This is my first attempt at Dry January. So far it has not been a problem, but sharing something alcoholic after work is part of our routine. It feels like something is missing (and it is).
Exercise is out because I have been suffering badly from sciatica for several weeks. I’m grateful if I can make it up and down the stairs.
Hope you recover from the sciatica quickly.
I did not see that, but I did see a PBS special where he returned to South Africa. It was very good.
I saw that as well. If you liked it you’ll like the Grammy thing. Worth looking for, especially if you can fast forward through commercials.
Second weekend is usually the most challenging. Stay strong.
got a better idea here –
i celebrates Ginuary…
What percent are still going strong?
Ok, it’s time for me to raise my hand. As many people I’ve interacted with here know, I work in the industry, but what I haven’t talked about in a significant way is the subject of non-alcoholic wines.
Since late 2021 I have been working at a company that, among other things, produces non-alcoholic wines. I work in R&D and laboratory services, and I develop new non-alcoholic wines with and for our clients. For that reason I can’t speak much either for or against specific products out there on the market (I will say I’m not personally a big fan of Proxies, which are intended as non-alcoholic wine replacements rather than non-alcoholic wines per se). But I hope I can provide some useful information about non-alcoholic wines as and when it is desired in this community.
Let me address the subject of calories in NA wine. The first thing I have to tell you is to be cautious when comparing labels. There is relatively little regulatory guidance available from the FDA on nutritional labeling for NA wines, and different labeling compliance companies, consultants, or regulatory personnel may provide different guidance with regard to the reporting of nutritional facts and ingredients lists. I don’t want to give the impression that any shady things are happening - I genuinely don’t think they are - I just think it’s unclear to producers how they are supposed to label their products. I won’t get into it in detail here, but the only significant source of calories you need to consider from NA wines is sugar. A wine that has had all of its alcohol removed and no - or very little - sugar added, is very low-calorie.
Now, it’s true that, especially historically, non-alcoholic wines have had quite significant quantities of sugar added, commonly in the range of 30-60 g/L. This is done in part to balance the high acidity of non-alcoholic wines (when you remove the alcohol, everything else is concentrated, including acids), much in the same way as an off-dry Kabinett or Spatlese Riesling uses residual sugar to balance high acid. It’s also done to help provide body, which is lost when alcohol is removed.
More recently, there has been a significant trend toward low- or no-sugar non-alcoholic wines. There are now non-alcoholic wines on the market with no sugar (<1 g/L), and 10-20 g/L additions are more common.
I have been a zealous pursuer of athletics and wine for some time. I got to play D1 collegiate soccer, still play with guys who just finished undergrad, and started racing road bikes at 33. Just got my category 2 upgrade in that discipline after a couple years of no racing.
Wine or any other alcohol is definitely bad for physical performance. There is certainly a personal level of acceptable decline in performance for the increase in enjoyment of life!
I also started the ‘mostly real food’ diet about a decade ago. That is, eating meats, vegetables, fruits and nuts…along with minimally processed foods like cheese and yogurt, self made sourdough…and if you want to eat sweets, make them yourself. Sounds ineffective on the last point but you might be shocked at just how little you have the motivation to make desserts from scratch.
Godspeed on solving your problem! I’ve had a ton of soft tissue injuries over the years. I currently have a torn hip labrum that is treated with steroid injection. It is least happy when I work out a lot along with heavier wine consumption. One or the other is ok, but not both. Oh well, will get a new one in 30 years anyway!
It’s Day 5 of Dryuary, and I’m already falling behind. It’s 12:35am here in Indiana.
No wine, no problem, but I haven’t been sleeping that well. The same thing happened in the early days of Dryuarys 2021 and 2022. Maybe it would help if I found a nice lullaby, like this one from 2005.
Conan’s soothing voice and gentle melody could put anyone to sleep, in spite of the hilariously dark lyrics.
