These low-ABV wines are perfect for a not-quite-dry January
There are lots of reasons to try a Dry January. Maybe you went too hard over the past few months, or you’re reevaluating your relationship with alcohol. Perhaps you caught a glimpse of your post-holidays bank balance and figured it’s a great time to embrace tap water.
But there are different ways to approach moderation. If an all-or-nothing Dry January isn’t for you, consider a Damp January instead.
A Damp January entails drinking less throughout the month, and it’s worth noting that there’s nothing stopping you from doing this at any time of year. It doesn’t have to feel like deprivation, thanks to the availability of excellent low-alcohol wines. These bottles contain less booze than many other wines, and you can find them across varying styles — and at prices that won’t dry out your savings.
At Maxwell Park, a wine bar in Washington D.C., sommelier and partner JT Garczynski says he is constantly fielding requests for low-alcohol wines. This month, the bar’s themed menu focuses on wines with 13% alcohol by volume (ABV) or less. “People are interested in these wines for a lot of reasons,” he says, including health consciousness and generational shift toward drinking less alcohol.
Garczynski sees a correlation between this growing enthusiasm for low-alcohol wines and the sustained popularity of chilled reds. The latter introduced many people to approachable, food-friendly bottles with around 12% ABV, a noticeable difference from muscular shirazes or cabernets, which can climb up to 15% ABV.
“People are starting to be more aware that there is a breadth of potential with wine, and very good wine on the lower spectrum of alcohol,” says Pascaline Lepeltier, the beverage director of Chambers restaurant in New York City.
If you’re keen to go low, and don’t want to compromise taste or quality, a wide world of low-alcohol wine awaits.
What is low-alcohol wine?
There isn’t one globally agreed-upon definition for low-alcohol wine, but many professionals say that white wines with 10% to 12% ABV qualify, as do reds with 11% to 13%. While there are exceptions, most rosé, orange and sparkling wines fall below 13%.
If you’re wondering why these numerical ranges are grouped by color, the short answer is because of the physiological attributes of different grapes and their harvest times. With hectares of caveats about stylistic and climatic variations, red wine grapes are generally picked riper, and thus later, than white ones. Those riper fruits contain more sugar for winemakers’ yeasts to turn into alcohol during fermentation, giving reds higher ABVs in the bottle.
What are the different types of low-alcohol wines?
Certain grapes and growing conditions naturally produce wines with lower alcohol levels (more on those later). Some winemakers actively aim to reduce ABV with hands-on tactics in the vineyard or winery, such as tweaking irrigation or canopy cover on their grapes or experimenting with yeast strains. Others manipulate alcohol levels by physically extracting chemical compounds after the grapes are fermented and turned into wine.
Laura Barrett, the winemaker at Clif Family Winery in St. Helena, California, uses all of the above techniques to make a cabernet sauvignon with a 12.5% ABV and sauvignon blanc with 8.5%. She compares these reduced-alcohol wines to gluten-free baked goods. “The food industry has adapted beautifully to these changes the customer is asking for,” she says. “The wine business is doing the same.”
How to find low-alcohol white wines
While you certainly can memorize the names of producers whose wines are on the lower end of the alcohol spectrum, I find it easiest to tackle this search geographically. For instance, areas with cool climates and high elevations are great places to find naturally low-alcohol bottles. Germany’s Mosel Valley has these conditions in spades, and it produces dry rieslings with 12% ABV or less, plus sweet and semi-sweet versions with as little as 7%.
Other regions and varieties to consider are Portugal’s vinho verde and Spain’s txakoli. Garczynski is partial to semillon from Australia’s Hunter Valley, which can have riesling-like acidity and 11ish% ABV. Riesling and pinot gris from New York’s Finger Lakes are also on the lower side of the alcohol spectrum, as is Spanish and Portuguese albariño. In Muscadet, France, wines made from its namesake grapes, as well as folle blanche, typically fall at or below 12% ABV and tend to offer a “great value,” Lepeltier says.
How to find low-alcohol red wines
Many regions that produce low-alcohol whites are also home to terrific low-alcohol reds. German pinot noir, which is sometimes labeled spätburgunder, can be in the 12% ABV range. There are also tasty, less boozy pinot noirs and cabernet francs throughout New York’s Finger Lakes. Cabernet franc thrives in France’s Loire Valley, too. Pinots below 13% abound in Burgundy, France, and in cooler corners of California, such as the Anderson Valley and Santa Barbara.
Most chilled red varieties tend to be lower in alcohol, including gamay, grenache and cinsault. Sicily’s frappato and the sparkling Italian wine lambrusco rarely surpass 12% ABV, too.
Medium- and fuller-bodied reds can be tricky, because alcohol plays a big role in how we perceive weight when we taste wine. Check the ABVs on labels of tempranillo from Rioja Alta, Spain; dolcetto d’alba from Piedmont, Italy; and babić from Dalmatia, Croatia. While the ABVs of Bordeaux’s famous red blends have climbed in recent years, you can still find some with less than 13%.
“Be curious,” suggests Lepeltier, and explore wines made with indigenous grapes such as catawba, Concord and Delaware from chilly Michigan, Illinois, Vermont or Upstate New York. “With climate change, a lot of producers are realizing these grapes are beautiful and they can be ripe with lower amounts of alcohol,” she says. A new year is as good a time as any for a fresh direction.
