Review: Teetotaler Sparkling Rosé's Elegant Ease
/Sponsored by Dry Variety
This article was updated by a staff writer May 25, 2023.
It was the pop of a non alcoholic sparkling wine cork heard ‘round the world. When the characters from the Sex & The City reboot And Just Like That… gather for an al fresco picnic in episode 7, do-gooder Charlotte tries to help Miranda with her drinking problem by offering a non alcoholic sparkling wine. The beautiful bottle and delicate pink liquid they imbibe on was none other than the flagship product from Canadian non alcoholic brand Teetotaler Wines. Although there wasn’t a hugely positive response for the beverage from Miranda, in actuality the sparkling rosé is truly a gem in the landscape of non alcoholic drinks.
Teetotaler Wines may be Canadian, but the origin of the product is Spain, where brand founder Danijela Kovac works with a winery to select varietals and develop her line of non alcoholic wines. Founded in 2020, Kovacs and Teetotaler have withstood the challenges of a global pandemic, growing from to a portfolio of five varietals over the two years.
The Sparkling Rosé is a favourite across North America, and for good reason. It’s an easy drinking, elegant non alcoholic bubbly that goes with anything at any time, and on par with other premium non alcoholic sparkling wines like Oddbird. Even the NY Times included it in the ‘Acceptable’ category during their round up of sparkling rose at the holidays.
On the nose, it’s extremely light and rosy with no overpowering chemical or grape juice aromas.
The mouthfeel is beautifully crisp but balanced with a slight creaminess, and enough body to be a great stand in for an alcoholic rosé. This could easily be sipped during an afternoon bridal or baby shower and no-one would be the wiser!
It’s made from 100% Tempranillo grapes, so the palette has considerable depth. The Tempranillo varietal is known for its juicy, deep flavours that can range from strawberry-ish in a young wine to more oak-aged properties in a more mature bottle. These properties lend themselves well to making rose wine, as well as non alcoholic products.
On the palette, the Teetotaler Sparkling Rosé showcases this nicely. There are dominating notes of ripe sugar plum, with just a touch of peach and mild notes of strawberry. A beautiful taste that will go with any type of light appetizer or small plates.
The dry, fine bubbles are noteworthy as some brands of sparkling fall flat when it comes to the bubbles. And although there is 6g of sugar per glass and it’s on the sweet side, it has a nice crisp dry finish that balances out the sugar.
The price point is very accessible which means in our world, it’s been absolutely perfect with late night cookies, salty popcorn or just sipping by itself during some quiet time! Bridgerton, anyone?
It’s available now at DryVariety.com.
Cheers and salud!
