Vincredibles

Rise in wines that leave no hangovers

Sales of organic “superwines” have shot up by a third in a year as drinkers try to avoid hangovers.

Shoppers have turned to the naturally produced varieties because they don’t contain the same chemicals that give you the morning after feeling.

Online supermarket Ocado are now stocking 90 different types of organic wine.

A spokesman said: “Over the past year, sales of organic wines rocketed by over 35 per cent and show no sign of slowing.”

Ocado wine buyer Julian Twaites said: “Consumers are more aware of the benefits. The winemakers rely on natural treatments to counter disease in the vines.

“Also, most organic wines are lower in sulphur dioxide – a preservative used to inhibit or kill unwanted bacteria, and is the main culprit for those hangovers.”

Scotland’s Excel Wines are specialists in organic and low sulphate wine. Karen McGee, of Excel Wine’s Perthshire shop, said: “There is an increase in demand for organic wine. Whereas it used to be a couple of people a month asking about it, we now have a couple of people a week.”

Andy Murray, of Cairn O’ Mohr winery, who make seven fruit wines at their base in Perthshire, said: “People are more aware, so we do have a lot of people asking about sulphates. We don’t add anything so there’s a low amount of sulphate in our wine.

“I notice that I don’t feel quite as rough when I have had a drink of Cairn O’ Mohr.” The organic wine craze is also catching on globally.

German wine conference organiser ProWein revealed the annual increase in sales of organic wines is 20 per cent in Canada, 18 per cent in Sweden and 10 per cent in the Netherlands.