Description

In this video, we make a low alcohol wine tasting, ideal for pregnant women, who need to keep the levels of alcohol low.

Transcript

Sam: When a woman gets pregnant, it invariably means giving up the drink for nine months or so. Now, while some people might appreciate it given their leave as a short break, others still crave a nice glass of wine every now and again. Dale Hemming-Tayler is the boss of LoNo Drinks Company which imports high-quality, low-alcohol wines, and he’s also brought in a selection of them so that we can do a little tasting. Dale what is your interest in low-alcohol wines? Dale: It’s very simple really. About five years ago, something I was warned about in my 20s came and finally bit me, and that was high blood pressure. And the doctor said I ought to steer away from alcohol as much as I could. I’m really trying to stave off taking the tablets as long I could basically. Sam: Yes. Dale: One glass of wine a week I'm afraid, it just doesn’t work for me. So I decided they are completely T-total. Sam: Were you a very keen wine drinker? Dale: Yes, I was. Yes. I'm a retired soldier. And so, we tend to sort of party quite well sometimes and very, very much so. One of the most daunting parts of being told that I couldn’t or advised not to drink any longer was not to have any red wine with my bread and cheese. Now that for me is— Sam: That was the toughest. Dale: Oh, bad, bad, bad news. Sam: So your enthusiasm to find some alternative drove you into this business? Dale: Yes, absolutely. I spent a year looking around the UK trying to see what I could find, trying all the things that were available. And essentially, what I found didn’t really match what I was looking for. Sam: Why not? Dale: A lot of them were sort of soft drink concoctions more than anything else, but it didn’t have that wine aspect that I was looking for. I was quite relaxed about it that I was trying to be non-hypocritical if you like and do the best I could. But I just couldn’t—I could find anything at all. But certainly in the travels that I’ve had in 30 years in the army, I knew that stuff was out there and so I went searching for it. One of the most disappointing things I found really was when I went to a lot of the UK industry. It was I found there’s a lack of interest in searching out something like this to fill that gap. They felt that the gap was already filled with what was on the shelves but not really what I was looking for, which was some alternative that was the closest to the wine as we can get. Sam: Why do you suppose there was such a lack of interest? Because I mean, there are obviously millions of pregnant women out there who would like this stuff presumably. Dale: Yeah. Well, there are 500,000. That’s half a million expected moms every year. Sam: At any one time. Dale: In this country, yes, half a million. And you would have thought that that would be filled relatively easily by someone who sort of wanted to look at it. But I think really the feeling was that well, the gap had been filled. Sam: Yes. Dale: No one complained about it. Nobody was asking for it. So therefore, if nobody is asking for it, chicken and egg situation, it doesn’t happen. Well, I started asking. Sam: Why do you think these people weren’t asking? Dale: They didn’t know it existed. Sam: Right. Dale: Again, it goes back to that chicken and egg situation really and to the travelers that we had around the globe that we knew it was there. But I was bit disappointed that I couldn’t find someone else to do it. And I designed the website initially that was just going to be a sign post and to show people where they could buy it. Once I’ve found the source for it, where they could buy it, and that’s all it’s going to be, and that was the LoNo Club. And that slowly but surely became the LoNo Drinks Company. Sam: Why LoNo? What’s the— Dale: Low alcohol, no alcohol. Sam: Right, okay. Dale: We don’t look at anything above 1% or I don’t touch anything above 1% myself. Occasionally, I have still 1% but that’s it, but nothing above that. Sam: And pregnant women, I mean how much alcohol is recommended, their daily intake? Dale: Well, that I suppose is an open-ended question. Sam: Yes. Dale: And I think certainly from our dealings, and we deal a lot of expectant moms, is our single biggest identifiable customer group that we have. Sam: Oh, really? Dale: Yes. I mean as grandparents, we’ve