I’ve tried. I really have. But wine with alcohol removed just doesn’t do it for me. It’s nothing to do with the buzz and everything to do with the body. Remove alcohol and you remove an essential part of what makes wine enjoyable - mouthfeel.
To be fair, I find alcohol-free sparkling wine is preferable to still wines, with the bubbles masking the loss of sensation. On nights off though, I will always reach for a Botivo or Pentire Coastal Spritz with tonic and a slice. See also Guinness 0.0 or Lucky Saint. One of my locals - The Rose in Deal - does Botivo and Lucky Saint lager as a cocktail. It’s a satisfying drink, spicy, citrussy, refreshing - and sippable rather than gluggable.
But as a wine drinker, should I even be making a comparison between the two?
Probably not, if a recent panel discussion on the topic is anything to go by. Hosted by Laura Willoughby MBE at The Wine Circuit - a festival at Battersea Power Station I worked on - the takeaway for me was this: people who haven’t drunk wine for a while will judge the non-alcoholic versions differently than those looking to moderate.
“People miss being part of an occasion,” said Laura, the founder of the world’s largest mindful drinking movement, Club Soda. She gave an example of being able to go to a restaurant and enjoy some wine with her meal rather than a just a soft drink. See also weddings and other celebrations. Why fob non-drinkers off with orange juice?
When I had my own wine shop and bar, I used to sell Noughty, which I thought the best of the bunch at the time. I remember getting samples of their still white and rosé wines soon after launch. After trying them with the team, I gave the remains to a customer who no longer drank, who then shared it with another sober friend. She sent such a joyful message to me, it brought a little lump to my throat. She could now drink a pale, dry rosé in the sun with her friends. So I expanded the range.
I should have got the hint then that I was not the best judge of non-alcoholic wine. Sure, I can analyse it in terms of aroma, structure, length, complexity and decide if they are well made or not. And there are some VERY well made 0% wines out there.
But is it a delicious drink? There’s the rub. I would rather have a proxy - also referred to by the sober community as a wine-shaped drink. L.A Brewery, Real and Saicho hit the mark for me more than alcohol-liberated wine.
Take Wednesday’s Domaine Vignette, a de-alcoholised red made from Petit Verdot and Tempranillo grown in Spain. It’s been thoughtfully made in terms of taste and structure. Dark fruits, balanced acidity, a little tannic grip.
I thought I’d serve it when we cooked a rib of beef from friends - one of whom barely drinks anymore. In hindsight, it was rather unfair to serve it alongside a Burgundy (nothing super spenny), and it just felt a bit limpid and sweet against the proteins and seasoning of the meat. Chilled with a picnic would have been much better. However, the friend said had she not had a sip of two of the Burgundy, she could see herself enjoying the Vignette.
I thought I’d serve it when we cooked a rib of beef from friends - one of whom barely drinks anymore. In hindsight, it was rather unfair to serve it alongside a Burgundy (nothing super spenny), and it just felt a bit limpid and sweet against the proteins and seasoning of the meat. Chilled with a picnic would have been much better. However, the friend said had she not had a sip of two of the Burgundy, she could see herself enjoying the Vignette.
I’ll leave the last word to someone who gave up drinking seven years ago. Ronnie Tee (@ronnietraynor on Insta) said in a January post that replicating the ‘kick’ of red wine was tough, so if you’re not planning to quit in the long term, stick to beer or non-alcoholic spirits.
“However, if you’re in it for the long run, you’ll find that alcohol-free red wine tastes much better after 12-18 months as your palate will change and become much more refined! I recently had a sip of regular red wine by accident and couldn’t believe I spat it out.”
