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From chardonnay substitutes to alcohol-free merlot, we’ve reviewed the best wines and proseccos to drink
As the seasons change and the sun begins to shine, it’s inevitable we’re going to want to reach for something sweet and refreshing, but if you’re trying to cut back on the booze, the best non-alcoholic wines offer decent alternatives to your favourite vinos.
More of us than ever before are choosing to go alcohol-free. So much so, research by Alcohol Change UK estimates one in four people in the UK want to cut down on alcohol in 2024. Luckily, if you’re drinking less or exploring the zero per cent ABV options, you don’t need to reach for boring drinks, as there is now a huge range of alcohol-free wines and other tipples on the market.
While booze-free beer has long been big business, wine has taken longer to catch up. It has traditionally been difficult to replicate the complexities, flavours and mouthfeel of wine without the alcohol, but technologies are constantly improving to make alcohol-free vino taste more like the real thing.
Most alcohol-free wines are sweeter than normal wines, so, those that mimic sweeter vinos – such as prosecco or riesling – are the best choice when looking for an alternative. Drinks with bubbles also offer a similar mouthfeel to the real thing, so non-alcoholic fizz is usually a far more satisfying swap than sticking with still wine.
Bear in mind that UK government guidance says alcohol-free drinks may contain up to 0.05 per cent ABV, while de-alcoholised drinks that have had the alcohol removed should not be more than 0.5 per cent, so some of these are still not suitable for anyone wishing to avoid alcohol completely.
We tested all these wines exactly as we would their alcoholic alternatives, swirling and sipping to make the most of each vino’s flavours and smell. For each, we judged the taste, aroma and appearance, and rated how similar it was to normal wine, plus how satisfied we’d be after enjoying a glass after a long day or on a night out.
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We were pleasantly surprised by this bubbly alternative to prosecco. Made by David Rowledge of Alchemy Wines, it looks like an alcoholic fizz in the glass and keeps its bubbles while drinking, so, it really does feel like a treat to sip, ideal for non-drinkers to join a celebratory toast.
It’s made with sparkling fermented grape juice and premium green tea, giving it a refreshing feel packed with fruity flavours of pear and grape. Although it’s a tiny bit on the sweet side, if you’re used to bone-dry champagne, it’s one of the driest and most drinkable sparkling wines we tried. Better still, 25p from every bottle sold will be donated to NHS Charities Together. Definitely one we’ll be buying again in future.
If you didn’t know what you were sipping, you could easily believe this sparkling alcohol-free rosé was the real thing. An attractive deep-pink colour, it looks inviting in the glass, with red fruit aromas, a surprisingly textured palate and a hint of raspberry in every sip.
Its fermented grape juice is, again, blended with premium green tea, which cuts through the sweetness and adds complexity.
Containing only naturally occurring sugar, it’s a pleasure to drink and we definitely wouldn’t feel like we were missing out with this in our glass.
It’s great to see respected winemakers turning their hand to alcohol-free versions and attempting to replicate the flavours and depth found in their usual wines. Hardys is one of Australia’s biggest wine producers and is especially known for its fragrant chardonnays, so, it’s no surprise this is a decent substitute.
Made with the same premium grapes used across the Hardys ranges, this zero per cent chardonnay has a vibrant yellow colour and a smooth note of oak. It’s packed with plenty of tropical flavours, including pineapple and peach, and, though it’s a touch sweeter than the regular version, it would definitely satisfy a Saturday chardonnay craving, if you’re trying to skip the booze.
A powerful, flavour-filled tipple, we’d prefer to pair it with food than sip it on its own – it would go perfectly with a chicken pie or seafood platter.
We’re already big fans of the crisp, fruity cava made by Vilarnau – a boutique winery close to Barcelona. If we’re celebrating but keeping a clear head, we’d be happy to make the switch to this alcohol-free version, which is vegan and has impressive eco credentials. The vineyard reuses and purifies rain and wastewater, has eradicated diesel use (with a renewable boiler system) and has recently halved its energy consumption.
What’s more, the wine tastes great. It has all the fruity flavours you’d expect from a decent cava, with notes of green apple, citrus and a hint of almond, and it’s decently dry, so you won’t feel like you’re quaffing sugary water.
We’re big fans of the Vilarnau 0 per cent sparkling rosé, too (£7, Amazon.co.uk), which is ideal for a booze-free barbecue.
There’s a wine for every occasion in the extensive Eisberg alcohol-free range, including a fruity rosé we’ll be sipping this summer, and even a mulled wine.
For the rest of the year, this merlot is a good, drinkable alternative to red, and will go down a treat with tomato-based pasta dishes or even a hearty Sunday roast.
It has all the classic fruit flavours you’d expect in a merlot, including blackberry and plum, with a velvety intensity that means a glass (or three) slips down in no time. The price gets a big thumbs-up, too.
Torres has been making wine for more than 150 years in Spain’s Catalonia – one of the oldest winemaking regions in Europe. A fifth-generation family business, it’s been creating de-alcoholised wine since 2008 – fermenting the vino before carefully removing the alcohol, to preserve the flavours.
This one is made entirely from muscat grapes and has a sweet smoothness that would work perfectly with fish dishes. It has quite a strong grape flavour, but there are also touches of apple and melon, and we were pleased to see there was no added sugar or carbonated water. Serve very cold, to taste it at its best.
