10 Of The Best Non-Alcoholic Wines To Try

NON

NON is an Australian company that offers a line of beverages better described as wine alternatives rather than alcohol-free wines. Rather than extracting alcohol from traditional wine or attempting to replicate its flavor, NON focuses on crafting drinks that complement meals. Each beverage is specifically designed to enhance the dining experience, making it a perfect pairing for food. While NON does not taste like wine, each variety is tailored to match different culinary dishes. Founders Aaron Trotman and Miranda, who enjoy dining at Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide, created NON to accompany fine dining tasting menus.

Every release from NON features a unique flavor profile, with a foundation of verjus—an acidic juice derived from Semillon grapes grown in Australia. This verjus is blended with a variety of ingredients, including yuzu, coffee, and kombu seaweed, to create the desired flavor profile while maintaining a balance of acidity, tannins, and sweetness. Personally, I find NON 7, crafted with stewed sour cherries, coffee, and spices, to be a superior choice compared to a nonalcoholic red wine that may lack depth. Other options, like the sparkling NON 1, offer a more floral experience, featuring raspberries, chamomile, and a hint of salt.

Leitz Eins Zwei Zero Sparkling Riesling

This alcohol-free wine is crafted by winemaker Johannes Leitz, renowned as one of Germany's finest and honored as Winemaker of the Year in 2011 by the French culinary guide, Gault Millau. Approximately 95% of the grapes cultivated in Leitz's vineyards are Riesling. He began producing Leitz Eins Zwei Zero, the nonalcoholic variant of his still and sparkling Riesling wines, in 2007 at the request of a Norwegian chef seeking a nonalcoholic option to complement his dishes. The Eins Zwei Zero is created through a vacuum distillation process that effectively removes the alcohol from the wine.

Kato Restaurant, a Michelin-starred establishment in Los Angeles, features a nonalcoholic pairing with its tasting menu. Ryan Bailey, Kato's Director of Operations, shared with Chowhound that the Leitz Eins Zwei Zero Sparkling Riesling is "a staple in our alcohol-free flight." While nonalcoholic wines often lack body (more on that later), starting with a sparkling nonalcoholic option is a great way to transition into this beverage category, as the bubbles create a sensation of a fuller mouthfeel, making the absence of body less noticeable compared to still wines. According to Bailey, "[Dealcoholized] wine can sometimes lack weight, depth, or structure, but this particular bottling achieves those qualities through its high acidity, minerality, citrus fruit profile, and carbonation."

Lyre's Classico

Launched in 2019, Lyre's has quickly established itself as a prominent brand in the alcohol-free liquor market. This Australian company offers a range of non-alcoholic spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails, including a nonalcoholic sparkling wine known as Lyre's Classico. This sparkling wine alternative is crafted by blending both fermented and unfermented grape juice concentrates with carbonated water.

Chris Chernock, the beverage director at Asterid and other restaurants at The Music Center in Los Angeles, recently added Lyre's Classico to his menu. He shared with Chowhound that when selecting a nonalcoholic wine, he sought a high-quality sparkling option, noting that many samples he tried lacked the expected effervescence. He discovered that "Lyre's delivers a delightful array of tiny, fresh bubbles that dance on the palate, complemented by a lovely apple and stone fruit profile reminiscent of Italian Prosecco."

Lyre's Classico is also offered in cans, making it convenient for those who wish to enjoy it at home without the need to open an entire bottle. Additionally, it can be effortlessly mixed with other spirits and liqueurs from the brand to create zero-proof cocktails.

NOOH

NOOH is a collection of nonalcoholic wines crafted by Château La Coste in Provence, France. Given Provence's reputation for rosé, NOOH features both a still and a sparkling rosé. Both wines begin with Château La Coste's Rosé d'une Nuit, from which the alcohol is removed through vacuum distillation.

To gain further insights, Chowhound spoke with Brianda Gonzalez, the founder and CEO of The New Bar, a nonalcoholic bottle shop with locations in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Gonzalez highlights that the still rosé from NOOH is currently her top recommendation due to its blend of various grape varieties. "The combination of Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet, and Cinsault provides this rosé with a wonderfully rich depth of flavor," she explains.

