I have always been baffled by TS Eliot’s assessment of April as being the cruellest month. Sure, April showers are inconvenient and often an unwelcome foil to the crisp days of early spring – but surely the dubious honour of the worst month in the calendar year belongs to January, traditionally a month of abstinence and forced frugality, one where the profligacy of weeks gone by finally comes home to roost; and all amid the miserable darkness and gloom that characterises British winters.
Most miserable of all, I find, is the onset of dry January. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am usually grateful for an excuse to take a break from the excesses of the festive period, but I often find that as dry January begins, my social life grinds to a halt. Suddenly, invitations to cosy dinners at a friend’s house, or suggestions of a long walk followed by an afternoon spent gossiping in the pub, are nowhere to be found – all because of the (extremely British) assumption that alcohol is a necessary component of almost every social occasion.
But this month I’m doing things differently, enlisting McGuigan Zero as my accomplice. A range of zero-alcohol wines perfect for those looking to moderate their alcohol consumption, McGuigan Zero has choices of reds and whites, tastes great, and is the ideal solution for when you want to enjoy a glass or two with your friends and still feel fresh the next morning.
And who knows, perhaps you’ll find yourself incorporating alcohol-free wines into your repertoire year-round, as a good friend of mine has. Finding the clarity of mind and boost in productivity levels she experienced during dry January a few years ago too seductive to give up on, she crossed over into the category of drinker I think of as “sober curious”. She isn’t completely teetotal – she’s still partial to a glass of fizz on holidays and high days – but the rest of the time, she sticks to zero-alcohol wines and beers. She enjoys the sense of occasion and ritual that opening a bottle of wine signifies, hence her preference for zero-alcohol drinks over soft drinks or water.
Thankfully with McGuigan’s Zero range, this January you can enjoy the best of both worlds.
McGuigan Zero is available in all major UK supermarkets, online and convenience stores. For more information, please go to mcguiganwines.co.uk
