Low-alcohol wines are trending. Here’s one that’s actually good.
Consumers are increasingly interested in "lite" wine. But removing alcohol alters flavor and compromises the complex balance of tastes, smells, and textures that people expect from a good wine.
If there is one thing that winemakers are certain of at the dawn of 2026, it’s that demand will continue to grow for lighter wines that contain less alcohol. To date, those who have successfully capitalized on this trend have tended to be cheap, mass-market brands. To appeal to those looking to reduce their alcohol intake, many companies have created “light” brand spinoffs, in which some portion of the wine’s alcohol is removed with tech wizardry.
Removing alcohol, however, alters flavor and compromises the complex balance of tastes, smells, and textures that people expect from a good wine.
As lighter wines grow more popular, a number of smaller and more traditional wineries are exploring alternate methods for making lower-alcohol wines without sacrificing quality. Companies like Ramón Bilbao in Spain are making lighter, brighter, and fresher wines by changing how they grow their grapes instead of how they make their wine.
This limited-edition “Early Harvest” wine is crafted from verdejo grapes picked two weeks earlier than usual in the Rueda region of Spain’s Douro River Valley. Picking grapes earlier results in fruit that contains lower levels of sugar and higher levels of tangy acidity — yielding fresh, vibrant wines that contain a lower percentage of alcohol than the norm.
Ramón Bilbao’s standard Rueda verdejo contains 13% alcohol, a very typical strength for a dry, unoaked white wine. This early-harvested version is 15% lower in alcohol, coming in at only 11% ABV. Both iterations are crisp, dry, citrusy, and herbal, with a flavor profile that would please any fan of sauvignon blanc or grüner veltliner. However, rather than tasting flattened by alcohol-reduction machinery, this early-harvested edition is simply more delicate and perhaps a touch more refined. It is, after all, a superior cuvée from a single estate. Its flavors may be lighter and milder but the wine is nonetheless balanced, complex, and complete in a way that manipulated “light” wines are not.
Ramón Bilbao “Early Harvest” Verdejo
Rueda, Spain; 11% ABV
PLCB Item #100049347 — on sale for $16.99 through Feb. 2 (regularly $19.99)
No alternate retail locations within 50 miles of Philadelphia according to wine-searcher.com.