Light and Low

Directions

OBJECTS OF DESIRE

It’s easy to get carried away sometimes. When we are so smitten with aromas of berries, fruits, flowers and nuts; so taken with sumptuous flavours reminiscent of a thousand delectable comestibles; so entranced by texture, mouthfeel, weight and grip; so captivated by lingering after-flavours... and when we are as delighted by their stories as we are by the wines themselves, it sometimes comes as a shock to realise that the object of our fascination, when it all boils down, is actually just a bottle of booze.

There, we’ve said it. What’s more – and this will surprise WineDown readers, who are renowned for their moderate habits – if consumed recklessly, it may hurt you.

WINE 101

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of grapes. (If it wasn’t fermented, then it wouldn’t be alcoholic – but then again, it wouldn’t be wine either.) Alcohol is the natural result of fermentation, where yeast cells convert sugar to ethanol + carbon dioxide. As a rule of thumb, the riper the berries, the higher the sugar; the higher the sugar, the greater the alcohol. We express the alcoholic strength of wine as a percentage of the concentration of ethanol in the finished product.

Fortunately, our labelling laws require clear disclosure so consumers can make informed choices. Pick up any bottle of wine made for consumption here in Australia, and you’ll find it on the label, represented as either % Alc/Vol or %ABV (alcohol by volume). We even go a step further, advising how many standard drinks that equates to. Helpful. In Australia, our table wines generally fall somewhere between 9-16%, with most coming in around 12.5-14.5%. (Fortifieds, which are boosted with grape spirit, may be as high as 22% ABV.)

Thing is though, not everybody wants to drink wine with a kick like a mule.

LIGHT 'N DRY

Fortunately, alternatives abound.

In some parts of the world – chilly European regions for instance – they’ve been enjoying light-bodied wines that are naturally low in alcohol for centuries. When sunshine is scarce, it can be a struggle to coax grapes to full ripeness, but that doesn’t mean that the wines aren’t delicious or full of character. Anyone who’s ever paired an oyster with a zingy Loire Valley Muscadet, or grilled sardines with a flinty Chablis can attest to that. These wines are a mere 9.5-10% ABV. Closer to home, our mouth-watering Rieslings may offer as little as 10% ABV.

Even Winemakers who are blessed with ample sunshine may choose to harvest grapes before they achieve full ripeness in order to influence the ultimate style of the wine. If you’ve ever tasted a very young Hunter Semillon, or the base wine for a Sparkling, you’ll recognise that mouth-puckering acidity. At just 10 or 11% ABV, aged Hunter Semillon is an astonishingly full-flavoured wine.

SWEETNESS 'N LIGHT

At the other end of the flavour spectrum are the light and fruity styles, where typically, the ferment is arrested early, leaving high levels of residual sugar. The Italians have been doing this for years, with their sweet sparkling Moscatos (the famous Moscato D’Asti is a tiny 5.5% ABV), and their Brachetto d’Acqui (a lightly sparkling sweet red), which weighs in at 6.5%.

Germany’s delectable Kabinett Rieslings – sweet, but with a beautiful line in acidity – are a delicious mouthful of barely 8% alcohol, while a rich, sweet Spätlese comes in at around 8.5%. Happiness in a glass.

THE NEW WAVE OF LIGHT AND LOW

Some regions (like Australia) are just naturally sunshiny, so our grapes rarely struggle to achieve full ripeness. And some wine styles simply don’t lend themselves to being vinified to low levels of alcohol, with residual sugar.

Fortunately, there’s a whole a range of processes that winemakers can use to reduce the alcohol content of their wines while still retaining essential character and flavour. They range from low-temperature distillation to membrane separation techniques and a series of incomprehensible processes known as Reverse Osmosis, Electrodialysis, and Nanofiltration.

This is Secret Winemaker Business, and in WineDown’s opinion should remain so. Suffice to say that, thanks to these technological advances, we now are spoiled for choice when it comes to low-alcohol options. And, as the silly season is about to descend in earnest, that’s very welcome news.

THE GOOD OIL

WineDown, as we hope you’ve noticed, tries to steer clear of specific recommendations, but in the spirit of the season, we’re going to make it easy for you.

When hunting down your low alcohol wines, look for clues on the label. The words Early Harvest, for example, may hint that the grapes were picked before they achieved monumental levels of sugar (which, as we’ve discussed, converts to alcohol during fermentation). Early harvest wines will be refreshing and light (and – big bonus – may even be lower in calories!!) than comparable fully ripened wines. (Naturally, WineDown readers, with their demonstrably superior intelligence, will know to always check the label to confirm calorie content – if displayed – and alcohol concentration.) Funnily enough, Lindeman’s has a whole range named Early Harvest.

Consider too, the use of the words Light & Fresh. It may very well be that these words refer to a light-bodied wine with fresh flavour. But careful perusal of labels – such as those on T’Gallant's Light & Fresh range – may reveal something more. Or something much less – such as a puny 5% ABV!

And how ‘bout this? The pioneering Wolf Blass Zero wines are not only low in sugar, but they contain less than 0.5% Alcohol by Volume. WineDown would NEVER encourage reckless abandon, but at that rate, you can afford to give your usual moderation a gentle nudge.