Torres Natureo De-Alcoholised White
0%
This isn’t actually a wine as it has no alcohol, but I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it recently. Torres make a white wine from the Muscat grape and then take the alcohol out. Muscat is generally very aromatic with soft fruit, and some of both remain in this very palatable drink. Well worth a try if you are going dry in January. There are a mere 172.5 calories in a bottle so you can feel doubly virtuous.
Widely available for €7.25-7.95 nationwide.
Dão Jardim da Estrela 2014, Carlos Lucas
13%
I feel an article on Dão (pronounced Dow with your nose pinched) coming on; I have tasted a number of really good wines from this part of Portugal over the last year or two, often at very competitive prices. The reds tend to be light and juicy, perfect all-rounders to partner chicken and pork as well as less assertive red meats. The whites can be pretty good too. This one is soft and very gluggable with juicy blackcurrant and red cherry fruits.
Available from Clontarf Wines; Browns, Portlaoise; JJ O Driscoll, Ballinlough; O Learys, Cootehill; Hole in The Wall, D7; Quintessential Wines, Drogheda, for €12.95.
