Review: Nozeco Vegan Alcohol-Free Sparkling Wine
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Nozeco is a French alcohol-free sparkling wine brand on the scene for several years, and as far as we could tell from the number of times it popped up in our Instagram feed, it’s a fan-favourite in Europe. It’s also one of the few alcohol-free wines with a vegan certification (Noughty Sparkling Chardonnay is the other). We were delighted to find out that it has at long last come to Canada so we can try it for ourselves.
What does it mean to be a vegan wine? In the process of making wine, animal products are used in the fining and filtering, to clarify and clean-up the juice after sitting in tanks or barrels to ferment. Vegan wines use alternate production methods and must be recertified every year to be able to claim they are vegan. Before the wine is dealcoholized, this means the starter wine was produced in a vegan method.
The Nozeco brand is owned by Les Grands Chais de France Group which is the biggest private winemaker in France, so one could assume there is oversight on vegan labelling.
Is Nozeco actually alcohol-free?
Yes, Nozeco is 0.0% alcohol-free, and not ‘non-alcoholic’ which means there is between 0.005% and 0.5% alcohol. Nozeco has been completely dealcoholized to 0% alcohol. It’s a great option for pregnancy, baby showers, or anyone who doesn’t want the trace alcohol in a non-alcoholic option.
And now, on to our tasting notes.
Aroma
On the nose, it has crisp green apple and citrus notes with a lovely clean and floral aroma.
Taste
On the palette, Nozeco mirrors the nose. At first taste, we couldn’t place the overly floral notes but eventually identified it as elderflower. These are balanced with lots of juicy green apple, lemon and as it warms, some very subtle notes of stewed pear. It’s enjoyably crisp and refreshing, if a tad bit sweet. It’s a stretch to say it’s off-dry, but fairly close.
Mouthfeel and Experience
Does it have fizz? Yes, it absolutely does. This is the element we loved about this non-alcoholic sparkling wine. It sparkles with tiny bubbles for days after the first pour.
Overall, the Nozeco is an agreeable substitute for sparkling wine, but we found it missing some of the tart dryness that a good bottle of the real thing would have. It’s also on the sweet side with 9g of sugar per glass.
What Food To Pair With Nozeco
We enjoyed a chilled glass with baked lemon-pepper salmon, buttery jasmine rice and a fresh green salad with a light mango vinaigrette. It was a perfect match, neither overwhelming the food or underwhelming. It stood up to the meal and was a lovely accompaniment.
Where Can I Buy Nozeco
In the U.S., it used to be available through Better Rhodes, but it’s not listed anymore, however they have other Nozeco brand options to try!
In the UK, Nozeco is available at a wide variety of supermarkets and off-licence.
In Canada, Upside Drinks carries it as does the Ontario LCBO and the Quebec SAQ. It’s around $12 Cdn a bottle.
Score: 88 points
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.
