MASTER of WINE Tastes Alcohol FREE Wines for Dry January

[@WarChortle]

I’ve had a few and they’ve ranged from a moscato d’asti type of sweetness and appeal to vinegar water that is dyed to look like wine. I think there is a market for it, but also I think mocktails make more sense than de-alcoholized wine.

[@eric1richards]

Glad you are taking one for the team. I will give the video a like and leave a comment and watch one of your previous videos about some alcohol rich wines.

[@tomcat276]

The only tasty alcohol free wine alternative I had so far was the “Champagner Bratbirne” by Jörg Geiger. The basis is an old type of pear which is vinified. It lies on the yeast for three years. It’s not a grape wine, it doesn’t try to be one, but it has great complexity and depth.

[@chewie94116]

Always appreciate the history lesson and the benefits and dangers of alcohol. Keep up the great work. Please continue to talk about the technical aspects.

[@robdielemans9189]

I've only had one alcohol free wine, but that was a couple of years ago and noticed that it was still a long way to go towards something pleasing. Good to know that now we're starting to see some alcohol free wines that actually taste like wine.

[@POTThaesslich]

I'm a year late to the party. I like red wine more than white wine and I'm trying the dry January thing. bought six different varieties of non-alcoholic red wines and I'm thinking that I should start my own business. boy are they all bad. either really sweet or tasting like vinegar. some of them even sparkle.

[@MsJavaWolf]

A friend of mine had a child recently and she wasn't able to drink, so I tasted some alcohol free wine, tasted more like juice. Her husband also bought her an alcohol free gin, which tasted like water with some herbs and that a a price tag of about 25gbp... The prices are sometimes crazy to me, considering that a big portion of the price for alcoholic beverages is tax, which isn't present in alcohol free beverages. Personally I just drink other types of beverages when I don't want to drink alcohol, I got into high quality whole leaf tea a few years ago for example and it gives me the same variety and complexity of flavours and the same level of terroir. I am not a big fan of products mimicking other types of products in general, when I want to eat a vegan dish for example, I would rather just fry some tofu cut into cubes and finished with some soy sauce and sesame oil, rather than something that was was pressed into the shape of a fake sausage.

[@stevencccc]

There`s a separate process to take out the alcohol and it`s a more niche market, ergo the price.

[@ChaosCrischen]

The alchol free alternative I love to offer is the Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Blå. As the name already tells it's not a wine but it is bottled like a proper sparkling wine with natural cork and all that stuff. And it tastes really good. Not at all like Lipton or the other sparkling teas you will get at the supermarket.

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

I also like those sparkling teas!

[@hildamallol1427]

Excellent job I have tried and took a while to get used its taste Good alternative to stay healthy

[@GetOutsideYourself]

We always served Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider to our kids whenever we drank champagne. Very palatable.

[@josemunozvelasco3516]

Wölffer State Verjus, from Long Island, US. Best alcohol free wine I have ever tested. The complexity was surprising. Drinked a whole bottle without thinking once about the lack of alcohol

[@tarawalker7193]

Thank you for this. I have been trying to figure out what alcohol-free wine is, if not grape juice.

[@rt1360]

Awesome video, thanks Konstantin. I’d love to see a video (perhaps a tasting) on Chilean/Argentinian wines, particularly the red varietals such as carmenere and malbec. All the best for 2022!

[@bernardfontaine9576]

The only one I liked was a Mionetto prosecco 0% (orange label). it was quite fresh and juicy. I also think that 0% beers are more enjoyable then wines.

[@sarahbettany7546]

It's really nice to find an honest review! I've been intolerant of alcohol for the last year and a half (M.E.! What a blast!), and yes! There's a burgeoning market. We know from beer that it can be done - alcohol free beers are really good now, surely it's wines' turn? I'm still hoping to find a good alcohol free red wine, Tesco do a almost decent Cabernet Tempranillo that's only £3.75 that keeps me going on when I really feel like a glass. I'd have poured it down the sink two years ago, but it's good enough now.

[@nova_verse6284]

I should give this a try, i don't drink alcohol but it appeals me to drink wine without the damaging alcohol substance.

