Zero alcohol wine

[Waiters Friend]

G'day

I'm not sure if this topic might be sacrilegious on this site, but .....

.... I am currently trying a zero alcohol wine for the first time. Not surprisingly, I am unlikely to give it 95+ points or any gold medals, but it begs the following questions:

1. If you had to give up alcohol, could you handle a diet of zero alcohol wine?
2. Do zero alcohol whites work better than reds? Or vice versa?
3. Do you have any recommendations for passable zero alcohol drops?

By the way, no, I am not planning on giving up 'real' wine

Cheers
Allan

[Ian S]

Naturally low, such as Lambrusco, Moscato d'Asti / Brachetto d'Acqui are very enjoyable in their own right, but that's 9% / 5% from memory.

It's been a long long time since I tasted Eisberg alcohol free wine, and it was bloody awful stuff. Unpleasant to drink. Undoubtedly technology has moved on, and there is little chance that modern alternatives are that bad. Nonetheless be it beer or wine, none of the attempts I tried have held any interest and typically had a cloying sweetness and too many had an acrid element that made a sip all I would tolerate. It's been a while though, so it's always an interesting question to get an update from those with more recent experience.

Luckily there are a wealth of enjoyable soft drinks, that are pleasant / enjoyable / refreshing without trying to force a naturally alcoholic one into one without the alcohol, going through the expense of such a procedure, whilst invariably trying to hit a 'commodity' price point - after all, who will pay good money for an alcohol free wine, especially given their reputation.

Interesting stuff we might drink instead:
- Kombucha, and we have one on the go at home (we call her Doris)
- Chinotto, a lovely bitter citrus alternative to coke
- Posh pops (a Uk thing I suspect, making non-alcoholic fizzy drinks for an adult audience)
- Basilichito (Borea e Rossi, Liguria), a rather odd one to get used to, but it uses basil as the base. Makes an interesting mixer as well (as does Chinotto)
- Freshly squeezed fruit, something I recall as being widely available in Australia, and which we do at home. So many options and I've also taken to including some herbs
- When it's hot in Italy, Granita, which is ice that is stirred as it's kept around freezing point. Traditionally with Amalfi coast lemons, but loads of alternatives are now available. Not complex, but super refreshing
- Cold brewed coffee. This makes huge sense for wine enthusiasts, as there is plenty of crossover, and the best artisan coffees have genuine complexity.

That said, eating or drinking out invariably means there is little other than some rather dull commercial offerings, so a drink will be there to slake a thirst, but of little interest beyond that. Even they have been more enjoyable than any alcohol removed drinks I've experienced.

[JamieAdelaide]

1) No I’d go a glass of pomegranate juice daily to clear the arteries.

2) Not sure

3) Not sure


I read somewhere one of the great life extension tips is to give up sugary drinks. So perhaps zero alcohol wines with their lower sugar content a healthier dinner time beverage?

[phillisc]

Not considering a move to zero alcohol wine, in any form, or zero alcohol beer. The product is boiled/distilled/vacuumed to get rid of the ethanol, so the fact that more processes are involved is a problem for me. Bit like pasteurised milk
I am thankful that its been more than 30 years since I have had a coke, but am also told tonic in the G&T is not doing anyone any favours, so have switched to half half with soda. I shudder every time I go to the supermarket and I am not the lightest chap, BMI around 26, but certainly in a much better place than those who are 120, 130, 140+ kgs, with buckets of soft drink in their trolleys, and no teeth

I am also bemused that a modified product costs more. Increased production costs, offset excise losses?
Can't work out why somebody would pay more for 0.0% Heineken than the real thing at 5.1%, for the purposes of image, not taste. Its is perfectly acceptable to say you're having a break, and not drinking alcohol at all, than trying to fake it. If its for health reasons, all good.

Allan, if I had to give up I would be in Ian's camp and be drinking even more coffee and proper tea than I do now, some 5-10 cups a day.
Otherwise good ol' H20 will do. Tried a kale smoothie a few weeks back, water is certainly good enough for me!

Cheers Craig
ps. I know consumption levels have dropped in the under 25s and non-alcohol wine buying has increased, but would be intrigued if there is data that is associated with increased illicit drug consumption.