got great passion for what we do and how we can help them. And we got tremendous feedback from them. Sam: So what is your market from expectant mothers? Dale: How many? Sam: Yeah, how many customers you have? Dale: Oh, we haven’t counted. I’m not quite sure. I really wouldn’t say. I would say that probably we are looking at around about 15% overall. Sam: Right, okay. Dale: But as I said, it’s the single most easily identifiable group that we have. Sam: Yes. Dale: There are other people like myself that are older. There’s the personal diet exception. But predominantly, it’s the expecting mom that we concentrate on. Sam: Can we try some of these? Dale: But of course you may. Sam: Thank you. What would you suggest? Dale: I suggest we start off classic stuff with the bubbly. Sam: Carl Jung. Dale: Carl Jung. This is a German sect. Sam: These wines are sourced from various different places? Dale: Yes. The most important thing that I felt that we should do was to provide a selection. Sam: Yes. Dale: Because we all have different preferences. We also have a different sized wallet; it’s as simple as that. Sam: Exactly. Dale: But to have a decent selection I felt was really very, very important because we have different meals, et cetera, and that’s really what we’re going to—but this one here is absolutely— Sam: I'm going to sit back while you do this. Dale: --just in case, I think we should. All things— Sam: Oh, well done. That was a satisfying sound there. Dale: But this one I suppose really is our single biggest seller. Sam: And how much is that a bottle? Dale: This is £4.80. Sam: You’re lying to me. Dale: I'm not lying. Sam: Because it is cheap. Dale: We decided right from where it will go that the easiest and the best way to get that to the public right into those fingers in society was over the internet and by mail order, and that’s how we sell most of it. Sam: It smells like champagne. Dale: I love it. I get two or three bottles a week of this. I think it’s fantastic. Sam: That’s really nice, isn’t it? It doesn’t taste like—but I'm not kidding on champagne .This is my confession, but this is really lovely. Dale: Well, it’s not champagne as such. It’s a sparkling white wine from Germany. It’s a German sect. It’s a different style of white wine. Sam: But it tastes more like an apple to me. It’s almost like a sort of cider most. Dale: Yes, we do. They have some of that sort of background here. But the nice thing about it is it’s nice and dry. We’ve had this at so many parties and weddings that people reported to us they haven’t told the guests it’s alcohol-free. Sam: But why— Dale: And they try to ride our knees out. They really enjoyed themselves. Sam: Why would you do that? Why would you throw a party and then give— Dale: Well, I think it’s just for people. There are alcoholic beverages for those people who had it and those people who didn’t, but everyone else who has had this has sort of joined in with them as well. Sam: And do they act drunk by the end of the— Dale: Well, I haven’t seen anyone acting drunk by that at all, I must admit. Now seeing people getting into the party and move, that wasn’t a problem at all. But these are really—I love it. When I take a bottle out—at the beginning, I took a bottle to parties. Then I suddenly learned I had to take two because as soon as I saw Dale drinking this, “He doesn’t drink. What has he got in hands?” “Oh I’ll have some of that.” Now, I take three to make sure I have some myself. Sam: What do—I mean I really sort of got a terrible palate I guess. What do wine experts say about it? Dale: We’ve had this particular wine. There was a group of wine experts who had a tasting. There were 10 of them and they tasted some bubbly. Sam: Yes. Dale: And this one came second, but they didn’t know it was alcohol-free. Sam: Oh, really? Could we try some? I quite fancy—oh, I will leave it to you, sorry. Dale: I suggest we stick with the medium if you like, the medium white. Sam: Okay. Dale: This is slightly dry. This in fact is an organic wine. We’ve got a range of three organic alcohol-free wines. It’s the only organic alcohol-free or dealcoholised as we have to call it in the UK. Sam: So that’s would be very good for a pregnant mother? Dale: Oh yes. This I say, no problem at all. But again medically, there’s always a fear where medically we say that one thing is okay and another is not and all the rest of it. But