Can you have red wine on keto?

Have you ever heard of the keto diet? It is a type of diet lately very popular that is based on the elimination of sugars and carbohydrates; this solicits the search for alternative sources of energy in our body, which thus begins to burn fat, producing substances called “ketone bodies”, useful in the slimming process. The keto diet involves a strong commitment to controlling what is ingested, with strictly personalized choices based on the person undergoing it. And the spirits? What about a good glass of natural wine? Let’s find out and discover together if you can have red wine on a keto diet.

Alcohol and keto

As mentioned above, the keto diet is based on a low – almost null (we talk about 30-50 grams of carbohydrates per day, less than a gram per body pound) carbohydrate and sugar intake, but one of the particularities that will please the wine lovers is that alcohol is not strictly prohibited, as long as it is taken in moderation. The fact is that some alcoholic beverages, wine among them, have virtually no carbohydrate content, and for this reason, they are widely accepted within the keto diet. Of course, there is wine and wine, and to be accepted they must respect certain characteristics.

Red wine and keto diet: how does it work?

Now put down that glass of wine you were going to sip straight away: if it is true that the keto diet does not exclude alcohol, not every bottle of wine is fine to be sipped without thwarting your efforts. Not all wines are ok on keto.

Keto-friendly wines: which characteristics?

To be keto-friendly a wine should ideally have a low percentage of alcohol (13.5% or less) and very little or zero residual sugar. If you have read our article The two steps of alcoholic fermentation, you will know pretty well that part of the wine creation is based on the sugar naturally produced by the grapes and that as a general rule the more the wine is alcoholic, the higher its sugar level will be.

Based on these facts, which wines are preferrable to accompany the keto diet? The best keto-friendly wines are undoubtedly the dry wines, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. However, we must take into account the fact that often even wines considered dry are not 100%: residual sugars are often added to the wine to make it more drinkable and appreciated, therefore you should always check before drinking on keto.

So, back to our original question: