toptipples
betterwine
Alcohol-free drinks are coming up roses
c.
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pink for
Ti&s
aids
(AN D BOYS)
B -
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Someone in Australia made a blue wine
once; obviously it was artificially coloured.
What were they thinking — that men
would go for it? They claimed it was to go
with young peoples’ denim outfits, but it
lasted less time than a pair of jeans.
But pink wine, that’s another matter. For a
start, it’s natural, and has a long history around
the world. Australia is now making more
and more pink wines that are interesting,
more-ish and inexpensive. With a little more
flavour than your average white, when served
chilled they’re perfect for our relaxed climate.
And gentlemen, they’re not just girly.
Rosé champagnes are among the most
sought after and expensive in the world.
Playboys in the South of France have
seduced the ladies with that region’s famous
rosés for decades. Less-expensive pinks are made by blending red wine and
white. The best are made from red grapes (grenache, pinot, cabernet) with
only brief contact with the skins to extract a delicate blush of colour and
also a little of the red grape’s flavours. Delicious. And food friendly. Sure,
you might want a gusty shiraz with a steak, but with Thai, Vietnamese and
Japanese, a rosé is often the best choice.
better bottles
Amberley Kiss & Tell Moscato Rosa, $14
Pink and pretty with a hint of sparkle. Low
alcohol, and softly sweet and fruity. Great on
its own or with a plate of fresh fruit.
Chalkboard Frankland River Riesling, $12
Australian rieslings are such good value for
crisp limey, lemony flavours in a refreshing
white. From WA, available at Vintage Cellars.
Paxton Tempraniilo, $23 A Spanish grape
finding a home here. From McLaren Vale this
is a lighter, softer red with really pleasing
aromatics in an easy-drinking style.
How low can you g o ?
We have written recently about
low-alcohol wines and certainly
a lot of you like them. Sales of
moscato, pink and white, with
alcohol levels way under 10 per
cent, increased nearly 80 per cent
last year. Some wine producers
have released special ranges
of low-alcohol wines. Harvesting
early helps, and a touch of clever
winemaking, too.
But there are some wines on
the shelves with no alcohol. They
may be nice beverages, but are
they wine? Traditional wine is
a natural product, made when
yeasts convert the sugar in
grape juice into alcohol. So a
non-alcoholic wine has to have
the alcohol deliberately removed.
What does that do to the flavour?
Naturally you won't get the buzz,
but you may take it chilled as
a refreshing grapey drink.
On the other hand, we know
that a lot of ladies as well as
men like a beer on warm days.
Perhaps a lite, or sometimes
a shandy. Would you go
for a no-alcohol beer?
Hopman Premium Pale
claims the first no-alcohol
beverage that looks,
smells and tastes like an
imported beer. A beer
drinker being careful
would probably prefer less
of the real thing, but this
does have the genuine
tang of hops and malt.
94 BETTER
HOMES AND
GARDENS, MAY
2011
bhg.com
.au
Words Ian MacTavish; photography iStockphoto