[@michelem9341]

Great content and idea! Thank you.

[@EricZeak]

I've never had alcohol free wine, but I think this is a very interesting topic. I hadn't ever given it much thought, so thanks for explaining how they make it. I also thought the bit about how the alcohol not being there would have an impact. For example you said the sugar level might need to be high to compensate. Cool video.

[@comesahorseman]

I've only tried generic supermarket brand white and red alcohol-free "wines". These had grape juice added back to wines treated with the cone process. And sure enough, they tasted like half-sweet red & white grape juice. I also tried cooking (braising) with them, and they were a little better used that way. Not highly recommended! 😅

[@spiritalex9397]

I do not have any recent experiences as I am going to have a dry February this year instead of a dry January but when I tasted some alcohol free ones last year (and the years before) I came to one conclusion: Drink alcohol free beer! (Its much closer to the original product than the wines are altough the sparkling ones are okay.)

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

That's true!

[@christianhorsch135]

I'm joining the "Wine in Moderation" program this year for the 2nd time in a row and I thought about trying alc-free wines, but decided to not do so, as I haven't heard good things about them. Maybe I will try the Kolonne Null Riesling now to give it a try. Instead I tried the Wonderleaf alc-free Gin this year and was really surprised. It's not a Gin, but it's a great replacement and makes great Vir-Gin Tonic.

[@todizzer]

I've tried plenty od alcohol free wines made with various methods and most of them just taste like grape juice. It does not even matter whether they will state that barique was used etc. I think that the closest free wine can get to wine is in sparkling wine category (where sugar and bubbles mask lack of alcohol) and probably not surprisingly when doing juice from Riesling. I am guessing that some other grapes made in off-dry styles could be drinkable. For red wine i had literally zero success finding anything I would like to drink again - just awful.

[@MrBruno656]

Excellent speaker. Smart guy. Knowing regular wine makes me think mocktails.

[@davo2225]

Do you think we’ll see (or are we already seeing) some of the same techniques used to a lesser degree to control alcohol levels in hotter vintages? How would it change the trade-offs winemakers can choose between if you could let the grapes ripen more, ferment to 16 or 17%, then lower the alcohol level to 12 or 13% as part of fining or other processing?

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

Yes, we are seeing that but these processes are not legal in many regions.

[@romeovelasco4151]

Does new wine or grape juice already has alcohol in it even if its not yet developed fermentation?

[@howardbamsey4110]

Interesting review and timely. Odd comment - very euro - that it’s ok to use screw cap rather than cork because the wine doesn’t have to be stored. It’s very clear now that screw cap is ideal for keeping wine long-term.

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

Thanks! Screw Cap can keep wine long-term. The use of cork is only really useful when the wine is stored long term, due to the way it allows oxygen transmission. That is what I was trying to say. I made a video on that topic.

[@richardwhitehouse8762]

I have tried a few. I liked the Leitz still Riesling. You can drink it on its own or with food. I think the "wines" work best when the original alcoholic style lends itself to off dry and lighter. For me, for that reason, the reds are the least successful.

[@Fisklina]

I've only tried three non-alcoholic wines. The sparkling Riesling from Leitz you had here, a still Riesling also from Leitz and the Richard Juhlin Blanc de Blanc sparkling. They've been alright I suppose but not something that I would buy again. I much prefer alcohol free alternatives that are supposed to be alcohol free. For instance here in Sweden we have a long tradition of making apple must. And now a days you can buy must made from a specific type of apples (or blend of apples) or a specific location etc. etc. and I much prefer such a thing as an alcohol free alternative.

[@NisseOhlsen]

Alcohol wine is like a Spitfire without the wings.

[@korthagorlord4716]

Hi there! I'd like to ask about something a bit off topic - how do you handle and clean your Riedel glasses? I am preparing for WSET and maybe CMS courses and - following your opinion - i was thinking about Riedel veritas champagne glass to be my universal for most etiquettes, but everyone tell me, that riedels are very thin and easy to break - that's the source of my question, how to take care of the glasses properly? I will be very happy to read different answers, so feel free to comment 😃 And regarding the non alcoholic wines - i didn't taste many of them so far, but usually they were - as you mentioned - more like juice than wine, but i can't wait to try some really nice examples🙂

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

I just put them in the dishwasher and hope for the best

[@samj923]

Does dealcoholic redwine contain revesterol? Revesterol is the mainly needed?

