Less is more, a statement that holds true for many things and one I feel that can easily be applied to wine. We are bombarded at the moment with regard to alcohol consumption; binge drinking, underage drinking as well as irresponsible drinking from those old enough to know better. As a wine merchant I am always conscious of adopting a responsible approach to drinking alcohol, for instance… do you really know how many units of alcohol are in your bottle of wine? And, you may say, well, I only had two glasses of wine, but was that two small 175cl glasses at 13% alcohol or 2 large 250cl glasses at 15% alcohol. It makes a huge difference if you are driving or watching what you are drinking for one reason or another. Therefore, my philosophy has always been to buy a better quality wine and less of it, less expensive wines definitely don’t last as long on your palate, which means that you tend to drink it more quickly and in turn drink more of it, however, by buying a better quality wine you will find that you will sip your way through the wine, enjoying the flavours more and drinking less. I know its difficult in an industry that is constantly offering you a buy one get one free on a wine that was half the price the week previously, therefore, not really on special offer at all, or knocking their prices down to compete with their competitors.
If you visit an independent wine merchant, you may not receive the huge discounted offers, but what you will receive is a high level of knowledge with regard to the wine you are looking for, whether you are looking to create a menu match for a dinner party or just find out a little more about what’s in your glass. And, as alcoholic volumes to creep up, it’s important to keep an eye on your consumption, which is why Corks Out has a printed list of lighter alcohol wines for you to browse through.
Happy sensible drinking
Ruth Yates
Last updated: December 02, 2007