WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ EE E7
RECOMMENDATIONSTwo racy white wines headline our
lineup this week, including a
budget-minded acid-freak’s dream
from Spain and a crisp zero-alcohol
sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.
A winter-weight white from Alsace, a
bistro beauty of a beaujolais and a
savory tempranillo from Spain
round out the list.
— D.M.
GREAT VALUE
Txakoli Primo Zarautz 2020
(Excellent/Extraordinary)
Spain, $13
Txakoli, a white wine from Spain’s
Basque region, is a wine-geek
favorite because of its intensely tart
acidity. First sip is like a jolt of
energy to your palate, dousing your
taste buds with electric citrus
flavors of lime zest and orange
blossom, followed by kumquat and
mango. Acidity this high screams
for food. Anything pungent with
olives or fermented flavors will help
soften the wine’s texture and draw
out the fruit. Alcohol by volume:
11.5 percent. Bottle weight: 405
grams (Light).
Imported by Tr i-Vin, distributed in the District
and Maryland by DMV, in Virginia by
Dionysos Imports: Available in the District at
Classy Corks, Lee Towers Market, Paul’s of
Chevy Chase, Riggs Liquor, Rodman’s, S&S
Liquor, Sherry’s Fine Wine & Spirits, Ye s
Organic Market (Capitol Hill). Available in
Maryland at A&A Wine & Spirits in Gambrills,
ABD Liquor in Prince Frederick; Bay Wine &
Spirits in North Beach; Downtown Crown
Wine and Beer, FineWine.com in
Gaithersburg; Dunkirk Wine & Spirits in
Dunkirk; Eastport Liquors in Annapolis;
Edgewater Liquors in Edgewater; Fr anklin’s
Restaurant, Brewery & General Store in
Hyattsville; Harborview Liquors in Baltimore;
Kenilworth Wine & Spirits in Towson; Kings
Contrivance Liquor in Columbia; Liberty
Wine & Liquors in LaVale; Longmeadow
Wine & Liquors in Hagerstown; McHenry
Beverage Shoppe in McHenry; Old Farm
Liquors in Frederick; Pine Orchard Liquors,
Wine Bin in Ellicott City; Port of Call Liquors
in Solomons; Snider’s Super Foods in Silver
Spring; the Winery in Chester; Town &
Country Wine Liquor Etc. in Easton; Town
Center Market in Riverdale Park; Vintage
414 in Cambridge; Wemyss Liquors in St.
Leonard. Available in Virginia at Wegmans
(various locations).
Giesen 0% Dealcoholized
Sauvignon Blanc
(Excellent)
New Zealand, $17
A wine-geek’s way of politely
dismissing a wine is to say, “It
tastes like wine.” Well, this
dealcoholized sauvignon blanc
tastes like sauvignon blanc, and I
mean that as sincere praise. Light-
bodied, racy acidity with the
characteristic grassy, gooseberry
flavors of New Zealand savvie. It’s
lighter and less pungent than
Giesen’s regular sauvignon blanc,
but it fills the bill for a white wine
without the buzz. The addition of
6 percent sauvignon blanc grape
juice helps with the body. ABV: 0.
BW: 420 (Light).
Imported by Pacific Highway Wines,
distributed in the District and Maryland by
Opici, in Virginia by RNDC: Available in the
District at Bell Wine & Spirits, Classy Corks,
Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquor, Whole
Foods Market (various locations). Available
in Maryland at Total Wine & More (Laurel,
Towson). Available in Virginia at Total Wine &
More (various locations), Whole Foods
Market (various locations). Available online
at Proof No More.
GREAT VALUE
Willm Pinot Gris Réserve 2019
(Excellent/Extraordinary)
Alsace, France, $17
Pinot gris from Alsace tends to be
weightier than its Italian cousin,
pinot grigio, despite being made
from the same grape. This makes it
an ideal cold-weather white. Look
for notes of lilac, honeysuckle and
peach. Drink on its own or with
smoked fish or fowl, sausages and
cheese. ABV: 13.5 percent. BW:
445 grams (Light).