16 delicious low-alcohol wines
White wines
Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina 2024
Alcohol by volume: 11%; $21.99 on plummarket.com
Juicy lime and minerally notes headline this spritzy industry favorite from Spain’s Basque coast. The dash of salinity on the finish gives it a lovely lift.
Quinta do Ameal Vinho Verde 2021
ABV: 11.6%; $13.99 on wineanthology.com
Uncomplicated in the best ways, this fruity wine from Portugal’s Vinho Verde is just the thing to open when it’s hot outside — or you wish it were. With citrus, peach and floral flavors, it tastes like summer feels.
Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Riesling 2023
ABV: 12%; $19.95 at klwines.com
German varieties thrive in Upstate New York’s Finger Lakes, and this aromatic riesling from one of the region’s best-known producers is no exception. Open it when friends stop by unexpectedly, on a gloomy Tuesday, or anytime you want something fresh and juicy in your glass.
Domaine de la Potardière Muscadet Sèvre et Maine 2023
ABV: 12%; $11.99 on finewineandgoodspirits.com
Granny Smith apples, freshly squeezed lemons, white flowers and a touch of brine give this muscadet layers. There’s a pleasant creaminess to its texture.
Weingut Julian Haart Riesling 1,000L 2023
ABV: 11.5%; $25 on princetoncorkscrew.com
If you’ve ever wondered what sommeliers mean when they describe a wine’s acidity as “racy,” give this electric riesling a try. Made from hand-harvested fruit grown in a prestigious corner of Germany’s Mosel Valley, its citrus and minerally qualities leap out of the glass.
Brokenwood Semillon 2023
ABV: 11%; $19.99 at klwines.com
One of Garczynski’s go-to Hunter Valley semillons, this tart white wine overdelivers with citrus and herbaceous characteristics and textural intrigue. It’s great alongside fish tacos, main-course salads or on its own.
Orange and Rosé Wines
Bonny Doon Le Cigare Orange 2024
ABV: 11.6%; $18.99 on cellar.com
An approachable orange for those skeptical of or unfamiliar with the category, this easy-drinking bottle comes from the Central Coast of California, and makes for a great party wine.
Meinklang Prosa 2024
ABV: 10.5%; $18.99 on unionsquarewines.com
Werner Michlits, who cofounded this certified-organic and -biodynamic Austrian wine label with his wife, Angela, tells me they initially made this lightly effervescent rosé for their 2004 wedding. “Luckily, since then, we kept it in our portfolio,” he says. It’s fittingly festive, with tart raspberry and citrus flavors and a bone-dry finish.
Patrick Bottex “La Cueille” Bugey-Cerdon NV
ABV: 8%; $24.96 on kermitlynch.com
From the limestone soils of a high-altitude French wine region comes this gently sweet, aromatic and effervescent wine with ripe strawberry and cherry notes. Delicious in any context, it would be especially great with a cheeseboard or spicy Thai salad.
Outward Two Wolves Vineyard Rosé of Grenache 2023
ABV: 12.5%; $27.99 on harvestwineshopsd.com
Another Central Coast favorite, this crisp organic rosé has minerally complexity and a textured finish. Pair with leafy salads, grilled fish or chicken, or crispy calamari.
Paltrinieri “Radice” Lambrusco di Sorbara 2024
ABV: 11%; $22.99 at klwines.com
A benchmark bottle for many modern lambrusco fans, this salmon-colored sparkler is “a little tart and so refreshing,” says Garczynski. Expect juicy acidity and ripe red berry flavors, plus yeasty complexity.
Red Wines
Planeta Frappato 2021
ABV: 12.5%; $27.99 on totalwine.com
A ray of Sicilian sunshine, this light-bodied red is lively with pomegranate juice, freshly squeezed blood orange, strawberry and black tea notes. Serve it with a chill, and toast la dolce vita.
Domaine de Majas Côtes Catalanes Rouge 2024
ABV: 13%; $21.99 on flatironwines.com
Thanks to the zippy acidity of this organically farmed carignan-grenache blend from southeastern France, you might start craving your next sip before you’ve put down the glass. Serve it chilled, and soak up the red berry and minerally flavors followed by a savory, tannic finish.
Maison Nicolas Potel Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2023
ABV: 13%; $25.98 on woodswholesalewine.com
Nice enough to bring to a dinner party, but not so precious that you feel guilty opening it on a random Wednesday, this garnet-colored pinot noir has black cherry aromas and flavors and silky tannins.
G.D. Vajra Dolcetto d’Alba 2024
ABV: 12%; $21.97 on wine.com
This berry blast comes from a high-altitude, family-owned winery in Piedmont, Italy. With its juicy raspberry and blackberry flavors, plus almond, violet, and minerally undertones, it’s great with Italian American stalwarts like spaghetti and meatballs or eggplant parmesan.
Moraza Rioja San Vicente de la Sonsierra 2022
ABV: 12.5%; $22.99 on chambersstwines.com
For a fuller-bodied option, try this lush tempranillo from an organically and biodynamically farmed family estate in Rioja Alta. The raspberry, cherry cola and earthy flavors are followed by a long, bright and tannic finish.