A Dismal February of Non-Alcoholic Wines

In this time of restraint, $30 dealcoholized wines need to deliver more

As with most things in life, there’s a huge spectrum of taste when it comes to which non-alcoholic options people enjoy. Every time I post about a non-alcoholic wine I really love, I get people sending me DMs telling me they loved it, but I also get the same amount of people telling me they “absolutely hated it”. I have to laugh, because most people have no idea what choice in drinks they have today compared to the few terrible options on the shelf only a few years ago.

One of the biggest issues I hear from people is pricing. Just like regular vintages, not every non-alcoholic wine at a certain price point is going to taste like a $30 bottle or meet those expectations. This can lead to a lot of disappointed people who are the unwilling victims of a very long and costly supply chain (especially if they’re imported). Non-alcoholic wine takes twice the work - make the wine and then remove the alcohol from it, before then pushing it out through a three- or four- tier global distribution system.

There are ramifications for the category as a whole if we accept everything labelled with marketing claims like ‘premium’ or ‘best tasting non-alcoholic wine on the market’ and pay that high price tag.

On that note, it’s my responsibility to be transparent about what I’m drinking, why I like things and why I don’t and providing thoughtful ways to approach the wines of your choice - no matter what that is.

This past month, I tried a whole bunch of new wines with higher price points and there weren’t really a lot of winners. I wrote about the yummy Edenvale GSM last week. Today, here are a few I tried and felt are not completely worth the high investment.

1. Alt Sparkling Chardonnay, 84 points

Sugar: 8g/6oz glass

This non-alcoholic bubbly has popped up everywhere lately, and at a very high-price point. It’s produced in Germany from 100% Chardonnay grapes. Although there’s quite a nice effervescence, there is very little complexity. It has a punch of sun-dried grape up front, with faint green apple and floral notes on the finish. I found it a little bit too sweet with 8g of added sugar. ($26)

2. Alt Sparkling Rose, Germany, 87 points

Sugar: 8g/6oz glass

This sparkling rose is produced in Germany with 100% Tempranillo grapes, and is definitely the better of the two Alt products I tried. It’s not quite as sophisticated and elegant as the wines at the top of the category, but it’s not terrible. It made this list because I saw it priced at $30+ in a boutique store near me, but it really doesn’t hit that quality mark. It’s a very creamy rose, with just a hint of the red grape skins, watermelon and strawberry. I was expecting a drier finish from a rose made from Tempranillo. It’s definitely more grape juice forward than most rose wines in the dealcoholized category, and also fairly high in sugar at 8g per glass. If I was picking a wine to swap for my special occasion rose brut, it may not be this one, but it’s a acceptable pick for a summer picnic in the park as long as it’s ice cold. ($26)

3. Ones+ Cabernet Sauvignon, Canada, 83 points

Sugar: 3g/5 oz glass

A non-alcoholic wine is only worth $30 a bottle to me if there are tannins and complexity, and the wine doesn’t fall apart after the first tantalizing note. Ones+ new Cabernet Sauvignon doesn’t have any length, complexity or tannins so it doesn’t quite hit my standard of what a non-alcoholic wine should be. It wasn’t what I was expecting from a $30 bottle. It also doesn’t taste like Cab Sauv, and so if something is labelled as a Cab Sauv but doesn’t deliver on that taste, then it’s not a great experience for anyone. It does have a slight hint of young green beaujolais, or very light Pinot Noir and that might be what you like and that’s totally ok. It tastes like extremely watered down wine to me, but I also know lots of people who swear by it. Most of the people that have told me they like it are also regular wine consumers, and that does make a difference to your palette sometimes. I’m completely alcohol-free, but I don’t think that’s enough to change the taste experience that radically. I think Ones+ can do better than this and I’m hoping they’ll refine their product as they grow. ($30)

The sweet spot for non-alcoholic wine should be a mid-priced tasty bottle, and there are also lots of those available. Click on the button below to peruse more wine reviews and find one you like!

How we score wines at Some Good Clean Fun:

95 to 100 - An excellent drink with a great personality. An example that stands out among its peers

90 to 94 - An accomplished drink with considerable personality, character and complexity. A classic example of its style or variety.

85 to 89 - A perfectly well-made drink which provides an enjoyable drinking experience.

80 to 84 - An acceptable but simple drink, lacking distinction.