FLC January 2023 - The No & Low Case

For this case, we selected an offering of low alcohol wines for those who opted for a moderate January. Members also received a bonus new non-alcoholic wine from Hollow Leg.

Here's an excerpt from the insert: 

The Shift Towards Low Alcohol Wines

Back in the 1980s and ‘90s, the wine world went through ‘Parkerisation’. Robert Parker, a Californian wine critic, became one of the most influential wine critics and made the 100-point rating scale ubiquitous. Parker was a lover of big, robust wines that are typically high in alcohol, and rated his favourite styles with quite a bit of subjectivity. These decadent wine styles became the most sought-after, and winemakers reacted in kind to consumer demand. This consumer demand, in combination with natural changes such as increasing global temperatures, led to an increase in high alcohol wines.

In the last few years, there has been a big move towards drinks with low alcohol levels. People want lower alcohol drinks for a variety of reasons, and like the shift many winemakers made to obtain positive reviews from famous critics like Parker, the pendulum is swinging in the opposite direction. While the natural wine movement were some of the first to lead the charge of low ABV, it is becoming a greater commercial interest to big wine producers.

One thing that surprises a lot of newcomers to low ABV wines is the stylistic differences. Wines that are low in alcohol tend to be less tannin, higher acidity levels, and lighter body. Low ABV reds tend to be paler in colour, with tarter, brighter fruit profiles. Whites that are low ABV tend to be slightly sweeter, but this is not always the case. It’s a totally different wine drinking experience!