Keep calm and pour on – The one which comes with a trigger warning: this article contains alcohol
With the first month of 2023 coming to an end, and Blue Monday in our rear-view mirror, some folks may have enjoyed a month of delicious food while participating in Veganuary, some may have given up all new year’s resolutions, while others still cling to them. That is life, I guess.
I have always liked January. It is the needed time and silence after the hustle and drama of Christmas. The air is crisp, the colours muted, and my brain can switch off and simply enjoy the monotone landscapes passing me while I travel to work. January is bliss.
My mum hates this time of the year and usually hops on a plane to catch some winter sun – she’s definitely a summer-person. The husband too, he is most happy when the sun is high in the sky, fruits are growing, and birds undergo their annual moult. Although he has been known to enjoy crisp wintery days, he’s just not a fan of the wet and cold temperatures. Me, on the other hand, I like the solitude and sombreness January brings, with all its rain, fog and frost. Like I said, for me January is heaven, for my mum, it’s hell, and for the husband it’s something in-between.
And, for others, January is the “new beginning” they needed to trick themselves into losing some weight, or to give up alcohol for a month… yup Dry January was and is almost everywhere.
This may or may not come as a shock, but I don’t really support the notion of Dry January. Don’t get me wrong, giving up the booze for some time, is far healthier than imbibing, but I personally don’t think it is healthy to attach so much and, indeed too much, purpose to it.
Whether you partake in Dry January, or Damp January, or if you don’t pay it any mind, is up to you, and no one else.
Drink boozy wine, indulge in high-octane beers or sip your way through non-alcoholic gins – the adult beverage industry is filled with options for every palate, from 0% French Merlot to 40% Blended Canadian Whisky – to infinity and beyond.
You certainly don’t need to have a problematic attitude to drinking or follow a challenge to drink no/low! I’ve always been fascinated by non-alcoholic drinks [insert the husband’s grumbling about the no/lo occupied shelf space here] and as such have had some real beauts!
Some of the best beers I had were non-alcoholic beers [insert Mash Gang’s portfolio here]. And I had some very decent alcohol-free ciders as well. Oh, and my love for Kombucha is quite something indeed… Bu this January, I embarked on a totally new chapter of drinking: wine.
Yes, in 2023 the fermented grape has officially caught my attention, after dabbling with it on a few occasions in 2022. I still feel kinda dirty though…
So, in the spirit of scientific exploration, I got the corkscrew out searched the world wide web for no and low alcoholic wines.
The world of wine has always been a rather snobby and tedious environment to me. Wines tended to taste “dead” or simply unappealing. As the husband can attest, wine and I was never going to happen… or so I thought.
When I was a teenager, sparkling wine use to be my drink of choice during girl’s nights, but later on, other than getting the bubbs out when we celebrated something, I didn’t really need grapes in my glass[i].
Yet, as a certified Pommelier (I’m still so freaked out about this!) and armed with a totally new approach to drinking, I began to (finally) approach wine in December 2022.
And with the clock striking 12 on New Year’s Eve, Dry January became part of my motivation and vehicle to sip my way through fermented grape juice, various blends and bottles from various countries.
At the time or writing, I had 23 different wines, eight reds, eight whites and seven rosés.
Why start with the no low versions when you may not experience the full overall joy an alcoholic wine can bring, you may ask?
I don’t think no/low wines (or indeed beer, cider and spirits) are a substitute for their alcoholic counterparts. They are beverages in their own right and I personally don’t compare no/low with alcohol. I’ve written about this before, check out First stop on the #NoLow Orchard Tour- Apple Ciders if you’re interested, so I won’t go into more detail here.
All I will say is, I consider non-alcoholic drinks to be as “real” as the alcoholic versions mingle with. And as such, I think dipping my toes into the no/lo wine world is perfectly suitable in trying to get a hang of the various grapes, appellations and naming conventions.
So, it turns out I really like Shiraz. And I like Syrah. And Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay…. Yes, it turns out I actually like wine?!? Shock! Horror! Reluctantly, I am waving the white flag…
My small, yet growing collection[ii] of taste samples in the wine world has already taught me that I can’t go back now… the fascination of what this liquid could taste like has got to me (to the husband’s delight), and I want to learn more. My palate deserves more amazing beverages that it has experienced so far – I am building up my library of aromas and taste if anyone is asking.
But wine’s arrogance and snootiness seem to put a break on my adventure fairly quickly:
Old World versus New World, unoaked, acid-driven, young, old, buttery, tannic, honeysuckle, Châteaux two-by-four, earthy, complexity, typicity? Merlot, Chardonnay, Spätburgunder, Vinho Verde, Cava, Sekt and Processo… say what?!
Talk apples to me baby, I get apples
Nonetheless, I’m not one to shy away from liquid explorations[iii], and so, I dive in head first pulling the cork out of a New World 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon from Ariel[iv].
