When it comes to diabetes, there is some obvious tension between the condition and the consumption of alcohol. With careful regulation at the heart of diabetes management, the condition can sometimes seem exclusionary – but this needn’t be the case at all.
Indeed, technically speaking, no red wines are truly off-limits for those with diabetes. Provided the right approach to diet, and a moderate approach to wine consumption, there should be little worry in enjoying a good glass or two. That said, there are some key variables to keep in mind that make some reds more ideal than others.
What to look out for in a diabetes-friendly red
“It is the sugar that makes a difference,” says Claire Levy, of the Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation.
Sugar is central to the fermentation process, being the key ingredient that yeast converts into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The sugar is, of course, provided by the grapes – and how much of it remains in the wine after fermentation depends on numerous variables, including: the efficiency of the yeast, the amount of yeast added to the batch, and how long the fermentation process is allowed to continue. The amount of sugar left in the wine is its residual sugar content, and is often measured in grams per litre.
The longer a wine ferments, the more sugar is converted by the yeast. This makes for a less sugar-rich and hence drier-tasting wine, often with a higher abv. “The sweeter the wine, the more sugar. A dry red means potentially less sugar, and hence, inverted commas, ‘better for you’,” says Levy.
She also points to the positive link between red wine and heart health in the long term, citing well-heeled clinical studies suggesting that “five ounces of wine a day can be beneficial, for those with well-managed type 2 diabetes.”
Acknowledging alcohol
The final fly in the ointment presents for those taking insulin, where alcohol inhibits the liver’s ability to release glucose. Without a moderate approach, consumption of alcohol can actually reduce sugar levels in your blood, increasing the risk of a hypoglycaemic event or ‘hypo’.
“We would always advise increased monitoring of blood sugars if alcohol has been consumed,” says a clinical advisor from Diabetes UK. “Your risk of having a hypo doesn't go away after you stop drinking – it increases, and can last up to 24 hours. The morning after you've been drinking if you take insulin, you might need to change your dose depending on what your levels are.”
A tipple for you and me
With all this in mind, choosing the right red wine feels like a bit of a balancing act. However, this balancing act is extremely easy to manage with a simple and sensible approach to drinking. Just as caveats needn’t preclude you from enjoying a good wine, neither should prospective health benefits be a justification; says Levy, “you can’t expect people not to drink; they’ve got to live their lives!”
Here, then, we review ten incredible reds with a low residual sugar content, that combine fascinating flavour with a dash of peace of mind.
Best red wine for people with diabetes at a glance
- Best overall: Plaimont Manseng Noir 2022 - £10.95, The Wine Society
- Best for well-developed body: Domaine Lafage Authentique 2020 - £17.90, Noble Green Wines
- Best for bright Andean flavour: Catena High Mountain Vines Malbec 2020 - £13.99, Waitrose
- Best for pastry ‘sweetness’: Laurent Miquel Taste the Difference Pinot Noir 2021 - £11.50, Sainsbury’s
- Best for an Italian feast: M&S Collection, Poggio Tosco Chianti Classico Riserva - £17, Ocado
- Best for classic Malbec heft: Alamos Wines of the Mountain Malbec 2021 - £9.75, Tesco
- Best for Portuguese power: Quinta da Pedra Alta 'Pedra a Pedra' Clarete 2021 - £12.95, The Wine Society
- Best for explosive flavour: Domaine Jones, Fitou, 2020 - £14.50, The Wine Society
- Best for English reds: M&S Balfour English Pinot Noir - £22, Ocado
- Best for designated drivers: Lautus De-Alcoholised Wine – Savvy Red - £8.63, Decantalo
Shop the best wine for diabetic drinkers below
Plaimont Manseng Noir 2022
Best: overall
Plaimont is a Pyrenean wine co-operative, uniquely dedicated to the preservation and promotion of indigenous grape varieties. Its efforts have also seen the revival of more than one wine appellation, and, in this wine’s case, the revival of a once-lost grape varietal.
The Manseng Noir 2022 is a raw introduction to the potential of the manseng noir grape, cultivated from a single vine discovered in the Pyrenees; there is no oak ageing here, nor subsidisation with other grapes. The grape yields a low finishing abv without leaving sugar behind – which is to say that this wine is completely dry, at 0g per litre of residual sugar.
