The "Skinny" on No-Lo alcohol 'Wines': Part I

Joel Butler MW 2.61 10.27.2024

“Health-conscious consumers, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, are driving this trend as they seek to moderate their alcohol intake without compromising on flavour or experience.” Lauren Eads 16 Oct 2024, the Drinksbusiness.com

Not atypical back label for a non-alcoholic wine, sparkling in this case. Ingredient labeling is mandatory, so very different from ‘real’ wine labels (JbMW)

I really didn’t want to write about No-Alcohol Wine, or more accurately, De-alcoholized wine; the nomenclature for me is an oxymoron (oxy-moronic?); wine is generally defined as fermented grape (fruit?) juice containing alcohol—Real wine. Yet at the behest of a dear college friend and one of my sisters, both of whom desire to drink less alcohol for health reasons, this post and the next are for you!

They have told me that they struggle to find wines that actually taste good and provide something of the satisfaction of ‘real’ (alcohol containing) wine. After tasting about 50 no-alcohol wines preparing for this newsletter, I completely understand their frustration! Consider this post and the one afterward a public service, therefore!

This is a new, still young and growing segment of the wine market. A lot is still at the ‘trial and error’ stage of evolution. I recognize this so perhaps my evaluations are harsh, and clearly in the moment. I hope they help, however. There is a great deal of research being done on production methods to raise quality and character which will probably not show fruition for another 5-10 years.

Apologies in advance for the length of this initial Part I. Watching a video shot in Paris, one Frenchman noted after drinking the non-alcoholic wine offered him at a street-side tasting: “Well, it tastes good, but it’s just not wine, you know”. I sympathise with that statement.

Allow me some editorializing. The Title above, as a long-time winemaker friend of mine noted, is wrong, though a common moniker for this category. In the beverage alcohol industry, it is commonly used to denote the growing category. As Ms Eads, noted in the quotation at the top, writes in her recent piece for the Drinks Business: “According to the IWSR (IWSR is the leading global drinks data and insight provider.), consumption of no/low products rose by +5% in 2023 in the world’s top 10 markets, with no/low volumes expected to rise at a CAGR of +6% between 2023 and 2027.”

Granted, those figures include no-alcohol 'spirits’, beer and so on. But the fact remains (deepest apologies to Stephen Stills and the Buffalo Springfield- ‘For What its worth’), ‘There’s something happenin’ here.” Unlike the song’s subject, however, there are clear reasons why non-alcoholic wine, etc (technically <0.5% alcohol by volume) have gained popularity.

Gen-Z and Millennials, seemingly more health conscious than us “Boomers” are driving this change, according to Ms Eads. Rebelling against their elders? More environmentally conscious and wary of older studies saying moderate alcohol consumption may be beneficial for some age groups? Taken in by the current, BS no-alcohol-is good-for-you Neo-Prohibition campaign? Don’t like the taste of alcohol, or simply that alcohol doesn’t agree with their biology? And what about their Enjoyment recreational drugs as their vice of choice, and find that the ‘refreshment’ value of Non-alcoholic wine is more satisfying with their weed?

Whatever it is driving this interest and expanding sales, non-alcoholic wine/beverages is a growing sector of the drinks business. Understanding what these are, and actively drinking them in order to figure how to evaluate and qualify them seemed important enough to me now. Spurred on by the frustration of readers like those mentioned above, I went to various stores in the Seattle area, spending several hundred dollars on samples to try.

Some technical stuff to understand what we are talking about, and explain why so many of these wines are as expensive as they are. Spoiler alert: if you are one of those souls who believes in the concept of ‘Natural Wine’, forgeddaboutit here! Making non-alcoholic wines is a very technical process, usually requiring expensive machinery, different from Low-Alcohol wines such as Moscato d’Asti (5%), additives to inhibit yeast fermentation, natural flavors, preservatives even beyond the normal Sulphur dioxide (SO2), etc. As my winemaker friend and expert on such methodologies, Clark Smith (Winesmith wines) explains (here’s the technical bit!):

‘Low alcohol wine has quite different rules and techniques than no-alcohol wine, where a simple Reverse Osmosis (RO) can generate alcoholic permeate which can be discarded or sold and replaced by tap water…A Spinning Cone set-up costs about $1 million for a machine that can de-alc 25,000 liters per day. Far more economical is an RO-perstraction system, but it really depends on the scale you have in mind. A small RO can be had for around $30K.”

