Once upon a time in a mysterious Forrest ...

A sauvignon blanc with just 9.5 per cent alcohol is intriguing to say the least. The Doctors' sauvignon blanc has just that and, being nosy individuals, we were keen to know how this was achieved.

On a visit to the Forrest Estate cellar door, home to the quirky The Doctors' label, we asked Dan Taylor, sales and marketing manager, how it came about.

"The winemaking is top secret," he replied, suffice to say it took three years' experimentation to get the taste right.

After we'd tasted the wine, Peter's memory banks started to hum and the words "spinning cone column" suddenly came to mind. Here's one way of removing alcohol from wine ...

Spinning cone columns can be used in a form of steam distillation that gently extracts volatile chemicals ( such as alcohol) from liquid foods while minimising the effect on the taste of the product. Essential oil extraction from botanicals, herbs and spices, alcohol management in beer and wine, and flavour extraction of tea and coffee are all carried out using the spinning cone column (SCC).

Often also referred to as a distillation or stripping column, the technology for the cone was originally conceived and developed by a scientific branch of the Australian Government known as CSIRO – the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

A company called Flavourtech bought and parented the technology from CSIRO and is reaping the benefits.

Spinning cone columns are made of stainless steel. Conical vanes are attached alternately to the wall of the column and to a central rotating shaft. The wine is poured in the top under vacuum and steam is pumped into the column from below. The vanes provide a large surface area over which volatile compounds can evaporate into the steam, and the rotation ensures a thin layer of the wine is constantly moved over the moving cone. Industrial columns are capable of processing 16 to 160 litres per minute.

To reduce alcohol by 1 or 2 per cent, wine is passed through the column once to distil out the most volatile aromas, which are then set aside while the wine goes through the column a second time at a higher temperature to extract some alcohol. The aroma compounds are then mixed back into the wine.

We've read that Penfolds saw the potential in SCC technology and invested in equipment about two years ago. The company has successfully produced and exported non-alcoholic chardonnay, riesling, gewurztraminer, semillon and sparkling to a number of countries.

Spinning cones and another technique, reverse osmosis, are banned in the European Union, although they can be used in wines imported into the EU.

Some of the information we quote here comes from Wikipedia, which states that in 2007 the Wine Standards Branch of Britain's Food Standards Agency banned the sale of a wine called Sovio. Made from Spanish grapes that normally produced wines with alcohol levels of 14 per cent, Sovio ran 40 to 50 per cent of the wine over spinning cones to reduce the alcohol content to just 8 per cent. This meant under EU law it couldn't be sold as wine because it was under 8.5 per cent. Above this threshold it would still be banned because of the EU's view on spinning cones.

The Doctors' Sauvignon

Blanc 09 (9.5 per cent ABV)

Colour: So pale that it's almost clear

Aroma: Big and boisterous, with all the bells and whistles – a prickly mix of passionfruit, blackcurrant and some sweaty, capsicum and citrus notes.

Taste: A vibrant and punchy wine front of palate; there's some citrus zest and ripe fruitiness teamed up with crisp acids. This savvy is refreshing right through to the finish but the flavours do fall away rapidly. What we have here is a light, easy-drinking wine suited to lunches, picnics and other summertime pursuits.

Our thoughts: Alcohol is oily, sweet and warming, so some major components have been minimised in this wine. In what is a very personal opinion, we feel maximum enjoyment comes from not denying the wine its provenance – alcohol is a result of long, slow ripening; it is at the heart of the wine and gives it depth, intensity and balance. This said, in a society being forced into a semi-prohibitionist stance because of the acts of a few idiots, low-alcohol alternatives will be bound to find favour.

Price: $22; available in Marlborough by mail order or at the cellar door.

Wither Hills 07 Wairau

Valley Pinot Noir

Colour: A deep semi-opaque garnet red.

Aroma: A rich, fragrant, fruity aroma – very "fruit of the forest" with the added attraction of toasty oak, tobacco and chocolate. The cherries and berry-fruit notes are complemented by a minty/medicinal whiff. Just lovely.

Taste: A rich, chewy weighty, wine tasting of plums, late cherries and some creamy chocolate. The gentle acids and fine, silky tannins complete the package nicely. Taut flavours through the mid-palate combine with smoky, toasty oak that wafts out to a long sweet Cherry Ripe finish and aftertaste.

Price: An excellent wine, well worth $40.

- The Marlborough Express