Gird up for the weekend and stay dry, folks!
Patrick
I recall following your previous years dry Jan threads over the last few years. They were a good inspiration for seeing dry Jan through. Thanks for your posts.
It’s always good just checking in with a cohort of similarly wine loving + self denying / flagellating individuals. The sleep benefits are huge and good to press the reset button after the holidays
Why is it (at least in the UK) anyway are there so man En Primeur campaigns at this time of year. It’s as if they know wine drinkers will BUY instead of drink in January 
I have joined @Pearce_Barringer and bought Inside Burgundy by Jasper Morris to see me through. Hopefully improve my future Burgundy buying. 2021s EP prices have jumped higher than expected given the quality of the vintage but understandable given minuscule quantities. I somehow doubt the 2022 EP prices will go down from the new levels even though as I understand it quantities are a lot better
I wish I could find some of those locally! The only thing I can find is from Leitz and it is their Riesling with 37 g/L and their Pinot Noir with 45.9 g/L. They both are lower in calorie, but I still find it hard to justify drinking any calories that aren’t from wine/beer/spirits. Maybe I’ll give one a go tonight.
Welcome to the team! I’ve yet to make it past the introduction, because I keep skipping forward to read the producer profiles and look at the maps. I never realized how close to Burgundy the Northern Rhone is!
The first weekend is upon you:
Lagunitas makes a hop seltzer that is also pretty good.
This, to me, is by far the hardest thing about trying dry periods. Either attending social events and not drinking (and having to explain and so forth), or having to dodge social events. I have zero issue about not drinking per se, it’s the social part that is the challenge.
One suggestion - always tell your hosts in advance and if relevant/appropriate that you aren’t going to be drinking. I’ve had friends over before, opened special bottles to share with then, then had them say “oh we gave up drinking for Lent” or something. I’m not mad or anything, but it would have been better to have told us beforehand.
On a tangent that made me think of, my parents invited one of my dad’s grad students and his wife over for thanksgiving dinner. They arrived and were like “oh we are vegetarian.” Which is fine, and they didn’t expect my mom to have made special things for them, but I remember thinking it would have been nicer for everyone if they had mentioned it beforehand.
We don’t socialize at all during Dry January/February. It’s just easier, especially since we do it in conjunction with strict keto. We may have a dinner at the house with some close friends who know we’re not drinking, where we can control the food, but mostly we just go into hiding for two months. If I have work drinks I have to attend, I don’t say anything, I just order club soda and lime and let people imagine G&T.
Hiding is an option, but I think you miss out on some of the benefits of the challenge by continuing to participate in social activities. It is harder (which has its own merit) and it creates an opportunity to inspire others to do it. I have no issues telling folks why I’m not drinking during DJ. Many friends have taken it on as a result of this over the years. I also feel an obligation to continue to be a part of the social aspects of life despite my individual goals. I don’t feel as good about challenges when they force me to take joy out of other people’s lives as a result of my choices. I try to keep things in balance, which is really difficult!
Yeah, a lot of non-alcoholic wine brands out there at the moment are still small and focused mostly on e-commerce and local retail; very few have national or international retail distribution and those that do tend to be on the higher sugar side. One that comes to mind that isn’t is Giesen’s NA Sauvignon Blanc. That clocks in around 15-20 g/L.
This is where online NA-specific shops can help - they will have a wider selection and show nutritional info for each wine.
I’m pretty sure our taking a solitary break for a couple of months hasn’t “taken the joy out of” anyone else’s life - I’m sure some miss us, but they have plenty of other sources of joy to tide them over. What a strange implication. We socialize a great deal the rest of the year, entertain nearly every weekend. If a special event came up in January, like a wedding or important birthday, we’d do it. But our friends understand we go on hiatus at the beginning of the year, and are delighted to get together again starting in March, or for a keto meal at our house, as I said. I actually enjoy being solitary with my husband for a time. It is relaxing.