Ten Great Low-Alcohol Wines

Ignore the critics and ask the sommelier for these 12%-13% choices.
 
In Depth: Bartholomew Broadbent's Low-Alcohol Wine Picks Let's say for a moment that the restaurant you've reserved for Valentine's Day has on its wine list a highly sought after, critically acclaimed cabernet or chardonnay you've been dying to try. It's one of those cult wines, maybe from Napa, with big, bold flavors, monster tannins, lots of oak and 15% alcohol.

Skip it. Find something on the list with 12% or 13% alcohol instead.

That's the advice of Bartholomew Broadbent, whose San Francisco-based import company handles brands from all over the world. One or two percent alcohol doesn't sound like much of a difference, but the effect on the palate, as well as the brain, can be profound.

Not only do high-alcohol wines overpower your food, Broadbent observes, but just a couple of glasses could be enough to turn Valentine's Day into a trip to the emergency room if you're driving to and from the restaurant. Certainly, there are better ways to say, "I love you."

For a white, try something like a Gazella Vinho Verde from Portugal, which has only 9% alcohol, or just about any sauvignon blanc from France's Sancerre region. Those wines usually have alcohol levels no higher that 13%. For a red, try the Heron pinot noir, from the Languedoc region of France, which boasts an alcohol level in the 13% range.

Critics deserve some of the blame for the trend toward high-alcohol-content wines. When they conduct their blind tastings, they might have 20 or more glasses of wine in front of them. The wines that stand out from the monotony earn higher ratings, and one element that can enliven an otherwise tired palate is, you guessed it, a higher alcohol content.

Wineries are keenly aware of this, and, in search of higher critical praise (and, in turn, sales), they push the envelope. When grapes are still on the vine, their sugar content rises as they ripen. That sugar is what's converted to alcohol as part of the fermentation process, after the grapes are picked and crushed. In general, the later in the season the grapes are picked, the higher the sugar content, and therefore the higher the alcohol level in the finished wine.