[@ButchCosimoto]

Master of Wine and Alcohol Free Wine in the same sentence is unacceptable 😅

[@aedlow]

Noughty is an English play on words. Nought is a synonym of zero. And of course we all know what naughty means 😇 Certainly not feeling noughty though. Am more into the Wine Gums - haha!

[@robinterelst9216]

Hi Konstantin, thank you for the informative video. Question: you end with saying that you see quite a lot of potential for these wines. Where do you base this on?

[@TheDoconnor1266]

I suffer from bad migraines because of issues from the sulfates in the wines especially in the US wines. When I lived in Europe i didn’t seem to suffer as much but that was so many moons ago. Any recommendations of what wines I should try? I have tried Surley wines from US last year and it was not bad (alcohol removed) and didn’t get migraine from that.

[@Gisbertus_Voetius]

I had a 'wine' from Jörg Geiger the other day. I liked it, it seemes he workes a lot with different fruits.

[@KarenMawer]

Im new to this alcohol free saga - I wasn't a heavy drinker but I now find that I can't drink any alcohol so have been forced into 0% route to be honest. So far I haven't found a prosecco that suits as they are all too sweet - I've found a white pinot grigio, Not guilty which I think will be a keeper - and I need to try the Eisberg Cab Sav again but I think its a winner too as it gives that after taste/dryness, much like some reds.

[@poulha]

Quite a lot of useful info in a short time span from a guy with which I would like to share a wine. God job as always.

[@gustavomgomes]

Hi! This trend has not arrived here in Brazil yet! But thanks for the content ! For the most part , I think the sugar levels would be a issue to be considered ! Cheers !

[@ianseward9928]

50/50 mix works with the reds . Torres and a stronger tasting wine .

[@charliekavanagh1217]

What good is alcohol free wine

[@thomasbacher5659]

I tried last year the French "le petit bérêt". I expected something between juice and wine. Well, it was very far away from wine, and much less enjoyable than juice. We poured all the beverage in the sink and open a fine alcool free beer :-) Nevertheless, I'm sure there is a great potential, and since it is getting to be a growing niche I'm sure in a few years there will be enjoyable products in this category, as we can already find in the beer segment. And I'm very curious about the Riesling you showed, I consider ordering a bottle, it will be also an excuse to fill up the case with some lovely classic "alcool not free" Riesling :-)

[@movieeater123]

I need to try the Eins Zwie Zero again. I had about 3 year ago, it was foul

[@buddymacbuddington]

I've always liked red wine but hangovers where the worst even with small amounts I seen de alcoholised wine on offer red santa Rita said I'd give it a try was amazed at how much it actually tastes like wine with alcohol and at a fraction of the price bought 4 more bottles today 😊

[@julinjellow414]

I've tasted a lot of sparkling alcohol free wines but I have to admit it often tastes just like lemonade. And for those price of them you should rather buy lemonade.

[@TheMKEWERBY]

I think virtually the same thing about then as you. Konstantin, Have you ever tried Fre Brut or Chardonnay?

[@Henoch365]

Thx for the interesting video! So basically the summary is they are not good yet? I had a few so far, just to try, from Kolonne 0 etc. but so far it was a miss body and flavour wise. If it could be compared to wine, then it was more like yeah I can compare it to a bad wine that I would not drink even with alcohol. But they have to start somewhere, and it's mostly for people that want to have an other option to drink while others are drinking the real stuff.

