We’ve all heard the saying: “Less is more.”
While it may sound like a simple concept, it’s often difficult to put into practice, especially when it comes to wine.
Houston Champagne house owner Matthew Massey — who is also a health and fitness enthusiast — is on a mission to show people that less can indeed be more. Matthew’s company, Champagne Madame Zéro, recently debuted its ultra-low sugar wine (less than 0.5 grams per glass, to be exact).
And it’s quickly becoming a favorite among wine lovers. It’s won the 2022 Sommelier’s Choice Award and a Silver Medal at the Rodeo Houston 2022 Wine Competition.
Matthew’s journey to create Madame Zéro began while he was a teenager working as a server at an Italian restaurant in Galveston, where he learned about the beauty of wine. This began his lifelong fascination with wine and the regions it comes from.
As Matthew got older, he traveled to many of the world’s top wine regions. A trip to Champagne, France, sparked his interest in making wine.
While exploring many of the 319 villages in the region, he came to understand Champagne as a wine of place as opposed to style. This inspired him to look into the composition of wine.
He found that many Champagne houses add moderate to large amounts of sugar to achieve balance and cover up imperfections. So he set out to create a Champagne with minimal sugar.
How did he do it?
Matthew partnered with a winemaker in the Premier Cru village of Vertus and used only the highest quality Chardonnay grapes, so there is no need to add a lot of sugar.
The result?
A friendlier choice for people following a keto or low-carb diet and those living with diabetes who want to enjoy a glass of wine guilt-free. For those who want to know the calorie count and nutrition information for Madame Zéro, it’s printed right on the label.
Care was also taken in creating the logo, bottle and packaging. The imagery includes a purple slash, highlighting the wine’s nonconformist style, and the lace on the packaging is inspired by the bubbles in Champagne.
And each bottle has a “Modern Madame” cap encompassing the wire and cage.
Madame Zéro is available at several of Houston’s top restaurants, including Brasserie 19, Da Marco, MAD and Mastro’s. It’s also available at Central Market and Spec’s at select locations.
Independently distributed, Madame Zéro can be shipped to 44 states, making it available to Houston restaurants and for local and regional events or tastings.
To learn more about Champagne Madame Zéro, visitwww.madamezero.com.