Another method, Column still vacuum distillation, often used by much larger producers such as the Bordeaux Families Coop in France, can cost up to $2.5 million or more. (https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2024/10/bordeaux-families-ups-its-focus-on-no-and-low/). It can process up to 1000 liters/hour. In other words, while the quality of the resultant ‘wine’ ultimately depends upon the quality of the grapes used, the process of getting there is fairly expensive no matter what. The trick is being able to retain as much of the wine’s aromas, flavor esters and compounds as possible while being able to separate out the alcohol.

French Families Coop Winery: Column Vacuum distillation system to make non-alcoholic wines & spirits(Courtesy of the Drinksbusiness.com & bordeauxfamilies.fr)

Getting to the heart of the matter at another Bordeaux producer beginning to experiment in a small way with the category notes:

“Wine consultant Julien Lavenu, who has been helping Chateau Edmus, said there was still room to improve the new wines. ‘It's still early days in terms of the technology, there are bound to be a few misses,’ he said. ‘People need to rethink non-alcoholic wine production so that it starts in the vineyard. By doing that they won't have to remove so much alcohol or add as much sugar at the end, he said.” (https://today.rtl.lu/news/business-and-tech/a/2161824.html

All of which are major reasons why most non-alcoholic wines are made by specialist and/or larger companies, and unfortunately, often use cheaper grapes. My tastings appeared to verify this conclusion, as well as the prices. Few non-alcoholic wines I tasted were below $16-25, which doesn’t seem too expensive, but then you taste them and think, “Where’s the Beef?” For smaller producers of quality wine who want to make this type of wine, they must (usually) work with a larger winery that has the capacity (and capital) to have one of these machines. Often, these are local Cooperative wineries located near the smaller estate producer.

Serious aside- how can one justify higher prices for a product that can contain inferior fruit and doesn’t have the one ingredient that adds to the flavors nor provide the singular affect on people that has motivated them for millennia to drink it? Something is ridiculously amiss when one of the newest entries in the market, created by a scion of the Taittinger Champagne family, French Bloom vintage non-alcoholic sparkling Blanc des Blancs is selling for £109 /$141 equivalent a bottle. Seriously? I tried to find a bottle, but it is not on sale here, yet. No doubt, it will taste pretty good, but simply put, it cannot compare for taste, complexity, or value to a comparably priced true Champagne Blanc des Blancs.

Why do most of these non-alcoholic wines not taste very good, or much like their full-alcohol content brethren? In my tastings noted below, I included for comparative purposes (and satisfy my own curiosity) where possible a “real’ ‘control’ wine from the same producer of the ‘de-alcoholized wine’, or a real wine from the same area or appellation /grape.

The main reasons these ‘wines’ don’t taste as good is that removing alcohol takes out aromas, body and structure that make the wine ‘wine’. You have to resort to ‘tricks’ to restore these. Using natural flavors that are similar to those of the grapes used can be done, which often are stabilized in an alcohol solution. BTW, you cannot use natural flavors in ‘standard wine’. Better to use if one can an RO machine which retains the aromatics, esters etc. of the wine involved.

As Smith told me: “You need to employ a lot of tricks to restore aromatics, body and bite. You really should have good stuff (wine) to start with to obtain good structure and better results. This is trivially easy with wines like White Zinfandel and sparkling wine, but very challenging for dry reds and Chardonnay.” For virtually all producers, adding X amount of sugar via concentrated grape must (juice) is the main route to restoring some sense of body and texture.

And I easily noted that the best non-alcoholic wines I tasted were sparkling, and white wines, especially Riesling, main of whose classic examples with alcohol already contain some residual sugar. For red wines, besides the usually higher alcohol levels, their taste and weight are also significantly affected by tannins, not to mention that most are made as dry wines, with virtually no residual sugar, and aged in oak which contributes its own tannins and flavors. Restoring astringency or adding oak extract without the buffering agency of alcohol to approximate good red wine flavors is difficult, and in my tastings (Part II) and generally unsuccessful. I asked Clark Smith about this ‘dilemma’. He noted that it takes at least 3-4% sugar to “ replace the body, or call it ‘alcohol sweetness’ of dry wine.”