[@jamespants6591]

I really enjoy the videos, especially the range. I haven’t tried many alcohol free wines, so I appreciate you taking one for the team and saving me from the bad ones. Btw „Are you feeling naughty?“ is a play on words. Nought meaning zero… 👍

[@fallingwickets]

thank you

[@thefistfromtheeast2118]

i dare you to have a taste of Romanian wines. We have a lot of different terroir in our country. we have a history of making wines at least from 800 BC when Herodot was here a wrote some things about it. i searched the internet and nobody did a tasting on romanian wines on youtube, you can be the first to do a proper one. :) plus we have a price range of wines from 3 E to 300 E it should be interesting what you will choose, we have such a diversity that you can make an episode on white (we have a lot of grapes that you can only find here) and one on red.

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

That would be interesting!

[@karlinggard]

As you said, interesting tasting, but not particularly enjoyable. Almost all the alcohol free wines we have in the wine monopoly in Norway taste like sweet grape juice, the only one I and any of my colleagues have liked is a sparkling Chardonnay from the south of France, made by Richard Juhlin. When our customers ask us for alcohol free drink recommendations with food, we usually go to high quality apple must, sometimes with some added ginger spice, aronia berries, or blackcurrant. Their high acidity does a better job of balancing out the sugar, and ginger often goes well with a lot of dishes.

[@myp0h]

Naturo is awesome smooth sweet taste

[@philipohmes9395]

I have tasted some alcohol free wines from California and Oregon. I would best describe them as being different. Next I think they work out better when mixed with another fruit juice mixture so thinking of them as a "Sptritzer or Mamosa" style beverage good for a Brunch.

[@slimboyde]

For the dry january I Iike to stay with juices. Some local producers (Streuobst) and Van Nahmen are good choices, have below 0.5% and don't break the bank.

[@przemekpaza3991]

Another great video, thank you! Could you make a video with tasting good wines from less popular destinations like Georgia, Moldova, Hungary etc?

[@Chrisinhooo]

I tried around 20 alcohol free still wines & sparklings. Except two sparklings (Zotz Blanc De Blancs and König & Krieger Riesling Mousseux) they were all below my personal pleasure threshold. Same thing for alcohol free spirits. To whoever likes to enjoy something a bit more sophisticated than juice, I rather recommend tonic mixes. Most gin cocktails are actually better, if you simply spare the gin and not replace it with alcohol free gin. Jörg Geiger in Germany also does some good stuff if you prefer something more fruit based. If the alcohol free versions do not improve, they will disappear from the market within a few years. I personally do not know anybody who really enjoys them.

[@ohbonnied5455]

Please keep tasting alcohol free wines. Pregnant women everywhere would appreciate it! I myself enjoyed this video

[@steffeeH]

Could it be that the Natureo wines have artificially added too much tartaric acid in an attempt to make them taste more wine'y?

[@georgek.1498]

I’ve recently tried a lite wine, less alcohol, a Chardonnay, on clearance, for $4.00 a bottle. Pretty uninteresting. Better than water, but not enjoyable.

[@BorisLissov]

Well, I try the non-alcoholic wines all the time and I like them, especially the red dry ones made by reverse osmosis. But it is I who dislikes the taste of alcohol (anything above 8% ABV feels very unpleasant to me, so if I drink real wine, I have to dilute it in half).

[@Mourik131]

can you do a comperison between Chateau D'Yquem and Egon Muller TBA. I would love to see that.

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

I will one day

[@comesahorseman]

@@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine 👍👍

[@MarcusEKure]

I wonder if alcohol free wine could be in the MoW exam?

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

I dont think so.

[@alyaker]

Hello can you make a new alcohol free wines video for january please?

[@jeromerosier2836]

Drinking alcohol free wine is like eating a vegan rib eye steak!

[@marquisbois990]

I’m doing my best to drink January dry….

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

😁

[@TheSommNextDoor]

BUT WHY??? T.T Very interesting and surprising.. didn't realize there was such a big movement.

[@vp100]

Greta video, I don’t drink alcohol but would love to find something good without alcohol

[@blurds]

Natureo by far better than anything I've found in France. Petit beret brand is pretty much undrinkable.

