The technique, developed by a company in Bordeaux (promising location), removes some of the alcohol to leave any wine with just 6% alcohol. The resulting liquid cannot be called wine, because 8% is the minimum for French wine, but the company says the products “really do taste like wine”. Mind you, nobody marketing a low-alcohol wine has ever told me that it doesn’t taste like wine. They leave that to me.
So far, more than 20 wine producers, in the Loire, Rhône, Provence, Bordeaux and other regions, are selling lir-processed ex-wines. One brand, Six Degrees, with a chardonnay and a cabernet sauvignon rosé, is tiptoeing into the UK — no shops yet, but the London restaurant Pomegranates is stocking it, and the Gay Hussar should have it on trial soon. In the meantime, the three German wines below have natural low alcohol.
2001 Burg-Layer Schlosskapelle Riesling Spätlese, Schäfer, 8.5%, £4.99
Fab, deceptively dry-tasting, absurdly cheap (Majestic).
2004 Dr Loosen Blue Slate Riesling, 8%, £7.49
Mouthwatering, fresh, medium-dry Mosel (selected Somerfield).
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2004 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Riesling Kabinett, K Hain, 8%, £7.99
Proper Piesporter, fine-boned, beautifully fruity (Tanners, 01743 234500).
WINE BLUFF
"By 2002, the average Oz wine had 14.2% alcohol"
Anorak fact: in 1984, the average Oz wine was only 12.4%. Since 2002, the figure is thought to have risen further