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An alcohol-free wine? That sounds paradoxical at first. After all, alcohol is the main flavor carrier in wine. Nevertheless, even a wine without alcohol can be a real taste experience. To make your choice easier, we'll show you five delicious alternatives to conventional wine . You'll also learn how alcohol-free wines are made.
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Reading time approx. 2 min
1 Germany's most popular type of wine is of course also available without alcohol. You can't go wrong with the alcohol-free Riesling from Rotkäppchen. The wine has nuances of green apple and delicate apricot, making it easy for everyone to digest. Our well-deserved first place in the rankings.
2 The dealcoholized red wine Natureo Free Tinto by Miguel Torres has a fruity, aromatic scent, is soft to drink and has a delicate, tart taste. In short: a good alternative to conventional red wine. This wine also performed well in many tests, which is why it comes second in this ranking
3 White wine lovers will not be able to avoid this wine either: Michel Schneider's alcohol-free wines are always worth a look. The wine's own aromas were gently extracted from this Chardonnay and then added back after dealcoholization. It tingles slightly on the tongue and is still not too sweet, which is something that is often said about alcohol-free wines.
4 For cozy evenings, a Pinot Noir is a must - thanks to the alcohol-free nature, there is no "regret". Rotkäppchen's alcohol-free Pinot Noir is a harmonious red wine with nuances of ripe raspberries, cherries and currants. The good taste is probably due to the production process. The alcohol is evaporated in a vacuum at 30 to 30 degrees Celsius, which is particularly gentle.
5 If you like it sweet, we recommend the Schloss Sommerau alcohol-free white wine. It is also the cheapest wine on our list. The quality of the wine is nevertheless convincing - even among the reviewers who give the white wine top marks. Thanks to the good price-performance ratio, this wine is the ideal introduction to the world of alcohol-free wines.
In principle, the production of a wine without alcohol differs little from that of a conventional wine. The alcohol is only removed from the wine after production. In recent years, the so-called vacuum distillation has become the norm. The advantage: the low pressure lowers the boiling point of the liquids. In the case of alcohol, this is just 30 degrees in a vacuum.
In this way, the alcohol can be removed particularly gently. At higher temperatures, "dealcoholization" would result in a loss of flavor - many ingredients would be destroyed.
Good to know!
Are non-alcoholic wines really alcohol-free?
According to European food law, wines can be described as "alcohol-free" even if they contain a maximum of 0.5% vol. alcohol. Therefore, always pay attention to the label of the wine if you want to be sure. The level of residual alcohol varies from wine to wine. In practice, however, a residual alcohol level of 0.25% vol. is rarely exceeded.
The gentle evaporation of the alcohol means that many of the original aromas remain in the wine. In recent years, this production process has improved alcohol-free wines enormously. Base wines such as Sauvignon Blanc or Gewürztraminer also create a fruity aroma typical of wine, which somewhat compensates for the lack of alcohol.
Of course, you can still notice the lack of alcohol. Alcohol carries flavor . Without it, you can rarely retain the full intensity of the aroma. Some winemakers therefore rely on "aroma recovery." This means that the aromas are added back to the wine later and usually sweetened again.
As with wine itself, the same applies to wine alternatives: tastes vary. So, give it a try!
The German Wine Institute assumes that the market share of non-alcoholic wine alternatives is still "less than one percent." However, experts are observing increasing sales figures for almost all suppliers. This indicates that it is becoming increasingly important . In a Nielsen survey, however, hardly anyone knew that there is also wine without alcohol, the institute quotes. Only around 15 percent of those surveyed knew about non-alcoholic white wine, 12 percent about the red alternative, and 9 percent about the rosé alternative.
The most popular non-alcoholic white wine is the Riesling from Rotkäppchen.
Then browse through our wine tastings and let yourself be inspired.
You have already read 8 of 12 articles on the topic of wine. Now take a look at the next article to complete your connoisseur knowledge!
Or go to Wine Course Part II to get an overview of all topics!