[@blurds]

... but agreed, it gets repetitive and boring after a glass or two

[@superkinkel]

Great content as usual! I haven't yet come by alcohol free wines that didn't look appealing enough to try bit very interesting. I'd also be interested in ways of just toning down ever increasing alcohol levels in normal wines. Every time I see a label with 14.5% or more I miss the days when full bodies reds did with only 12% often. All the German producers advertise their 8% Riesling Kabinetts now but alternative would be nice. On a completely unrelated not another topic I would be interested in in general: Can I expect better value from a high quality producer with a basic product or from a "white label" one with a higher classification? In other words: If I say would be willing to spend 30 EUR on a Burgundy, would I rather buy the best generic Bourgogne blanc I can get hold of should I try a cheap village or even single vineyard (or of course any similar situation, i.e. top notch VDP Gutswein vs. single vineyard from the non VDP-member next door, Barbaresoc or generic Nebbiolo, you name it). Or is it uncomparable to begin with, because there is no sensible scale to compare individual terroir to higher quality vinification?

[@adamg.manning6088]

Calling it now, I haven’t watched yet, Eins Zwei Zero will do quite well here.

[@adamg.manning6088]

Awww, yeah!

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

Good guess!

[@bor4oborisov]

I have never tasted such wine before but my opinion is as for the alcohol free beer-not a beer/wine. Alcohol is really dangerous when drunk every day, but if one doesn’t drink a lot he/she can have a glass or two without any healthcare concern. The heavy drinkers won’t substitute a single drop with alcohol free wine anyway. I don’t see the point of this product. As with many other things today, a lot of stupid products are on the market, but I think it’s just business and a way to make money and satisfy consumers.

[@typerightseesight]

I'm backwards if I want less alcohol I add champaign then.

[@MSchon-qf3fl]

Haribo macht kinder fro!

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

Oder auch nicht ...

[@mr.schwitzer1451]

Look into Proxies by Acid League. They are much more interesting. I think they are only available in the US, but if you reached out they would probably send you some.

[@fabriziodicarlo7225]

In order to reduce the consumption of alcohol last year we decided to give it a try to alcohol free or de-alcoholized wines - right after I opened my Wines&Joy channel :D I have to say, during my research I realized most of the producers are from Germany or Spain and the best wine I tried is Miguel Torres Natureo Muscat, we tried also some reds but they were totally different from wine, more like juices so we decided to stick with white alcohol free. I will try to look for Kolonne Null Cuvée Blanc Prickelnd and Thomson & Scott Noughty Organic Sparkling Chardonnay Alcohol-Free as I am quite curious to try them

[@ApothecaryTerry]

I'll write the 1st part of this comment before watching: as I sit here having just finished a full 75cl of homemade (alcoholic) mulled wine, I start this video thinking "why would you do this??" - soft drinks are great, but wine needs alcohol...there are plenty of great drinks that don't contain alcohol. 49g of sugar per litre? Surely at that amount they should give it in litres per gram of sugar, that's mad. Some of these sound like they're nice, but for the price I'd just buy wine...they're all pricey enough that they're a special occasion thing anyway, making alcohol fine unless someone has a genuine problem (in which case these seem unlikely to help with that). Certainly wouldn't turn down a free glass of the less sugary ones, although they're still very sugary. Worth saying though, I've not tried these but there are some really nice alcohol free aperitifs. A thought on the videos: it would be nice to have a little overlay at the start or end making it really clear what the wines (or in this case non-wines) are.

[@12Trappor]

49g/l is about half the sugar content compared to soft drinks, though.

[@ApothecaryTerry]

@@12Trappor True, but the more relevant comparison is actual wine which has much less. If these were the price of regular soft drinks then filling them with sugar to make up for a lack of other flavour would be fine. The sugar content means they shouldn't be consumed in huge quantities which is the same disadvantage as wine anyway (along with cost). If I'm going to drink a bottle or so a week then, nice as these may be, I can't see a reason to pick them over alcoholic wine.

[@12Trappor]

@@ApothecaryTerry I agree totally with you regarding the non-alcoholic wines. However, to say that wine always has much less than 49 g/l residual sugar is oversimplifying it - there are lots of quality wines (such as Riesling Spätlese) with over 49 g/l residual sugar which are good food wines (i.e. not dessert wines).