Given much of what I wrote above, you would think I was completely negative about Non-alcoholic wines. Much to my own surprise, I found several of these wine enjoyable and refreshing to drink, with a few close enough stylistically to real wine examples. So long as you don’t mind a bit of residual sugar flavors, light body and simpler fruity flavors, good non-alcoholic wines are suitable and tasty. Particularly if you enjoy Asian cuisines, and others that favor spicy and sweet/sour flavors, Non-alcoholic wines are very appropriate and tasty.

What are my tasting criteria evaluating these wines? Those which conveyed some sense of the grape(s) used, combined with enough ‘weight’ and balance to not taste cloying or too flat were qualitatively favored. If a wine had a sense of ‘winey-ness’, even better.

THE WINES/THE JUICE?

In the interests of full disclosure I have noted where these wines were purchased, or their importer. I have also included notes for ALL of the wines tasted, the Good, the Meh, and the ‘NO, don’t bother’. Alcohol level, quality mark (NO-***/Marks out of 20) and Retail Price $ are at the end of each note. Unless otherwise noted, all of these ‘wines’ have 0.5% alcohol or less.

NB: CO2 = Carbon dioxide; SO2= Sulphur Dioxide (preservative, anti-oxidant); Potassium Sorbate=preservative

SPARKLING WINES

Cavas Mamevia-Valencia, Spain, nv  Vega Medién De Alcoholize  Sparkling Wine/Valencia?  ?? grapes.  2 gr added sugar/serving. 6 gr added sugar/bottle, 8 gr/L(0.8% residual sugar). 50 cal./bottle.  Ingredients: Dealcoholized wine, Preservative 242 (dimethyl dicarbonate) & Potassium Sorbate, SO2, Gum arabic, flavorings, CO2. Gold Green color, large bubbles. Vaguely wine-y bouquet with green apple aromas predominant. Light body. Too sweet (almost 'Sec') in  true sparkling wine terms. Flavors show apple & citrus fruit. Rather soft mousse; rounder flavors --a bit like less sweet 7 up!.  Mawkish finish -palatable but too simple, barely Quaffable & Overpriced.  0.5%  No  $22  Esquin Wines

Vinada Wines nv, Dealcoholized- Crispy Chardonnay Sparkling wine,  France (made in Netherlands) 95% Chardonnay. 30 gr added sugar/ bottle, 40 Gr/L sugar. Ingredients: De-alc wine, sugar, CO2, SO2.  Fairly fine perlage-medium tiny, persistent in glass. Paler lemon gold to above. Aromas show citrus-apple pear, but more chemical' too-not unpleasantly so, but notable.  Drier flavors than Vega Medién above;  more wine-y with crisper, soda pop-like pear-apple flavors, some fizzy impressions to finish (more vigorous mousse!). There are more lemony-citrus flavors on finish, indeed a bit tart. But also a bit monochromatic, with Sugar less evident on finish, so good acidity yields better sense of freshness. Prefer the leaner crisper flavors…  Still, this tastes more like a classic charmat fizz with alcohol. Good Value  0.5%  */15.5  $10  Total Wine

Freixenet  nv, Lower Calorie Alc Removed sparkling wine Spain Penedes? Cava blend?14 gr added sugar/serving, 28 gr/bottle sugar, 37.3 Gr/L.  70 calories/bottle. Ingredients: 90% de-alc wine, RCGM, CO2, Stabilizer gum arabic, SO2, K-Sorbate, Dimethyl Dicarbonate (primarily used as as a sterilant and stabilizer to prevent yeast activity 8 microbial spoilage) . Medium fine perlage, bubbles not quite as tiny as  Vinada above. Much paler lemon white green color. Neutral, slightly 'earthy' green tree fruit aromas. Fairly dry with just hint of rounding RS on finish.  Shows more balanced sparkling wine proportions; in a word, less confected--more real Cava-like character and while similar RS to Odd Bird below, comes across more linear, elegant and fresh. Medium mousse, crisp but not tart like Vinada seems. Very well made, as one would expect from a quality "real" sparkling wine producer! Pricier than some, but also tastes like the real thing. Reasonable value. 0.5%  **/17- $20 Esquin Wines (cf. Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava @ $11)

