Review: Hollow Leg Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Cuvee
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With a name like Hollow Leg, it just stands to reason that this new non-alcoholic wine brand is from the Emerald Isle - home of the quick tongue, clever wit and satire in response to life. I’m 25% Irish and have the gift of the gab, so I’m allowed to say that.
Hollow Leg is a new non-alcoholic wine brand to both the U.S. and Canada, and yes, it’s an Iris company (which is the last place you expect a wine to come from) but thankfully the wines are actually produced in Spain.
There are four styles of wine in the Hollow Leg line-up including a sparkling cuvee, a sparkling rosé, an Albariño (white) and a cabernet sauvignon. The origin wines are produced in Galicia, Spain, but I can’t confirm where the wine is dealcoholized. The winemakers name is Pablo Martinez, and he and his two partners spent six years perfecting the dealcoholization process for these wines.
What is super interesting about this brand is their rejection of ‘tasteless’ non-alcoholic wine. Although I don’t think n/a wines are all tasteless, I understand what they mean. They can taste very ‘homogenous’ with very little complexity, with the exception of the wines in the emerging estate category like Bolle, Zeronimo and Divin. Hollow Leg is taking a serious approach to recreating wine without alcohol, chemical additives or sugars in a way that truly captures the wine drinking experience. And I’m here for it!
Today we’re starting with the Hollow Leg Sparkling Cuvee because it could be a good choice if you’re looking for something for Valentine’s Day.
A quick reminder that ‘cuvee’ most often means blend - it does not mean ‘sparkling’ which is always a misunderstanding. My BIGGEST beef is with winemakers that don’t share varietal information so although they don’t clarify on the label, this tastes like it’s a single varietal Albariño and they’re using the cuvee label to mean a premium, specialized bottling rather than a blend. Disappointing!
Aroma
On the nose, it’s giving crisp green apple and the clean characteristics of a good brut.
Taste
This non-alcoholic bubbly is clean, crisp and bone-dry, with a nice bright acidity a hint of delicate grape must that dupes a brut pretty closely. They’ve really nailed the sweetness - it’s quite unique that a wine with under 1g of sugar per glass has a sweetness to it like this, balancing out the dry acidity.
This is comparable to the Society de la Rassi brut and it’s clean bone-dry profile.
Where I think this wine is lacking is depth and complexity but as I’ve said before, it’s hard to dealcoholize single varietal wines and capture everything a wine drinker expects. Especially with white wines. Where Zeronimo Sparkling Select always wins for me in this category is because it’s a blend of varietals the winemaker has extracted the best characteristics from and you can taste the complexity.
Mouthfeel & Experience
A very light mousse and playful bubbles but nothing that stands out from any other non-alcoholic sparkling wine.
What to pair with Hollow Leg Sparkling
Small bite appetizers, crackers, sardines and oysters.
Overall
This is a good buy for the price, especially at $22 it’s a dead ringer for Society de la Rassi which is $60 (in fact it almost tastes like they are the exact same wine….). This isn’t an everyday wine that pairs well with food, it’s a brut-style bubbly so I would definitely pick this up if I needed something for a group toast or event where you need a special occasion feeling.
Score: 92 points
Where to buy Hollow Leg Sparkling Cuvee
In the U.S., you can buy Hollow Leg through Boisson ($22). Use code SOMEGOODCLEANFUN for 15% OFF on your cart.
How I rank wines (based on IWSC standards):
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.
