Skip to main content

Dry farm wines: Organic, sugar-free wines you won’t feel guilty about

Are dry farm wines too good to be true?

Hands toasting with red wine
rikkia hughes / Unsplash

If you love to drink wine but seek a cleaner, healthier option, dry farm wines might be right for you. This sugar-free, organic, and additive-free wine may sound too good to be true — yet it exists. Dry, warm wines have identified the major problems within today’s wine industry and sought to create a wine that is both delicious and guilt-free. Plus, they even offer a wine subscription membership so you can keep the natural wine flowing! Let’s dive in and explore what this new “healthy” wine is all about.

Close up of charcuterie board and glasses of wine on wooden table.
Cavan / Adobe Stock

Problems with the wine industry

The wine shelves at your local wine store might be full of different enticing labels and unique packaging, yet the majority of these brands contain significant levels of pesticides. Only 5% of all vineyards in the world are organically farmed, leaving the vast majority of consumer wines with harmful pesticides that most drinkers aren’t even aware of. Grapes are consistently part of the “dirty dozen,” an annual list by the Environmental Working Group that notes the produce that contains the highest level of pesticides. These pesticides used on grapes often include fungicides and insecticides, which ultimately end up in our delicious wine.

Recommended Videos

There are also 76 additives that winemakers in the U.S. are allowed to use in products, despite 12 of these being categorized as health hazards by the NIH. To make matters worse, wine bottle labels in the U.S. are not regulated. This means companies are not required to put ingredients or nutrition labels — so how do we really know what is in our wine?

What is dry farming?

Dry farming is a specific type of farming that produces crops in the dry season without irrigation. These crops use the water retained in the soil from natural rainfall. This method is not commonly used by farmers, as it has a much lower yield when compared to traditional farming methods. Dry farming can result in grapes that have a richer, more complex flavor. Choosing natural wines like Dry farm wines guarantees your wine was sourced from grapes grown by farmers using dry farm practices and nutrient-rich soils that do not contain pesticides or herbicides.

Glass of white wine
StockSnap / Pixabay

Why choose dry farm wines

Dry farm wines may sound too good to be true, but they’re truly a better choice for your nightly glass of wine. Unlike commercial wine companies that use additives, dry farm wines use no additives to produce a quality, clean wine for your enjoyment. Each wine is lab tested to ensure it contains less than 1g/L of sugar, less than 12.5% alcohol, and less than 75 ppm sulfites. The rigorous lab-testing process ensures the consistency of these high-quality bottles of wine.

But this is only one of the many reasons to opt for dry farm wines. Another reason dry farm wines are so popular is their lower sugar content. The fermentation process of these wines allows native yeasts to convert the naturally occurring sugar in grapes to alcohol. This process results in a wine that contains less than 2 grams per glass. For people on a ketogenic or paleo diet, sugar-free wines are a safe option to consume. This also means diabetics can safely consume a glass of wine without a major impact on blood glucose levels. Furthermore, people who wish to consume only organic products now have the option to enjoy a glass of wine straight from small family farms that use only organic farming practices.

Dry farm wines also offer wines that do not contain toxic additives such as food coloring, high-fructose corn syrup, and ammonia. If you’ve ever had a bad wine hangover, these additives might be the reason why.

White wine in glass swirling
Big Dodzy / Unsplash

What is the alcohol content of dry farm wines?

Another unique difference between dry farm wines compared to conventional wine is their alcohol content. Each of dry farm wine’s products contains 12.5% or less alcohol per serving. In comparison, most store-bought wines have about 14% alcohol. By containing less alcohol, you can enjoy the delicious taste of wine without having to consume as much alcohol. This is an attractive benefit for those who prefer not to consume too much alcohol or cannot consume much alcohol for medical reasons.

Red wine glass in vineyard
Grape Things / Pexels

Types of dry farm wines available

Dry farm wines offer something for everyone to enjoy with a vast collection of red wines, white wines, rosé wines, and sparkling wine varieties. The red wine collection offers healthier variations of the classic wines you know and love, such as Pinot Noir, yet also includes delicious yet lesser-known wines such as Sangiovese. If you prefer white wine, the white wine subscription box includes Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and other favorites. There is also a box dedicated to all rosé wines and a box for sparking varieties as well. Unlike other wine brands, dry farm wines clearly label how much residual sugar is in each bottle, so you’ll know exactly what you’re consuming.

What’s unique about dry farm wines is their red and white mixed box, giving you options to select a variety of wines for every occasion. Whether you’re purchasing it for yourself or gifting a dry farm wine box, there’s certainly a great selection of guilt-free wines to choose from.

Emily Caldwell
Emily is a freelance journalist who focuses on food, beverage, health, fitness, and travel content. She loves to travel to…
Chianti wine: Everything you want to know about this charming drink
There's something special about this Italian superstar
Wine, cheese and grapes spread

It doesn't get much more quintessentially Italian than Chianti. Everything about this wine - even the bottle itself - simply sings of romantic sidewalk cafes, gorgeously flowing fountains, and lush Italian countryside picnics. It's hard to even open a bottle without hearing Pavarotti singing from somewhere in the distant corners of our minds.

But what is it about this charmingly classic wine that makes it so famous? What does Chianti actually taste like? What's the difference between Chianti and Chianti Classico? And which foods are best served with this staple of Italian culture? We're here to answer all of the questions you've ever asked yourself about Chianti.
What is Chianti wine?

Read more
A quick guide to wine bottle sizes, shapes, and names
Did you know that there are different names for all of the different wine bottle sizes?
Standard wine bottle with a glass of red wine

There are more than just a few kinds of wine bottles out there. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of shape and the same amount of liquid. Other times, it’s a broad spectrum of volume sizes, from the petite and personal split to the ridiculously large Nebuchadnezzar, which holds roughly twenty regular bottles. If you really want to be a wine expert, you must know the unique names of each of the wine bottle sizes and shapes as well as how much wine each holds.

Below, check out the names for the various bottle sizes, as well as an explanation for why some look the way they do.
A guide to wine bottles

Read more
The best French wines for toasting the 2024 Paris Olympics
Olympics and wine: A timely pairing
Three glasses of champagne

The Olympics are upon us. It's time to raise a glass to your favorite athlete; just make sure there's something good in there. We suggest some of the best French wines, fitting pours given that the 2024 Games take place in Paris.

There are countless reasons to celebrate, even if you're not nuts about the Olympics. For starters, this international gathering of the globe's top talent only takes place every four years. And this year, it takes place in a land synonymous with wine, from festive Champagne to graceful Sancerre.

Read more