Good Twin (Winc, Vallodolid, SP, nv, Good Twin Sparkling white wine de-alcoholized, Spain/Valbuena del Duero       ?? grapes. 13 gr added sugar/serving, 39gr sugar/bottle, 52 Gr/L. 120 calories/bottle. Ingredients: Alcohol removed sparkling white wine, CO2, Glycerol. Very frothy on first pour with medium fine perlage. Pale lemon-green gold color. Lemon sorbet, almost floral or perfumed aromas. Somewhat sweeter on palate than others, except the Vega Medién above. But finer weight, fruit flavors and doesn't taste as dull as that wine, even if more on the grapier side compared to Odd Bird or Freixenet.  Competent fresh, good fresh mousse without being too frothily carbonated. Good, if simpler and a touch sweeter?  0.5%  */16   $17  Esquin Wines

Odd Bird nv, Odd Bird Blanc de Blanc De-alcoholized Wine-Languedoc fruit, made in Germany. Columbard & Chardonnay. 16gr added sugar/serving, 42.6 gr/bottle, 40 gr/L.,  140 calories/bottle.  Ingredients: De-alc wine, sugar, CO2, Preservative SO2. Aged 12 mo. Moderately deep gold color with green reflex towards rim.  Pretty fine perlage-smallish bubbles.  Just off dry (more sweet than dry on finish!) flavors. Moderately aromatic, green tree fruit bouquet with something resembling light floral yeastiness; almost  of an aged ‘real’ fizz. Good acidity and overall freshness with crisp mousse; less ripe, more orchard-fruitlike to the Freixenet showing green apple,-mandarin orange flavors?  Flavorful, nicely zesty but more depth of flavors even to the well -done Freixenet.  Pretty good fizz- should appeal to almost everyone. Good value  0.5%  **-/16.5-17        $13.5            Whole Foods

Mionetto nv, Sparkling wine alcohol removed, low Calories Italy/Veneto? Glera grape? Bottled in Germany. 14.4 gr added sugar/bottle, 19 gr/L.  72 Calories/bottle. Ingredients: De-alc wine, Rectified concentrated grape must (juice- RCGM), CO2, SO2, natural flavorings, potassium-sorbate, Dimethyl dicarbonate, preservatives. Medium fine perlage, but short-lasting (like all others so far in sparkling group.) Medium green-platinum gold color. More appealing, clearer ripe tree fruit nose to La Marca Prosecco below. Rounder on palate, less 'earth-stone' flavor and grapier, but still fresh, appley flavors with good acid balance. Not especially long (like others) but appealing, fresh and slightly sweeter (still just off-dry) than Odd Bird fizz. Pretty good overall. Slightly overpriced?  FYI, Mionetto real prosecco is pretty good fresh and better than La Marca!  0.5%     *+/16.5  $18.5 Whole Foods

La Marca nv,  Prosecco DOC Veneto, Glera grape Put into tasting as a Control wine, which helps to show how much weight, texture and flavor alcohol contributes.  Moderately pale lemon-green white color. Fairly fine perlage, medium tiny! Chalky, pear drop, lightly earthy or stony flavors with fairly brisk mousse and weird hint of soapiness on finish; chemical. Just off dry, so not too sweet (17 gr/L RS+-) Tastes somewhat astringent, almost artificial). Has more texture of alcohol, but not as pleasant as the Odd Bird non-alc prior, given the bitterness and slightly aspirin-like medicinal notes.  Not recommended Prosecco. 11%  NO   $19  BevMo Control wine

Un Wine'd (Les Roches Wine)s, Walla Walla) (thesebubbles.com), nv  Bubbly De-alcoholized wine Rosé CAN, WA  ??Grapes 6 gr added sugar/serving, 12 gr sugar/Can, 32 gr/L.  50 calories/equivalent bottle   Deep orange, near raspberry red color. Moderately fine perlage. Definite red berry aromas with hint of sorbate-like candied fruit; not off-putting but definitely a confected character.  Slightly tart, if grapy red fruit flavors-sour cherry, raspberry. Moderate body, fairly bright acidity balances sugar on finish, so more off-dry than lightly sweet.  Canned format is appropriate. Pretty good value and really more like a slightly carbonated rosé wine than fully sparkling one like the Leitz below. Not bad, though forgive the phrase, but there is still something of a tin-can after taste. 0.5%   */16   $8/can 335ml? Whole Foods

