Low ABV <11.5%

Low ABV or alcohol by volume is becoming more and more desirable and many of our customers seek out these wines.  We thought we would make it easier for you by collecting together all the wines we do which are 11.5% ABV OR BELOW. 

This is not of course very low by historical standards.  Wines produced throughout the 20th century tended to be 12% abv or below anyway. However, from approximately the 1980s onwards abv tended to be in an upward trend.  This was for a number of reasons.  There was a misconception banded around the wine media that high abv meant high quality, particularly in reds.  This idea was probably started by Robert Parker and his obsession with turbo charged powerful wines whose oomph came from over manipulation in vineyard and cellar and alongside higher sugar levels in grapes brought about by increasing mean temperatures, green harvesting and powerful fertilisers.  We remember Californian Pinot Noirs with 15.5% abv and Australian Cabernets with even higher.  

There are many of these wines still out there but thankfully natural production has added some balance to the whole discussion of abv.  Natural/Organic and Biodynamic farming tends to give grapes with naturally higher acidity and lower sugar.  Growers are also often looking for freshness in the wines above all else and so will pick earlier to retain that taught acidity even in full bodied wines.  Lastly, although climate change is having a huge and worrying impact on vineyards across the world, the most resilient vines are those which are grown without chemicals where roots have buried themselves down deep into the soil and manage to retain the balance in the grapes despite water shortages and low yields.  The best way is always the natural way.

Lastly, style and demand is a big factor here and growers who in the past may have responded to a demand for body and power are now responding to an increasing demand for low Abv, freshness and drinkability and are crafting their wines accordingly.  So, harvests are getting very, very early, in some of the hotter regions of Europe, the first days of August.  Hardly harvest festival time!

Anyway, whatever the reasons for this shift in ABV, we see it as a positive thing.  Wines are fresher and lower abv means you can enjoy and extra glass without worrying about work the next day.  

Lastly, remember, low ABV doesn’t mean cheaper wine, poorer quality wine or even lighter wine necessarily, in fact some of those in this category are very serious bottles indeed.