these, are far as the rest of the world is concerned or a lot of the rest of the world is concerned, less than half or 1% are completely safe drinking. There’s no problem at all. But in the UK, we have to call it dealcoholised wine as opposed to alcohol-free. Sam: Why? Because it— Dale: It’s a regulatory bracket they fall into, less than half of 1%. Sam: I see. Dale: To be alcohol-free, it has to be less than— Sam: Absolutely no alcohol. Dale: No. Well, orange juice has got alcohol in it. Sam: Has it? Dale: Yes, it has. So are some yogurt, rye bread, yeah, you name it. It’s quite incredible. Sam: Good Lord! Dale: But to be less than half—to be alcohol-free, it must be less than half—0.05%. Sam: Right. Dale: It’s at that level really where the orange juice comes into it. There is alcohol in that as well. But Germany, France, Spain, those sort of countries, they call 0.5 is the limit for that for alcohol-free. Sam: Right, and this is— Dale: Should we keep these glasses here? Sam: Yes, whatever. You control the table because it’s just your area of expertise. Dale: This is the white organic. Again— Sam: It’s lovely, thank you. Dale: Very, very tasty, very refreshing. Superb summer drinks for sitting outside. Sam: I guess—I mean it is inconvenient, isn’t it, when you cannot drink? And yet, you’re expected to attend in weddings and parties, and— Dale: Inevitably, when you arrive and do it like that, you go through your front door, you got your red wine, white wine, orange juice— Sam: Exactly. Dale: And I can see people and we’re fed up, and so is the expectant mom. Fed up arriving there, but I always cite that when I come across the skeptical viewpoint from a buyer in a shop or something. Then they’ll say, “Well, who wants that stuff anyway?” I would say, “Have you thought about the expectant mom? What about the expectant mom?” Normally, it’s a fellow. I’ve got to admit, normally it’s a fellow. Sam: It would be. Dale: And so, I thought why should an expectant mom get to her best friend’s wedding and salute the bride with a glass of orange juice when everyone else has got bubbly when she could do exactly the same, feel part of the occasion, part of the party, and enjoy herself? Sam: And frankly after about two orange juices, you still feel a bit sick anyway, don’t you? Dale: Yes, absolutely. Sam: I do. This is very nice. It’s very, very light, isn’t it? Dale: Yes, it is. It’s a nice little—again, there’s a little bit of dryness to that as well, and less of an aftertaste. Sam: But incredibly refreshing, I mean It would be lovely in the summer. Dale: It is. That’s what we found. We’ll go for the next one here, which is a Californian. We’ve got 19 wines in all. This is where our uniqueness comes in. There’s no other company in the world like LoNo that has gathered together a collection like this. You can find the odd bit here and there, but you can’t find this sort of collection at all anywhere. Sam: So you’ve pretty much sourced the best wines in the world. Dale: That’s what we aim to do and that’s what we’re going to start and do, and gather them together. And the great success that we’ve had really in what we’re doing is be able to offer the person who buys online a choice to be able to take one off the shelf or two off the shelf here and make up a case of their own choosing as opposed to the traditional where you will take a mixed case of that sort or half a dozen of these. You can mix and match at your heart’s content, and that really has been a very important part of what we do that I think anyway. Sam: What’s the average price per bottle? Dale: The prices vary. They go from £3.20 for German premium white, red or rose’, £7.50 for the Ariel. The Ariel ranges Californian and is very much regarded as the best in the world. Before, one rather wealthy American rounded the Mediterranean dumping off cases here and there as he journeyed in his yacht. It’s quite— Sam: Sort of contraband. Dale: It was quite entertaining really. Have a couple of those other glasses please. Sam: Yup, absolutely. Dale: That would be great. Sam: This is great. Dale: This is a white Zinfandel. It’s sort of called a blush. Sam: Lovely color. Dale: And this has got loads and loads of luscious flavor to it. Zinfandel grape sort of spreads itself around and it’s sort of almost chewable. Sam: Oh, yes. It is nice, isn’t it? Dale: And this is— Sam: I really like this. Dale: This is going to be