What are Mid Wines and which should I try?

A lot has been happening with wine and ABV levels recently, especially in the UK, thanks to new duty hikes affecting all alcoholic drinks coming into play. Here are some changes - and interesting trends to be aware of, especially if you need to pay attention to your alcohol intake and you love a glass of wine.

THE 11% DUTY 'THIING'

Have you noticed that your old favourite tipple has changed in flavour and had its alcohol levels go down to 11%? Here’s why: in a plan instigated by the last government and brought in by the new one on 1st February, duty on booze now increases with every .5% ABV. There’s VAT on top of that too. This makes a big difference for wines under £10 and a massive difference on wines priced at around the £5 mark. What would have been a 14.5% Aussie Shiraz at £5 for example, would need to go up to closer to £7 just because of this new rule.

The result? These inexpensive wines are being de-alcoholised to 11% to keep the prices down. Reader, take note, however: While this may be good for moderation, many have had lots of sugar added to make up for the body that was removed with the booze - even if they don’t taste sweeter. At the very cheapest end, they also tend to taste like generic, alcoholic cordial rather than real wine. Shame.

MID WINES

There’s a buzz around this Mid Wines trend that has come over to us from the Southern Hemisphere. ‘Mid Wines’ are so named because they tend to be between 6 and 9% ABV rather than the more usual 12.5 - 14.5%. Quite often, these are made by harvesting grapes before they have fully ripened so that there’s less sugar to convert into alcohol. Quite often, these are white wines made from higher acid, aromatic grapes like Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling as they are happier and more balanced than others when harvested early. Not every wine is made in this way as some do ‘gently’ remove the alcohol, which may or may not mean extra sugar, so if this matters to you, do your homework on the brand. Try these:

6PERCENT Red (6% ABV)

This brand new wine brand is one to watch. Made with Bordeaux grapes, this is a classy tipple that, while it may not taste like classic Claret, still offers an authentic wine flavour profile - and, importantly, great balance.

Find it at 6percent.wine

Forrest Wines 'The Doctors' Riesling, Marlborough (9% ABV)

One of the original mid wines before it was ‘a thing’, John Forrest’s New Zealand Riesling is a flavoursome, aromatic wine with lime blossom and green apple aromas. Lovely.

Find it at Majestic

ALCOHOL FREE

Zeno (0.5% ABV)

Zeno ‘Alcohol liberated wines’. These are some of the best in the category that I have tasted and come in white, rosé and red as well as sparkling. Made with Spanish grapes, these look and feel very close to the real thing’ with none of those cooked flavours de-alcoholised wine can have.

Find them at zeno.com, Waitrose, DryDrinker and other indies.

Moderato (0.5% ABV)

Another impressive alcohol free brand, Moderato brings us some southwestern French wines blends in red, white, pink and a fizz. It’s de-alcoholised but done well and the result is something you’d actually be happy drinking. My favourite is the Colombard fizz.

Find them at Majestic, WiseBartender and le-moderato.com

Nozeco 0.0% ABV Still Wines

A new addition to their sparkling wine family, Nozeco now offer non -alcoholic red, white and rosé still wines. The rosé is definitely the best one with a lovely, peachy fruitiness. I suspect there might be a lot of hidden sugar in here but it’s a decent drink at least.

Find them at Morrisons and Ocado

NATURALLY LOWER ALCOHOL

Sweet Caroline rosé (10.5% ABV)

Made by harvesting earlier and finishing fermentation earlier to nudge the ABV down, this Aussie pink is super crisp and strawberry-scented with a pretty aromatic profile too.

Find it at Waitrose

Need a quick guide to what’s what? See below!

Alcohol-free = 0.05% ABV or less. May contain trace amounts, but virtually zero alcohol.

De-alcoholised = Up to 0.5% ABV. Alcohol has been removed — not entirely “free” by legal standards but near as dammit for most of us.

Low alcohol = Up to 1.2% ABV. Must be clearly labelled as such in the UK.

Reduced alcohol = This varies, but is generally a ower ABV than the standard version of the product.

Alcoholic = Above 1.2% ABV. Legally considered alcoholic and must be labelled accordingly

Ever wanted to know more about wine but you’re stuck for time? Check out my bite-sized video wine course here!