Wine: Low-profile christmas
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Saturday November 28 2009
Without wanting to be a party pooper, a good rule for the season ahead is to keep the alcohol levels down as much as possible.
Hard times or not, we are coming to the time of year when wine will flow more than usual. Part of the fun -- and danger -- will be standing around at parties, glass in hand, with liberal top-ups offered.
The problem is, alcohol levels have crept up over the years -- blame global warming combined with a consumer demand for ever-riper wines -- and it's so easy to find yourself swigging something with 14.5pc-15pc alcohol (look at the back label and see!).
So, where do you look if you want to stay around 12pc alcohol or below? The good news is that you'll get Champagne at 12pc, while the lower-priced sparklers, such as Prosecco and Cava, start at less than 11pc.
It's easy to reduce the alcohol level of bubbly further by adding a splash of orange juice. Alternatively, swank up Prosecco with peach juice (preferably white), turning it, Venice-style, into a Bellini. Or shade it up to a seasonal red with pomegranate juice.
It is too much heat that sends grape sugar and, ultimately, alcohol levels rocketing, so 'lite' is generally associated with cooler vine-growing climates. It is also more likely to be white wine, of the fresh and fruity style.
The classic low-alcohol white is German Riesling -- lowest and most delicate of all from the Mosel Valley, starting at about 8pc. You will find New World Rieslings under 12pc too.
Elsewhere in Europe, good hunting grounds are Bordeaux and more northerly parts of France, such as Chablis and Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, or Northern Italy's Soave or Gavi. The low-alcohol white wine classic of the New World is the lemony Semillon from Australia's Hunter Valley.
Getting easy drinking reds at 12pc or less is trickier. Northern Italy's basic Valpolicella is an option, or perhaps a Côtes de Gascogne from near Bordeaux. A much bigger red wine world opens up between 12pc-13pc, with plenty to enjoy well below those 14.5pc-15pc bruisers.
Just remember to check the label!
email: weekendwine@independent.ie
- Katherine Donnelly
Irish Independent