Oh, the glug! glug! glug! sound only a wine seems to make… Yes, full body immersion and all senses explorations here.
“2020 vintage 0% ABV, pours a still clear ruby; on the nose fruity forward with notes of black cherry and juicy black currants, vanilla and plums in the background, very slight oak notes, blink and you miss them; on the palate smooth and juicy, dark fruit characters with black cherry and blackberries dominating, velvety smooth, tart, dry, textured, light bodied yet full of juiciness, gently spiced oak notes, lingering underlying gentle yet zippy acidity; overall a fantastic new world no/low option”
Oh, and then there was a Syrah – Cabernet Sauvignon Rosado 2021 from Familia Torres[v]
“2021 vintage, 0% ABV; pours a still brilliant light to medium salmon; on the nose crisp and fruity, yellow stone fruit – peach and nectarine; red fruit – raspberry and red currant; finishing with citrus fruit – lime zest and lemon; on the palate crisp and delicate – primarily lemon, raspberry and peach, followed by zippy lime zest and dry cranberry; light bodied and fruit forward, light acidity balanced well with juicy notes; overall sunshine in a glass”
And who could forget the vegan friendly South African Sauvignon Blanc from Darling Cellers[vi]
“Non-vintage, 0% ABV; pours a clear light straw, light lime hues; on the nose clean, fruity and zippy, lemon, lime and melon character, ghosts of cut grass; on the palate sharp yet juicy, lemon and grape mingle with a mellow melon note in the background, tropical fruit and cut grass follow; light bodied, refreshingly fun, crisp and juicy – overall a really nice New World non-alcoholic Sauvignon Blanc”
You get it, the obsession to indulge my hedonistic self is greater than ever! … and the husband begins to fear large trucks carting in loads of clinking wine bottles… may his mental health be vigorous…
To be fair though, the man deserves a huge shout out: he has actually tried every single no/lo beer, wine and cider I have handed him! And he is normally not big on the alcohol-free versions! Green beer, slightly off, too sweet apple juice and unfermented sugary wort springs to mind…. But he has soldiered on and actually liked and enjoyed the odd no/low wine! This, coming from a high-octane wine lover like him, means a lot for the producers, may I add!
Have I learned more about wines? Undoubtedly so, but I still have to ask the husband whether a Pino Noir is a white or red wine (yes, I know, the clue is in the name….) or whether I like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. And I have yet to try wines with alcohol in them, but I may have to (oh! I can’t quite bring myself to writing it) admit (oh the dirty feelings…) I like wine (there I said it now). I like wine (shudder).
Yes, I like wine!
I even walked into my first wine and food pairing event. I know, right?! But even more perplexing is, that I actually enjoyed sipping my way through some Riesling, Albariño and some Pinot Blanc, while exploring how well they paired with chunky chips. Yup, that happened.
Listening to a DipWSET[vii] talk wine, beer and spirits was awesome, and I’m beginning to lower my guard towards wine world enjoyment. Am I fully convinced, no, but I’m more than captivated by all the flavours and aromas fermented grape juice can bring to my life.
Nevertheless, there is a small bump in the road to wine Shangri-La: I’m not a fan of the double-digit ABVs wines usually present with… granted alcohol can add to the experience of imbibing, but, a girl doesn’t always want to get sozzled now, does she?
Enter No/Low wines stage right.
Given the numbers of non-alcoholic and dealcoholized wines available, doing Dry Jan, or drinking in moderation is easier/ more convenient than ever! Whether or not you should embark on a month-long abstinence is for you to decide but swapping out a high-octane bottle for a low-alcohol one here and there, can add aroma and flavour to your life.
Go forth and seek out some no/low wines, you never know, you might find you next favourite bottle!
Now, where is that corkscrew…?!
Macht es euch gemütlich
Keep on dancing! xxx
[i] In addition, I am more likely to look towards sparkling cider and perry if I crave the bubbles in my life – let me know if you need any recommendations
[ii] You can follow my journey on Instagram @DrinkiesWithTheChimp https://www.instagram.com/drinkieswiththechimp/
[iii] If I am open to the explorations, as the husband can confirm, wine was not one of them until recently
[iv] Dealcoholized Wines, Ariel https://www.arielvineyards.com/wines/cabernet_sauvignon.html [Accessed 16/01/2023]
[v] Torres Natureo Rosé De-alcoholised Wine Spain, Waitrose & Partners https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/torres-natureo-rose-de-alcoholised-wine-spain/885817-235397-235398 [Accessed 16/01/2023]
[vi]Darling Cellars, Darling De-Alcoholised Range https://www.darlingcellars.co.za/WineBrandList.aspx?BRANDID=1610&CLIENTID=1141&Title=Our%20Wines [Accessed 23/01/2023]
[vii] Wine and Spirits Education Trust WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines https://www.wsetglobal.com/qualifications/wset-level-4-diploma-in-wines/ [Accessed 24/01/23]
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