Weingut J Leitz nv, Eins Zwei Zero Sparkling Rosé, De-alcoholized wine, Germany  4.5 gr sugar/serving, 24 gr added sugar/bottle, 32 gr/L. 120 calories/bottle.  Ingredients: De-alc wine, CGM, CO2, SO2 (best by 4/2027. Pale salmon-orange pink color. Extremely frothy pour-almost like head foam of beer!. Very fine perlage, I must say-tiny bubbles!  Lightly spicy, red currant, pink grapefruit aromas; Pinot Noir, Dornfelder?  Medium- body. Fruity, lightly sweet but not juicy flavors with good acidity, some winey-ness and vibrantly fruit-driven finish. Pretty tasty, with nicely delineated fruit, spice accents. Excellent sparkling for NA wine category 0.5%   **-/16.5-17  $18 Total Wine

Wölffer Estate (NY) nv, Spring in Bottle sparkling Rosé non-alcoholic wine Germany, ?? grapes      7 gr added sugar/serving, 35 gr/bottle,46.6 gr/L.  180 calories/bottle. Ingredients: De-alc wine, CO2, Organic sugar, SO2 preservative.  Deeper pink-orange salmon color to above; wild caught Coho vs. farmed-raised Atlantic salmon color!  Somewhat heavier flavors, richer center and less crisp flavors to Leitz above.  More ponderous mid -palate, in the sense that sweetness more evident, if still not cloying. At same time, a fine acidity races across the finish and gives some lift on finish. Nice hints of red currant, if less citrus-driven than Leitz.  Well done, if not the more 'Sekt'-like zing' of the Leitz nor the elegant freshness and wine-like subtlety. Reasonable value. 0.5%     *+/16+   $15 Total Wine

Stella Rosa nv, Stella Rosa Naturals Sparkling Red  'Black' label de alcoholized wine, Italy ??grapes,  Screw capped, not sparkling cork!, 18 gr added sugar/serving, 90 gr/bottle, 120 gr/L.. 400 calories/bottle. Ingredients: Grape must, water, added color (grape skin extract), natural flavors CO2, SO2 preservative.  Medium ruby with garnet-terracotta reflex. Medium perlage- Earthy, grapey, black cherry, slightly musky-floral perfumed, near mawkish aromas. Is there concord juice or similar hybrid/non-vinifera fruit in this? Grapy but clearly sweet flavors reminiscent of cheap lambrusco, but with good acidity helpfully deflecting some of the ripe, raisin-burnt flavors.  The slight framing tannins have none of the astringency of that type of wine, fortunately. Clean, earthy-grapy finish.  Juicy flavors and medium body with tart finish. If you don't mind the musky-floral-cooked fruit confected and sweet-ish red fruit flavors, it is a reasonably well balanced if still quite confected style. Sweet red wine substitute? Not my thing, but certainly well priced! 0.5%   *-/15.5-16   $8 Whole Foods

La Gioiosa et Amorosa (Treviso) nv, La Gioiosa alcohol free Natural flavored Carbonated drink IT/Treviso?  Glera grape? 22gr added sugar/serving, 55 gr sugar/bottle, 73.3 gr/L.  180 cal/bottle. Ingredients: 51% grape juice/water natural flavors, citric acid, dmethyl dicarbonate, SO2, CO2. Pale near water white, hint of pale lemon color. Slightly sweet, citrus-, ruby grapefruit like flavors. Good acidity and refreshing finish.  Not much wine flavor per se, nor aromas, though a hint lemon sorbet stands out. Comes across, sweetness-wise, about the same as a German riesling Kabinett. Light body. Palate is more towards grape juice than wine. Refreshing, simple. GV    0% */16+  $10  Imported by Ethica Wines, Stamford CT/Costco

A singular wine claiming to contain 0% alcohol. (JBMW)