A common challenge with alcohol-free wines is the lack of body or mouthfeel, which is primarily due to the absence of alcohol's viscosity. When the alcohol is removed, this thickness disappears, resulting in a lighter beverage. This is why I believe it's easier to create a satisfying nonalcoholic version of a refreshing and light wine like rosé.

Studio Null Grüner Weiss

Studio Null procures wines from family-owned vineyards across Europe and transports them to Northern Europe, where the alcohol is extracted through vacuum distillation. This method yields an average alcohol content of just 0.3% in their wines. Founded in 2021 by friends Dorothy Munholland and Catherine Diao, the company has quickly made a name for itself in the nonalcoholic sector, receiving notable praise from various publications despite its brief history.

In contrast to many non-alcoholic brands that maintain a consistent selection, Studio Null curates a different assortment of wines each year, collaborating with small-scale wine producers. Their current offerings include three distinct wines: a Prickly Red (a blend of Tempranillo and Syrah grapes from Spain), a sparkling Verdejo (also sourced from Spain), and a Grüner Weiss (made from Austrian grapes).

The Grüner Weiss is particularly recommended by Brianda Gonzalez from The New Bar. This wine features grapes from an Austrian vineyard and undergoes four hours of skin contact during fermentation. Aged in stainless steel tanks, it presents as a crisp white with high acidity and minerality. Gonzalez describes this nonalcoholic option as "bone dry" and ideal for outdoor gatherings and warm afternoons.

Sovi Chenin Blanc

Sovi is a husband-and-wife-owned business located in Northern California. Founded by Julia Littauer, a certified sommelier, and her husband, Alex Littauer, who holds a Level 4 Diploma in Wines from WSET (a well-respected wine education organization), the company emerged from their search for high-quality nonalcoholic wines to enjoy on their days off, given their professions that involve considerable wine tasting. Sovi specializes in producing a range of alcohol-removed wines, utilizing grapes sourced from their partner vineyard in Clarksburg, California. Julia, with her sommelier expertise, goes the extra mile in crafting these alcohol-removed wines, employing techniques similar to those of premium winemakers, such as blending various vintages and conducting extended cellar aging. For example, the Reserve Red features a blend of two different vintages of Tempranillo and Malbec.

Brianda Gonzalez from The New Bar recommends Sovi's 2022 Chenin Blanc, the company's second release, highlighting its bright acidity, intricate fruit flavors, and creamy mouthfeel. To achieve the desired texture and complexity in this Chenin Blanc, Sovi harvests grapes at various stages of ripeness and ages the wine for an extended period in the cellar. This prolonged aging process contributes to the creamier texture, which is why the 2022 vintage was only released in 2024.

No Alcohol Company Rosé

No Alcohol Company, also referred to as NoAlchCo, is a fresh entrant in the market, having introduced its range of alcohol-free wines at the start of 2024. The company crafts its wines from California grapes and employs a method known as spinning cone column technology to remove the alcohol, a technique claimed to better preserve the wine's flavors compared to other alcohol removal methods. Currently, No Alcohol Company offers four varieties of nonalcoholic wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and rosé.

In some nonalcoholic wines, sugars or glycerols are added to replicate the body and mouthfeel typically provided by alcohol, resulting in a sweeter taste. However, No Alcohol Company opts not to include any sugars or artificial additives after the alcohol extraction process. This approach maintains the dryness of its wines, with the lighter body complementing its white wine and rosé. The alcohol-removed rosé is a classic Provence-style dry rosé: light, crisp, and featuring a pleasant minerality. It’s an ideal choice for sipping on a warm summer day, especially by the pool.

Bodvár No 0

Bodvár is a winery located in Provence, France, established by Bodvar Hafström. Since 2007, the winery has focused on producing rosé wines and is credited with the creation of National Rosé Day, which is celebrated on the second Saturday of June, a holiday they initiated in 2014. In June 2024, Bodvár introduced its first nonalcoholic rosé to attract a younger audience. This new offering is named Bodvár No 0, continuing the winery's tradition of numbering its wines, which previously began with No. 1.

