Review: Zeronimo Leonis Blend - A 98-point N/A Wine From Austria
/REVIEW - Zeronimo Leonis Red Blend, 100 points
Austria might not be the first place you think of when it comes to high-end wine, but the tiny country actually has a very interesting wine industry with unique varietals and micro-terroirs similar to other wine regions. In the non-alcoholic category, wines from Austrian vineyards are non-existent with the exception of the Studio Null Gruner Veltliner.
This is one of the reasons, Zeronimo, a new non-alcoholic red wine brand from Austria is creating such a stir. This new wine is the world’s first real high-end premium wine and I’m confident it’s reset the benchmark and the industry standards for what a non-alcoholic wine can be.
Zeronimo’s parent company Heribert Bayer is a well-known family-owned Austrian winery, and their trademark wine In Signo Leonis is a highly awarded 98-point red blend of Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt & Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Where they have rocked the metaphorical boat is by choosing to dealcoholize this treasure, their most premium wine.
To the established wine world, it’s unheard of to ‘destroy’ a good wine through dealcoholization. For non-drinkers looking for something as good as the real thing, the Zeronimo Leonis Blend seems like an obvious solution to the gap between the high expectations and mediocre experience most consumers have with non-alcoholic wine.
To Katja and Patrick Bernegger, the founders of Zeronimo, extending their line makes a lot of sense, and opens up more possibilities for everyone to enjoy fine wine.
Bernegger explained, why they made this decision after tasting non-alcoholic wines from all around the globe.
“We knew we could do better. And we’re going to try it with our best wine, because if our best wine doesn't taste nice, then nothing will taste nice.”
What happened next was unexpected. While the wine industry definitely thought they were crazy, people and the media in Austria went nuts for it.
“What happened is three months after launch, we had to double the quantities and make another batch. People were really going crazy here!”
I had to know what everyone was going crazy over, but even still, when I received my bottle of 2021 vintage Zeronimo Leonis Blend direct from Austria, I didn’t know what to expect. As soon as I opened it up and had a first whiff of the aroma I knew this was going to be a special bottle.
On the nose Leonis Blend has those familiar dusty brick and leather notes that everyone loves from old world vintages. It threw me for a loop because it smelled like it had been lying down for a decade.
On the palette, it’s unbelievable that this is a non-alcoholic wine and immediately I had to adjust my mental scorecard. The liquid is just at another level, on another playing field, than almost every single other bottle of non-alcoholic wine I have ever tasted - and there have been many.
There are dry dusty tannins, married with notes of plum, tart cherry and a hint of smoke and leather. It’s tannic and astringent at the front, with a nice gentle length at the back. The fullness and the mouthfeel are spot on for a red, and it doesn’t fall apart in the middle from exaggerated sugar levels.
After four years of yearning for a dusty, dry complex red wine, I’ve finally found it.
This can’t even be scored within my usual scoring system for non-alcoholic wine, as the difference between a 97- or 98-point non-alcoholic wine and this one is astronomical. It reset the benchmark but I’m giving it 100 points anyway.
Back in Austria, Bernegger was right that people would appreciate the quality. After witnessing the hype around their first product, they knew they had to make a second style and have since released a dealcoholized sparkling wine that is also popular.
She recently posted on LinkedIn that now every second bottle sold at the winery’s online shop and every third bottle sold at the winery retail store is Zeronimo. The big news is they’ve now launched in the U.S and are currently releasing a line-extension including an Austrian classic gruner veltliner. There are big things in the future for this brand.
If you’re familiar with high-end wine, whether you’re a non-drinker or not, Zeronimo Leonis Blend is an experience you shouldn’t miss out on. It’s a whole new world. As Bernegger said in a recent Austrian news article,
“Non-alcoholic wine has not come to replace traditional wine. It's a side-by-side - a new wine category.... it's not about excluding people from the wine experience but to have the freedom of choice and possibility to enjoy the best of both worlds.”
Leonis Blend and the whole Zeronimo range are available:
US: Ocean Beach Brands
Canada: Sobr Market
Europe: https://www.weinfreund.at/zeronimo-alkoholfreier-wein-aus-oesterreich/.
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.
