Atopia Spiced Citrus ultra-low alcohol spirit

The fact that this is the second week in succession I’ve posted an alcohol-free spirit says a lot about the fact that this is the most innovative and dynamic sector of the drinks industry at the moment.

And this is one of the best I’ve tasted - which shouldn’t entirely come as a surprise as it’s made by giant distiller William Grant, their first foray into the field.

It’s called Atopia and it’s a gin-type product with a distinctive bitter orange twist - more appealing to me than Seedlip’s Grove. (According to the back label the botanicals are orange, juniper, coriander, angelica root and lemon peel with natural flavours and extracts of orange blossom, spices and wormwood.) There's a Wild Blossom in the same range which I haven't tried.

Served over a generous amount of ice and diluted 3:1 with standard Indian tonic water (Fevertree in my case) it made a very good G & T substitute. They suggest a slice of orange as a garnish which worked well too.

Like many other products of its type it comes in a strikingly beautiful bottle which helps justify the price though at the moment it’s on offer at £20 in Ocado or £22 in Sainsbury’s instead of the recommended £25.

I still struggle to see why these bottles are so expensive given they are not subject to the tax of a full-strength spirit though I'm told some of the distillation processes involve alcohol and I imagine the R & D is considerable. I suspect it's much more about creating a quality product that will make non-drinkers feel they're having something special. And why shouldn't they?

Fortnum & Mason Sparkling Tea

As I’ve said many times I’ve yet to find an alcohol-free wine that is as good as its boozy counterpart but Fortnum & Mason's sparkling tea is a really good alternative to champagne.

While not cheap at £16.95 a bottle it’s a quality product which has been developed by their tea department in conjunction with Danish sommelier Jacob Kocemba of the Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company who pioneered the idea of sparkling tea. It’s based on a blend of 8 different fine and rare teas including Chinese Green, Gunpowder Green, Jasmine Green, Darjeeling, Japanese Matcha, Nepalese Jun Chiya, Ceylon Greenfield and Chinese Silver Needles blended with grape juice and lemon juice and has a sophisticated passionfruit and other tropical fruit character without in being in any way cloying or sickly.

They recommend it as for picnics with smoked salmon or a pork pie (think I’d rather have an alcohol-free beer with that) but I reckon it’s perfect bottle to serve as a wedding toast for non-drinkers or to take to a dinner party host who doesn’t drink.

Morrisons The Best English Sparkling Brut

This week’s wine of the week is a bit of a mystery. It’s an exceptionally good English sparkling wine which Morrisons has bottled under its own label for the very reasonable sum of £20. (There’s also a brilliant 2010 vintage for £25)

Who is it made by, though? The back label says Rolling Green Hills Ltd which unusually has no presence online or on social media apart from this company profile on a website called Endole which lists one Dutch director and an unspecified shareholder. Rumour has it that it’s under the same ownership as Nyetimber which would account for the quality. They’re certainly being very coy about it if it is.

Although it’s only been aged for 2 years it’s appetisingly rich and toasty and, along with the vintage bottling has picked up a silver medal in his year's Decanter World Wine Awards.

They recommend you drink it with Dover sole meunière with which it would undoubtedly be delicious but which I suspect few households rustle up on a Friday night. Roast chicken is the other suggestion - a good one - as would be fishcakes or fish and chips.

The only downside - and this may strike you as a plus or a drawback depending on your political standpoint is the somewhat jingoistic label. A Union Jack imposed on another Union Jack. It’s a thing, seemingly. The new Mini’s rear lights are also designed to look like the British flag. But if you like good bubbly and don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on it it’s an excellent buy.

Graham’s Blend No 5 White Port

I must confess I’ve picked my drink of the week this week as much for its looks as its taste - though I like that too. It’s the first serious attempt I’ve seen to make port as appealing to the younger consumer as gin

As you can see the bottle is exceptionally pretty - scattered with images of fruit and herbs. It’s sweeter and more floral than most white ports and not as oxidised as the traditional style. I doubt if it’s seen any oak.

The serving suggestion is tonic but I found it a little sweet with a standard Indian tonic water and at the strength I would normally serve a P & T (50/50) I’d go for a slimline tonic and maybe up the proportion of tonic slightly.

At £21.25 (at Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange*) it's gin price too which is clever. It would be a great bottle to take to your weekend host as a gift.

If you're already a white port drinker and/or want a cheaper option, larger branches of the Co-op are stocking the Sandeman’s white port - also rather smartly packaged - for just £10.

* and slightly more in indies like Taurus £24.99