OK, we realise that £32 is a lot to splash out on a bottle with no alcohol in it, but bear with us. While other alcohol-free fizz mimics prosecco, this one is a more-than-adequate substitute for champagne, and would make an indulgent gift for any non-drinker needing a treat.
It pours exactly like the good stuff, with elegant bubbles and fresh, sharp aromas. Made with 100 per cent chardonnay grapes and Gensac spring water, this organic sparkling is a delight to drink, too, with refined flavours of white peach and citrus with a tropical twist.
It’s deliciously crisp, so would work well with seafood or sushi, but we think it would be a match made in heaven with traditional fish and chips, for a truly lavish feast.
Just because a white wine has its alcohol removed, doesn’t mean it should be stripped of all its flavour, too. Zeno launched in October 2022 and describes its wines as alcohol-liberated. The brand focuses on creating single-estate wines with a quality and texture that even wine-lovers would appreciate.
After three years of development, this is one of the best whites on the market, with a pleasing hit of citrus, apple and tropical flavours on the palate. It has a medium-bodied mouthfeel, gentle acidity and a touch of elderflower on the finish that would work well with gently spiced Asian dishes or chicken roasted in a creamy sauce.
Relatively few non-alcoholic wines are made by actual wineries, so, it’s a thrill to see this brand new sparkling rosé from the established Château La Coste wine estate in Provence, albeit with a steep price tag to match.
Happily, it’s made from the estate’s bestselling organic rosé wine but has had the alcohol removed and bubbles added, to create a light, pale salmon-pink colour made for al fresco summer drinking. Expect pops of grapefruit that lift a juicy and surprisingly full-bodied palate of strawberries and cherries that would work well at a barbecue or even with an afternoon tea – not least because of its glamorous rose-gold bottle.
If you’re unsure whether to choose a fermented fizz or tea-based bubbles, this sparkler from M&S is the perfect compromise.
A light golden colour in the glass, it’s made from premium darjeeling tea, which has been fermented over several weeks – surprisingly, there’s no grape juice added at all. The process creates a sophisticated, elegant flavour that works a treat chilled as a satisfying alternative to champagne. It’s unexpectedly fruity with subtle notes of peach and blackcurrant but still doesn’t taste like a fizzy drink. We’re more than happy to raise a glass to that.
Squint and you’d never even know this red was non-alcoholic. The bottle looks exactly the same as a normal wine and it shares many of the same characteristics as a standard South African syrah – albeit with the alcohol removed.
It’s made by Noughty, which launched in 2019 with the aim of creating premium de-alcoholised wine. Its bottles are now sold in more than 45 countries and the brand is B Corp certified, meeting rigorous social, sustainability and environmental standards. All this and the wine’s good, too. Grown in dryland farmed vineyards in Darling, South Africa, the grapes benefit from warm sunny days and an ocean breeze.
The wine itself is packed with flavours of ripe red fruit with a twist of black pepper and even a lingering hint of roses, along with French oak tannins. Serve it up with a juicy steak or even a roast dinner and we reckon you won’t miss the booze.
Lyre’s knows a thing or two about making alcohol-free drinks – producing 16 spirits and five ready-to-drink cans, so you’re not stuck with the same options every time.
This Italian-style sparkling wine is a stand-out swap if you’re partial to prosecco. It even looks the part in its premium bottle, so you’d feel quite proud bringing this along to a party. It looks the part in the glass, too, thanks to delicate bubbles, a welcome tartness and flavours of apple, pear and peach.
A fine acidity gives this sparkler a clean, refreshing finish, and means there’s none of the cloying sweetness that lingers with some other alcohol-free wines. It would be ideal served chilled on its own or with canapes, to get a party started.
We’re a sucker for a cold glass of sauvignon blanc, so, we were excited to discover an alternative we could enjoy even when we want to swerve the alcohol.
This bottle is made by McGuigan Wines, which has been producing wine in Australia for three generations. It removes the alcohol in this vino, using spinning cone technology, which uses low temperatures to preserve the taste.
It certainly doesn’t skimp on flavour, and brims with bright notes of passionfruit and lime, with a long, satisfying finish that makes it feel more like wine. We’d recommend opening it half an hour or so before serving, to improve the flavour even further.
If you’ve always swerved alcohol-free wines because the sweetness makes you shudder, this sparkling vino is well worth a try. It’s made in Veneto, Northern Italy, from the same glera grapes that Joe Scavi and Carluccio Ray use to make their prosecco.
After harvesting, the wine goes through a gentle vacuum-based de-alcoholisation process, to produce this aromatic, tangy fizz, which would thrill any non-drinker at a party.
It bursts with lip-smacking flavours of pear, green apple and citrus, and is remarkably drinkable, especially when perfectly chilled. Add a dash of orange juice and it will make a wonderful mimosa, too.
By far, our favourite non-alcoholic vinos were all fizz, as bubbles masked the lack of depth from alcohol. The Community.Co zero alcohol sparkling white NV was our top sober sparkler, with added green tea keeping the sweetness at bay. When only pink will do, we also rated Belle & Co. zero per cent sparkling rosé, which we’d happily raise a glass with whenever we want to steer clear of alcohol.
Looking for more low-ABV tipples? Read our round-up of the best alcohol-free beers
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