Gratsi is a low-sugar and ketogenic (keto) wine brand that's marketed as a healthier alternative to regular wine. The company describes their product line as "Zero Sugar, Quality Wine" sourced using "natural ingredients."

But is Gratsi really healthier than regular wine? Does traditional wine contain unhealthy additives? What was our honest experience trying this wine? And is Gratsi better or worse than "healthy" alcohol brands like Anejo?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze research studies on wine additives to share our thoughts on whether or not Gratsi is a healthier alternative.

We'll also analyze the ingredients in Gratsi wine, share our experience purchasing and testing this brand, and compare Gratsi to other popular "healthy" alcohol brands to pick our winners (and losers).

Key takeaways:

• We can't find evidence Gratsi is healthier than traditional wine
• Packaged in plastic which can leach into wine and have negative health effects
• We do not currently recommend Gratsi

Is Gratsi Really Healthier?

Sulfites are compounds added to wine during production that decrease the oxidation rate (spoiling rate) and prevent bacterial overgrowth.

But these preservatives may be unhealthy for some individuals.

A 2019 medical review found that higher concentrations of sulfites increase the risk of wine-induced headaches in individuals susceptible to such.

Gratsi claims to use "minimal sulfites," but fails to prove that the sulfite levels in their wine are lower than that in traditional wine.

A medical review published in the Molecules journal documents that the trend of reducing or eliminating sulfite levels in wine is already occurring in traditional producers:

"In recent years, significant efforts to produce healthier wines has led to the replacement or reduction of the addition of sulfites, using alternative substances or techniques."

Gratsi also claims that their wine has zero sugar, which may be convenient for individuals adhering to specific diets like keto, but we haven't come across any clinical evidence that natural sugar in wine is bad for health.

Sugar in wine tends to come from grapes and is not typically added.

Added sugars are associated with a host of negative health benefits when consumed in excess, but we haven't found the same with naturally-derived sugars.

Overall, we're unconvinced that Gratsi is healthier than any other wine brand.

What's Actually in Gratsi?

The ingredients in Gratsi Red wine are shown below:

It's a great sign that there are no unhealthy additives in this wine (beyond sulfites which are included in nearly every wine).

Grapes are thought to be the cause of most of wine's health benefits.

Moderate wine consumption was shown to be associated with significant reductions in cardiovascular mortality, according to a medical review published in the Annual Review of Nutrition.

There are two reasons proposed to explain this benefit: alcohol thins the blood, and wine is rich in antioxidants from grapes (which are in some cases enhanced via the fermentation process).

Yeast used during fermentation may also enhance immune function, according to a 2015 clinical trial, although this has not yet been proven in humans.

Overall, we consider wine (but not Gratsi, for reasons explained in the next section) to have a net health benefit in regard to health when consumed in moderation.

We Tested Gratsi Wine

As the author of this article, I wanted to try Gratsi myself to share my thoughts on its taste and the overall product experience:

I don't really drink wine much, which you can tell from the fact that I had to use a whisky glass.

I ordered Gratsi Red, and it arrived in a fully plastic-free box which I always appreciate.

The dispensing mechanism arrived somewhat broken or at least out-of-place as you can see in the image above, which made it more inconvenient to pour and cause some minor spills.

The taste was quite dry but I enjoy dry red wines so I liked it. It wouldn't be for everyone though, and it's missing the "fullness" of a typical red wine that contains some natural sugars.

My main complaint is that the wine is packaged in plastic, as you can see in the image below:

Plastic food containers are clinically shown to leach into food and cause health problems, and I would never pay $50 for plastic jug wine.

The negative health impact of wine is packaged in plastic dramatically outweighs any potential health benefit of "keto" wine in my opinion.

It's not clear from the brand's website that the wine is packaged in plastic, and I think this should be made much more clear for potential consumers.

Overall, I'd rate Gratsi 2/10 and I do not plan to purchase from this brand again.

Gratsi vs. "Healthy" Alcohols

Here's how Gratsi wine compares to other popular alcohol brands which are marketed as healthy, in our opinion:

Dry Farm Wines

This brand sells keto wine with two advantages over Gratsi.

First, their wines are certified organic, which was described in a medical review on conventional vs. organic wines as potentially containing lower levels of toxins.

Second, this brand uses glass packaging, which eliminates the risk of plasticizing chemicals leaching into your wine.

Winner: Dry Farm Wines

White Claw

Contains unhealthy flavoring ingredients like refined sugar, citric acid and natural flavors, as we documented in our analysis of White Claw ingredients.

While White Claw has a slight advantage in terms of packaging, we consider Gratsi to be the overall healthy choice due to the lack of unhealthy additives.

Winner: Gratsi

Anejo Organic Resposado

This is the healthiest tequila based on brand we surveyed.

Packaged in glass, certified organic, and free of unhealthy additives.

While we consider wine to be healthier than tequila, this brand gets the advantage from a health perspective due to the packaging.

Winner: Anejo Organic Resposado

Gratsi Pros and Cons

Pros:

• May be lower in sulfites than regular wine
• No additives beyond sulfates
• Sugar-free may benefit those with dietary restrictions

Cons:

• Expensive
• Packaged in plastic
• Dispensing mechanism is ineffective based on our tests
• We tested it and disliked the taste
• We can't find evidence the brand uses less sulfites than other wine brands
• We can't find evidence that sugar-free wine is healthier
• Less healthy than some competitors

Conclusion

Gratsi may be a good choice for individuals on the keto or low-carb diet who want to reduce "empty" calories from wine.

For otherwise healthy individuals without dietary restrictions, we can't find any evidence that Gratsi is a healthier choice than regular wine.

The brand claims to use minimal sulfites, but the industry as a whole seems to be shifting towards minimal sulfites due to consumer preferences, and we can't find evidence that Gratsi's wine is especially low in sulfates.

Most of the sugar in wine comes from grapes, and we haven't come across any medical studies suggesting that sugar from fruit is unhealthy for most people. It's added, refined sugar (like high fructose corn syrup) that we consider to be unhealthy.

Sugar-free wine is an interesting development, and we think that more options are a good thing, since consumers can better tailor their dietary choices to their optimal lifestyle.

This wine is packaged in plastic, which overwhelms any "keto" considerations from a health perspective, in our opinion. This is a tremendous health negative.

We purchased and tried Gratsi wine ourselves and disliked the taste and product experience.

We consider Dry Farm Wines and Anejo Organic Resposado tequila to be healthier alcohol brands than Gratsi, but consider Gratsi to be a healthier option than White Claw.