One of the reasons I’m not in favour of dry January is that it teaches you nothing about moderation. The temptation is to go back to what you were previously drinking with a huge sigh of relief, in much the same way as you hit the Easter eggs after giving up chocolate for Lent.
There is another way forward, though, and that is to buy wines that are lower in alcohol; after the recent increase in duty on wines with a higher ABV, there are a now growing number of them, too. An 11% wine, for example, attracts £2.35 duty, compared with £2.67 for most still wines; reduce that to 8%, meanwhile, and you have to pay only £1.49.
But is that likely to satisfy you? Apart from riesling (even that is higher in alcohol than it once was) and Portugal’s vinho verde, few wines are naturally low in alcohol, and those that are generally tend to be sweet. Interestingly, one company that has cottoned on to the trend for lower-ABV wines is Laithwaites, which, according to wine director Nick Taylor, recently worked out that just under a tenth of all the bottles it sold in the past six months were 11% ABV or under. Not all its customers seem to be convinced, however: the Portuguese red in today’s pick below seems to be a bit of a Marmite wine, with ratings ranging from one to four stars, with one customer proclaiming it “delightful” and another “an appalling excuse for a red wine”. I found it quite appealing when I opened it, but it was not as good the next day, plus I can’t help but feel that if the duty is lower, the price should be, too. More widely popular is Laithwaites’ bright, zesty Gooseberry Bush Colombard Sauvignon Blanc 2023 (£9.99, or £8.99 by the case, 10.5%), from South Africa, which is now the retailer’s best-selling white.
A better way forward might be drinking a wine you actually like, but doing so from a smaller glass and moderating the alcohol that way instead. A 125ml glass of a 12% wine (which comes about halfway up an average-sized wine glass) is 1.3 units, whereas a 14.5% one is just over 1.8 units; similarly, a 175ml glass, which is more common in pubs, would be 2.1 for a 12% wine and 2.53 for a 14.5% wine. (You can work out how many units there are in any drink by multiplying the total volume in millilitres by its percentage ABV and dividing the result by 1,000.)
At the end of the day, it’s up to you, but if you like the sound of lower-alcohol wines, here are four that should tick that particular box.
Five wines that are lower in alcohol
Maria Fadista Vinho Verde £10.99 (£9.99 as part of a mixed case of 12) Laithwaites, 8.5%. Fresh, sharp, spritzy white – good for the ABV.
Stones & Bones Ligeiro 2021 £10.99 (£9.99 as part of a mixed case of 12) Laithwaites, 10.5%. Soft, ripe, jammy red that packs a bigger punch than its abv. Share it with friends, though, because it’s not as good the next day.
Wrong Turn Fernão Pires 2023 £8.99 Aldi (in store only), 11.5%. Light, aromatic, off-dry South African white that you’ll enjoy if you’re a riesling or gewürztraminer fan. Low stocks, so snap it up if you spot it.
The Doctors’ Riesling 2022 £11.99 (£8.99 on mix-six) Majestic, 9%. The Doctors’ range is really good – there’s also a very decent sauvignon – and this is a vivid, limey, off-dry riesling with a whiff of kerosene. Would be good with a Thai meal.
Eric Texier Chat Fou 2021 £12.25 (sale price, down from £17) Berry Bros & Rudd, 12.5%. Fresh, gluggable vin de soif from the Rhône – a style that’s clearly not entirely to Berry Bros’ customers’ taste, given the size of the reduction. Good price for a natural wine, though.
For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com
