I Low Alcohol Content Wine FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5 The present invention relates to a low alcohol content wine and a process for the production of low alcohol wine, In particular, the present invention is directed to a process for the production of wine having an alcohol content of less than 9% v/v. 10 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Wine is produced as a result of the fermentation of grape juice with yeast using a process that has been known for perhaps thousands of years. During the fermentation process sugars present in the grapes are converted to alcohol (ethanol). The sugars 15 present in grapes are fructose and glucose. Both sugars are converted to alcohol during fermentation. After the completion of fermentation the alcohol content of wine varies between 11-15 % alcohol by volume. The final alcohol concentration depends typically on a number 20 of factors including the grape variety and the techniques used in production. The trend in recent years has been for wines with intense flavours such as might be produced from riper grapes. As riper grapes have more sugar available for fermentation one consequence of the trend for more intense flavour has been an increase in the alcohol content of the wine produced. 25 Whilst there is an interest in wines having a full flavour there is also an interest in wines that are healthy and to this extent the high alcohol content of many modern wines is of concern and, accordingly processes have been developed to reduce the alcohol content of wine, and in particular in the production of wines with an alcohol 30 level of less that 9%. Two approaches to the production of low alcohol wines have been used to date. A first technique has involved the interruption of the fermentation process before all of the sugar present has been fermented. Clearly, stopping the fermentation before the 35 process is complete yields a wine of lower alcohol content. Unfortunately, however, wines produced in this manner are not always palatable. The sugar content of such z wine is high giving a sweeter wine and, furthermore the wine lacks the complex flavour associated with a finer product. The high sugar content of a partially fermented wine product also makes this an unsuitable product for those people who have difficulties regulating blood sugar levels and are recommended to stick to foods and drinks with a low glycacmic index. 5 A second possible approach to the production of lower alcohol wines has been to use grapes that have a lower initial sweetness for the production of wines. The sugar content of grapes may be measured in degrees Baum6 ("B6). Estimation of the sugar level of grapes is a predictive indicator of the ripeness of the grape and an indicator of the final alcohol content of 0 the wine produced from these grapes. Thus, by harvesting grapes at a sugar level of less than 10"B6 it is possible to produce a wine of less than 9% alcohol. Furthermore, a wine made from such grapes typically does not have a high sugar content. Unfortunately, wines produced in this manner generally reflect the high acidity found in the relatively unripe fruit and the acidity of the wine is seen as an unpalatable and undesirable characteristic. 5 The present invention therefore is directed towards a method of producing a wine having reduced alcohol content that also resolves at least some of the difficulties identified with the prior art products. 0 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore according to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for the production of a low-alcohol wine comprising the steps of: providing a fully fermented wine with an alcohol content between 11.5%-15% by volume, 25 providing a sweetener product with an alcohol content between 5%-9% by volume, the sweetener product consisting of a partially fermented wine produced from grapes so as to have a moderate glycaemic index, blending said fully fermented wine and said sweetened product and further adding a de alcoholised wine so as to reduce the alcohol proportion of the resultant blend and to produce a 30 final alcohol content of less than 9% by volume. Preferably the sweetener product is produced by fermenting liquid from grapes and by terminating the fermentation by rapid chilling so as to produce the partially fermented wine.
5 Preferably the final blend has a composition of 60%-95% by volume of the fully fermented wine, 5%-15% by volume of the sweetener product, and balance of de-alcoholised wine to achieve the alcohol content of the final blend of below 9% by volume. 5 Preferably the de-alcoholised wine has an alcohol content below 1% by volume. The method preferably further includes the step of subjecting the blend of components to an alcohol reduction step. .0 According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a wine when produced by a method according to the first aspect. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The following detailed description of the invention refers to an embodiment of the present invention and is illustrative of a process and product of the invention. 5 Although the description includes an exemplary embodiment, other embodiments are possible, and changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention discloses a method for the production of wine having a reduced alcohol content including a blend of a wine produced in a traditional manner having a full flavour and an 0 alcohol content of 11.5-15% together with a sweetener product in the form of a partially fermented wine produced from grapes and having an alcohol content of from 5-9%; subjecting the blend to an alcohol reduction step (e.g. using known methods such as spinning cone column technology) and then adding to the resultant product a de-alcoholised wine to give a final product having less than 9% by volume alcohol. 25 By blending the basic elements as described it has been possible to produce a wine having a mix of desirable flavour or, at least, acid and sugar levels of acceptable balance, acceptable low alcohol strength and, moderate glycaemic index. It should be noted here that the process of the present invention does not set out to prescribe those flavour constituents that make an acceptable or desirable wine. As even non connoisseurs would be aware the production, 30 tasting and assessment of wine is a complex and finely judged matter to which many factors contribute. The present invention is concerned with some of the more robust and chemically identifiable 4 characteristics of the product rather than the more subtle elements that elevate some wines above others. The sweetener product contributes to the final taste and flavour in several ways. 5 Firstly, as has been previously noted, the fermentable sugar present in grape juice is a mixture of glucose and fructose. However, glucose and fructose are fermented at unequal rates by most yeasts, including the yeasts used in the fermentation of grape juice to produce wine. Thus, the sweetener product, being a partially fermented 10 product has a considerably reduced proportion of glucose to fructose present. Because the natural fruit sugar fructose has one of the lowest glycaemic indices of any food the sweetener product assists in producing a final blended product with a moderate glycaemic index. 15 Secondly, the sweetener product is a rich source of the more complex, taste, flavour and aroma components that contribute to an attractive wine. During the fermentation process carbon dioxide is generated and released into atmosphere. Typically, low boiling, volatile aroma components and some alcohol are lost during fermentation. Because the sweetener product is the result of an incomplete fermentation these 20 volatile compounds are retained and contribute to the overall aroma, taste and flavour of the final product. Low Alcohol Chardonnay 25 In illustration of the process of the present invention a chardonnay wine having a final alcohol content of less than 9 % was produced as follows and illustrated in Figure 1: Sweetener: Chardonnay variety grapes were harvested at 14.2 Baume, pH=3.53, titratable acidity 30 (TA) =5.7g/l were fermented after the addition of 3g/I tartaric acid to adjust the pH of the ferment to 3.2. The ferment was terminated by chilling rapidly. The composition of the sweetener was measured as 4.3 Baume, 8.6% alcohol, pH=3.27, TA=7.2g/l and total sugar 82g/l. 35 Base Wine: 5 A Chardonnay base wine was selected on the basis of palate fullness. Its composition was 12% alcohol, sugar 1.9g/1 (glucose and fructose), pH=3.44 and TA=6.3g/l. De-alcoholised Wine: 5 A Chardonnay with 0.01% alcohol, pH=3.17 and TA=8.06g/i was selected. The final product was blended in the proportions 10% sweetener wine, 62.5% base wine and 27,5 % de-alcoholised wine. The composition of the final product was acohol 8.8%, residual sugar 12g/1 ( 30% glucose, 70% fructose), pH=3.32, TA=6.8g/l. 10 It is to be understood that various wines may indeed be combined including those of different varieties and sugar levels. Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present 15 invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope and spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent 20 devices and apparatus. In any claims that follow and in the summary of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprising" is used in the sense of "including", i.e. the features specified may 25 be associated with further features in various embodiments of the invention.