There will be a toast, or three, or 10, over the holiday season, and when you stock up for entertaining and for gifting this year, plan to include some bottles of non-alcoholic sparkling wine. They are better in quality than ever and available everywhere from grocery and liquor stores to specialty e-commerce sites like sansorium.com and upsidedrinks.ca.
Unlike some non-alcoholic beer and spirits, most non-alcoholic wines are made as traditional wines and then de-alcoholized, meaning they retain the aromas and flavours of real wine. They typically also retain a trace of alcohol by volume; by law less than 0.5 per cent qualifies as “no alcohol,” but those with allergies should still beware.
Because bubblies have some effervescence for mouthfeel, and like many traditional sparkling wines carry a little natural sweetness, non-alcoholic bubblies tend to be the best-tasting, sparkling jewels in the crown of non-alcoholic drinks.
Ask a sommelier which brand they favour, and chances are they’ll mention Eins Zwei Zero, made by the respected Leitz winery in Germany. The Sparkling Rosé and Riesling (available in pretty bottles, as well as cute 250-millilitre cans) have authentic depth and fizz.
Also likely to be name-checked are Edenvale wines from Australia, some of the most highly awarded alcohol-removed (and slightly more expensive) global bubblies. Try the very festive ruby-coloured Non-Alc Sparkling Shiraz, Down Under’s signature grape variety.
From Denmark, ISH sparkling wines are part of an excellent non-alcoholic product line that also includes spirits and canned cocktails. ISH Sparkling Rosé, made from Merlot and Pinot Noir grapes, was the favourite non-alc sparkler named by The New York Times.
Mainstream bubbly brands are in on the action, too. Non-alcoholic bottlings of German sekt from Henkell, Prosecco from Bottega, French sparkling from JP Chenet and Cava from Freixenet are widely available at liquor stores, typically for less than $15 a bottle. Cheers to that!
Booze-free bubbly ideas
- In a Champagne coupe, pour non-boozy bubbles over a scoop of sorbet garnished with fruit or berries and a sprig of fresh herb like mint or rosemary.
- Use peach or orange purée or juice bubbled with non-alc wine to make guilt-free Bellinis and Mimosas.
- Dose Martini Vibrante or Floreale non-alcoholic aperitivos (at grocery stores) with non-alc bubbles to make a spritz.
- A Sober 75 uses the French 75 combination of 1/2 ounce each of lemon juice and simple syrup in a flute, but with 1 ounce non-alc gin, topped with non-alc bubbly.
