After a positive pregnancy test eight years ago, the first thing I did was buy an industrial quantity of the non-alcoholic aperitivo Crodino, a negroni dupe for bitters hounds. Today, there are plenty of excellent alcohol-free cocktail options, and beer drinkers are well catered for, but wine remains a challenge.
The Search for a Wine Proxy
For many, the pleasure of wine lies in the sense of occasion rather than its mind-altering qualities. The challenge for non-drinking wine lovers is to find a proxy that comes in a wine bottle, is sipped from a stemmed glass, pairs with food, and isn't Shloer. Dealcoholised wines exist, but they often lack flavour and are made from cheap fruit. The ideal substitute is a drink designed to be good in its own right—not a wine tribute band, but a different act altogether.
Kombucha and Tea-Based Drinks
Kombucha, made by adding a scoby to sweetened tea, is a fermented but alcohol-free option. The Real range (green, black, and lapsang souchong) is available at Ocado for £8 a bottle. Tea works as a wine proxy for three reasons: it has a savoury character, combines well with other flavours, and contains tannins that mimic wine's grippy mouthfeel. Substance/s offers light sparkling unfermented tea-based drinks, like the smoky, peppery Brume. Another favourite is L'Antidote from winemaker Romain des Grottes, a biodynamic gamay grape juice infused with 15 herbs, apple, and ginger.
Sparkling Alternatives: Feral
Most good wine substitutes are sparkling, but Feral from the Italian Dolomites stands apart. It uses tuber root juice (mostly beets) as a base, with lactic acid bacteria added for fermentation without fizz. With gentle acidity, deep colour, and full body, red wine drinkers will enjoy No3 and No4 (red beet) with creamy pasta, charcuterie, and cheese. No1 (white beet, Sichuan pepper, and hops) pairs well with vegetables, fish, and chicken.
Five Non-Alcoholic Alternatives to Wine
- No4 Feral (£24, Passione Vino): A red wine proxy made with lactically fermented red beet juice.
- Real dry slow-fermented sparkling tea (£8, Ocado): Dry, zesty kombucha with a green tea base.
- Substance/s Brume (£18.35, Sip Wines): Smoky, woody, and delicious, made with lapsang souchong tea.
- L'Antidote (£17.50, Shrine to the Vine): Gamay juice infused with 15 herbs.
- Wild Idol (£29.99, wildidol.com): Award-winning AF sparkling wine made with müller-thurgau grapes from Germany.
