LIGHT WINES & TAKEOUT PAIRINGS

Relaxing with a glass of something with a subtler alcohol base is a choice many wine lovers are looking to make. What you might not know is that many of your favourite wines are lighter by nature. It’s one of the characteristics that make them so unique and approachable — especially this time of year. Lighter, lower-alcohol wines, often with a little elevated sweetness, are great pairings for a range of foods. They do amazingly well with appetizers, Asian cuisine and spicy foods, in particular.

Did you know Wednesdays have been called out as #Takeoutday by Restaurants Canada? The campaign (canadatakeout.com) appeals to those that can afford to order food for pickup or takeout to support local restaurants in their time of need. Covid19retales.ca also provides a near-complete list of restaurants in the Halifax Regional Municipality offering takeout and delivery service.

The experts at the NSLC have identified five lower-alcohol wines and we’ve matched takeout items from restaurants across the province to go with them.

1. XOXO Pinot Grigio Light, Canada, 750ml, $12.99

Soft, delicate and refreshing with a subtle expression of apple and lemon, this crisp Pinot Grigio is as food-friendly as it is thirst-quenching. (8% ABV)

Pairing: Middle Eastern appetizers such as hummus, halloumi and falafel

Restaurants: Usta Turkisk & Mediterranean Restaurant, Dartmouth, ustarestaurant.ca Mezza Lebanese (various HRM locations, Truro, Sydney) mezzalebanesekitchen.com

2. Moselland Ars Vitis Riesling, Germany, 750ml, $16.99

As one of the NSLC’S best-selling white wines, Ars Vitis offers much more than just a pretty bottle. It is soft, off-dry and elegantly aromatic. (8% ABV)

Pairing: Pad Thai

Restaurants: Cha Baa Thai (Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford), chabaathairestaurant.ca Talay Thai (Halifax, Dartmouth) talaythaihalifax.ca, talaythaidartmouth.com

3. Jacob’s Creek Moscato Rosé, Australia, 750ml, $14.00

Medium-bodied with bright, up-front berry flavours, this Down Under wonder has a universally appealing profile that is both fun and sophisticated. (7.6% ABV)

Pairing: gumbo and tacos

Restaurants: Gumbo – Edible Matters, Hammonds Plains, ediblematters.com Tacos – Antojo Tacos + Tequila, Halifax, orderlhg.com

4. Gemma di Luna Sparkling Moscato, Italy, 750ml, $17.48

Fresh, fragrant and fruity with a delicate bubbly bead, this Italian sparkler perfectly balances expression and effervescence. (7.5% ABV)

Pairing: Curry

Restaurants: Thyme Savour Food*, North Sydney, thymesavourfood.com *Sold as a frozen entrée Adda Indian, Halifax, addaindianeatery@gmail.com

5. Nova 7 by Benjamin Bridge, Nova Scotia, 250ml, $7.99

This Nova Scotian icon pours at a passive 6%. It is a testament to personality over power and no winery understands that formula better than Benjamin Bridge.

Pairing: spicy noodle bowl or vegan pad Thai

Restaurants: The Port Pub (spicy noodle bowl), Canning, theportpub.com Envie (vegan pad Thai), Halifax, enviehalifax.com