Company Introducing Low-Carb Wines
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Brown-Forman has squeezed carbs out of its
newest wines. Even the brand names reinforce the carb-
counting craze.
The spirits and winemaker expects to make a splash with its
low-carb wines, which will reach shelves nationally starting
around Memorial Day.
The wines are named after the grams of carbohydrates in a
5-ounce glass. One brand is called One.6 Chardonnay; the
other is One.9 Merlot.
Normally, a 5-ounce glass of wine has 3 to 6 grams of carbs,
the company said. The low-carb brands have the same alcohol
content as other wines.
Brown-Forman says it's the first introduction of low-carb
wines in this country, where carb-light products are fast
becoming a staple due to the popularity of Atkins diet and
similar eating plans.
The Louisville-based company, the nation's eighth-leading
wine producer, hopes to use its head start on the
competition to gain a permanent foothold as the leader in
the low-carb wine market.
"Because of the branding efforts and because of the quality
of the wine, we think we have a chance to really own this
space," said Andrew M. Varga, vice president and global
brand director of Brown-Forman Wines.
Varga said the company expects at least 500,000 cases to
sell in the first year. "A high side could be you-pick-the-
number," he said.
Brown-Forman is picking up on the success of low-carb beer.
Anheuser-Busch introduced the first major brand in the low-
carb beer niche with its Michelob Ultra. Other beermakers
have entered the low-carb market.
Cara Morrison, the Brown-Forman winemaker in California who
developed the brands, said most consumers won't notice any
difference in taste. "They have a wonderful fruitiness to
them," she said.
The low-carb wines, which will sell for around $9.99 a
bottle, required slight production modifications.
Morrison removed as much sugar as possible from the grapes
during fermentation. She blended the wine to maximize the
full flavor of the grapes while producing the low-carb
count. Her goal was to "give the sensation of sweetness
without it being there," she said.
One.6 Chardonnay features melon and citrus flavors. One.9
Merlot has smooth, spicy flavors with hints of blackberry
and cherry fruit. Brown-Forman put nearly $1 million into
research and development.
The company plans to unveil the two brands with a $5 million
advertising blitz in national newspapers and magazines. It
intends to follow up with a low-carb One.9 Cabernet
Sauvignon this summer. It hopes the brand names catch on.
Varga said it may become as common to order a One.6
Chardonnay as it is to order a Jack Daniel's or Southern
Comfort - two of Brown-Forman's most popular spirits.
"We think this is a chance to go out with a unique name and
some support behind it to potentially badge a wine brand and
see if that doesn't have some great traction," Varga said.
A California wine retailer was more skeptical. Gregory
Condes, who works in wine sales with K&L Wine Merchants in
San Francisco, said low-carb wines would be a curiosity
among wine drinkers.
"It will be more of a novelty," he said. "If it has any
success whatsoever, it's going to rely purely on the
marketing strategy, not because the market is really
asking for it."
Condes said Brown-Forman was getting on the low-carb
bandwagon and "really stretching it a bit too far." He said
he has never had anyone ask for a low-carb wine.
"The innate characteristics of wine itself already has
healthy attributes as it is," he said. "They are not
interested in the carbs as much."
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