a summer drink, beautiful. Sam: You could drink lots and lots of it. Dale: You can without feeling poorly. Sam: Exactly. How much alcohol has it got in it? Dale: They are about 0.2%. Sam: Okay. Dale: Again, it falls into that bracket of 0.5%, below 0.5%, which is a dealcoholized. Sam: Yes. Dale: What we have to have, so in fact, there’s less alcohol in it. And you know those kinds of constructed shandy that you can buy in the shops. Sam: Yes. Dale: But there’s less alcohol in these and in most of those. Sam: Wow! Dale: If you look at the cans, it says 0.5%. These are less than that. Sam: And today, they still have—I mean back to the sort of the expectant mother, red wine is considered to be quite good for you, isn’t it? Does your red wine have the same properties as the other red wine? Dale: It does. That’s the great thing about all these. All the characteristics, the tasting characteristics and all the—if you like, the do gooding part— Sam: Yes. Dale: --that they all do remain, so the flavonoids, the catechins, all those that are cited for cancerous elements, that sort of thing. They all do retain, so we say we have all the goodness, one third of the calories which is another— Sam: Oh, really! That’s another good one, yeah. Dale: One third of the calories and none of the alcohol, so there are great three things that we have here. Sam: I think I'm converted. Dale: But that’s great. Sam: This is lovely. Dale: I would suggest now—this is—we have another bubbly. Sam: How is that different from that one? Dale: This is a Spumante, it’s Italian. Sam: Italian, okay. Dale: So it’s a bit sweeter, but this really is the only Spumante I think which is sort of alcohol-free. This is terrific for you’ve got a slightly sweeter taste than normal. You’re not used to taking the drier wines. But for me— Sam: It’s not the right shaped glass. Dale: Oh, it doesn’t matter. This for me is terrific for a mid-morning breakfast, a brunch type thing— Sam: Okay. Dale: --which has got that little bit of extra sweetness to it. It makes a little bit of a difference in that way. Sam: Mid-morning breakfast, huh? You obviously live well Dale. Dale: I try to, when Kaye allows me to, yeah, which is most of the time I must admit. I’m too old really. Sam: Thank you very much. Dale: I’m a spoiled lad. Sam: That’s great. I like that, but I'm worried about your cheese and bread. What will you substitute for the red wine for now? Dale: Absolutely. We’ve got seven different reds in our whole portfolio. These are both of Cabernet Sauvignon and a Merlot. These are the Californian. These are the finest dealcoholized wines that we found in the world. Sam: Because presumably, the reds are the real test. They must be the hardest— Dale: They are very, very much so. I always describe that the reds have got a lot longer journey to travel between being alcoholic and alcohol-free or dealcoholized. That’s because they start off with a lot more alcohol in them. And alcohol ready is tasteless, colorless, and odorless, but what it does is add texture, add some body. It distributes flavors around the mouth as it evaporates and sticks flavors on to the taste buds sort of like an adhesive. Sam: Right. Dale: So naturally, the more glue there is and the more evaporation you have, the more the flavors are going to be. Sam: You did love your wine, didn’t you? Dale: I loved my wines. Sam: Which is a great compliment to this because you’re very— Dale: Well yes, I mean certainly with— Sam: --enthusiastic. Dale: Yes, but certainly with the bread and cheese, it’s terrific. But there are all sorts of occasions. I remember it—Kaye, we’ve got two children—well, we’re grandparents now. But I remember with Kaye going through her pregnancy, there are always times—not just sort of going to parties and things, but other times like when you go on a picnic or something like that. And perhaps you want to carry a glass of wine and then she wouldn’t—you’re allowed to have one, only one because you’re driving or whatever. But it’s all those sorts of occasions and you feel so sorry for the ladies who, just because they’re doing the most wonderful thing in the world of having a baby, they cannot go and have a drink. Sam: Can’t have any fun, no. Dale: And the fellows are caught off normally. We have—that’s funny enough, it was trigging a memory—we’ve had quite a few fathers who in fact have followed suit. Sam: Oh really? Come out in