Whether it’s something to pop open when you get home from work on a warm summer night, or an incentive to participate in a not-so-dry January, every wine drinker should have a few options on hand for easy-drinking sippers. Low-alcohol wines are crowd pleasers year-round and are becoming more popular among new generations of drinkers. Plus, these are the sorts of bottles that you don’t need to debate opening. You can simply uncork (or twist off) and enjoy. What Is Low-Alcohol Wine? Low-alcohol wines are typically under 11% alcohol-by-volume (ABV), according to the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. In comparison, a typical wine from California is closer to 13.5% to 14.5% ABV, explains Wine Enthusiast Senior Tasting Editor Jim Gordon. How Are Low-Alcohol Wines Made? There are many ways that winemakers can make a low-alcohol wine. The first option is to use natural methods, explains Gordon. “You harvest the grapes on the early side when they haven’t developed a whole lot of sugar, because it’s the sugar content of the grapes that turns directly into alcohol when it’s fermented by yeast,” he says. “If you harvest the grapes early, at 19% sugar, and then you ferment them, you might get 11% alcohol. If you wait until they taste really ripe, at least 23% to 25% sugar, then it’s going to be 13.5% to 14.5% or higher in alcohol.” Alternatively, some areas of the world, like Germany, Austria and other Northern European countries, produce slightly sweet wines that have lower alcohol but maintain their fuller body, Gordon says. “The winemaker stops the fermentation when there is some residual sugar left, so it’s not converting all the sugar to alcohol. It’s going to be lower alcohol,” he explains. Winemakers can also use other methods that aren’t considered “natural” to lower the alcohol content of wine. Some use spinning cone technology, a type of distillation that removes alcohol. Others use reverse osmosis, sometimes called membrane filtration, which filters wine through a semi-permeable membrane and removes some of the alcohol, Gordon says. From the Shop Find Your Wine a Home Our selection of white wine glasses is the best way to enjoy the wine’s subtle aromas and bright flavors. Shop All Wine Glasses Best Low-Alcohol Wines Best Red Low-Alcohol Wines Best White Low-Alcohol Wines FAQs Are Low-Alcohol Wines Good? This is based on personal preference. “Wines can taste really lean if they’re only 11% or less,” says Gordon. “The alcohol gives you the feeling of roundness and richness, and the riper flavors that come later in the season are from grapes that have more sugar.” He adds that lower-alcohol wines can come off a little acidic and tart. But that doesn’t mean they’re not delicious. If you don’t mind a lighter bodied, acidic wine or a sweet wine—these are worth opening. “I personally enjoy the wines that are naturally lower in alcohol,” he says. How Do You Choose a Low-Alcohol Wine? The best way to determine if a wine is low alcohol is by looking at the abv listed on the bottle. Anything below 11% abv is considered low alcohol. Additionally, some regions produce styles of wine lower in alcohol, like Germany. Unfortunately, most bottles will not indicate what method they used to lower the alcohol in the wine. Is Low-Alcohol Wine Better for You? This is very dependent on the wine and what you’re looking for. Because alcohol itself contains calories, a lower-alcohol wine will tend to have fewer calories than a higher-alcohol wine. If it is a dry, low-alcohol wine, it may also contain less sugar than its higher-alcohol counterparts. Why Trust Us? All products featured here are independently selected by our team, which is comprised of experienced writers and wine tasters and overseen by editorial professionals at Wine Enthusiast headquarters. All ratings and reviews are performed blind in a controlled setting and reflect the parameters of our 100-point scale. Wine Enthusiast does not accept payment to conduct any product review, though we may earn a commission on purchases made through links on this site. Prices were accurate at the time of publication.