Off the vine: Natureo range

By Tom Lee, January 22, 2015

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It’s natural to overindulge during the holiday season. Whether sipping from flutes of champagne, tucking into Christmas pudding with a glass of sherry or throwing back cups of eggnog, by the time New Year’s Day has come and gone, even the most staunch alcohol connoisseur can feel weighed down by the buildup of booze sloshing around their insides. 

Yet, for many wine lovers it’s simply anathema to go without a glass or two of Dionysius’ beloved beverage a day. The solution? Low-alcohol, low-calorie wine. Before you guffaw and dismiss the idea as pure poppycock, the science of de-alcoholizing wine has come a long way in the past few years. A study two years ago suggested that non-alcoholic wine can lower heart disease, risk of stroke and blood pressure, since it still contains good-for-you antioxidants but doesn’t contain alcohol, which can block the effects.

Is it the same as real wine? No, of course not, don’t be ridiculous! However, it is a valid alternative for those undertaking a dry month. All non-alcoholic wine starts out as alcohol, fermented grapes still forming the basis of flavor. It is only after this process that the alcohol content is removed. This can be done through a couple of different processes.

The Natureo wine range from Torres removes alcohol using a spinning cone column, maintaining plenty of aroma. One of the best non-alcoholic wines around, if you have to kick the habit, it certainly beats grape juice. The range offers three different varietals: a 100 percent muscat white, a syrah and cabernet sauvignon rose blend and a 100 percent syrah red – all relatively sweet.

At 0.5 percent alcohol and less than half the calories of a normal wine, the Natureo wines are also much better for your body, and could even work as a Christmas present; a subtle hint to those friends who overindulge in the sauce that their liver could do with a break!

// Rm G, 6/F, Jianhe Bldg, 111-115 Tiyu Xi Lu, Tianhe District 天河区体育西路111-115号建和中心6楼G室 (3887 0367, info@torres.com.cn)

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