Non-Alcoholic Wines
Vintage image sourced on Pinterest
I’ve intentionally avoided Dry January or Sober October for this tasting theme because I view non-alcoholic drinks as complementary options to wine at any time of the year.
Sometimes, life gives us circumstances for which we or others in our lives need to or want to avoid alcohol. Sometimes, we just want to pace ourselves, zebra-striping our way through a lengthy gathering. Other times, we want to imbibe, but someone has to be the DD, and it’s our turn to take one for the team. And yet, no matter what else is going on in our lives, alcohol is still an indelible part of socializing as an adult.
Luckily, the non-alcoholic drinks space is getting more and more interesting every day. The moment I hit “publish” on this tasting guide, it will already be outdated. And I love that that’s the case.
This tasting is all about the alcohol-free drinks that are made from wine or made to be enjoyed like wine, and is intended to give you a chance to taste the products you’ve cast into that “I should try that sometime” space, as well as to understand better how they’re made.
Stuff to know
I have to admit, I didn’t really start getting into non-alcoholic drinks until I was pregnant in 2023, which means that before I had to avoid alcohol myself, I wasn’t a very considerate host, usually offering only sparkling water as an alternative to alcohol-based drinks.
While I love the occasional fresh juice, smoothie, kombucha or “health” -enhanced soda as much as the next Millennial, none of these kinds of drinks really feel right for dinner parties or similar gatherings, and living in Copenhagen means that these drinks aren’t as widely available in every (or any) grocery store as they were in my previous hometown in Austin, Texas, anyway. On top of that, having to walk or bike with groceries instead of dumping bags in a car has made me a lot more thoughtful about which heavy items I really want to buy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m here for all of these types of drinks, as well as the delightful non-alcoholic aperitifs, spirits, mocktails and adaptogenic and nootropic drinks that are hitting the market…but sometimes, I just want a solid alternative to good ol’ wine.
My first taste of non-alcoholic wine was in 2019 at ProWein, an international wine trade fair held in Düsseldorf every year. It was interesting, but it didn’t really taste like wine. It was wine-ish, without the texture or weight of wine, and with an artificially sweetened quality that just wasn’t my thing. Fast forward five years though, and a lot has changed.
The low- and no-alcohol wine category is now the fastest-growing segment in the industry, and there aren’t any signs of slowing down. And it just makes sense. We’ve all had situations where we or someone we love isn’t drinking or prefers zebra-striping through an evening to keep things in balance by alternating drinks with and without alcohol.
Since I’ve started exploring the category more, I’ve enjoyed non-alcoholic wines at Sunday afternoon book club, during Thanksgiving dinner, in restaurants, especially in Sweden, where the legal driving limit is just .02 percent, and when myself or other guests are taking medications that necessitate a break from alcohol. There are a myriad of situations in which we want to feel included, taste something delicious and participate fully in a gathering, but we can’t or don’t want to imbibe.
As a host, it’s also considerate to offer non-alcoholic drinks that go beyond sparkling wine or soda, so that guests don’t have to feel like they’ve been “outed” as a non-drinker or shunted to the kids table.
How non-alcoholic wine is made
When discussing non-alcoholic wine, I often hear the complaint that it’s expensive, especially since there’s somehow “less” in the bottle, given that alcohol has been removed. The thing is, it’s usually more expensive to produce a non-alcoholic wine, since there’s an extra production step (or several) involved in removing the alcohol, not to mention all of the adjustments that ensure the final product actually tastes good.
When low- and no-alcohol wines first started appearing on the market, there were only a few, very expensive, ways to make these products. If a producer wanted to de-alcoholize their wine, they had to choose between investing in incredibly expensive equipment or working with similarly expensive industry partners to get the job done. At first, many producers tried to harvest grapes early so that they’d have less sugar in the grapes, and thereby less alcohol in the wine to remove. But unripe grapes don’t really make for shelf-stable, yummy wine, and de-alcoholization doesn’t change that fact.
These days, producers know better, and carefully select ripe grapes to make good quality wines before they go through de-alcoholization, regardless of whether the final product is intended to be an inexpensive or premium nonalcoholic wine. The process of removing alcohol actually concentrates the flavors in a wine, so if there are problems with the grapes or wine, they’re only going to be more obvious after de-alcoholization. The good news is that quality has increased at all levels these days, right along with availability.
Where once, most producers used either spinning cone technology or reverse osmosis, methods used to create the non-alcoholic wines I tasted back in 2019 at ProWein, producers today have more choices. Low temperature vacuum distillation, in particular, has become increasingly common as a subtler method that retains more of the flavors of the original wine, especially compared to vacuum evaporation, which occurs at higher temperatures that impact flavor more, almost like cooking a wine.
There are also considerations around energy use, since de-alcoholization can consume a lot of energy and water, not to mention losing some of the overall product yield during the process. Low temperature vacuum distillation has offered reduced energy and water consumption along with reduced yield loss, and I have no doubt that there will only continue to be further improvements to the de-alcoholization process options as they continue to become more and more common.
Removing alcohol, regardless of the chosen process, essentially includes separating the aromas and flavors of a wine from its alcohol…which isn’t easy, since the boiling points for alcohol and the volatile esters that make up flavor are very, very close. This is also why you’ll sometimes find products that have .05% alcohol or something similar on shelves, depending on regulations where you live, because removing just that extra little bit of alcohol can also mean removing a lot of flavor.
After a wine is de-alcoholized, it still isn’t entirely ready to be bottled and sold. There are adjustments and blending steps that typically happen to get things just right, and stabilization is one of those steps, since alcohol works like a preservative, and without it, a non-alcoholic wine just won’t last very long. Even with stabilization, it’s a good idea to drink your non-alcoholic wines, rather than holding on to them. Most aren’t meant to be enjoyed any more than 2-3 years after being made.
What to look for in this tasting
Non-alcoholic wines aren’t a 1:1 with wine. Even the best products are going to taste different, though not necessarily worse. It’s more of a matter of adjusting expectations and figuring out what you like amongst the available options…which is one of the biggest benefits of hosting this tasting.
Non-alcoholic wines that started as richly flavored wines, whether from aromatic grapes like Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling or from wines that have undergone winemaking practices like lees aging or oak aging, like many Chardonnays, will have more complexity to start with…and therefore more complexity even after de-alcoholization.
Alcohol, beyond the burn, gives wine stability, weight and the perception of sweetness and roundness, or viscosity. Without it, wines can feel very tart and light on the palate, though most producers today know this and do their best to adjust accordingly in the production process. This also means that some non-alcoholic wines will taste sweet, since adding non-fermented grape must is one common practice used to mitigate the increased tartness and reduced sweetness after removing alcohol.
That said, producers making non-alcoholic wines are well aware that we’re looking for more than just a shadow of what was once wine, and are paying attention to preferences for natural, reduced calorie and low or no sugar products, too. Each of these decisions impacts flavor, so the best way to find out what works is for you to taste and decide yourself.
The wines
#1: Non-alcoholic Sparkling White
Non-alcoholic sparkling wines are my go-to nonalcoholic wines, because the texture and liveliness that bubbles add tends to mask some of the acidity, sweetness or very light body that many non-alcoholic wines have. There are a myriad of sparkling non-alcoholic wines on the market these days though, and quality varies widely.
Some, like the aptly named Nozeco, are made from aromatic grapes like Riesling, Muscat or Glera, and are intended to taste fresh and fruity, much like Prosecco, with the fizzy, energetic bubbles to match. Others are made with lees-stirred and oak-aged wines made from grapes like Chardonnay, and tend to have higher price tags that go along with their increased complexity, though admittedly, these are my favorites, particularly from brands like Oddbird and French Bloom.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Stick with a non-alcoholic sparkling white wine
#2: Non-alcoholic Sparkling Rosé
Non-alcoholic sparkling rosé wines, like sparkling white wines, can be made in fresh, fruity styles with lots of frothy, even aggressive, bubbles that fade fast, or in more complex styles with softer, smaller and more persistent bubbles intended to mimic pricier wines like rosé Champagne. Price tends to be a pretty good guide in this category, because it’s significantly more expensive for a producer to make nonalcoholic wines that fit in the latter category, so the higher prices you’ll see on the shelf will reflect those costs too.
I’ve enjoyed non-alcoholic sparkling rosés like the ones from ISH, Oddbird and Noughty, a brand that has also sponsored Athletes Unlimited, one of the professional volleyball leagues my sister plays in, so of course I’m going to be slightly biased about that one.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Stick with a non-alcoholic sparkling rosé
#3: Non-alcoholic White Wine
Non-alcoholic white wines come in a massive range of quality levels and styles, just like regular wines. I’ve found that two styles tend to work best after de-alcoholization though: aromatic and fresh or lees-stirred and oak-aged. Basically, grapes and wines that have more flavor going in are also going to have more flavor after de-alcoholization, which can strip away some of the zhuzh of wine. Preference is also a factor, so look for styles that you know you like before de-alcoholization has done its thing.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Stick with a non-alcoholic white wine of any style
#4: Non-alcoholic Rosé
Most non-alcoholic rosé wines are meant to be fresh, fruity and easy to enjoy. If you’re thinking well duh, all rosés are like that, think again. There are plenty of rosé wines that can age beautifully, like the Dark Rosés or classics included in the Rosé Essentials tasting. However, the non-alcoholic category is still pretty new on the scene in the grand scheme of things, and producers are of course going to prioritize making wines that sell. This means that most non-alcoholic rosés are made in the pale, Provençal style that’s delicately flavored and meant to be enjoyed pretty quickly after being made.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Stick with a non-alcoholic rosé wine
#5: Non-alcoholic Red Wine
I have to admit that I’ve had a hard time with the non-alcoholic red category, and would love to hear about any good finds y’all try in the comments so that I can add them to my rotation, especially since I’ve received several requests for non-alcoholic reds during chilly holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it can be pretty tough to find one that manages balanced flavor and tannins in particular with the lack of alcohol.
I’ve heard that Zeno has one of the better ones, but I haven’t tried it just yet. I won’t name the ones I have tried, since you might like them better than I did, not to mention that some of them were tasted blind, mixed between regular red wine tastings, which certainly didn’t help their performance. The great thing about this category’s rapid growth is that there is a new product introduced somewhere almost every day, so I’m hopeful that your experience with a non-alcoholic red will be a good one.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Stick with a non-alcoholic red wine
#6: Non-alcoholic Alternative Ferments
This category is a bit ambiguous, so it’s worth clarifying that the way I think about it is that these are products intended to mimic a wine experience, even if they aren’t made from anything grape-related. Products like Kylie Minogue’s popular non-alcoholic rosé fit here too, since they’re made from wine grapes and green tea. In fact, many of the products in this category are tea-related, like the sparkling kombuchas sold in wine bottles or the Copenhagen Sparkling Tea that is (unsurprisingly) sold all over my home town.
Some of my favorite non-alcoholic drinks fit in this category, like the C. Bratbirne perry (pear cider) from Jörg Geiger that is aged on its lees, Champagne-style, for years before bottling, and several of MURI’s drinks, especially their MURI x The Four Horsemen that is the closest thing I’ve tasted so far to a good non-alcoholic red wine. Their delicious Koji Rice Series 1 mimics a good saké, and the Passing Clouds and Yamilé do the trick for white and rosé wines, respectively. I’ve enjoyed nonalcoholic “flower wine,” particularly this chamomile-based one from Copenhagen Winery. I’ve also heard good things about NON’s wine-mimicking alternative ferments, I just haven’t tried them myself yet. I’d really love to hear about the delicious non-alcoholic drinks you discover where you live.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Stick with an alternative ferment that mimics wine or a wine-like drink
Tasting tips
The eats
Non-alcoholic wines don’t follow a consistent flavor profile or structure, in the way that some of these tastings are intended to showcase, but generally, they tend to be a bit sweeter and lighter-bodied than full-strength wines. For that reason, I’d lean salty and savory with the eats, providing a contrasting taste experience. Charcuterie is always an option, along with all the dips and dippables, from caramelized onion white bean dip to spinach artichoke to good old hummus and veggies.
In my neck of the woods, it’s finally Spring, so it’s high time for dishes like this Spring Panzanella, salads that can handle some time at room temperature time, like a classic Niçoise, or lighter fish-based mains, like this “Caesared” Salmon Salad.
The prep
Alcohol-free drinks are typically offered in standard-sized 750 mL wine bottles, but they are also available in cans and bottles of other sizes. For this tasting, I recommend seeking out standard-sized bottles wherever possible, just because it’s easier to manage portion-wise between guests. That said, if your guests choose an alternative product in a can, just ask that they make sure to purchase enough to share.
Alcohol-free drinks are becoming increasingly popular, so depending on where you live, there should be options in alcohol, grocery or even specialty non-alcoholic drink stores near you. If not, there are also ever-more options online.
Cost-wise, non-alcoholic drinks tend to be low to mid-priced for the most part, though there are some more expensive options available. As a host, it’s up to you to decide if you’d like to set a spending range, or to just let your guests determine what they’re each comfortable spending on this tasting.
Alcohol-free drinks, even the red ones, usually need to be chilled, so it’s wise to be prepared with an ice bucket just in case any of your guests forgot or didn’t have time.
Sparkling wine stoppers, if you have them, are also helpful for this tasting, since they’ll keep the bubbles going longer after opening.
White or universal wine glasses suit these drinks well.
A note on the tasting order: The non-alcoholic drinks included in this tasting are listed in the order they should be tasted, but if you plan to host fewer than 6 guests, you are welcome to select which options to include based on you and your guests’ preferences.
