I was pondering what my next post was going to cover and realized I’ve got some bias going on, in favor of liquor-based beverages. I’m not really sorry about that and it will probably continue because I like fun cocktails (and, uh, there’s only so much you can do about the contents in wine and beer) — but I’m acknowledging my bias and so here’s a post about wine.

Oh, and I actively dislike beer and all of it has a shitload of carbs (even the light stuff… and really — “light” beer? Come on), so it’s really unlikely you’re ever going to see a post about beer.  You beer drinkers are on your own for now, unless someone would like to write a guest post. Sorry not sorry.

I made a friend recently who is a sommelier and I’ve been holding out writing about wine hoping he’d guest post about diabetes and wine, but we’ve been literally unable to physically connect to discuss, so you’re stuck with me for now (he sounds interesting so keep your fingers crossed for me). The good news is, as far as I can tell it’s pretty basic — it comes down to how much residual sugar (the fruit sugars in wine grapes) is involved in making any particular type of wine. This article and the images below from our friends at Wine Folly break it down in more detail, but the gist: the drier and less sweet the wine, the less residual sugar it is likely to have – and thus, the less it will jack up blood sugars when consumed.  They note that unless you have a tech sheet handy (I don’t even know what the hell that is), it will be hard to determine how much residual sugar is in a given wine, so follow these two tips:

1. Watch the cheap wines because they likely have more residual sugars and possibly some additional sugars added to improve the taste (OH, so THIS is why the headaches – aha!). Bottles of wine typically ranging from $15+ are considered better in the long run.
2. Drink in moderation. Wait, seriously? Screw this article.

   

   

So let’s apply our newfound knowledge about wine to a Sangria recipe. Sangria is a lovely summery/refreshing beverage that I don’t make often because it’s a pain in the ass to cut all the fruit and requires more than four ingredients, but I’m always happy when I make it, and it’s still summer, DAMMIT.

As an aside, I tend to avoid ordering these when out because restaurants pre-make big batches and the folks selling them don’t always know what’s in them, and between the type of wine used as the base, plus any added liquor, plus all the fruit – you could end up drinking the equivalent of three cokes and not realize it.

Sangria is a subtly strong drink because it contains both wine AND liquor (Cointreau or a similar orange liqueur is recommended), so there are several ways to proceed depending on how drunk you’d like to be after consuming your first glass. It’s also a bit of a “choose your own adventure” regarding how much sugar you add to the recipe and, consequently, whether insulin may need to be involved. Given that there’s liqueur involved as well as fruit, the sugar content can easily add up, so for this recipe it’s important to take both into account when sugar/carb counting. I used my own special pancreas as a guinea pig for the recipe below, and I’d say after about 1.5 hours of sipping approximately 1.5 glasses of my concoction (and sneaking a handful of fruit while I was making it) I’ve gone from about 110 to 135 mg/dL, so all in all not too bad.

I think I found a decent balance for the best of all worlds. I used a dry white wine to make a white Sangria (sorry you red wine drinkers… that shit gives me headaches) so I’m starting with less sugar in my base.  I used peaches and nectarines and other berries because I like them and they’re a little lower on the glycemic index than some other fruit options. I also tested out adding some seltzer water and about 1/2 tsp of liquid stevia to cut the strength of the wine and add a little sweetness. I must say, the overall result wasn’t half bad.

Peach Berry White Sangria (serves 2-3 and/or makes a full pitcher)

Ingredients:

• 1.5-2 bottles dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc are best)
• 2/3 cup Cointreau (or Grand Marnier, or any other orange-flavored liqueur)
• 2 peaches, diced, skin on (you can peel them but I don’t mind the skins)
• 1 nectarine, skin on (you can peel them but I don’t mind the skins)
• 4-5 strawberries, diced
• 1/2 cup blueberries, a little squashed to let out flavor
• Few mint leaves for garnish/flavor
• 3 cups seltzer water (optional)
• 1/2 tsp liquid stevia (optional)

Recommended steps:

1. Cut all the fruit and throw into a fancy pitcher
2. Pour wine and Cointreau into pitcher and stir; in a perfect world, let sit in refrigerator for approx. 3 hours before consuming
3. Add seltzer and stevia (optional)
4. Pour into glass, add ice if desired

The whole concoction can be stored about two days in the refrigerator.

SaveSave