The Best Non Alcoholic & Low Alcohol Wines At Naked

Growing interest in the alcohol-free and low-alcohol sector has been a well-known phenomenon for quite some time now. Each year you’ll see headlines marvelling at how their market share keeps growing, but at some point, this incredulity has got to be toned down. It’s really not much of a surprise anymore. This clamour is led chiefly by beer and spirits, but wine has had a surge as the technology becomes more affordable and the market grows.

The real surprise is quite how bad the communication around what an alcohol-free/low-alcohol wine is. I’d blame this on the way they’ve been framed in the market. In a similar vein to Pepsi Max and Coke Zero claiming the same great taste, when the taste is demonstrably different, the wine industry has pitched alcohol-free wines to be just the same. Branding, marketing, bottling, labels and grapes are all the same.

Unfortunately, alcohol-free wine cannot be the same. Alcohol is integral to a normal wine: it carries aromas, enhances them, adds body, warmth, texture, balances acidity and tannin and even boosts sweetness. Cut it out, you by nature get a less intense, less complex, thinner, less balanced wine. There are various methods that winemakers can use to de-alcoholise their wine, but the current technology further strips out aroma compounds to achieve this. Plus, they often try and balance out issues with sugars from grape must or sweeteners. Like Pepsi and Coke, you can tell. It’s no wonder that so many consumers are disappointed when they try their very first alcohol free wine.

So, how should you view alcohol free wine?

You should really treat it in any way you want. A similar level to fizzy drinks, an excellent reason to avoid opening a bottle if you are cutting down, a guilt-free school night treat, or a driver’s tipple. The one thing you can’t expect is it to be wine. I’m cautioning this loudly to help you approach them with a different mindset - they are not a direct replacement to wine, rather an alternative.

Pretty much all of the still wines I’ve tried taste largely of grape juice. This did initially put me off buying still alcohol-free wines for a long time as I had expected to be able to draw real comparison with wine. I did find much more luck with the sparkling low/alcohol-free wines, but that is because the bubbles act as good cover for what is lost in the alcohol’s removal (body, mouthfeel, aroma intensity). Sparkling wines also have more reliance on being fresh, fruity and lively which is simply easier to replicate without alcohol.

But, once you have repositioned what an alcohol-free wine is good at, you can find yourself enjoying them for all the right reasons on top of the “healthy” feel-good factor.

With this knowledge in mind, avoid getting your alcohol-free wines from the supermarket, as you’ll end up with mass-produced liquid that is lucky to be allowed the word wine on the label. Not to mention the ungodly number of chemicals and sugars they add to make them palatable.

However, if you are familiar with wine retailers such as Naked Wines, then they are a very good place to find a better version of alcohol free. Naked’s very business model champions independent winemakers, meaning you are both supporting and drinking wines made by someone truly passionate about wine. If you want the best, then go to the best.

Naked’s Alcohol-Free/Low-Alcohol Wines

The Session Range

Session is real wine, just lighter. At 5% ABV, Session halves the strength of normal wine, giving you an authentic way to try this lower style. The winemaker, Tom, began his journey at Naked wines as a member of staff!

Session Low Alcohol Sparkling

This is an excellent midweek wine made predominantly from Chardonnay and the most popular in the range. Session sparkling is a light, floral, citrus-laden fizz that does genuinely taste like wine. This definitively proves why sparkling is most popular in the lower alcohol category.

Session Low Alcohol Syrah Grenache

Definitely the best low alcohol red I’ve seen. The 5% does a fantastic job at lending the wine enough weight and texture to remain wine-like, whilst the flavour profile is beautifully light and fruity. Think raspberries and blackberries. Not only that, but it’s an excellent summer wine being very amenable to a chill before drinking to enhance the light, fruity profile further.

Session Low Alcohol Sauvignon Vermentino

This is a smart combination of two grapes bringing the grassier side of Sauvignon into harmony with Vermentino’s soft fruity profile. The result is a crisp, zesty wine with grapefruit, green apple and peach. Whilst I don’t think it will stand up to a normal wine, it isn’t trying to. It is at least well-above the grape juice you find in supermarkets.

Popular Winemaker’s Trying Their Hand

Sam Plunkett The Butterfly Effect Mid Strength Rosé

Weighing in at a little more with 8.5% ABV, this I can see being a favourite for many people looking to lower their intake. Brimming with fresh red fruits and floral notes, this holds more flavour than some of the drab trend chasers that come out of Provence. This is a white Zinfandel, so be warned that it does have some sweetness to it, but it works naturally for this wine and balances it nicely.

Sacchetto Col de L'Utia Senza De-Alcoholised Sparkling

Sacchetto Col de L'Utia is a very popular Prosecco brand at Naked and it is no wonder this wine has a 78% approval rating. The grapes used are the same as in Paolo’s best-selling Sacchetto Prosecco – the only real difference is the alcohol here is below 0.5%. It’s crisp, fruity, zesty and even a little creamy. It’s a genuinely great fizz if Prosecco is something you love.

So, I think it is clear that Naked are taking a sensible approach to low-alcohol wines. The range only has one truly alcohol free wine, the Sacchetto Col de L'Utia Senza De-Alcoholised Sparkling whilst the rest are 5% and above. Notably, not a single still option is below 5%.

I’d argue this is a much better way to go as you are getting something that much more closely resembles wine than the 0%s on the market. Yes, they still aren’t like-for-like, as I’ve made clear, but they do a superior job by using lower alcohol levels to support some of the components that make wine great (body, texture etc etc).

For those who are new to Naked Wines and looking to really explore proper winemaking, check out our £80 Naked Wines Voucher. They will give you a little quiz and design your perfect intro case, all with £80 off. Then, once you’ve joined, you’ll become one of their Angels, supporting independent winemakers directly by investing £25 a month. Spend the money however you want and get up to 33% off retail prices. That discount applies to these alcohol free wines too. Sign up today and you won’t need to look anywhere else for your wines, alcohol or not.