What’s the first drink you’re looking forward to as you emerge from dry January? A big hefty red? A triple G&T? The temptation, as with a diet, is to plunge back into the things you’ve missed the most, but if you’re trying to build more moderate habits in the long term, it’s better to think of continuing to reduce your alcohol intake, not least because the impact of any booze will be greater after a month of abstinence.
It’s not always realised how alcoholic wine is, even at comparatively moderate ABVs. Sure, 13.5% doesn’t sound a great deal more than 13%, but it has more impact than the half a percentage point suggests. Also, the higher the ABV, the greater the number of calories. As the Drink Aware website rather quaintly points out, “a standard glass of red or white wine (175ml) with 13% ABV could contain up to 160 calories, similar to a slice of madeira cake”. (Who eats madeira cake these days?)
There are several ways of moderating your intake, and my own preference is to drink what I enjoy, but just less of it. Yes, that’s easier said than done, so if that’s something you struggle with, especially once you’ve got a bottle open, it’s better to look instead at wines that are lower in alcohol to begin with. Historically, that was associated with greater sweetness, but technological advances in winemaking have made it possible to get the flavour of a full-strength wine without the same alcohol hit – New Zealand sauvignon blanc being an impressive case in point, with several 9% bottles now available.
It’s also easier to stay at less than 13% by choosing wines from cooler regions – unoaked whites from France and Italy, in particular. Portugal’s vinho verde rarely hits that figure, either, nor do English wines, be they white, red or sparkling. This is admittedly more of a struggle with red wines, with the odd exception such as the Uruguayan tannat in today’s panel. You’re more likely to strike lucky if you’re a fan of what the French call vins de soif, or thirst-quenchers. Many natural wines, such as the beguiling Benje Tinto in the panel below, which I discovered through the natural wine outfit Littlewine, fall into that category.
There’s also one unexpected bonus to lower-alcohol wines that I wasn’t aware of: according to a study by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, the brain devotes more attention to aroma and flavour with lower-alcohol wines, even if it can’t identify which is 13% and which 14.5%. Which, I guess, makes you more of a wine expert.
Five not-too-boozy wines
Brancott Estate Flight Sauvignon Blanc 2020
£6.50 Asda (on offer), £8.50 Sainsbury’s, 9%. A full-flavoured yet low abv New Zealand sauvignon blanc: perfect with a stir-fry, grilled squid or a southeast Asian-style salad.
Aldi Specially Selected Gavi 2019
£6.69 in store only, 12.5%. Italian whites rarely top the 13.5% mark and most, such as this smooth, creamy, very well-priced gavi, come in well under. Perfect with risotto.
Finca Traversa Tannat Merlot Uruguay 2019
£8 Co-op, 12.5%. A richer, softer red than you’d guess from the moderate alcohol level. Good for a hearty stew.
Benje Tinto Envinate
£25 littlewine.co.uk, 12%. Joyously vibrant, juicy red, brimful with red berries and pomegranate. Made from listán prieto, aka fashionable país. Still drinking well three days after opening though I doubt it will often last that long. Perfect for grilled fish or veggies.
Balfour The Suitcase Pinot Noir 2018
£29.99 Majestic (on mix-six), 12.6%. Rich, dark, almost earthy, with a hedgerow character reminiscent of sloe gin. Expensive, but comparable to red burgundy. Would be fantastic with a cold game pie.
• For more by Fiona Beckett, go to matchingfoodandwine.com
