Your Guide to Non-Alcoholic Wine and Dealcoholized Wine

Looking for an alcohol-free alternative to wine? Check out non-alcoholic wines and dealcoholized wines.

Your Guide to Non-Alcoholic Wine and Dealcoholized Wine
Photo by Terry Vlisidis / Unsplash

Many people enjoy wine, but some are looking for an alcohol-free alternative to accompany their meals, social gatherings, or quiet nights of relaxation. If you're looking to cut back on your drinking habits, you may want to consider trying some non-alcoholic wines and dealcoholized wines. There are a lot of good ones out there, and we're here to help you find them.

We've gathered five examples of non-alcoholic wines and dealcoholized wines for you to try, but first, let’s talk more about alcohol-free wines and how they’re produced.

What is Non-Alcoholic Wine?

A non-alcoholic wine is a wine that contains little-to-no alcohol. Some of these zero-proof beverages are more akin to juice while going through less fermentation than typical wines. Meanwhile, others go through a similar vinification process as their alcohol-containing cousins. In this latter process, the alcohol is removed during production, creating a dealcoholized wine.

How is Dealcoholized Wine Made?

There are a few different ways to create dealcoholized wine, according to this 2020 Decanter article:

  • Vacuum distillation removes alcohol and other unwanted elements at a relatively low temperature, blending back the remainder afterwards.
  • Alternatively, the spinning cone columns process uses inverted cones and centrifugal forces for repeated evaporation and condensation at a low temperature. Then, the remaining elements are blended back together.
  • Lastly, reverse osmosis groups together and separates out elements via a cross-flow filtration system before blending back what remains behind.

Is Non-Alcoholic Wine Safe During Pregnancy?

Just like with non-alcoholic beers, non-alcoholic wines and dealcoholized wines may contain trace amounts of alcohol, so speak with your healthcare provider to see if drinking non-alcoholic beverages is safe for your pregnancy. There are other refreshing drinks out there that are guaranteed to be zero proof, such as fresh-squeezed juices and hop water.

5 Examples of Non-Alcoholic Wines and Dealcoholized Wines

Now that you're more familiar with non-alcoholic wines and dealcoholized wines, here are some examples of brands that you can explore during your at-home wine tasting.

Fre

A division of Sutter Home Winery in California's wine country, Fre offers a wide variety of dealcoholized wines. Whether you're in the mood for merlot, moscato, rosé, or sparkling brut, Fre has something for every occasion and palate. Their dealcoholizing process involves spinning cone technology that separates and preserves their wine’s essential fragrances and flavors.

Noughty

Thomson & Scott's Noughty prides themselves on using organic grapes for their dealcoholized wines, which are also vegan, halal, and sustainable. This London-based, B-Corp company has sparkling chardonnay and sparkling rosé for celebratory occasions that are low in sugar and calories. Meanwhile, their Non-Alcoholic Rouge has been dealcoholized to less than 0.5% ABV.

St. Regis

Using grapes from European vineyards, St. Regis follows Old World winemaking techniques to create new-age, dealcoholized wines. Headquartered in Quebec, Canada, St. Regis's product line includes Spritz, an orange-colored mocktail that is a non-alcoholic homage to Italy's prosecco-based aperol spritz. Speaking of prosecco, St. Regis offers a dealcoholized version called Secco.

Surely

Made in California, Surely offers dealcoholized wines in bottles and four-pack cans. Some of their standout products include their award-winning Sauvignon Blanc, as well as their Bubbly Red can four-pack that is a cabernet and pinot noir blend. Their spinning cone column technology removes alcohol while maintaining the wine’s essence and aromatics naturally.

TÖST

Unlike the dealcoholized wines mentioned above, TÖST is more like an alcoholic-free beverage inspired by sparkling bubblies. Instead of following a vinification and dealcoholized process, this Vermont-based company uses natural ingredients with their carbonated water like white tea and ginger. Their golden TÖST beverage contains white cranberry, while their TÖST ROSÉ features elderberry.

What are some of your favorite alcohol-free wines? Let us know in the comments!