The availability and popularity of non-alcoholic wines has surged in recent years due to technological advances and increased interest in alternatives to alcohol.
Nick Bodkins, co-founder and CEO of New York-based non-alcoholic beverage retailer Boisson, said non-alcoholic wine starts out as regular wine by vacuuming it, lowering its boiling point to room temperature and allowing the alcohol to evaporate. California and online. If you don't drink alcohol, be sure to check the label: some wines labeled non-alcoholic still contain up to 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).
Regardless, don't expect the end result to be like regular wine: the dealcoholization process removes a lot of flavor. "What's often missing in white and rosé wines is [the aroma]," Bodkins says. "That causes the wine to have a little more acidity than it originally had, which has to be balanced. In reds, that expression of tannins, that feeling about the red, slaps you in the face, and it usually does."
To compensate, manufacturers add grape juice, sugar and other enhancers. When choosing a non-alcoholic wine, Bodkins recommends not trying to find a wine that tastes as close to regular wine as possible. “Oaked Chardonnay from California, aged in big oak barrels, super buttery, and paired with lobster—you won’t see it quite the same when you de-alcoholize it anyway flavor characteristics.”
Instead, he recommends thinking more about how the drink is consumed: With food? At a party? Bodkins says his favorite de-alcoholized wines tend to be made from more esoteric grape varieties, and people may not have as many expectations for the exact flavor profile.
Four wine lovers meet for dinner to test a range of non-alcoholic wines and wine alternatives. Here are our favorites.
best white
Noughty BlancNo & Low
Most testers found that the white wines we tasted tended to be too sweet or too thin. Noughty's non-alcoholic white wine is a favorite of the team, made from 98% Chardonnay and 2% Chenin Blanc grapes from South Africa.
best red
Noughty RougeNo & Low
Noughty's non-alcoholic Syrah tastes very close to regular red wine, has an alcohol content of less than 0.5%, has 14 calories per cup, and contains 2.5 grams of sugar per 100 ml. One tester felt it was a bit like experiencing wine and thought it paired well with the meat. However, another noted, "I miss the burn of alcohol."
Best for imitating regular wine
Studio Null Sparkling VerdejoStudio Null
Bodkins advises skeptics to start with sparkling wine: "The carbon dioxide usually brings the nose back to the top." We think sparkling wine, with just sugar, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide as additional ingredients, is the closest to regular wine in taste and feel. “I feel like I’m getting a little high,” one taster said (even though the bottle had less than 0.5% alcohol by volume).
best conversation starters
Pierre Zéro Chardonnay Better Rhodes
Two testers loved this bottle of sparkling wine, made by French winemaker Pierre Chavin; they thought it tasted a lot like Chardonnay and mulled over whether they were tasting caramel or melon . Two other people thought it tasted a bit like Miller Haute Life.
Best for picnics
Sovi Canned Sample Pack Sovi
Sovi's dealcoholized wines enhance their delicious taste by concentrating grape juice rather than sugar or any other additional sweeteners. Their canned wines are easy to share at the park or on the go. One tester, who sifted through nearly every other wine we tasted, called the Sauvage sparkling wine "extremely enjoyable."
Best for sober people
France Broome Le Blanc Boisson
French Bloom's organic French sparkling wine is a blend of Chardonnay, grape juice and lemon flavors with 0% alcohol and no added sugar. We liked the dryness and could taste the green apple touted in the tasting notes.
Best for watching The Bachelor with friends
Studio Null Grenache Solo Studio Null
We were impressed by Studio Null's Grenache solo; even though the tannins were removed through a dealcoholization process, it still tasted close to a regular red. Both of the company's wines are produced in Spanish vineyards, contain about 20 calories per glass and contain less than 0.5% alcohol.
Best Wine Substitutes
Acid League agent PasticheBoisson
One of Boisson's bestsellers, it's not a dealcoholized wine but a blend of juice, tea, spices and bitters. Pastiche is similar to Gewürztraminer, combining ingredients such as lychee, peach, rose vinegar, pink peppercorns and hops. After trying a dozen bottles of dealcoholized wine, we didn't like to compare it to regular wine, but enjoyed the complexity and body of this bottle. We also like Tost’s sparkling tea and United Ferments’ fermented tea.
