Arlow: The Perfect Low-Alcohol Wine for Health-Conscious Enthusiasts

Arlow wants to cater to the growing movement of mindful drinking and those seeking healthier alternatives.

Arlow is debuting this month as a new low-alcohol wine brand, crafted with the intention of providing a flavorful and balanced option for consumers looking to moderate their alcohol intake.

“Over the last five years, we’ve seen increasing demand for solutions to moderate alcohol intake,” Arlow CEO Brandon Joldersma tells Forbes. “While non-alcohol wine has prospered (and sister brand Surely has played an important role in that), we discovered that there has been little innovation in low-alcohol wine.”

Joldersma highlighted the complex process of creating Arlow’s wines, involving blending full-alcohol wines with dealcoholized ones to achieve the desired 6.5% ABV. After a lot of experimentation, Joldersma says the team—including a winemaker and a flavor scientist—realized that they could create wines with around half the alcohol (and calories) of regular wines, which on average can have ABV levels between 12% and 15%, depending on the varietal and winegrowing region.

“Full-alc wines that taste great often taste terrible when dealcoholized, and a great-tasting, dealcoholized wine most likely tasted a bit strange when it was full-alc,” Joldersma says.

A bottle of Arlow’s low-alc rosé wine.

But creating low-alc wines is a complex and time-consuming process, Joldersma notes, which involves blending full alcohol wines with dealcoholized wines to achieve the 6.5% ABV target.

“Thankfully, we have an in-house team that can dedicate the time required to get these blends right,” Joldersma says. “We taste hundreds of wines from our vineyard partners in California, working through a litany of blends to make sure we’re hitting the mark. It’s an art as much as it is a science.”

Joldersma also underscores the shift towards moderation among wine drinkers. The startup aims to tap into the growing trend of mindful drinking, offering an alternative for those looking to enjoy wine without overindulging.

“Many wine fans now intentionally drink less on weekdays. Arlow provides an option for them to enjoy wine without overindulging,” Joldersma explains. “Our wines allow for two glasses on a Tuesday night without worrying about the next morning, or a Sunday afternoon at the pool without needing a nap.”

Low-alc wines usually have a reputation of tasting watered-down, but maintaining taste and quality is paramount for Arlow, Joldersma says.

“We wouldn’t pursue this if we didn’t believe we could offer a quality product at this ABV,” Joldersma says. “ Many ‘lower’ alcohol products prioritize branding over taste. We aim to reverse this trend, proving that you can enjoy a flavorful wine with lower alcohol content.”

Arlow’s low-alc wines by the pool.

And Arlow’s wines are naturally low in calories due to the lower alcohol content.

“While non-alcoholic wine has seen innovation, low-alcohol wine has not kept pace. Most existing low-alcohol options are marketed as low-calorie, ‘diet’ wines,” Joldersma says. “At Arlow, we’ve focused on creating wines with around half the alcohol and calories of traditional wines, without compromising on taste.”

The brand’s inaugural release includes bottles of sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon and rosé varietals, each crafted from California-grown grapes with meticulous attention to detail. Joldersma adds a red blend as well as a pinot noir are currently in development.

The company is also exploring different bottling and packaging options, including canned wines and premium bag-in-box formats.

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About the Author: Chris Lehoux

Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored!