Your ‘girls night’ non-alcoholic red wine is here
/Be Well Cabernet Sauvignon is the one non-alcoholic wine you’ve been looking for
Be Well Cabernet Sauvignon, 97 points, $15
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times - when you’ve given up drinking wine, all you desperately want is a perfect non-alcoholic red wine that will be an exact dupe of the one you used to love. Easier said than done. Non-alcoholic red wine is an elusive and frustrating product to produce, highly dependent on the vintage and the technology. So many have tried to make a good product, but few have cracked the code. There are only a handful of excellent non-alcoholic red wines on the market. I was very fortunate to accidentally stumble upon one.
I happened to be in South Carolina at a Total Wine checking out their selection and came across a bottle of non-alcoholic cabernet sauvignon called Be Well Cabernet Sauvignon. I recognized the brand from a Facebook group conversation so thought it was worth a try, especially at the price point of $14.95.
As a bit of background, Be Well non-alcoholic wine is produced in California using traditional winemaking techniques. The alcohol is then removed through a gentle process that removes the alcohol but maintains the flavour and structure of the wine. The label indicates there is natural oak extract as an ingredient, and after some digging (asking former French Laundry wine somm Ian James Blessing) I discovered a lot of regular wine brands do this to beef up oakiness. They just aren’t regulated to reveal their ingredients like non-alcoholic wine is.
Opening the bottle, the nose is very exciting with notes of dusty oak and young berry. Very promising for what’s to come.
The first sip or two was such a shock, as I wasn’t quite ready for this nondescript bottle from a national wine chain to be such a quality product. The liquid is absolutely excellent. This should be a $30-40 bottle of wine because it’s that good.
On the palette, you immediately get the elusive red wine dryness that everyone is trying to replicate. It’s actually quite a shock to taste it, as it’s not common for a non-alcoholic red wine to have that level of tannic dryness. It’s nicely balanced with fruity notes of dark cherry, without being too juicy or ‘grapey’. It’s got just the right amount of everything, including a tiny hit of cocoa powder on the finish.
This is a perfect wine for hamburgers, steak, roasts, bbq chicken or any other protein-packed option. Its dryness will be a great balance for these dishes, which is something a lot of other non-alcoholic red wines can’t quite manage.
If you’re in the U.S. this bottle can be found at all Total Wine locations for roughly $15 USD. Sadly, Canadians, you’re out of luck unless you make a run for the border (which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND doing just for this bottle - it’s worth it!).
Cheers everyone and happy sipping!
