASS OF WINE?

Most of us know that alcohol contains calories, but we don’t realise just how much it can impact our health and that it may be alcohol causing weight gain. And it’s easy to see how you can lose track or not notice that your alcohol consumption could be what’s preventing you from losing a few kgs.

Let’s say you have a glass of wine with dinner each weeknight and then maybe a bottle or two over the weekend. A 250ml glass of 12% alcoholic wine can contain around 120 calories (depending on the varietal). Tally up your total glasses over the week and you can see just how quickly the empty calories add up.

Legally in Australia, alcoholic drinks don’t have to have a nutritional panel on the label, so there is no requirement for alcohol producers to detail what’s actually in it. Every product is different, dependent on the brand, and how it’s made, just like it is with grocery products, where the same product under a different brand can have different nutritional makeup.

As a general rule, drinks with more alcohol in it will carry more calories, so if you are looking to cut down, be healthier or if you’re looking for weight loss, then reach for the lower or no-alcohol options.

A number of drink manufacturers are recognising the importance of having better for you options. These are options that do have lower calories, lower sugar and lower alcohol, so it’s actually becoming a lot easier to find these in your local liquor store. Look for call-outs on the label or any point of sale.

Also, keep your eye out for the blue ‘Zero Zones’ which will display all the alcohol-free options that are available in that store. If there isn’t one, make sure you ask your local liquor store about it, and we can create one in your store!

MCGUIGAN ZERO: FREE FROM ALCOHOL, FULL IN FLAVOUR

Fortunately, there is now a solution – McGuigan Zero alcohol-free wines. Free from alcohol, full in flavour McGuigan Zero is crafted just like all our wines, with one extra step where the alcohol is gently removed to ensure the wine retains its delicate fruit flavours.

Our team of winemakers have over 20 years’ experience working with low and no alcohol, and So, how is McGuigan Zero made?

Because McGuigan Zero is alcohol-free (meaning it contains less than 0.05% residual alcohol), it requires a nutritional panel on the back label. So unlike alcoholic wines, with McGuigan Zero you can see on the back label exactly what you’re drinking!

LOWER CALORIES THAN ALCOHOLIC OPTIONS

Each of our McGuigan Zero varietals contains less calories than its alcoholic alternative. For example, McGuigan Zero Rose contains less than 55 calories per 250ml glass! It’s also lower in sugar than other zero alternatives, such as orange juice (88g/L) and coke (106g/L).

The range is also gluten-free and contains zero refined sugar.

In line with the lower calories trend, is the hard seltzer. You’ve probably seen these around being advertised on social media, or on the shelf in your local liquor store.

So what is a hard seltzer? Basically, it’s low calorie, low alcohol lightly spritzed water. Think a vodka-soda with a light fruit flavour. Super refreshing, it’s a great alternative for a summer BBQ, if you want something different to wine.