Imported and distributed by M. Touton:
Available in the District at AB Liquors, the
Bottle House, Cairo Wine & Liquor, Calvert
Woodley, Capitol Hill Wine and Spirits,
Central Liquors, Cleveland Park Wine and
Spirits, Grand Liquor, H Street Fine Wines
and Liquors, Harry’s Reserve Fine Wine &
Spirits, Hayden’s Liquor, Hop, Cask & Barrel,
Lion’s Fine Wine & Spirits, MacArthur
Beverages, Morris Miller Wine & Liquor, S&S
Liquor, Sherry’s Fine Wine & Spirits.
Available in Maryland at Allview Liquors,
Jason’s Wine & Spirits, Pine Orchard Liquors
in Ellicott City; Bradley Food & Beverage in
Bethesda; Choice Wine & Beer in Wheaton;
Cranberry Liquors in Westminster; Dawson’s
Liquors in Severna Park; Downtown Crown
Wine and Beer in Gaithersburg; Fulton Wine
& Spirits in Fulton; Glenwood Wine & Spirits
in Glenwood; Greenbelt Co-op in Greenbelt;
Hunt Valley Wine, Liquor & Beer in
Cockeysville; Harrison’s Wines & Spirits,
Town & Country Wine Liquor Etc. in Easton;
Mills Fine Wine and Spirits in Annapolis;
Montgomery Plaza Liquors in Catonsville;
Old Farm Liquors, Riverside Liquors, Ye Old
Spirit Shop in Frederick; Patuxent Wine &
Spirits in Lusby; Port of Call Liquors in
Solomons; Rodman’s in White Flint; Roland
Park Wines & Liquors, Wine Source in
Baltimore; Rosewick Wine & Spirits in La
Plata; Takoma Park-Silver Spring Co-Op in
Takoma Park; Total Discount Liquors in
Eldersburg; Village Pump Liquors in College
Park; the Winery in Chester; Woodmore
Wine and Spirits in Lanham. Available in
Virginia at Bistro L’ Hermitage in Woodbridge,
Norm’s Beer & Wine in Vienna; Wegmans
(various locations).Domaine Chavrier Beaujolais-
Villages A Chêne 2019
(Excellent/Extraordinary)
Beaujolais, France, $20
Bistro wine. The type of red that
could be served in a carafe in a
modest Paris hole-in-the-wall to
wash down the inexpensive but
delicious plât du jour. Unfortunately,
it’s a little pricey for that once it gets
over to this side of the Atlantic. It’s
still delicious, and the type of wine I
wish were available in 3-liter-box
format for those occasions when
just a glass or two are needed and
we could stretch the joy over several
weeks. ABV: 12.5 percent. BW: 405
grams (Light).
Imported and distributed by Elite Wines:
Available in the District at Classy Corks,
Congress Market, District Liquors, Grand
Liquor, Irving Wine & Spirits, Mac Market,
Old City Market and Oven, Paul’s of Chevy
Chase, Rodman’s, Sherry’s Fine Wine &
Spirits, State Liquors, Uptown Market,
Wagshal’s Deli, Wardman Wines, Wine &
Butter, Ye s Organic Market (Petworth).
Available in Maryland at FineWine.com in
Gaithersburg; Fleet Street Spirits, Quarry
Wine & Spirits, Remington Bottle, Wine
Source in Baltimore; Frederick Wine House
in Frederick; Maple Lawn Wine & Spirits in
Fulton; Old Town Market in Kensington;
Ronnie’s Beverage Warehouse in Forest Hill;
Snider’s Super Foods in Silver Spring.