[@ApothecaryTerry]

@@12Trappor True, and the mulled wine I was drinking was roughly at that same level too so I'm not going to say it's always bad to have the sugar either! Do love a bit of gluhwein. My thinking really though was that people would be buying non-alcoholic drinks for one of 2 reasons: they're driving, or trying to be healthier by drinking less. If it's the latter then the amount of sugar seems to defeat that. For anyone driving to parties these make more sense. I used to be the designated driver a lot since I'm a mad petrolhead (not since covid...and buying a 2 seater sports car!). In that scenario it's just the price that makes it a tough sell, since there are no shortage of nice soft drinks for a lot less.

[@helenabartova308]

@@ApothecaryTerry … pregnancy

[@NickDeWachter]

My experience with alcohol free wine is not that great. Funny you started with the fact that these would not give you an headache. Cause that not how I experienced alcohol free wines in the past 😂. Good to see there are better alternatives coming on the market that actually taste like wine. It has potential. But for now I'm going to stick to the real deal

[@jicklesjingles8134]

I don't like alcohol free wines. Never had one that came even close. But I forwarded the video to a friend of mine who is pregnant 😉

[@gabrielnascimento1021]

When I was 16 I used to drink with my friends in public places till we pass out, now at 22 I can't stand the taste of alcohol, even wines make me want to throw up, it might have something to do with my gastritis so I think I'll try 0 alcohol wine

[@guidozama884]

Wine is alcohol. These are drinks….

[@travioh]

Very interesting. I might consider to buy these to "teach" my kids wine :p but too much sugar and disappointing flavors.. hope they can make it better!

[@2pmlunch337]

The only safe amount of alcohol is zero, according to the World Health Organization this year

[@TheDesertWineGuy]

These companies are trying their best to pass these....drinks off as wines probably in order to convince people their product is the same as wine. It appears as if the producers want people to have the experience or presentation of wine which is cool however the added sugar will also make the average Cupcake or Yellowtail wine (?) lover happy. I don't think these drinks are designed for real wine lovers and as such I say no, not, never :)

[@iambabyr0o]

I tried alcohol free wine just twice, and both times it was something utterly plain and ugh... not wine for sure!

[@davidfletcher4449]

I’ll stick with a Diet Coke

[@robertwalendziak3216]

When I drink wine, I want wine, no substitutions.

[@henriknilsson7730]

I make juice pairings for a long list of michelin restaurants in Denmark, would love to hear your thoughts at some time.

[@agr8trip]

It's ridiculous how much sugar is in some non-alcoholic wines. Some have more than soda. You will not get any health benefits from drinking these super sweet knock-offs.

[@davidbattrick3690]

Next...LOL!

[@JR-eq6jz]

Sugar, especially fake sugar like fructose can actually destroy your liver even faster than wine. It’s funny to me when anti wine people drink coke for every meal. Like, wtf.

[@matthewrockett9637]

Are you dumb.

[@sethmorley1969]

I'd rather drink water.

[@aleksandera.b.6351]

There is no Alcohol free wines, but what you are talking about is juice. The wine always and without exception contains alcohol. If there is no alcohol in it, then it is juice and not wine.

[@matthewrockett9637]

Are you a bit dumb? Of course there are alcohol free wines.

[@panaceiasuberes6464]

Oh... the good old days of non-alcoholic wine in Saudi Arabia... until I started making my own wine at home, at least.

[@mondarinvino107]

I think I would rather just moderate my consumption of alcoholic wines, than increase consumption of alcohol free wine

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Extract Alcohol Halal Coordinator

[@cmnhl1329]

Tell me you are an alcoholic without telling me you’re an alcoholic

[@miguelrobb5719]

@@cmnhl1329folks that be saying that are the main ones that drinks their ass off. I know because I was one of them lol

[@spiritalex9397]

Test

[@tjfSIM]

I would have to disagree with you about the health benefits of drinking wine in moderation. There are zero health benefits to consuming alcohol in any quantity. Some people claim the antioxidants in the grape skins are beneficial, but then you could get the same benefit from drinking grape juice, without poisoning yourself 😂