Neither its nose nor flavour profiles hint towards its low sugar content. From sight alone, it appears thick and dark, with a blueberry syrup hint behind major blackberry notes. On the tongue, the Manseng Noir is admittedly dry, but no less fascinating for it. There’s a gateau-esque flavour to be found, with tannic bitterness and a dry finish evoking that dark chocolate sensibility. For its slightly lighter abv, this is a heavy-tasting wine with a great deal in its favour. It would stand extremely well against fiery dishes, but shine the most against tomato-base seafood starters.
Buy now £10.95, The Wine Society
Domaine Lafage Authentique 2020
Best for: well-developed body
The Lafage family history is defined by two centuries of generational talent. It is a history that has been condensed, fortified and poured into every bottle that comes from Domaine Lafage’s Roussillon home – this incredible blend included.
The Authentique’s nose is dominated by dried fruits. It mightn’t be too far a stretch to say that dried fruits run through the wine, prologued by an unexpected hint of aged apricot at first sniff. Of course, this isn’t the overriding scent, with much ground given to dried forest berries and vanilla.
There is a great deal of spice that emerges when sipped, however, that pushes clove and sultana to the fore. This is a mouth-puckering affair, between powerful tannins and a moisture-sapping high abv that leaves little to the imagination. The lingering flavour, though, is grand: raisin-skin, cinnamon and the lightest evocation of baked apple dance around the mouth. This wine would be wasted on a dish, so save it for late evening – or the first wine of a meaningful night.
Buy now £17.90, Noble Green Wines
Catena High Mountain Vines Malbec 2020
Best for: bright Andean flavour
This Argentine producer, Bodega Catena Zapata, has been producing since the turn of the 20th century. It played a vital part in the revival of Malbec, and today produces a solid range of single-varietal wines that show the mountainous soils of the Andes at their best level.
The nose is surprisingly bright for a Malbec, but the surprise is certainly not an unwelcome one. Fruit is the presiding element, taking on a perfume-like quality thanks to the relative dryness of the wine itself. There is some milk chocolate if you look hard enough, as successive sips lead you down Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut territory.
However, the flavour is much more robust than its scent would suggest, being supremely sharp at first sip, well-supported and pleasingly dry to boot. Tannic hair supports the dryness, and the finish brings out some hitherto undisclosed coffee notes – a veritable journey of flavour!
Buy now £13.99, Waitrose
Laurent Miquel Taste the Difference Pinot Noir 2021
Best for: pastry ‘sweetness’
Eighth-generation French vintners Laurent Miquel bring their trademark expertise to Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range, with a pinot noir that harbours good secrets. By sight, this pinot noir is darker than most, but still exhibits that trademark transparency besides. The nose is much sweeter than its residual sugar content would suggest, being a slight 0.5g per litre. There are marzipan notes – indeed, there’s a whole almond slice to be found, between nutty top notes and the trademark raspberry of the vitis vinifera grape.
It is a heady yet light scent, backed up by a tangy flavour; an initial tannic cling gives way to a long-lasting impression of another pastry-shop classic, the vanilla slice. Its branding and price point should not mislead; this is a rewardingly deep and complex pinot noir overall, let alone with regard to its sugar content.
Buy now £11.50, Sainsbury's
M&S Collection Poggio Tosco - Chianti Classico Riserva
Best for: an Italian feast
The M&S Collection is a bona fide gold mine for excellent produce by excellent producers, and, again, easy to overlook on account of the supermarket branding. Here, though, is one of the best-kept secrets in M&S’s wine aisle: the Poggio Tosco Chianti Classico Riserva.
This Chianti has a big Sangiovese heart, granting it those quintessential and heady aromas of ripe fig, coffee bean, and cherry. It is also oaked, bringing forward some classic leather notes in the mouth. This is a robust red that doesn’t wear its lower sugar content on its sleeve, and handy wine to break out for an Italian feast.
Buy now £17.00, Ocado
Alamos Wines of the Mountain Malbec 2021
Best for: classic Malbec heft
Alamos is another Argentinian wine producer, and Andean to boot; its wines are suffused with the trappings of mountain climate, all the richer for those sharp days and sharper nights. This Malbec, true to its grape, is a decidedly chunky red. Somehow, it smells viscous; do not ask me to qualify. There are mountain berries and liberal chunks of rich dark chocolate within the nose, with a hint of glace cherry juice to top things off. The residual sugar content is relatively high here, at 2.8g per litre – but still far lower than many similar reds, and delightfully full-bodied nonetheless.