[paulf]

I had a sample bottle of Mcguigan Alcohol free Sauv Blanc turn up as a sample with my Woolworths delivery a few months back, and it smelt so horrendous I didn't bother tasting it. Having said that, I'm not sure I feel any different about Sauv Blanc in general. This did smell stewed to me though.
I'd need more data before I write off the category completely. So at this stage, I can't recommend one and I I don't know where I stand.
I do occasionally drink a non alcoholic beer now as they have come a long way in the last few years. You still notice the lack of mouthfeel though and I'd imagine that would be the same with wine too.

[Polymer]

If there was zero alcohol wine that you couldn't distinguish between it and normal wine...and at the same quality/uniqueness level....Or in otherwords, if alcohol was not in wine would you still drink it assuming it tasted the same, etc, etc, the answer is yes.

Doesn't seem likely though...If I need to decrease my alcohol intake I'd just rather spit.

As far as some non-alcohol alternatives...Coffee is a really good one.

[sjw_11]

Mcguigan Alcohol free Sauv Blanc

My mum is off alcohol for health reasons and has been drinking this but I wasn't brave enough to try any so I have to reserve judgement. She seems to think its OK but of course its all relative- needs must and all that.

[phillisc]

I guess on a more serious note, for those who cannot imbibe, my aunt has early onset dementia, only in her 60s...and unfortunately does not have the capacity to register or monitor, food and fluid intake. From a 40 year history of drinking she would hoover glass after glass. We now have her on the Maggie Beer sparkling verjuice and she loves it, and still can partake in the theatre of having a bottle go pop.

Cheers Craig

[Matt@5453]

The no or low alcohol category is certainly increasing at a rapid rate. Winemakers are definitely looking at ways to improve products to take advantage of the trend.

I have tried quite a few zero alcohol wines and there is not one I would try again. I personally would rather drink something else, they are not pleasant to drink. If they tasted better, maybe I'd be persuaded.

Low alcohol have some better tasting wines, this is probably where the most improvement in taste etc will come over time.
To caveat the above, they have all been whites and not reds. So probably does not work well enough for reds.

People are drinking zero alcohol spirits, gins etc, but spirits are not usually my thing. For zero alcohol products, I definitely recommend a brewer called Sobah especially their Finger Lime Cerveza, or Heaps Normal, their Quiet XPA. They are very decent beers and I challenge anyone to try one. The Heaps Normal is a standout - tasted blind, most people wouldn't pick it as zero alcohol.
I love my fishing. When its hot and I am skippering - I will have a few of these ice cold zero alcohol beers to quench my thirst.

[Wayno]

Agree with Heaps Normal beer - it’s excellent. I simply enjoy the bitterness and taste of beer so welcome a good zero beer from time to time.

[Ian S]

I guess on a more serious note, for those who cannot imbibe, my aunt has early onset dementia, only in her 60s...and unfortunately does not have the capacity to register or monitor, food and fluid intake. From a 40 year history of drinking she would hoover glass after glass. We now have her on the Maggie Beer sparkling verjuice and she loves it, and still can partake in the theatre of having a bottle go pop.

Cheers Craig

#like

[Ian S]

Low alcohol have some better tasting wines, this is probably where the most improvement in taste etc will come over time.

I recall a similar comment on wine pages a few years ago, that the reduced alc wines were quite promising in how close to 'the real thing' they were.

Not sure this is the article that prompted the discussion (it's from a decade ago), but gives an interesting snapshot to compare the current generation against
https://wine-pages.com/tasting-articles/redu ... -any-good/

[paulf]

Agree with Heaps Normal beer - it’s excellent. I simply enjoy the bitterness and taste of beer so welcome a good zero beer from time to time.

If I am going Alcohol free, then it is most likely to be the Heaps Normal XPA or Bridge Road Brewers Free Time. The other one I do buy with some regularity is Upflow. Of the 4 or 5 in their range it'll be the IPA or Stout that I buy. The only other alcohol free stout that I have come across so far is Big Drop Milk stout, which is also quite impressive. The lactose provides some body that is usually missing with the lack of alcohol.

[PaulG]

I am certainly a fan of non-alc beer (I try not to drink Monday to Thursday, so having a nice beer after work is a pleasure), but I am yet to find a decent non-alc wine (and I would be very keen to find one).

Hopefully interest will lead to some decent developments. I was unimpressed with 'Non' drinks to be honest.

[michel]

I third

Heaps Normal
It’s brilliant