A new low-alcohol wine that is worth drinking

Weekend Post’s Vine Time columnist Samantha Venter tries a new low-alcohol wine and pronounces it most drinkable Attempting a “Dry January”, keeping New Year’s resolutions for healthier living, or taking a turn as designated driver? A new “de-alcoholised” white wine may be the answer for guilt-free enjoyment.

Unlike the many light wines on the market, where alcohol content can be up to 10% and the sugar content can still be significant, Lautus Savvy White has less than 0.5% alcohol and 1g of sugar per litre.

The difference comes in how it’s made – “light” wines aimed at dieters or those trying to limit alcohol consumption are manipulated either in the vineyard (earlier harvest means less ripe grapes, and less sugar available for conversion to alcohol by yeast fermentation), or in the cellar by stopping fermentation early, in order to achieve their lower alcohol levels.

Sadly, this can also result in less taste, body and complexity – “thin” flavours, a watery effect, and overly sweet wines.

By contrast, Holder Vineyard and Wines in Stellenbosch remove the alcohol from their Lautus Savvy only after making the wine by conventional methods.

Cool-climate grapes with “high aromatic complexity and balance” are picked at optimal ripeness, and “gentle” winemaking preserves the fruit flavours and the characteristics added by fermentation.

The alcohol is then evaporated from the wine using “spinning cone” technology.

The result, they say, is a wine “to be enjoyed in its purest and natural form, without the restriction of alcohol”, living up to the rough Latin translation of its name as pure, refined and elegant.

A tasting this week showed a very pleasant summer drink with wine character, freshness and a basket of tropical and lime flavours.

There is grape sweetness there, but it’s tempered by a streak of acidity and it is definitely not overly sugary, especially if served well-chilled.

Personally, if I were doing designated driver duty, I’d far rather have this than a watered-down wine, fizzy cooldrink or sugary juice.

The wine has already caught the eye of Woolies’ veteran wine selector Allan Mullins, who said “it has been a long wait for a South African de-alcoholised wine that is great to drink”, and is the first retailer to stock it.

(Incidentally, it joins the rather good range of Woolies Light wines, made mostly by Spier and Villiera and priced at R40-R45. It’s a good choice for lower- alcohol wine that is still wine.)

With a red wine on the way soon, Lautus is currently only stocked at Woolies (Buffelsfontein Road in Port Elizabeth, Hemingways in East London and the Garden Route Mall in George as well as online at