Some depth melts away at first sip, but those berries remain – and in strong numbers. The tannins give some pleasing structure and feel to the wine, and the flavour makes a serious long-term impression on your mouth. Moreover, it is a moreish Malbec, with successive sips only serving to deepen the flavour. A robust wine for robust dishes, Alamos Malbec is a great barbecue accompaniment.
Buy now £9.75, Tesco
Quinta da Pedra Alta 'Pedra a Pedra' Clarete 2021
Best for: Portuguese power
Quinta da Pedra Alta is a Portuguese maker, settled deep in the Douro Valley and deep in Portugal’s winemaking history; its vineyard is the best in the land, at least according to the three ‘Marcos Pombalinos’ awarded to it in 1761… ‘Pedra a Pedra’ is a Douro DOC (Denominação de Origem Controlada) wine; it hails from the same region of Portugal as Port, but cuts a much sharper figure than its sweet counterpart. Despite its far drier nature, there is sweetness to be found both in scent and taste.
With regard to nose, cherries and berries come straight to the front. Think glace cherry and overripe raspberry, carried with an aromatic air. On the tongue, there is a savoury nature to be found – an umami backbone on which those quintessential fruit flavours are built. That savoury base makes this an ideal counterpart to grilled seafood and saffron.
Buy now £12.95, The Wine Society
Domaine Jones Fitou 2020
Best for: explosive flavour
Domaine Jones is a vineyard wedded to the old – and in the best possible way. This vineyard’s raison d’etre is the conservation of old vines; where other larger manufacturers are content to quickly cultivate new plants in favour of more bountiful harvests, Domaine Jones finds value in well-established vines that, though less productive, provide a quality of flavour that cannot be denied.
The Domaine Jones Fitou 2020 is, in a word, phenomenal. It is, first, an explosion of scent, with all manner of tones clamouring for first recognition. In the milieu, you might notice summer fruits, forest berries, and green coffee beans amongst others, constituting a potent but harmonious nose.
At first sip, there’s a spike of spice, which quickly gives way to extreme softness on the palate. There is a tannin texture to be found, but no ‘hair’ to speak of. The finish has a pleasing hint of plum rum to it, as the high ABV carries those unique flavours to a somnolent finish. The utter smoothness of this wine suits the stately nature of rustic Mediterranean dishes well.
Buy now £14.50, The Wine Society
M&S Balfour English Pinot Noir
Best for: English reds
Another M&S label-bearer, this English pinot noir hails from Balfour, a leading winery in Kent that finds itself at the forefront of the English still wine revolution. This pinot noir has all the trappings of a classic, marrying the unique qualities of Kent clay soil with the traditional flavour profiles of the vitis vinifera.
As to be expected, this is a light yet deep experience, with a heavy emphasis on fruits over anything. Look for strawberry in the nose, and you’ll find it with ease; ditto for black cherry, and of course raspberry. Flavour-wise, there is a hint of vanilla to be found, and a yet-smaller hint of spice - but this is an otherwise smooth and easy drinker.
Buy now £22.00, Ocado
Lautus De-Alcoholised Wine – Savvy Red
Best for: designated drivers
Though all wines featured so far have leaned to the drier end of the scale, this entrant bucks the trend. Indeed, it is the sweetest wine present, at 2g per 100ml serving – or, 20g/l, otherwise designated as a ‘sweet’ wine adjacent to muscat. However, this South African number is different in another key way: it is non-alcoholic.
In recognising the impact of sugar with regard to drinking alcoholic beverages, it is impossible to ignore the far greater importance of moderating alcohol consumption. On a wider level, it is also important to acknowledge that those with diabetes are not immune from being declared designated drivers every once in a while!
The Savvy Red is one of the drier non-alcoholic wines on the market, making it much easier to square away with the rest of your intake. With a pleasingly full-bodied palate, this wine could become an ideal alternative to battling with sugary softs in public scenarios.
Buy now £8.63, Decantalo
Verdict
Choosing the best of this extraordinary collection is not an easy task. There is so much to enjoy about each, with the unique character and fingerprint of not only terroir but vineyard historicity to contend with. While the Domaine Lafage Authentique was a moreish delight to sample, Plaimont’s incredible efforts with the Plaimont Manseng Noir 2022 – coupled with its complete freedom from sugar – make it our choice of best red wine for people with diabetes to drink.
