Dear Jessica, Christmas and New Year’s Eve was a blur of friends, family and gluttony. I’m ready to start my resolutions, detox my diet and get back into shape. Can you recommend a lower alcohol wine that still tastes good?

Jessica uncorked: There’s a vast difference between ‘alcohol free’ wines and ‘low’ alcohol. To officially be alcohol free, the drinks have to be 0.5 per cent alcohol by volume or less.

The only way for a wine to achieve this is through mechanical means at the end of the process. Some of these at larger grocery stores outside Oxford city centre, but in my experience, you’re better off drinking a sparkling apple juice or mixing soda water with cranberry juice and sipping it from a champagne flute.

‘Low’ alcohol wines offer a greater variety. More stores are picking up on the fact that people want to sip wine without the feeling of furry teeth in the morning.

Sainsbury’s has launched a Ten Per Cent line. Marks and Spencer and Tesco are joining them in offering lower alcohol wine selection, although some wines are being called low alcohol if they are below 12 per cent.

I find the perfect low alcohol wines to be German. They’re naturally low in alcohol due to the cool climate. Dr L Riesling, at 8.5 per cent, is one of my favourites, and easy to find everywhere for under £7.50.

Other countries are beginning to compete with German’s naturally low alcohol. South Africa and Australia discovered that if they pick the grapes early before they were completely ripe, there was less sugar to ferment.

One Australian winery has gone back a hundred years and started making wine from grapes that were popular in the early 1900s.

The result is delicious. The 2007 Two Hands, Brilliant Disguise is made with Moscato Bianco grapes that went out of fashion when the new world turned to big bold high alcoholic reds.

At seven per cent alcohol, this wine is very different from most of the wines produced in the Western and Southern Hemispheres.

It’s a semi-sparkling wine that is very pale, with delicate bubbles. The aroma is clean and intense with suggestions of nectar and honeydew. It is subtly sweet with a light body, bright acidity and warm pineapple flavours.

This would go well with fruit or a light Asian vegetable stir fry if you still want to detox your diet, and is more sociable than a wheat grass drink (but what isn’t?).

The only problem with this wine is that it is so delectable you will find yourself drinking more of it. A 50cl bottle normally goes for £8.99 in stores and online, but you can get it now on sale for £6.29 at Oddbins on the High Street.

Dear Jessica, Christmas and New Year’s Eve was a blur of friends, family and gluttony. I’m ready to start my resolutions, detox my diet and get back into shape. Can you recommend a lower alcohol wine that still tastes good?

Jessica uncorked: There’s a vast difference between ‘alcohol free’ wines and ‘low’ alcohol. To officially be alcohol free, the drinks have to be 0.5 per cent alcohol by volume or less.

The only way for a wine to achieve this is through mechanical means at the end of the process. Some of these at larger grocery stores outside Oxford city centre, but in my experience, you’re better off drinking a sparkling apple juice or mixing soda water with cranberry juice and sipping it from a champagne flute.

‘Low’ alcohol wines offer a greater variety. More stores are picking up on the fact that people want to sip wine without the feeling of furry teeth in the morning.

Sainsbury’s has launched a Ten Per Cent line. Marks and Spencer and Tesco are joining them in offering lower alcohol wine selection, although some wines are being called low alcohol if they are below 12 per cent.

I find the perfect low alcohol wines to be German. They’re naturally low in alcohol due to the cool climate. Dr L Riesling, at 8.5 per cent, is one of my favourites, and easy to find everywhere for under £7.50.

Other countries are beginning to compete with German’s naturally low alcohol. South Africa and Australia discovered that if they pick the grapes early before they were completely ripe, there was less sugar to ferment.

One Australian winery has gone back a hundred years and started making wine from grapes that were popular in the early 1900s.

The result is delicious. The 2007 Two Hands, Brilliant Disguise is made with Moscato Bianco grapes that went out of fashion when the new world turned to big bold high alcoholic reds.

At seven per cent alcohol, this wine is very different from most of the wines produced in the Western and Southern Hemispheres.

It’s a semi-sparkling wine that is very pale, with delicate bubbles. The aroma is clean and intense with suggestions of nectar and honeydew. It is subtly sweet with a light body, bright acidity and warm pineapple flavours.

This would go well with fruit or a light Asian vegetable stir fry if you still want to detox your diet, and is more sociable than a wheat grass drink (but what isn’t?).

The only problem with this wine is that it is so delectable you will find yourself drinking more of it. A 50cl bottle normally goes for £8.99 in stores and online, but you can get it now on sale for £6.29 at Oddbins on the High Street.

winecolumn@nqo.com