There was a time when putting the word ‘light’ after Marlborough meant something rather different. In 2026, thankfully, it’s more likely to be found in your wine glass.
Better-for-you drinks brand TRACES has launched a new Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc aimed at drinkers looking to lighten the load without abandoning wine altogether.
The new TRACES Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc contains zero sugar and 79 calories per 125ml glass – around 30 per cent fewer calories than a typical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc – while still clocking in at a relatively conventional 11.5 per cent ABV.
And despite the lighter billing, this isn’t Sauvignon Blanc with the interesting bits stripped out. According to TRACES, nothing is removed from the finished wine and it isn’t watered down to bring down the calorie count.
Instead, the producer says the trick is in the vineyard and fermentation. Grapes are picked at the optimum moment before being fully fermented, resulting in a dry wine with no residual sugar and fewer calories.
Flavour-wise, it stays firmly in familiar Marlborough territory: bright tropical fruit, citrus zest and that unmistakable hit of gooseberry that has helped make New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc one of Britain’s favourite styles of white wine.
Low- and no-alcohol bottles have become increasingly familiar sights in the wine aisle, but TRACES is taking a slightly different route here: this is still very much wine, rather than an alcohol-free approximation of it. The proposition is simply fewer calories and no sugar.
So, a Marlborough Light for a new generation, you might say. No need to stand outside the pub to enjoy this one.