I tried all the supermarket low alcohol wines and this £4.50 Pinot Grigo from Asda comes out on top
SAY cheers with a non-tipsy tipple as the popularity of low and alcohol-free drinks continues to rise.
Supermarkets are now dedicating areas to booze-free drinks as they become more in demand, with sales growing by 20 per cent in the past year.
With one in five of us no longer boozing at all, what are the best alternatives to glug instead?
Laura Stott tried a selection of low and non-alcohol wines to see which were worth raising a glass to.
Here she gives her verdicts and a score out of five for each.
Alcohol-Free Rosé, 75cl, £4.25
No more than 0.05% abv, Marks & Spencer (in store) and ocado.com
★★★★☆
PRETTY as a pastel-pink picture, this bright blush-coloured, alcohol-free vino looks just as mouth-watering as any other Provence-style rosé and begs to be sipped on a warm summer evening.
It’s made using a special method of vacuum distillation, which removes the alcohol while retaining the wine’s fresh, fruity flavours.
In this case that has left a taste featuring plenty of summer berries with a hint of watermelon.
Soft and gentle, it’s not very different to a sweeter style of alcoholic rosé when you glug.
Not a bad booze-free beverage at all.
Drink it very chilled, though, or it starts to taste sickly.
OddBird Rose 75cl, £9.99
0% abv, amazon.co.uk
THIS super-stylish fizzy French rosé definitely gets crowned chicest booze-free bottle.
It would be a lovely celebratory alcohol-free sparkling to take to a special occasion or party.
Produced with thought and care, it’s made in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France from Chardonnay and Syrah grapes then matured for a year before the alcohol is removed.
The end result gives frothy pink, crisp bubbles in the flute with an authentic cork pop and is very well balanced, with tart and juicy strawberry and apple flavours.
Extremely quaffable, grown-up and enjoyable.
I’d buy this again for a zero-alcohol toast.
& Then Cabernet Sauvignon 75cl, £7
0% abv, morrisons.com
★★★★★
QUITE a pricey option, but if you want an authentic-tasting glass of red it’s definitely worth splashing out on.
This is a quality South Australian Cabernet, which just happens to be booze free.
It’s full, rich and packed with juicy berries on the palate, featuring oak and spice with a long-lasting crimson body and a lovely warm aroma.
Aside from smelling a little vinegary, it’s as close to the real thing as you will find.
Perfect with steak or other meat dishes, or delicious enough to sip solo as a comforting glass of red.
It is expensive, but worth treating yourself.
Vina Albali Garnacha Rosé 75cl, £4.99
0.5% abv, Majestic (in stores)
★★☆☆☆
YOU can tell the makers have put a lot of thought and effort into getting this low-alcohol blush before you even take a sip.
Hailing from the Spanish vineyard of a well-regarded international wine-maker, it has clearly been considered as carefully as all its other – alcoholic – wines.
Along with this solid provenance, it is stylishly packaged and enticing.
It looks like a bottle you would be happy to have out on the table.
That said, I did find a glass of this was teetering on being too sweet for me.
It’s juicy, and full of fruity hits, but was a little too close to cordial for my liking.
One chilled glass was enough.
Cabernet Tempranillo 75cl, £3.25
Less than 0.5% abv, tesco.com
★★☆☆☆
A LOW alcohol, juicy Spanish red that certainly looks the part in the bottle.
Made with a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo grapes, the booze has been all but removed via a hi-tech “spinning cone” method.
So this spicy, medium-bodied plonk has the heritage to keep even sommeliers interested.
The colour is perfect – a deep, berry plum shade.
But the taste doesn’t quite live up to the full-bodied appearance and falls rather flat and thin in the glass.
It’s also oddly sweet.
Not a bad wine for the price but it doesn’t quite deliver what the label promises.
Eisberg Sauvignon Blanc 75cl, £3.50
0% abv, tesco.com
★★★☆☆
THIS Sauvignon is a good choice for anyone who needs a zero-alcohol option but still wants to feel like they are enjoying a nice white.
The aroma is just like many other budget white wines and resembles a standard glass of Sauvignon you could be served anywhere.
And the taste is not dissimilar, either.
Close your eyes and you could easily be drinking a “standard” glass packed with all the typical gooseberry and kiwi flavours.
Truthfully, it’s not the most sophisticated tipple I’ve ever tried.
But could it pass for normal low-cost plonk? Definitely. It’s a great price as well.
McGuigan Zero Sauvignon Blanc 75cl, £4
0% abv, sainsburys.co.uk
★★★☆☆
PRODUCED by the Australian winemaker McGuigan, this antipodean Sauvignon Blanc comes from a vineyard in the New South Wales wine region, the Hunter Valley.
It is made with 95 per cent dealcoholised wine, with the addition of 5 per cent grape juice.
Completely booze free, it comes in a stylish bottle and looks just like any other modern white on the shelf.
And it’s a treat to sip too.
Packed with grassy, citrus flavours, served very chilled it’s crisp and fresh, just like any other New World Sauvignon.
Goes great with fish or pasta, or it’s good enough to enjoy on its own.
Worth adding in an ice cube to keep it cold.
Not Guilty Pinot Grigio 75cl, £4.50
Less than 0.05% abv, asda.com
★★★★★
I REALLY liked the quirky and fun packaging of this Italian-style Pinot Grigio.
The amusing dog mugshot-type label embraces and celebrates the fact you have chosen an alcohol-free option.
It’s aimed at non-drinkers who want to enjoy the feeling of having a drink, but keep a clear head, such as designated drivers.
The wine is very light and fairly fresh and crisp.
Not especially complex, but it has a white wine aroma and tastes very reminiscent of refreshing, dry plonk in the glass.
Very nice, and a brilliant booze-free tipple that would be a party talking point.