Low-alcohol doesn’t have to mean low-taste, but no-alcohol is a tougher nut to crack. For good lower alcohol wines, look to the cooler vineyards of Germany
AS REGULAR READERS will be aware, I am a great fan of lower alcohol wines. They enable you to enjoy that extra glass without falling under the table. The ideal for me is around 12-13 per cent alcohol. In recent times, winemakers have tended to harvest later to achieve greater ripeness. As the sugar levels rise at the same time, it means that many wines are now considerably higher in alcohol.
However, I have always had my doubts about wines where the alcohol level has been artificially reduced. My rather narrow-minded view would be, if you want to drink wine, then drink it; if not, drink something else. I realise that this may be a slightly blinkered approach; after all, many of the wines that are traditionally light in alcohol have been altered by man-made techniques. There are many ways of keeping a wine low in alcohol – cooler vineyard sites, picking grapes earlier, reverse osmosis, using special yeasts, or stopping fermentation. The last means the wine will have some residual sugar, and taste off-dry or even sweet.
My tasting of lower-alcohol wines was not very successful. I tried a dozen or so wines from a number of different producers, but I found most of them very disappointing.
One concern was that most seem to be a little old; possibly stocks are not shifting as fast as they should. But the main problem was a lack of balance. I know I use the word frequently in my tasting notes, but it is the single most important factor in making a wine taste great. Every wine needs just the correct amount of fruit, tannin, alcohol, acidity and sweetness. If it doesn’t, it won’t taste quite right.
The quantities of each component can vary enormously; a dessert wine needs plenty of acidity to offset the sweetness, or it will seem cloying. It may be that my taste buds are unused to these wines, but I found almost all of them unbalanced, either too acidic or just confected. The most successful wines seemed to be those that were not trying to taste like a normal wine. An alcohol-free (or .5 per cent alcohol) wine from Torres was very attractive, as were two sparkling wines from South Africa.
First Cape in South Africa uses a combination of arrested fermentation, spinning cone and “a special blending process” about which it is very coy. Spinning cone involves putting the finished wine through a column, a process that separates the alcohol, part of which is then returned to the juice. You get a very palatable glass of fresh, fizzy fruit. Because of its lower alcohol content, it is also priced very reasonably, as it attracts a lower tax. These are not serious wines, but they will make many friends over the summer with those looking for an inexpensive chilled drink. Under EU rules, it cannot be described as wine, but falls under the very uninviting term “reduced alcohol wine-based drink”.
Another option is a wine cooler. These are incredibly popular with some people. I understand West Coast Cooler is an Irish invention. However, if I were a winemaker I would get a bit upset at the idea of anyone adding water (or any other liquid) to my wine; after all, haven’t I spent a year or more crafting the perfect product?
After the disappointment of my tasting, I turned to an old favourite. All German Riesling is fairly low in alcohol, frequently under 10 per cent. Wine merchant Joe Karwig in Cork has a great range of German wines. My suggestion, if you want lower alcohol wines, is to look at Gemany, the Hunter Valley in Australia, or Vinho Verde in Portugal. For red wines, Beaujolais Villages or Loire red (both sometimes just 12 per cent) are your best bet.
BOTTLES OF THE WEEK
First Cape Café Collection White NV, 5.5%, €6.99 This has plenty of fizz – it’s almost frothy – and is light, with plenty of pineapple fruits. You miss the alcohol, but not too much. It is a little short on the finish, but is not overly sweet (a fault with many lower-alcohol wines). I can see this being very popular on sunny days. Stockists: Londis, and widely available through independent retailers
First Cape Café Collection Rosé NV, 5.5%, €6.99As with the white, plenty of fizz, but this time with crisp, cherry fruits, nice acidity and clean throughout. You would not mistake it for rosé Champagne, but it is about a quarter of the price. Stockists: Londis, and widely available through independent retailers
Torres Natureo NV, 0.5%, €6.99At 0.5% alcohol, it doesn't really constitute wine, but I enjoyed this more than most soft drinks. It is not too sweet, and it has some lovely fresh, crisp, grapey Muscat fruit and decent length. Serve well chilled as an aperitif, to dinner guests who are driving, or as a summer refresher. Stockists: Dunnes Stores; Supervalu; O'Brien's; Next Door; Mitchell Son, Glasthule chq; Deveney's, Dundrum; Ardkeen Stores, Waterford; The Corkscrew, Chatham Street; Cases, Galway; McHugh's, Dublin 5; Redmond's, Ranelagh
Riesling Qualitätswein 2008, Mosel, Willi Haag, 9%, €14.15From one of the best estates in the Mosel, this has a youthful, fresh, clean nose, slightly spritzy green apple and melon fruits, good acidity and a clean, off-dry finish. Zippy and fresh, it is perfect for summer drinking. I would also recommend the 2002 Spätlese from the same estate – a wonderful wine for just over €18. Stockist: Karwig Wines, Carrigaline
Saarburger Kupp Riesling Kabinett Feinherb 2010, Mosel, Dr. Wagner, 10.5%, €16.20 Lovely young mineral nose; crisp, dry and quite steely. This is not unlike a delicate Loire wine. Fresh, crisp, green apple fruits (the Saar is a cooler region) and a lovely summer wine. Stockist: Karwig Wines, Carrigaline
Beer of the week: Green's Endeavour Gluten-Free Beer, 6%, €3.29 for a 33cl bottleDespite its name, this beer is made in Belgium. A dark beer, with plenty of toasty coffee and dark chocolate, this is well worth trying if you are coeliac. Green's claims that its beers do not contain sulphur, lactose, fish, peanuts or any other allergen, so they may be a safe bet if you suffer from allergies.
