With back-to-back celebrations – often outdoors in the heat – the Christmas holidays are the perfect time to swap out your usual tipples for lighter wines. While you might expect less alcohol means less flavour, these excellent lighter-alcohol offerings prove this to be untrue: 

?Stoneleigh Lighter Rose (9.6% alc.) 

This lightly fruited, beautifully balanced wine makes a perfect summer lunchtime aperitif. The nose is perfumed with floral notes and wild strawberry. The palate is light, fine and delicate, with yellow-fleshed plum and summer red berry fruit flavours.
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Brancott Estate Flight Pinot Gris

On the nose the Brancott Estate Flight Pinot Gris displays an array of floral notes with apple and nashi pear, complemented by white peach and guava. These fresh fruit flavours combine on the palate with ripe ‘golden delicious’ apple-like acidity to create balance.

Peter Yealands Light Sauvignon Blanc 

This full-flavoured sauvignon blanc shows ripe notes of gooseberry and guava, underpinned with herbaceous aromas of snow pea and capsicum. The palate shows intense gooseberry and passionfruit flavours balanced with a crisp, refreshing finish. A lighter alternative that's perfect to enjoy at lunch.