light wine
1. In the United States, this legally defined term refers to wine with 14 percent or less alcohol by volume. 2. light wine has also become a marketing term for wines with a lower alcohol content than regular wines—usually 7 to 10 percent—which translates to fewer calories. These wines are made either by decreasing the sugar (usually by picking the grapes early, before they reach optimum sugar levels) or by using a vacuum distillation process to remove some of the alcohol. Either method lowers the final alcohol content and decreases the caloric content, which generally translates to a lackluster flavor, as well. See also light .
The New Wine Lovers Companion, 2nd Edition, by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Copyright © (1) 2003, 1995 by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational Series, Inc.