It's Sauvignon but not as we usually know it.
LYLO is the newest wine brand to hit the wine shelves in Aotearoa New Zealand - with a twist. That twist is the suggestion to use this wine as a base for a fresh vibrant cocktail and a lower alcohol one at that.
The letters LYLO stand for Live Your Life Out Loud, which may sound more like a chilled out day floating around a swimming pool with a shaken not stirred rendition of a favourite cocktail but in this case, the idea is to make something akin to a white wine spritzer. I personally love a white wine spritzer and have ever since I first stumbled upon one, when asked to make one for a customer at a pub I worked at in Charring Cross, London, back in the early 1990s.
Those were the heady days of the spritzer, which has since fallen from grace, due to its perception as being a dilute version of wine but why? Sangria is nothing, if not a version of a spritzer, which can be dialled up (with higher alcohol additions) or down (with juice, sparkling water and fresh citrus).
The makers of LYLO suggest making a mojito using two thirds LYLO Sauvignon Blanc and one third soda water, adding with mint, lime and sugar.
The use of wine as a core ingredient in cocktails is a well seasoned one, as sangria and mulled wine both attest to.
Am I going to drink a lot of LYLO spritzers (sorry, mojitos)? Well, probably not but only due to the fact that there is a lot of wine that comes my way to try and I'm a big fan of naturally low alcohol, medium styled Rieslings - which bring just the sort of fresh, crisp, refreshing brightness to liven up my mind and mouth after a busy day. On the other hand, great fruity whites of all types do lend themselves to being spritzed up with soda water - and I love the taste and the concept.
Wine of the week - serving suggestion
2024 LYLO Sauvignon Blanc RRP $16.99
White wine spritzer, anyone?
Winemaker Matthew Large from Wither Hills has made this vibrant, tropical fruity tasting Sauvignon Blanc, which is being marketed with a point of difference - add one third soda water, a squeeze of lime and hey presto, here's a spritzer; also known as a lower alcohol refreshing wine that is made without manipulation in terms of the winemaking process. And it ticks the box of consuming less alcohol, if that's a factor, as increasingly is the case for many people today.
This is a very good Sauvignon Blanc and the spritzer in the form of soda water adds a lively addition in taste, texture and zingy body.
