From Etsy |
Happy New Year!
Here at Barnett HQ, we drank enough fizz to sail a small
ship in, bickered to ‘Cranium’ and suffered every second on the 1st. A perfect start to the year.
On the 2nd, I joined a gym and promised to get
fit/drink less/be a better person/yadah yadah yadah.
That said, I’m not going for the no-alcohol-in-January
promise; I just haven’t got it in me. I have no excuse other than my mother
told me ‘a little of what you love does you good’ (note term ‘little’) – thanks
Mum. To compensate for my inner evil, I have taken a look at the naturally
lower ABV drinks that you may wish to switch to during January. It really depends
how much of them you drink, but they are certainly a step in the right
direction.
To be classified as a wine, an ABV of 8.5% must be achieved
by the winemaker. Some German wines are allowed to go down to 6.5% ABV. This is
due to their cool climate. English wines are also commonly lower and ABVs
around 11% are usual for both countries.
The benefit to the cooler climate = less sugar. Less sugar = less
alcohol. So, rather than a reduced alcohol wine-like drink, these can be really
lovely, well balanced wines that are lighter in the bad stuff. To counteract the usual higher acidity levels,
some sugar can be left unfermented. This helps balance the taste of the wine as
well as reduce the ABV. Perfect.
Dr. Loosen
Riesling, 8.5% ABV (Sainsbury’s £7.49 for 75cl)
This is delicious. Aromatic, fresh and light, with a slight sweetness and good acidity. It drinks well alone (or goes well with a Chinese if you
fall off the waggon completely).
There
are approximately 70 calories (1.1 units) in 125ml. Around the same as a plain Hobnob.
I know what I’d prefer. (Compared to last week’s Rioja which is around 119
calories for a 125ml glass).
Sparkle in January
Just because New Year has come and
gone, don’t push away the Prosecco. Don’t chuck your Cava or abandon the Asti. Certainly do not conceal the Champers… (enough!?!).
Alliteration aside, fizz can be a good option for the health conscious. Rather than
your usual fizz, look for Champagne with ‘Nature’ on the label. This means no ‘dosage’
is used (topping up with sweet liquid just before the cork is put in). This has
around 65 calories per 125 ml glass.
An
awful moment of realisation when you scrutinise your booze:
125ml glass of regular (i.e. not ‘Nature’) Champagne (1 unit) equals one chocolate digestive
(86 calories).
25ml whisky (1 unit) is a plain Hobnob (67 calories).
250ml glass of wine (3.3 units) or a pint of beer (2.2 units) would be a slice
of Victoria sponge (196 calories).
One
pint of cider (2.6 units) is a sugar doughnut (210 calories).
It’s
Champers and Scotch during January then….
http://runninghumor.com/running-app/ |
Cheers! x
What would you recommend for quaffing with my rather nice homemade apricot flapjacks?
ReplyDeleteAbstinence in January? With Jo's birthday next week? Phooey!!
Ooo they sound delicious! I always think wine and pudding is a tough one - the wine should always be sweeter than the pud. Anything made with late harvest and noble rot ie Botrytis should be good - a really luscious wine - Royal Tokaji (5 Puttonyos - i.e. very sweet) has a floral, apricot aroma that would be delicious with this. Don't think you can get it in Leros though - oooops. Another one to add to the suitcase ;) x
ReplyDeleteP.S. I am totally against extremes of dieting - including 'dry January'. Everything in moderation! Especially when it's the lovely lady's birthday x
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