11 of the best alcohol-free wines – red, white and sparkling – and how such wines are made

Winners spraying champagne at Formula One Grand Prix races is a long tradition, as is drinking bubbly while watching the event. But this year, in addition to Moët & Chandon champagne, there is a surprise: French Bloom was named the first alcohol-free sparkling wine of the Grand Prix. This goes to show that alcohol-free wines have clearly entered the mainstream. The quality of non-alcoholic wine has improved over the past couple of years. There are more choices than ever – and more are coming – because winemakers see the big numbers. In a world of declining wine consumption, US sales of non-alcoholic drinks grew 27.2 per cent in 2024, on top of a 30 per cent increase the previous year, according to Nielsen IQ. Spain’s Familia Torres announced earlier this year that it is investing €6 million (US$7 million) in a new winery dedicated to alcohol-free wines. Bordeaux now has two top producers, Chateau Edmus and Clos de Bouard. France’s first shop dedicated to alcohol-free wine, Belles Grappes, opened earlier this year. Chilean wine giant Concha y Toro has launched a zero-alcohol range, and there are many more in the works. A focus on health and wellness, and the World Health Organization’s controversial 2023 statement that there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption, have spurred interest, but nobody wants to drink bad wine. Even a couple of years ago, most alcohol-free versions had weird, nasty aromas, seemed stripped of flavour or resembled fruit juice, and tasted way too sweet (some still do). The sparkling wines were usually better – and still are – because the bubbles made up for a lack of body and texture. Technology is evolving quickly, and some of the world’s top winemakers, such as Germany’s Johannes Leitz and Johannes Selbach, Napa’s Aaron Pott, and others, have been giving the category a serious go. French Bloom, founded by Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger and Constance Jablonski, and now part-owned by Moët Hennessy, is made by Maggie’s champagne-maker husband, Rodolphe, of champagne house Frerejean Frères, and from the beginning has aimed for ultra-premium quality. All these winemakers are constantly experimenting to discover which kinds of grapes and processes work best. How quality non-alcoholic wine is made The non-alcoholic wines I am talking about start out as full-strength fermented wine, which is then taken apart to get the alcohol out and put back together. That is more complicated than you might think. “Alcohol is like a wine’s core,” explains Pott, who founded the label Missing Thorn with vintner Stephanie Honig. “It holds together all a wine’s aspects – aroma, flavour, body – and taking it out strips the wine of personality and texture.” Not all varietals work equally well. “Riesling is the easiest, partly because it has great acidity,” he says – acidity provides a crisp, fresh taste that alcohol amplifies. “Light, aromatic grapes like albariño and pinot gris also work well, while heavier viognier and gewurztraminer don’t.” For reds, Pott sees malbec as a better bet than cabernet sauvignon, pointing out that after the de-alcoholising process, a cabernet’s tannins become more prominent and taste harsher and greener. And like any full-strength wine, the quality of the grapes counts for a lot. Some producers, especially in the past, used the least expensive bulk wine they could get, and the wines show it, says Mark Hutchens of New York importer Schatzi, which has several alcohol-removed wines in its portfolio. With a few exceptions, wine is sent to a special facility to remove the alcohol. Germany has been the leader in production, but now there are facilities in France and the US, and the Italian government recently allowed Italian wineries to produce de-alcoholised wines within the country. There are a couple of ways to remove alcohol, but most wineries use a form of vacuum distillation, which was invented in Germany more than 110 years ago. It involves gently heating wine at low temperatures of about 21 degrees to 35 degrees Celsius (70 degrees to 95 degrees Fahrenheit) to allow the separation of the aromas, the alcohol and the base wine. In vacuum distillation, alcohol boils at a much lower temperature than under normal atmospheric pressure, so the delicate flavours are retained while the ethanol can be siphoned off. A spinning cone column is a more advanced form of vacuum distillation that uses centrifugal force to turn the wine into thin films of liquid to strip out the compounds in stages: first, aromas and flavours are removed at a low temperature, then the alcohol is removed at a higher temperature, and finally, the wine is put back together without the alcohol. Many winemakers believe it