Dr Loosen nv, Dr LO Riesling with Bubbles Alcohol removed sparkling wine, Germany/Mosel  16 gr sugar/serving, 32 gr sugar/bottle, 42.6 Gr/L(=4.2%). 150 calories/bottle. Mediun green-gold color. Medium fine perlage/bubbles. Nicely fresh, vibrant mousse, though not long lasting (this is typical of all of these De-alcoholized bubblies-JB). Citrus lemon aromas with a hint of fresh pineapple, juicy and vibrant.  Light body, clean and strong riesling green apple and citrus flavors. Bright finish as zippy acidity cuts down on the perception of sweetness, which is there but not cloying.  Enjoyable and bright, not unlike the Dr LO RIesling low-alc. Not cheap, but certainly Very well made. 0.5%  **-/16.5-17   $24  Metropolitan Market Seattle

Kylie Minogue (Associated Beverage Solutions), Belgium nv Sparkling Rosé Alcohol free (wine alternative) Belgium ?? French grapes!  12 gr sugar, 36 gr sugar/bottle, 48 gr/L. 150 calories/bottle. Ingredients: Carbonated water, non-alcoholic fermented grape juice concentrate, green tea infusion, tartaric acid, citric acid, carrot juice concentrate, potassium sorbate, dimethyl dicarbonate, natural flavorings. The list of ingredients says a lot about this ersatz ‘wine’. Orange salmon color. Fairly large bubbles/perlage. Neutral almost non-existent aromas. Slightly sweet and tangy flavors with watermelon, citrus =orange fruity flavors. Acid cuts the sugary notes well enough, but this really has little personality other than tasting a bit like a combo of Fanta orange and 7-Up. Confected.  Should be much less $ given how much artificial stuff is in it.           0%  NO  $18   BevMo

WHITE WINES (Unless otherwise noted, all of the wines below are closed with screwcaps)

One of One nv, Sauvignon Blanc Non-alcoholized wine, CA(Lodi)  3.5 gr sugar/serving, 17.5 gr/bottle, 23.3gr/L sugar,  168 calories/bottle. Ingredients: De-alc premium SB wine, Grape juice concentrate, Yeast protein, oak tannins and K-carbonate, SO2. Pale lemon green, true SB color! In fact, even a hint of SB herby aromas; celery, green herbs. Light body, watery flavors, albeit with some sense of 'wine' not grape juice. Fairly dry with good acid balance,.but very overt added citric acid (Vitamin C) flavors on finish. A bit tangy, not sweetish, but with a celery salt finish that to put it mildly, is a love or hate thing!      0.5%    *-/15.5 $21  Whole Foods

Peter Mertes GMbh nv, Be Free Sauvignon Blanc de-alcoholized wine, Germany?  6 gr added sugar, 36 gr sugar/bottle, 48 gr/L sugar. 200 calories/bottle (+-).  Ingredients: De-alc SB wine 97%, sugar, CO2, Natural flavors, ascorbic acid. Medium lemon gold color, Slightly spritzy, moderately sweet flavors with strong, celery,herbal, eggy nose;hint of reduction and ascorbic acid is unpleasant.  Very artificial citrusy flavors. Light body. Not appealing, especially nose, as there is a lack of freshness, even if it is tangy on the finish  0.5%    NO  $10  Total Wine (Direct import)

Luminara Beverages(Sutter Home Winery) nv, Fre Sauvignon Blanc alcohol removed wine CA  9 g sugar/serving, 27 gr sugar/bottle, 36 gr/L. 180 calories/bottle. Ingredients: Dealcoholize SB grapes, purified water, Grape concentrate(14% juice), Natural flavors, Citric acid, sodium Benzoate, Potassium sorbate, SO2. Pale lemon green gold.  Strong celery salt, tangy citrus flavors. Light body, somewhat rounded mid palate with moderate sugary finish. Dull, tastes confected, not wine-y.  Cleaner nose to Be Free SB, less wine-y than One on One SB.  0.5% NO $9   Total Wine

Giesen Wines NZ nv, De-alcoholized  Sauvignon Blanc NZ       6 gr added sugar, 13 gr added sugar/bottle, 17.3 gr/L. 100 calories/ bottle.  Ingedients: Dealcoholized NZ SB 80%, De-alc NZ White wine 14%, Grape juice 6%, SO2. Medium lemon-green gold color. Clean fresh, lightly citrusy aromas with some underlying SB herbiness and slight jalapeño notes-- wine-like! Light body, dry-ish finish. Clean fruitiness and no signficant ascorbic acid bitter citrus flavors or aromas. Overall flavorful, easy to drink relatively dry and some winey notes. Somewhat expensive. 0.%5  */16 $21  Esquin Wines

