Low Calorie Meal, Pizza Express 600 Calorie wine and pizza

PizzaExpress introduces lower calorie, lower alcohol wine to its popular ‘Leggera’ (Italian for ‘light’) range, allowing customers to enjoy a pizza and glass of wine for around 600 calories.

Following the success of its Leggera pizzas (each around 500 calories), PizzaExpress has developed Leggera wines, which are lighter and less calorific**, so that you can relax and enjoy a glass of wine with your meal, even if you’re counting your calories or watching your alcohol intake.

PizzaExpress is the first restaurant on the high street to develop a wine which is lower in both calories and alcohol while really delivering on taste. Leggera wines contain 25% fewer calories and 25% less sugar than an average wine from its wine list, meaning that a 175ml glass is just 87 calories. The Leggera Pinot Bianco is 9% alcohol and the Leggera Sangiovese is 9.5% ABV. The secret behind their reduced calories and lower alcohol content while still offering a tasty drop lies in the early harvesting of the grapes, while sugar levels are still low. The Leggera Sangiovese is blended with super-ripe Sicilian Merlot to fill out the fruit profile.

Nutritionist Juliette Kellow comments,

“Weight conscious diners who want to control portions and cut calories welcome more choice on the high street. Lower calorie, lower alcohol wine in restaurants allows them to go out for dinner and enjoy a tasty meal and glass of wine without sacrifice.”

Master of Wine Adrian Garforth has been working with PizzaExpress for six years to develop the best wine selection on the high street, introducing new grapes, wine styles and regions to its customers. Predominantly an Italian selection, wines are listed according to style and each with its own tasting note to help guide customers in their choice.

Adrian Garforth, Master of Wine, comments,

“Lower calorie, lower alcohol wines have been an increasingly important discussion point for both the trade and the consumer over the last few months and it’s great to see PizzaExpress take this on board. We’ve worked with their growers to deliver a really great tasting wine and developed a winning concept.”

A glass of Leggera wine is the perfect complement to a Leggera pizza, and, because together they add up to around 600 calories, you can indulge yourself without having to feel guilty.

The wines are available in 370 PizzaExpress restaurants nationwide; the bottle price is £16.55 and both wines are also available by the glass (175ml & 250ml).