We Tried FitVine…
And you should too! Yesterday, Mallory bought a bottle of FitVine’s cabernet sauvignon at Bartell Drugs. I had never heard of “FitVine” until she posted a picture of the wine bottle on our Instagram account. Which means, of course, I immediately typed FitVine into my open web browser to find out what it was and where I too could buy a bottle. True unabashed FOMO rearing its ugly head resulted in my purchase of a bottle of FitVine Prosecco from Total Wine for $15.99. Now we just had to try it…
What is FitVine?
With a very cute tag line – We Crush Grapes, You Crush Life – FitVine Wine is supposedly a healthier wine option with less sugar, carbs, calories, tannins and histamines. A 5-oz glass of wine (does anyone really only pour themselves this much?) typically has on average 130 calories; whereas, the same size glass of FitVine has ranges between 92 to 120 calories. FitVine advertises less than 0.09 grams of sugar per 5-oz glass and less sugar in an entire bottle than what is in one 5oz glass of the top 10 wine brands in the US. FitVine also claims to be gluten-free and vegan-friendly. Interestingly, while wine is generally considered gluten-free, but not all wines are vegan depending on the fining agents or processing aids that a specific winery may use.
Finally, while many “healthy” wines have lower alcohol contents, FitVine Wine’s alcohol by volume ranges from 13.4 percent to 13.9 percent, which is similar to other non-healthy wines. In fact, FitVine advertises that their goal was to create full-bodied and full-flavored without sacrificing alcohol.
How Does FitVine Taste?
Now for how FitVine Wines (or at least their cabernet sauvignon and prosecco) tastes. Admittedly my expectations were very low. But my low expectations were substantially surpassed!
Mallory (Cabernet Sauvignon): I really enjoyed it! I would never have guessed it was FitVine if someone poured me a glass without showing me the bottle. It was super easy to drink and has less sugar! But is the difference in sugar enough to pick this wine over your favorite Cab? THAT is the question.
Megan (Cabernet Sauvignon): Very dry, light and acidic with a slight alcohol-tasting on the backend. I would not reach for this bottle to compliment a special dinner, but a great option for a glass on weeknights if that is your thing.
Mallory (Prosecco): Very light and easy to drink. Megan and I agreed it didn’t have a ton of taste and would be excellent in mimosas.
Megan (Prosecco): I echo Mallory – very lite, easy to drink, but not a lot of flavor. I would not reach for it again for a celebratory toast, but a bottle of FitVine Prosecco would be a great additional to brunch for mimosas. Maybe that way I won’t end up with a headache in the afternoon?
Where Can I Buy FitVine?
FitVine even offers a 60-day 100% money back guarantee on every bottle purchased online via their website (including return shipping). What do you have to lose? However, if you are looking to just try a bottle (or two), Total Wine offers a large variety of FitVine wines, including chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, prosecco, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon. FitVine is also sold at Bartell Dugs, BevMo!, Metropolitan Market, QFC, and Whole Foods with prices ranging from $12.99 to $21.99.
Would We Recommend FitVine?
Neither the FitVine Cabernet Sauvignon or Prosecco were special occasion bottles for me, but the cab is a great daily drinker and the processo would make a great mimosa! While FitVine does not save you a ton of calories, the older I get, the more frequently I wake up in the middle night after drinking a couple glasses of wine and then stay awake for hours. I blame the sugar! Willing to give FitVine a try to avoid sleepless nights and perhaps less headaches. We will report back once we have done more “research”.
**Don’t worry, no actual working out occurred while taking these pictures but a lot of fun was had!