Giesen Wines NZ 2021 Sauvignon Blanc  NZ Control Wine Somewhat deeper lemon-green gold color to non-alc wine above. Strong, herbal, celery salt, jalapeño peppery aromas very NZ SB character with thiol reductive accents. But palate is very reduced, almost mercaptan-like (too much bound SO2). Bitter finish. Note at all pleasant and very atypical poor quality for this producer. Screwcap-older vintage perhaps, but not light struck.  Tried to find another bottle to sample, but no luck. 13.5%  NO  $18  Esquin Wines

Shavia/Bodegas Juan Gil nv , Shavia Verdejo De Alcoholized wine Rueda, Spain?  10 Gr added sugar/serving, 30 Gr/sugar bottle, 40 Gr/L sugar. 150 calories/bottle. Ingredients: De-alcoholized ine, Dimethyl Dicarbonate (antimicrobial agent, yeast inhibitor), SO2, NO juice.  Medium deep platinum gold-green color. Best before 4/27. Juicy, lightly floral, ripe apple, hint of mandarin orange aromas, somewhat typical of the variety! Pleasant, light-medium body flavors with rounded acidity balanced by light residual sugar. Has some weight, winey-character and depth in mid-palate. Pretty solid one of the better Non-alc whites tasted. Good value  0.5%   **-/16.5-17  $13.5 Whole Foods

Giesen Wines NZ nv, De-Alcoholized Riesling NZ  22 gr added sugar/serving, 47 gr/bottle, 62.6 Gr/L. 160 calories/bottle. Ingredients: Dealcoholized Riesling wine 94%, Grape juice 6%, SO2. Medium pale green color. Bouquet is subtle but correct, and without hint of rubbery reduced notes like SB above.  Definite Riesling citrus-orange lemon flavors, bright acidity, moderately sweet flavors a la Gernan Riesling Kabinett. Pleasant, even engaging, wintergreen notes on finish add interest. Clean and fresh. Nicely balanced and no cloyness, though tastes sweeter than German wines below.  Good spicy Szechuan cuisine wine!          Good Value  <0.5%   *+/16.5  $13            Total Wine

Weingut J Leitz nv,  Einz Zwei Zero Riesling       Rheingau?  4 gr/serving RS, 24 gr added sugar/bottle, 32 gr/L. 120 Calories/bottle. Ingredients: De-alcoholized Riesling wine, CGM, SO2. Brilliant platinum-green gold color, Distinctly Riesling spicy-lightly citrus-orange aromas. Moderate weight, not too sweet on finish with zesty acidity to balance and real sense of the grape, and wine texture. Less sweet and more zingy finish that Giesen, hence much closer to a similar style Riesling wine (see below) from same producer. Moderate Value Solid quality  0.5%  **/17  $19       Total Wine

Weingut J Leitz 2023 Dragonstone Rheingau Riesling Control 'wine' 43.5gr/L RS). Spicy apple, orange citrus nose.  Medium - body, as alcohol adds weight and glycerol density. Tastes drier than above. Good acidity with a lot of weight, though a hint of bitterness mars the finish.  Good in a somewhat less convincing manner. Zero Riesling is more refreshing and vibrant, if clearly lighter, but with solid Riesling like nature. Shows better after 30 minutes, with light sweetness on finish but moderate body.  9.5%      */16    $22 Esquin Wines

Loosen Bros. nv, Dr LO Alcohol removed Riesling Mosel  15gr sugar/serving, 30 gr sugar/bottle, 40 Gr/L. 134 calories/bottle. Ingredients: Alcohol removed Riesling wine, CO2, SO2. Slight spritz at first when opened. Medium green-gold platinum color. Ripe juicy apple-pear aromas of ripe Riesling. Fresh, tangy moderately sweet Riesling flavors; hard to separate out from Loosen Riesling DR L, & lightly sweeter, less 'firm' palate than Leitz Eins Zwei Zero. Fresh vibrant clearly Riesling. Well balanced. GV.         0.5%    **/17  $19       Metropolitan Market Seattle