Bodvár No 0 is crafted by extracting the alcohol through vacuum distillation. While it isn't a sparkling rosé, it does possess a slight effervescence that enhances its mouthfeel and texture. This effervescent wine serves as the nonalcoholic version of Bodvár No 1, which the winery refers to as the "pearly wine." Bodvár No 0 is a touch sweeter than a typical dry rosé, yet it remains classified as dry among nonalcoholic beverages, featuring delightful notes of citrus and fruit. Enjoy a glass of this refreshing wine on a sunny day and imagine yourself basking in the beauty of the French Riviera.

Proxies

The primary component of Proxies' nonalcoholic offerings is fruit. While grapes are sometimes featured, they are not the sole focus. Each beverage is thoughtfully crafted with additional elements such as teas, bitters, and spices, resulting in a rich and intricate flavor profile. Proxies boasts an impressive variety of options, continually expanding their lineup. For instance, the Big Red is mainly composed of blackberry and cherry, while the Blanc Slate highlights Sauvignon Blanc grapes, grapefruit, and kiwi. To enhance the mouthfeel often lacking in nonalcoholic drinks, Proxies incorporates tea and occasionally vegetable glycerin.

Due to their fruit-centric nature, Proxies' beverages tend to be sweeter than traditional wines, yet they achieve a pleasing balance through the inclusion of acidity and tannins. What sets Proxies apart is their commitment to crafting complex drinks that stand on their own, rather than merely serving as wine alternatives. They have also partnered with renowned chefs, such as James Beard Award winner Sean Brock, to develop exclusive blends for his restaurants—Brock's Audrey in Nashville features a unique Proxies blend with Syrah and elderberry.

Additionally, Proxies provides canned versions of three sparkling wines, created in collaboration with the premium canned wine brand Nomadica. These are excellent choices for gatherings or simply enjoying a quiet evening at home.

Tēthos

T?thos is a fresh line of nonalcoholic wine alternatives that primarily focuses on tea, reflecting the company's dedication to this beverage. Based in San Diego, T?thos also offers matcha and loose-leaf herbal teas. Their nonalcoholic drinks are crafted by combining wine grapes with tea and various flavors. For instance, the Black Tea Shiraz features a mix of Shiraz grapes, Himalayan Gold black tea, hibiscus, and elderberry juice. Both tea and red wine share a common element: tannin, making this a natural substitute. The combination of tea and juice contributes to a richer body in this wine alternative.

The lighter Sauvignon Blanc Tea is mainly a fusion of Sauvignon Blanc grapes and Korean green tea, along with tartaric acid. While T?thos beverages don't replicate the exact taste of wine and lean more towards tea, they stand out as unique drinks that complement food well. One aspect I appreciate about T?thos is that, since tea forms the base of the flavor, these beverages are less sweet than many other non-alcoholic alternatives. In fact, they contain less than 1 gram of sugar per serving. Additionally, teas are known for their health benefits, providing yet another reason to enjoy them!

Methodology

In compiling this list of top nonalcoholic wines, I've relied on both my personal experiences and recommendations from industry experts. Although I do enjoy alcoholic beverages, I've sampled a variety of non-alcoholic options over the past few years, especially since they are widely available in Los Angeles. Alongside my own favorites, I reached out to several experts to gather their current top picks for nonalcoholic wines. I also consulted the owner of The New Bar, an alcohol-free wine and spirit shop in Los Angeles, who has undoubtedly tasted a broader range of products to curate her selection.

I had a delightful tasting menu dinner at Kato Restaurant, which featured an impressive non-alcoholic pairing, prompting me to contact their Director of Operations for insights on their favorite nonalcoholic wines. Additionally, I reached out to other restaurants known for their excellent nonalcoholic offerings to gather more information. The final list presents a diverse array of options, including alcohol-removed wines and tea- or fruit-based alternatives, ranging from sparkling wines to red wine substitutes. Whether you're completely sober or simply looking to cut back on your wine consumption, I hope this list inspires you to explore these non-alcoholic wine choices.