Available in Virginia at the Cheese Shop in
Williamsburg; Cheesetique (Del Ray),
Department of Beer and Wine, Lost Dog
Cafe, Slaters Market in Alexandria; City Vino
in Fredericksburg; Fr ont Royal Wines in Fr ont
Royal; Towers Foods, Westover Market in
Arlington; WineStyles in Montclair.Altos de Aranda Tempranillo
Crianza 2016
(Excellent/Extraordinary)
Ribera del Duero, Spain, $22
Grown at high altitudes (averaging
800 meters above sea level), this
wine combines a laser focus with
impressive depth and freshness.
Look for the savory tobacco leaf
and blueberry notes typical of
tempranillo, with a spicy edge on
the finish from spending a year in
French and American oak barrels.
Pair this with heartier, rib-sticking
foods. ABV: 14 percent. BW: 405
grams (Light).
Imported and distributed in the District and
Maryland by Artisans & Vines; distributed in
Virginia by LK Wine Tours & Sales: Available
in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and
Spirits, Paul’s of Chevy Chase, Rodman’s.
Available in Maryland at Beer Wine & Co.,
Bradley Food & Beverage, Capital Beer &
Wine, Georgetown Square Wine and Beer in
Bethesda; Dawson’s Liquors, Magothy Wine
& Spirits in Severna Park; Downtown Crown
Wine and Beer, FineWine.com in
Gaithersburg; Edgewater Liquors in
Edgewater; Elkridge Furnace Inn in Elkridge;
Grosvenor Market in Rockville; Iron Bridge
Wine Co. in Columbia; Potomac Grocer in
Potomac; Town Center Market in Riverdale
Park. Available in Virginia at Aldie Peddler in
Aldie; Manolete’s Taqueria Gourmet,
Murphy Beverage in Winchester; Woodstock
Cafe & Shoppes in Woodstock.Availability information is based on
distributor records. Wines might not
be in stock at every listed store and
might be sold at additional stores.
Prices are approximate. Check
Winesearcher.com to verify
availability, or ask a favorite wine
store to order through a distributor.SCOTT SUCHMAN F OR THE WASHINGTON POSTFrom left, Txakoli Primo Zarautz 2020; Giesen 0% Dealcoholized
Sauvignon Blanc; Willm Pinot Gris Réserve 2019; Domaine
Chavrier Beaujolais-Villa ges A Chêne 2019; Altos de Aranda
Tempranillo Crianza 2016.
dealcoholized rosé for spring.
British wine writer Matthew
Jukes chafed at the lack of wine
alternatives on occasions when
he just didn’t want to drink
alcohol, so he developed his own
alternative. He describes Jukes
Cordialities as a “hybrid of a
shrub and a switchel.” Jukes used
organic apple cider vinegar to
macerate fruits and other flavors
he routinely identifies in wines.
They come in 1-ounce bottles; you
mix half with a glass of still,
sparkling or tonic water, swirl
and voilà! You have a w ine
alternative. Because there are no
grapes or fermentation involved,
there’s absolutely no alcohol and
few calories — only about 16 per
100 milliliters when mixed. Three
are available in the United States,
a white, red and rosé. Sales are
mostly online now, as
distribution to re staurants and
retail outlets has been hampered
by the pandemic.
“It ticks the box for the youth of
today who are extremely body
and health conscious, and gives
them the drink they never knew
they were missing,” Jukes told me
in a phone call from London,
during a break from tasting 2020
burgundies. “It’s for those who
want something elegant to match
with their food.”
The ti ny bottles are very
portable, so you can “resuscitate a
cold bottle of water anywhere,”
including on a plane or train where
good wine may be unavailable,
Jukes adds. “And you can tell a
bartender, ‘I’ll have a Jukes 1 in a
tall glass with some ice, please,’ and
suddenly you’re James Bond, in
charge of your drink.”
Whatever your reason for
abstaining from alcohol — Dry
January, designated driver,
religion, physical or mental well-
being — t hese wine alternatives
let you enjoy the occasion without
feeling left out — or judged.
[email protected]McIntyre blogs at dmwineline.com. On
Twitter: @dmwine.appreciates wine, but on occasion
doesn’t want alcohol,” he
explains. “We want a d rink that
fits the occasion without tasting
like sugary grape juice.”
