A Definitive Ranking of Non-Alcoholic Wine

I’ve been seeing more and more non-alcoholic wines and wine alternatives pop up in my news feed lately. And it got me thinking, could a wine without the alcohol still taste just as good? And how are non-alcoholic wines made anyway? Is a non-alcoholic wine just grape juice?

Of course, with a curious mind like mine I had to find out for myself. So I purchased an array of non-alcoholic wines and wine alternatives to try for myself. Below is my honest opinion of each of these wines!

How are Non-Alcoholic Wines Made?

​But first, let’s answer the question that I’m sure everyone is thinking. Isn’t non-alcoholic wine just grape juice?

Simple answer, no.

More complicated answer… sometimes. Technically, grape juice can be labeled non-alcoholic wine. But that’s not quite the same thing.

True non-alcoholic (or dealcoholized) is produced from wine that has been fermented with yeasts and has undergone a vinification process. This wine then goes through an additional dealcoholization process. If you’re like me and wondering, how the heck do you remove alcohol from wine, don’t worry I’m about to tell you!

There are two popular methods for removing alcohol from wines. The first is called vacuum distillation. This process heats the wine up and allows the ethanol to evaporate. Of course, heating the wine can be dangerous, so producers who use this technique heat the wine to the lowest possible temperature that will allow the ethanol to evaporate (about 90 degrees fahrenheit). This method produces a wine with less than 0.5% ABV.
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The second method is called reverse osmosis. In this method, wine passes through a very tight filter. Since water and ethanol (alcohol) are the smallest molecules in wine, they pass through the filter most easily, separating them from the color, tannin and flavors of the wine. Then the water and alcohol mixture is distilled to separate the alcohol from the water. The water is then recombined with the color, flavor and tannins.

Are Non-Alcoholic Wines Any Good?

Now that we know how these wines are made, we now have to find out if they’re any good. To answer this question, I tasted 11 non-alcoholic wines at a variety of different price points. Below is my definitive ranking of these wines, starting with my least favorite and leading up to the one I plan to stock up on should I ever need to avoid alcohol in the future!

11. Waterbrook Clean Cabernet Sauvignon

This was a hell no for me! It smelt like musty prune juice and tasted like old, flat soda. The texture was bland and I just couldn’t find anything good about it.

​I had multiple friends try this and everyone agreed it just was not a good option. You’re better off just having a mocktail or even plain old grape juice.

10. Proxies Velvet

Proxies aren’t actually wine at all, but would probably fall under the wine alternatives category. They are advertised as, “Layered blends of fruit, teas, spices, bitters and more, designed to pair with food and be enjoyed in your finest stemware. Not wine, Proxies.”

I love the idea…but for me most of them missed the mark. Velvet was my least favorite of the bunch. With ingredients like Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, cherry juice, coffee bitters, and Chinese Black Tea it sounds intriguing. Unfortunately, the final product missed the mark. 

Think coffee chocolate with a sharp bite of vinegar like acidity. I tried this with a small group of friends and we agreed it might taste better warmed up with alcohol in it…but then that would defeat the purpose. 

I’m starting to think non-alcoholic red wine just isn’t a good idea.

9. Barton & Guestier Sparkling

You’d think a sparkling non-alcoholic wine would be a safe bet, right? Wrong.

This de-alcoholized bubbly smelled and tasted like your great grandma’s most intense perfume. It was overly floral, like someone dumped a whole bottle of rose syrup in the wine. And the bubbles were oddly foamy which led to a really strange texture.

8. Proxies Sauvage

Next on our list is another Proxies wine alternative. This one is advertised as a crisp white and is made with Sauvignon Blanc grapes, apple juice, juniper spice bitters, spruce tips, and apple vinegar among other things.

With those ingredients, it may not be too surprising that this wine smelled a bit like cleaning spray. It was certainly unique in flavor, but I felt it would do better as a candle than a beverage.

7. Proxies Zephyr

Meant as a Rosé alternative, Zephyr is also made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes like our previous Proxies option, but it also combines rhubarb, strawberry, peppercorn bitters, dried hibiscus, and rhubarb vinegar.

My main complaint with this beverage was that it was overly sour. It smelt almost pickled like passing the kimchi stand at the farmers market. On the palate it was overly sweet, syrupy with a hint of fizz. It was like drinking overly acidic juice.

6. Sovi Rosé

The most wine-tasting option of the bunch, Sovi has a lot of good things going for it. It’s not overly sweet, is light bodied, and has a nice acidity.

Made from dealcoholized Tempranillo wine, Sovi doesn’t have any added flavors and is just 25 calories per can.

Unfortunately, without any sweetness or alcohol, the resulting beverage tasted a bit watered down and bland. It also had an unpleasant smell, reminiscent of body odor, if not served ice cold.

5. FRE Chardonnay

We’re starting to get into the options on this list that I would potentially buy again.

Here’s what I’ll say about FRE Chardonnay. There’s nothing really wrong with it…but I wouldn’t exactly call it wine.

It smells really nice with aromas of pineapple, tropical fruit, pear juice, and florals. The wine has a decent acidity and isn’t overly rich and creamy. But it lacks structure and essentially just tastes like apple juice and fruit cocktail juice mixed together.

4. Proxies Pastiche

The top pick of the Proxies bunch, Pastiche is a rich white alternative made from Gewurztraminer grapes, peach and pineapple juice, pink peppercorn bitters, and rose vinegar. 

The easiest way to describe this beverage would be to call it Pineapple Kombucha. Along with the fruity, acidic notes there were also green herbal aromas and a slight creamy nuttiness that helped balance the sharp acidity. 

Out of the Proxies bundle, this was definitely the favorite among all four people who tried them. My friend (who is expecting and thus not drinking) even took the bottle home to enjoy!

3. Zilch Rosé Bubbles

I was pleasantly surprised by this non-alcoholic bubbly that I picked up at my local grocery store. There wasn’t a whole lot to the aroma, but there also wasn’t anything off-putting (which I can’t say for most of the non-alcoholic wines I tried). When I really searched for it, I got a faint hint of pear and grape.

On the palate, this beverage had a good structure. It felt like I was drinking wine. There was a sharp acidity from the carbonation and just the right amount of sweetness. 

Overall, this probably isn’t too far from Martenelli’s Sparkling Apple Juice, but it was good.

2. Töst Rosé

Okay, on to my two favorite wine alternatives. The top two spots go to Töst and their sparkling alcohol free wine alternatives. 

Made from sparkling white tea, ginger and elderberry, the Töst Rosé had aromas of grapefruit, lychee, and smarties. On the palate it was light bodied, fizzy and enjoyable. I would definitely drink this again if I was looking for a fun beverage without the alcohol.

1. Töst

The top spot on this list goes to the original Töst Sparkling Beverage. 

Apple juice meets delicious ginger beer with this sparkling drink made from white tea, white cranberry, and ginger. 

Plus at under $10/bottle this is a super budget friendly alternative to wine when you want to (or need to) avoid alcohol!

There you have it. Have you tried any of these beverages before? What other questions do you have about non-alcoholic wines? Let me know in the comments below!