IN A marketing ploy that would have Bridget Jones choking on her chardonnay, a reduced-alcohol white wine is to be aimed at women who find conventional brands too strong.

According to research by Sainsbury’s, many women find that wine, which has crept up to between 12.5 and 14.5 per cent alcohol in strength, is simply too intoxicating.

After years in development, the supermarket is about to introduce a new Australian wine, Early Harvest semillon sauvignon blanc, on the basis of its 9.5 per cent alcohol content. It insists that the wine will be indistinguishable from its stronger equivalents in terms of taste and quality.

Early Harvest will also have 19 per cent fewer calories than that of the average bestselling wines, according to Sainsbury’s.

Julian Dyer, Sainsbury’s Australian wine buyer, said that sales of very low-alcohol wines — about the 0.5 per cent mark — had been poor. However, he believes there will be a big demand for Early Harvest.

He said: “Our research shows that customers are put off low-alcohol wines because of their perceived poor taste. Early Harvest addresses that concern, and will appeal to today’s more health-conscious consumer who does not want to compromise on taste He said that customer research carried out for Sainsbury’s had discovered the flipside of the ladette culture — that many women were finding it difficult to tolerate modern high-strength wine.

“Alcohol levels worldwide have been creeping up over the past few years just through wine-making styles,” he said.

“I am pretty convinced that going forward we will see more wines like this, particularly as the new wine technology evolves.”

Mr Dyer said he believed that the Early Harvest wine would be the start of a new drinking trend. The secret behind its unique formulation, he says, lies in its name. It is made using the first picked grapes of the season and the lower calorie and alcohol content occur naturally in the winemaking process.

The wine goes on sale at Sainsbury’s next month.

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