Hand on Heart has
competitors. Stella Rosa, the
popular Italian brand of slightly
sweet, slightly fizzy wines, is also
introducing a z ero-alcohol line in
the U.S. market this month.
Giesen, from New Zealand’s
Marlborough region, introduced
Giesen 0% Dealcoholized
Sauvignon Blanc about a y ear
ago, marketed through Whole
Foods Market and Total Wine &
More. The wine, bolstered b y
6 percent unfermented sauvignon
blanc grape juice to give it body,
proved so popular that the winery
is expanding distribution this
year and introducing aHand on Heart uses a p rocess
called GoLo, developed by a S anta
Rosa, Calif., company called
BevZero. A single pass through
the GoLo system can reduce a
wine’s alcohol from 14 percent to
less than 0.05 percent, and flavor
elements are captured and
returned to the wine. Natural
flavor extracts were added to
bolster the winelike character of
the final product.
“Our goal was to have
something with tannins,
structure and acidity, and flavors
as winelike as possible,” chief
winemaker Jonathan Nagy told
me in an interview.
Hand on Heart’s tar get market
is the “sober curious” consumer,
says Tommy Gaeta, Miller
Family’s director of marketing.
“Someone who likes andseasoned with an unnecessary
expletive or two aimed at the
abstainers.
In this tempest in a spit bucket,
the Drys come across as virtue
signalers, while the Wets are
unnecessarily defensive. They
remind me of a line by W.C.
Fields, which I r emember as,
“Quitting drinking is easy! I’ve
done it dozens of times.”
Social media is our modern
diary. Not a secret confessional
hidden away from prying parents
or spouses, but a public
testimonial for the world to see.
Our workout routines, daily miles
run or walked, pounds lost, a
month off from drinking — t hese
posts represent personal
accountability. We’ve told the
world, so we have to do it. They’re
also accomplishments we friends
should applaud. And don’t worry,
fellow Wets, our drinking buddies
will be back in February.
I haven’t written about Dry
January before because
alternatives for wine fiends are
lacking. That may be changing.
On Jan. 3, Miller Family Wine
Co., a leading producer in
California’s Central Coast region
best known for owning Bien
Nacido Vineyards, unveiled a n ew
line of dealcoholized wines called
Hand on Heart. Available now
online, they will be in stores this
spring, including Safeway stores
in Northern Virginia. The line
features a cabernet sauvignon, a
chardonnay and a rosé from the
2020 vintage for $15 a bottle.
“Dealcoholized” is a regulatory
term for wine reduced to less than
0.05 percent alcohol by volume.
This is typically done through a
process called reverse osmosis or
by running the wine repeatedly
through a centrifuge-like device
called a spinning cone. That’s
rough handling — not only does it
remove alcohol, which provides
body and texture to wine, it also
removes more delicate flavor
components. That’s a m ain
reason dealcoholized wines have
been disappointing in the past.supernova winery, proclaim their
determination to abstain from
alcohol for a m onth, detoxing
from holiday debauchery and
recalibrating their livers for the
year ahead.
Inevitably, there is a b acklash.
Determined drinkers defiantly
declare their intention to keep on
drinking through January (and
later, Sober October), come hell or
high branch water. Their
declarations are often judgy,As the New Year’s
wishes fade into
echoes on social
media,
declarations of
Dry January take
their place. People
who routinely post
photos of trophy
wines gracing
their dinner tables, or the latest
funky pét-n at, or the recent
release from the newest local
Wine
DAVE
MCINTYRE
Abstaining from alcohol? Whatever your reason, your options are getting better.
SCOTT SUCHMAN FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
Giesen of New Zealand offers a dealcoholized sauvignon blanc.FINE WINES & SPIRITS ★ LA CHEESERIE & INTERNATIONAL DELI★ ★ ★ ★PARK FREE ON OUR LOT★ ★ ★ ★SIGN UP TO
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