Low-alcohol wines now taste just as fine as their full-strength sisters.

MERMAID MARY finds that today’s low-alcohol wines taste just like their full-strength sisters

At this time of year we imbibe more. Long sunny days seem to make us more social, sipping sauvs at our favourite bar, drinking rosé on a friend’s deck. Statistics show however that overall, people are increasingly moderating alcohol consumption. Stricter drinkdriving laws and maintaining health are two of the reasons cited. In fact drinking alcohol may no longer be considered cool as the number of millennials and Gen Zers shunning alcohol has doubled in the past decade. It makes sense that the demand for good quality lower and non-alcohol options is growing. In the past, lower alcohol wines were quite frankly, terrible. Watery, flavourless versions of their full-strength counterparts. Supported by the NZ Lighter Wines programme, Kiwi winemakers have been leading the charge to create great quality lower alcohol by volume (ABV) wines. Lower alcohol is classified as under 10 percent and it’s fair to say they have been successful with a huge range of affordable, lower alcohol options.

Back by popular demand is joint venture sparkling sauv Blush Crush. It all began when bearded beer brewer Joe Wood of Liberty Brewing fell in love with the sweet goodness of South Island sauvignon blanc. He wanted to replicate it but knew little about making wine so called on his friend Pete Turner from The Hunting Lodge to help. The result: a sweet, slightly bubbly, fruity drop. It comes in a four-pack so is ideal beachside or poolside. $24 from liquor stores and thehuntinglodge.com.