Lisa’s Labels

Oct 08

Lisa’s Labels

Lisa’s Labels I am one of those women who never really did exercise, all that sweating…I’m not designed for it. But when I turned the big 30 I found myself being even more self critical in the mirror, so I did what every women does at least once, I went out, joined a gym, went twice and then conveniently found it too cold, too far, too tiring, too difficult to park, and about a hundred and forty other excuses… I then tried swimming, but the chlorine was ruining my hair! I even went to Tai-bo, which is a form of torture they actually charge you for…I can’t remember the excuse for that one! Then this summer I discovered running…and so far, believe it or not, I quite like it. I think its because it’s a great way to blow off some steam when my hubby is driving me mad, and, its solitary enough to write this column in my head. Either way, whatever it is, it’s working… However, as I was pounding the pavements the other day I began to wonder was all my hard work going to waste, if I was just going to go home and polish off a big full bodied bottle of spanish later. You see ladies, you have to remember the higher the alcohol the higher the calories. So apart for the health aspects of drinking too much wine, what are the waist aspects… I decided to again enlist my girlfriend, Jen, on a mission to see if we could find some wines that were tasty, but relatively low in alcohol, not below 11%, lets be realistic here, a girl needs something… It was harder than you’d think but we battled through and came up with these diet gems on the shelves now…so here goes Lisa’s “drink yourself slim diet” (err…yeah…you may want to try a bit of exercise as well…) Vina Esmeralda, Torres 2006, 11.5% vol. €9.99 Superquinn and off licenses nationwide. Miguel Torres is one of my favourite winemakers. He is capable not only of producing wine for the masses, his ubiquitous Sangre de Torres, but also some of the best in Spain, his very rare and very special Real Reserva. This fruity white from his stable is almost completely made from Moscatel, and it’s a wine that actually tastes of grapes for once and not gooseberries and apple blossom or any other obscure flower that we wine writers like to go on about. Fresh and fruity, it is light and at 11.5% you don’t even have to feel guilty. Deep Woods Ivory 2006, 11.5% vol. €13.99 Mad about Wine, Galway. Jus de Vine Portmarknock, and independent off licenses nationwide. This is an Aussie Sauvignon Blanc /Semillon blend from the cool Margaret River area that is just perfect for sipping after a long run or anywhere really. Crisp, acidic and grassy it reminds me of a good New Zealander but without the price tag. Now you have to love that… Rizzardi Bardolino Classico 2007, 12.5% vol. €11.99 O’ Briens Wines nationwide. I know we’re creeping up now but it’s very difficult to get a red wine under 12.5% vol. This little gem from Italy is soft and fruity with black bitter cherries that will go great with Italian pasta if you’re allowed it…Just leave off the garlic bread. Ferraton, Côtes-du-Rhone Villages 2006, 14.5% vol. €12.99 O’ Briens Wines nationwide.Look we can’t be good all the time, so for those nights when you just want to say sod it, this whopper from the southern Rhone is perfect. Not only is it great value at this price, it tastes up there with the much bigger and more expensive boys. It is so deceptively smooth and full-bodied, you really don’t notice the high alcohol at all. P.s. For an experiment I also blind tested the two reds on Jen and her hubby to see if they could tell the difference in alcohol and believe it or not they both got it wrong, citing the Italian as the higher. But to be fair the full body of the French wine balances out the alcohol quite well and lets face it, life’s all about balance… and being a little naughty every now and then. Lisa was chief sommelier at the K club for nearly three years and now runs her own consultancy sommelier business. You can contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or at lisaodoherty.com

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