Chateau Diana          nv, Chateau Diana Alcohol Removed White Blend, CA  ??Grapes  10 gr Sugar/Serving, 30 gr Sugar/bottle, 40 gr/L  240 calories/bottle. Ingredients: Dealcoholized white wine, grape concentrate, natural fruit flavors, CO2, SO2. Platinum-gold moderately deep color.  Neutral white wine aromas; hint of ripe apple, some yellow flower notes, hint of tropical fruit, too. Citrus-lemon slightly sweet flavors. Moderate acidity balances sugar and gives some dimension to the mid palate. Clean, refreshing tangy lemon-lime flavors on finish. Sauv Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling or Gewurz, all of the above???? Not bad certainly more character than Red below, but again too $$? One dimensional, but could be good complement to spicier dishes.  0.5%   */16-   $23             BevMo

Luminara Beverages (Sutter Home Wines) nv, Fre Chardonnay de-alcoholized wine, CA 10g sugar/serving, 30gr sugar/bottle, 40 Gr/L. 180 calories/bottle. Ingredients: Dealcoholized Chardonnay wine, Grape juice, grape concentrate, natural flavors, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium sorbate, & SO2. Attractive green-gold color.  Vaguely ripe appley aromas with hints of ...butter? (less than in Ariel below). Actual medium bodied flavors. Supple fruit, fairly rich-textured, clean flavors with tropical aftertaste (papaya?). Moderately well balanced and without overt sugary finish, as acidity, while not strong, balances things out. Decent, well made Good Value          0.5  *+/16.5    $15 Trader Joes

Ariel Wines Nv, De -alcoholized Chardonnay wine, CA  9 gr added sugar/serving, 27 gr/bottle, 36 Gr/L.  135 Calories/bottle. Ingredients: Purified water, Dealcoholized wine, Grape juice concentrate, natural flavors, SO2. Deeper, platinum gold green color to the Fre Chard above. More overtly tropical very ripe golden apple fruit aromas with an odd 'baked' note and buttery hints as well. Kind of dull, like stewed fruit. Flavors are also simpler and less vibrant that Fre.  Some cooked veg notes towards finish, lower acid if somewhat richer body. Yet, still tastes thinner and definitely less refreshing. Finishes watery and lacking personality. Unappealing. Too $$, Cork closure.             0-0.5%  No  $23 Esquin Wines

Waterbrook Wines nv, Clean Premium American Chardonnay alcohol removed  3 gr sugar/serving, 9 gr sugar/bottle, 12 Gr/L. 60 calories/bottle. Ingredients: Dealcoholized white wine, grape juice from concentrate, Natural oak extracts, natural flavors, SO2.  Full golden-green color.  Ripe golden delicious apple, honey, buttery aromas. Very CA-like. Pretty dry flavors, with good acidity, fresh fruity flavors, if rather hollow, light bodied finish. Natural flavors boost the character of the smell into ripe CA-oaky style, but the acidity and slightly tart, green apple finish makes one think more of non-oaked chardonnay.  Wine wants to be two things at once! Overall, one cannot complain too much as there is little sweetness, and it finishes cleanly IF more muted and flat textured.. Almost too $, but quality is pretty good. Guessing this is combo of WA, CA fruit. 0.5%         *+/16.5  $22 Metropolitan Market Seattle

Newblood Wines nv, Newblood Triple Distilled Non Alcoholic Chardonnay   NSW Australia. 1.6 gr/serving, 9.6 gr sugar/bottle, 12.8 gr/L. 108 Calories/bottle. Ingredients: Dealcoholised wine, grape juice concentrate, Natural flavors, SO2. Medium platinum-gold green color. Nutty, almost lees-inflected aromas at first, then something like green almond (extract) followed by green apple notes. Not bad and more distinctive than other Chards tasted. Citrusy-lemon, sweet fuji apple flavors. Fresh acidity pretty dry but fruit-driven finish. Moderate weight in mid-palate too.  Nicely done, even characterful in a light, fresh style; not quite 'stony' enough to pass for very light Petit Chablis, but stands on its own. Chardonnay wannabe for sure! Waterbrook tastes flat and watery by comparison, even if that wine is not a bad take on a riper CA style! 0.5%  **/17  $19  PCC Markets

Part II in a couple of days!