LITTLE CORKERS

You did it! Alcohol-free January is finally behind us and our expert Rosamund Hall has the perfect vinos to celebrate

- Rosamund Hall

I think we all need to give ourselves a big collective pat on the back because we did it, we got through 2025’s first month. January - nil. Us - one. What a great result. And now February’s here and the snowdrops are pushing through with their steely commitment to life and the teasing promise of spring. As I like to say to myself every morning, even when it’s dark, “These are the good days.”

As January closes for another year, I wonder: were you one of the 15 million people who Alcohol Change UK estimated would be taking part in Dry January this year? If so, you might be feeling an overwhelming desire to head straight to the booze aisles and stock up. But what I’m really hoping is that your approach to alcohol will be altogether more considered.

Why not take a beat, and think about what you want your 2025 drinking to look like? Is this the year that you decide to embrace less and better? To try new wines and break out of the familiar cycle? Or is it going to be the same old pinot grigio and malbec combo with a bit of prosecco for special occasions? (Absolutely no shade if those are your drinks of choice, just let me help you pick a good one.) I’m the wine friend you always wished for.

Instead, you could see this year as the year to fall in love with wine all over again. There are over 10,000 grape varieties and hundreds upon hundreds of wine regions around the world, each doing something different. The multitude of styles available is staggering; red, white, rosé and orange can be made into still, fortified and sparkling wines. They can range from 8 per cent in alcohol, such as a light Moscato d’Asti to 20 per cent in the case of a vintage port. Stylistically, there is something to suit all palettes, whether you love a fireside rich red, or a poolside crisp rosé – wine can do it all. It is an orchestra of organoleptic pleasure.