January is upon us, and with it comes all manner of restraint to make up for the excesses of December. For some people, the answer to this is cutting out alcohol altogether, going the whole hog for Dry Jan. For others, it's about cutting back a bit. In which case, we're here to help.
Because there is such a thing as low-alcohol booze. And even better news: Some of it isn’t half bad, and it tends to be a lot cheaper! Here’s a few of our fave almost-virtuous new year tipples…
This is pretty big news, for here is a wine – and it is an actual wine, made with pinot grigio grapes – at less than half the normal alcohol volume of most wines: 5.5%, in fact, and around 50 calories for a small glass. And we promise it tastes like wine. It’s palpably lighter and easier to drink than proper PG, so don’t make the mistake of drinking double the amount, but otherwise we are very much here for this Featherweight wine from Aldi. The rosé is also not bad but we’ll wait until summer to drink that one, thanks.
Aldi Featherweight Pinot Grigio, 5.5%, 75cl, £2.99
Often unfairly labelled ‘nasty Asti’, no one is pretending this is an alternative to a crisp glass of champagne, but if you think of it as a simple, happy-making aperitif, then you’re unlikely to be disappointed. Made in the Piedmont region of Italy, asti is the lighter, sweeter and more fun cousin of prosecco and at only 7.5% ABV, a glass or two will get your night off to a fizzy start with less of the usual accompanying headache. This one from Lidl is a characteristically peachy sparkling number and at £5.39, won't break the bank either. Sold.
Lidl Allini Asti Spumante, 2016, 7.5%, 75cl, £5.39
Now we’re talking. On the whole, beers do a better job of masquerading as their more alcoholic counterparts, and this one in particular is a great example. It’s light yet lively and exceptionally hoppy, which gives an appropriate aftertaste similar to normal ABV beers. You’d never think this was 0.5% from the taste alone; you’d happily bob along thinking this was any other well-made craft beer. But the downside is that craft beer comes at craft beer prices – alcohol or no alcohol – and £16.99 for a six-pack isn’t cheap. One for real beer lovers.
Big Drop Brewing Pale Ale, 0.5%, 330ml, £16.99 for 6 from DryDrinker.com
Another example of an excellent low-alcohol ale, and we should think so from one of the best craft beer companies around. If you really, really concentrate you can perhaps get that this is low or no alcohol, but it tastes so good anyway you might not care. There’s hops all over the shop, with a nice bit of malty background and lots of citrus and aromatics too. A great choice, but an expensive one again.
BrewDog Nanny State, 0.5%, 330ml, £2.40 from Borough Wines and Beers
Low-alcohol wines aren’t usually nice and don’t tend to do a good job of pretending to be actual wine, but this Tesco Low Alcohol Cabernet Tempranillo was the best we found in nine months of pregnancy-induced fake wine testing. At 0.5% it’s practically alcohol-free and if we’re honest, you can largely tell. But importantly, it doesn’t taste of juice, and there are some genuine wine flavour notes in there. A glass or two of this when with child still feels like a treat, and we’ll be getting some in to brighten up January a bit, too.
Tesco Low Alcohol Cabernet Tempranillo, 0.5%, 75cl, £3
We’ve had the misfortune to sample many a no-alcohol or low-alcohol wine, and on the whole they’re terrible. Whites in particular tend to taste solely of that grape juice sold in a carton. So great news that this M&S Sumika Sauvignon Blanc tastes really rather convincingly of actual wine. At 8.5% it’s one of the highest ABV we’ve tried, but this is still around a third lower than standard sauvignon blanc – and with a third fewer calories too. It’s pricey but if you’re really looking to get your alcohol intake and calories down, then this is a great wine option without having to water it down to a spritzer.
M&S Sumika Sauvignon Blanc 2017, 8.5%, 75cl, £7.50
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