solidarity? Dale: And they’ve gone on the wagon at the same time. Now, how much pressure they’re put on to do that, I don’t know. Sam: I'm just thinking a lot because I remember as a pregnant woman, you become the designated driver. Dale: Yes, absolutely right. Kaye loves that now because I drive everywhere now, so it doesn’t matter. Now, I’m the total man. Sam: I’m looking forward to— Dale: This I will give a nice little swish because all the flavors are there. None of the alcohol but all the flavors are there. Sam: Can I? Dale: Please, yes. That’s fine. Sam: It smells like wine. Dale: The aromas come off it, so you’ve got that nice little dryness behind it as well. This is—the Cabernet Sauvignon is predominantly the lady’s choice, we found. Sam: It’s very light, isn’t it? Again, I really like it. Dale: Well, that lightness—a lot of that lightness does come away from the lack of alcohol because it doesn’t have that way to feel like. We found that the term full-bodied in fact is quite a good euphemism for, “Give me the wine with the most alcohol.” Sam: Because I could—I think I could tell that that didn’t have alcohol in it. But it’s not necessarily to detriment the wine’s taste. Dale: Sure. Sam: For me, that’s lovely because you know, I don’t— Dale: Yes. But it is the—but again, with the cheese—bread and cheese and such, this compliments it. And it’s rather the same at the supper table. All these wines here will compliment what have you put on the table, and you’ve got to choose. Sam: Oh, yes. Dale: I think it’s important for the lady of the house expecting a baby, as well as anybody else that she can have a choice of wines to put on the table with something she spent hours producing. Sam: Let’s hear it from pregnant women. So where could we buy these? Dale: We sell online. We are running a small team. Kaye and I own and run the company. We’ve got a small warehouse that does the distribution. But we sell online and it’s through the LoNo Club, which is www.LoNo.com.uk, and we do sell them there and you can select whatever you want from the case. It’s between six bottles and any multiple of six bottles basically you could go for. Because there’s only the two of us, getting out and marketing it is a little bit difficult. Sam: Sure. Dale: We do some advertising. In fact, we found most of our advertising we do in pregnancy magazines. We also do it in the National Childbirth Trust. They have Bumps & Babies. Sam: Oh, do they? Dale: We’ve put a feature in there as well, and that brings some people into it as well. Sam: I think it’s a great idea. Dale: For having said that, I mean we are into some pretty prestigious places. We’re in the Gidleigh Park Hotel in Devon, which is a massive, popular establishment down in Devon. Likewise, the Bovey Castle, we’re on their wine list as well. The Nurse’s Cottage in the New Forest, I think their wine list was in the top 20 a couple of years ago. Sam: Oh, wow! Dale: It proves that the quality is— Sam: Is there. Dale: --as well. Sam: Well, you can taste it. Dale: But the great thing I always say to people—I’m going to tip that out if that’s alright. Sam: Thank you. Dale: I’ll give you a fresh one. The great thing is that we don’t have the business of well that’s the only thing that there’s available. We all have our different preferences, and so we’ve got to home in, and find that preferences, so that many can stick with it. Sam: So how many wines are there available roughly? Dale: We have 19. Sam: Right, okay. Dale: A total of 19 and there are 19 different wines. We’ve got one or two other distant pieces, we have Vermouth as well we’ve got Pernod, it’s called Pernod Pacific it’s made by final Pernod Recard themselves. Sam: Would you drink Pernod with less the alcohol on it? Dale: Well, yeah, absolutely. If you love that, honesty taste—it’s a terrific stuff. It really is. Sam: Well, I’ll have to try it. Dale: Recard produced it in France for themselves and they wouldn’t have it on the shelves. Sam: The French wouldn’t know exactly. Dale: And it is extremely good. The Vermouth is very good. It’s very much start on the Italian Vermouth. It has got a little bit more herb than sort of the typical Vermouth over here which is kind of a little bit spongy. Sam: I have to try and be convinced in that Dale but cheers! Dale: Cheers! Sam: Thank you, I enjoyed your wine. It’s very good idea, thank you very much! Dale: You’re welcome.