WEIGHT WATCHERS WHITE WINE

MOST PEOPLE would like to drop a few pounds but dieting often entails cutting out the wine and who wants to do that? Weight Watchers to the rescue! The diet company is getting into the wine business – kind of, with the launch of Cense, a lower-calorie Sauvignon Blanc which has fewer points per glass than the typical vino.  Although it may seem like a strange choice for a brand extension, wine is actually the second most-tracked beverage (coffee is first).  So, the company partnered with California producer Truett-Hurst Winery (which makes wines for retailers like Trader Joe’s).  The goal was to create a wine that clocked in at three points, rather than the typical four.  The formula turned out to be in an algorithm that kept sugar and calories low – so a 5-ounce glass contains 85 calories as opposed to the typical 12O – but it also lowered the alcohol level.  Most wines are labeled between 9 and 15 percent, with Sauvignon Blancs coming in around 11-13.5.  Cense is 9.6 percent alcohol by volume.  After several failed attempts with fuller-bodied reds the company shifted its focus to working with a varietal that produces wines that are crisp, aromatic and high in acidity: Sauvignon Blanc.  The grapes are sourced from a vineyard in Marlborough and made into wine there then shipped to the US, where the alcohol is reduced and the wine is bottled.  Historically lower calorie wines are often lacking in body and flavor but the Cense has scored well so far with all the hallmark notes of a classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.  The two companies expect to launch a rosé next.