Not keen on feeble nolo wine? Try these instead
There are some decent wine substitutes out there that are worth trying – but it’s always worth remembering that they aren’t actually ‘wine’
TL;DR
- Alcohol is essential for wine's complexity, including aroma, taste, warmth, body, and mouthfeel.
- Dealcoholization removes these crucial elements, making non-alcoholic wines challenging to replicate.
- Non-alcoholic beers are generally more successful than non-alcoholic wines due to lower original alcohol content.
- Substitutes often use unfermented grape juice and added compounds to mimic wine-like qualities.
- High-tech processes are improving, but fully replicating wine's weight and balance is difficult.
- Sparkling non-alcoholic options tend to fare better due to the refreshing nature of bubbles and chilling.
- Sparkling fermented teas and kombucha can be good alternatives, offering tannic structure and natural acidity.
- Non-alcoholic red wines are the trickiest to replicate and are best served slightly chilled or mulled.
- White wine alternatives can be made from aromatic grapes like muscat.
- Specific non-alcoholic wine alternatives mentioned include Lyre’s Classico Rosé, Zeno ‘Alcohol-Liberated’ Sparkling NV, Torres Natureo Rosé, and Wednesday’s Domaine ‘Vignette’.