is gentler on the wine and superior in preserving the wine’s original character. There is also reverse osmosis, in which wine is forced at high pressure through a large membrane to separate components. Most winemakers I spoke with say this removes a lot of aroma and flavour and results in a thinner mouthfeel. But some, like Leitz, think the future will lie in refining and perfecting membrane technology. Some producers add grape must – crushed juice that contains skins, seeds and stems and is rich in sugar – or grape juice concentrate and/or guar gum after de-alcoholisation to compensate for the lost aroma, flavour and texture. The maker of French Bloom says he creates a base wine with exaggerated flavours and aromas so that losing some of them during the process does not have such a big impact. The technology is constantly being tweaked and improved. Rack & Riddle, a custom maker of sparkling wines for many California wineries, recently added non-alcoholic options using a patented “aroma capture” system from Solos Technology. It uses a filter to trap and collect aroma molecules after the vacuum distillation and then puts them back into the final liquid. I would skip almost all the so-called wine alternatives that are based on grape juice with added flavours and ingredients. One example is Tethos Sauvignon Blanc tea (like flavoured herbal tea). Here are some non-alcoholic wines I wouldn’t uncork again: Society de la Rossi sparkling chardonnay (no aroma, like sharp watery lemon juice); Libby non-alcoholic sparkling rosé (grape juice with bubbles); Fritz Muller Muller-Thurgau (smells like roasted coffee); Freixenet (neutral taste, aroma of canned pineapple juice) and Pierre Chavin Zero sparkling spritz (tastes like orange soda). I judge non-alcoholic wines on how much they taste like “real” wine and whether I would happily drink another glass. 11 of the best non-alcoholic wines Dr Fischer Steinbock Riesling Zero (US$14): This delicious, light white made from a fruity German riesling kabinett has attractive citrus and floral aromas and tangy fruity, mineral flavours. J & H Selbach Funkelwurtz Zero (US$19): Crisp, refreshing and off-dry with aromas of fresh bread and green plants, spicy apricot flavours and more complexity than most non-alcoholic wines. Weingut Leitz Zero Point Five Sauvignon Blanc (US$23): This white is a new wine made with grapes from Germany’s Pfalz region and has true sauvignon blanc character, with herbal aromas, green citrus and tropical fruit flavours, and a hint of succulence in the finish. 2023 Bouchaine Vineyards Non-Alcoholic Estate Rosé (US$25): The first non-alcoholic wine from this producer in Napa’s Carneros region is a pretty bright coral colour and has attractive strawberry flavour notes. Oddbird Blanc de Blancs Sparkling (US$25): The blend of chardonnay and colombard grapes from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France is lemony, bright and crisp, with tones of Granny Smith apples and delicate bubbles. La Cuvée Révolutionnaire De Moderato Colombard (US$25): This French start-up founded in 2020 exports five cuvées to the US, including this lively, fresh white that balances citrus, pear and peach notes. 2024 Castello di Amorosa Libero Moscato (US$27): This fruity, round, attractively sweet Moscato from grapes grown in Mendocino’s cool Anderson Valley has lovely honeysuckle aromas and is perfect for sipping chilled. Ollivier Cottenceau Phénomène Melon de Bourgogne (US$20): This is the first de-alcoholised wine made from melon de Bourgogne grapes. Although technically a muscadet, it cannot be labelled as such. It has a delicate character with a touch of minerality and a smooth, attractive texture. Missing Thorn Sparkling White (US$30), White (US$25) and Red (US$30): The sparkling white is my favourite, the still white a close second. The spicy, plummy red, made from malbec, is not as appealing, but it is one of the best reds I have tried. 2023 Lorenza Alcohol-Removed Blanc de Blanc (US$32): The winery is known for delicious rosé wines, but this sparkler is based on the white grape marsanne. It is dry, fragrant and sophisticated with a crispy texture and citrus and pear flavour notes. French Bloom Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs (US$59): You would not confuse it with champagne, but it is mouth-filling, rich, precise, mineral and very dry, with hints of smoke and caramel.

11 of the best alcohol-free wines – red, white and sparkling – and how such wines are made

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Non-alcoholic wines are continuously improving, driven by changing ideas about alcohol consumption. Here are 11 booze-free wines to try

Non-alcoholic wines are continuously improving, driven by changing ideas about alcohol consumption. Here are 11 booze-free wines to try