Across The Pond: The Growing Movement Towards Alcohol Moderation

Giving Up Booze this October?

Dry January… Sober September… Sober October… Whatever month is your go-to for wiping your drinking slate clean, this growing movement toward alcohol moderation is continuing to pick up steam.

For some, taking a month-long break from alcohol is simply a way to reset after a boozy summer. For others, it’s a more formal effort to curb drinking habits that may be raising questions for them. It’s like a gut-check on what their relationship with alcohol is.

This binge-and-purge approach may be problematic for some. It’s certainly not recommended for those who are worried that they are struggling with addiction.

Here at Thomson & Scott, we have been known on occasion to take part in a 30-day no-booze challenge. We’ve also been known to drink a glass or two too many. We believe in simply being mindful of what we put in our bodies. It’s what the company was founded on.

If Sober October isn’t your thing, just making an effort to choose cleaner food and drink options is a mindful decision toward self care. We make our sparkling wines with no added sugar and no harmful chemicals, herbicides, pesticides, artificial ingredients or animal byproducts.

In the case of Noughty, we have taken the alcohol right out. All of this is a way of offering consumers multiple options at multiple price points. For occasions when you want to celebrate with a bit of a buzz, or simply want to celebrate with a glass of alcohol-free bubbly instead of (gasp!) water this Sober October.

Are you on the wagon this October? Tell us your story at @thomsonandscott!

Where We’re Sipping:

We can’t get enough of our favourite neighbourhood spot in West Hollywood, California – TASTE on Melrose.

It’s the perfect combo of cozy local spot and upscale, farmers-market-driven comfort food. We could sit there all day noshing on an amazing selection of menu items. They feature local produce, healthy ingredients, superfoods and tons of different vegan options (See main image).

And, not only do the serve our Skinny Prosecco by the glass and bottle, they have a great lineup of alcohol-free cocktails for those looking to go booze free.

What We’re Sipping:

In the spirit of Sober October, we are doing our own spin on a sparkling cocktail made by the visionary alcohol-free company Seedlip.

This elegant drink dubbed the “1542 Vintage” has all the markings of a delicious glass of vintage Champagne without the hangover – since you know you can’t stop at just one.

We have made it our own by substituting the verjus (the intensely flavoured, brightly acidic juice pressed from grapes early in the growing season) and cold soda topper that Seedlip’s version calls for with a quick splash of our non-alcoholic sparkling wine, Noughty.

If you want to step it up a notch, a topper of our Skinny Prosecco or Champagne will do just fine as well. Find the recipe here.

Where We’re Headed:

We are still in planning mode for the upcoming holiday season because we just got back from Australia, where we were speaking at the Wine Media Conference in the Hunter Valley.

This gorgeous wine destination is about two hours outside of Sydney.

We fell in love with the many different expressions of the region’s Semillon – from young and bright to aged and complex. Hunter Valley Shiraz was a phenomenal match for the local farm-to-table dining.

We also spread the Thomson & Scott gospel as we spoke to wine media about the importance of writing about undiscovered and underdog wine regions and brands.