How to serve it
an alcohol-free wine in
Place the bottle in the refrigerator for at least three hours, or in a bucket with water and ice for half an hour. Serve alcohol-free wine colder than the original: at 6 to 8 degrees, the thinner body is less noticeable and the freshness comes forward. When lukewarm, the sweet side takes over.
Open the bottle. If it has a cork with a wire cage, loosen it while keeping your thumb on the cork, then turn the bottle rather than the cork, and let the cork escape with a sigh instead of a bang. With a screw cap or a regular cork, proceed as usual.
Decanting is of little use here, and with a sparkling version it works against you: the bubbles are precisely what masks what the alcohol no longer carries. So keep the bottle sealed and cold until you serve it. Only with a still red can a few minutes of air open up the aroma slightly.
Pour up to about one-third of the glass, using the same shape as for the original: a flute or tulip glass for the sparkling wine, a wine glass for the still wine. Put the bottle back in the refrigerator in between pours and preferably finish it the same day, because the aroma and carbonation disappear quickly.
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The story
Alcohol-free wine is not made without alcohol, but with alcohol. First, a regular wine is made, with grapes, fermentation, and everything that comes with it. Then the alcohol is removed. This can be done through vacuum distillation, in which the wine boils at a low temperature under low pressure, so the flavor suffers less. It can also be done through reverse osmosis, in which the wine is pushed under pressure along a membrane that lets alcohol and water through while holding back the rest. The third method is the spinning cone, a rotating column that first captures the volatile aromas separately and then adds them back in.
The right glass
The starting point is simple: use the glass that goes with the original. An alcohol-free sparkling drink goes in a flute or a tulip glass, so the carbonation does not escape all at once, and an alcohol-free white wine goes in a regular wine glass. There is no separate glass for alcohol-free wine, neither in this range nor as a specific model. Because these wines are best served cold, a long stem helps: that way, you do not have to hold the bowl. Also view the white wine glasses and, for the bottle in between servings, the wine coolers.
Chef & Sommelier Open Up Champagne Glass / Flute 20 cl (6 pieces)
Bormioli Rocco Premium Wine Glass 33 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 83,90.
The right tools
For a bottle of alcohol-free wine, besides the glass, you mainly need a corkscrew and a wine cooler, because keeping it cold is half the battle here. The bar tools below come into play when the bottle goes into a mocktail: a jigger for measuring and a citrus juicer for fresh juice. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 78,85.
Which drink goes with this?
Alcohol-free wine contains no alcohol or almost none, but it does start out as ordinary wine. These pages explain where the originals come from, from prosecco to champagne. On each drink page, you can read the percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails pair well with it, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Not every style works equally well. Sparkling wine works best, because the bubbles and acidity compensate for what the alcohol no longer contributes. Aromatic white wine comes next: riesling, sauvignon blanc, and muscat bring so much aroma of their own that enough remains. Full-bodied red wine is the most difficult, because that is where the alcohol contributed body and roundness. Also check the label: alcohol-free is the designation used for up to and including 0.5 percent, while 0.0 means zero. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Servingtip
Serve at 6 to 8 degrees and keep the bottle chilled in between, because residual sugar becomes more noticeable when the wine is lukewarm. Finish the bottle the same day: aromas and carbonation disappear faster than they do in wine with alcohol. Food with plenty of flavor works well alongside it, such as smoked fish, a salad with lemon, or something spicy, because the sweet side of many alcohol-free wines pairs well with it.
Good to know
How the alcohol is removed
There are three common methods. In vacuum distillation, reduced pressure lowers the boiling point, so the alcohol evaporates at a low temperature and the flavor suffers less. In reverse osmosis, the wine is forced under pressure along a membrane that allows only alcohol and water through, after which the water is added back. The spinning cone process runs the wine as a thin film through a rotating column, first capturing the volatile aromas, then removing the alcohol and adding the aromas back in.
Why it is so difficult
Alcohol does more in wine than you might think. It contributes to the mouthfeel, creates a sweet impression without any sugar being involved, and carries the aroma compounds to your nose. Remove it, and all three disappear at once, leaving something thinner and flatter. That is why producers often add grape juice, a sweetener, or carbonation to fill the gap.
Alcohol-free versus 0.0
Alcohol-free is the designation used for up to and including 0.5 percent. So there is usually still a small amount of residual alcohol. If the label says 0.0, it means zero. The difference usually makes little difference to the taste; anyone who wants to know exactly what it contains should read the label.
Which styles work best
Sparkling wine is the easiest: the bubbles and acidity fill the space left by the alcohol, so the difference from the original is least noticeable. Next comes aromatic white wine, such as riesling, sauvignon blanc and muscat, because those grapes naturally bring plenty of aroma. Full-bodied red wine is the most difficult, because alcohol did the most work there, often leaving something thinner and sweeter behind.
Why sugar or carbonation is added
After the alcohol is removed, little body remains. Grape juice or a sweetener restores that roundness, while carbonation gives the drink some of its tension back. How much is added varies greatly from bottle to bottle. The sugar content is often listed on the label, and for sparkling versions, a designation such as brut or demi-sec says something about it.
Frequently asked questions
How is alcohol-free wine made?
First, regular wine is made with grapes and fermentation. Then the alcohol is removed through vacuum distillation, reverse osmosis or a spinning cone. In all three cases, the aim is to remove the alcohol without taking the aroma and flavor with it, and that never works completely.
What is the difference between alcohol-free and 0.0?
Alcohol-free is the designation used for up to and including 0.5 percent, so there is usually still a small amount of residual alcohol. 0.0 means zero. The difference usually makes little difference to the taste; anyone who wants to know exactly what it contains should read the label.
Why does alcohol-free wine taste thinner?
In wine, alcohol provides body, creates a sweet impression and carries aroma compounds to your nose. When it is removed, all three disappear at once. Producers often fill that gap with grape juice, sweetener or carbonation, but it remains a different drink from the original.
Which glass should you serve alcohol-free wine in, and at what temperature?
Use the same glass as the original: a flute or tulip glass for sparkling wine, a wine glass for still wine. Serve it chilled, around 6 to 8 degrees, because the thinner body is less noticeable when cold. Finish the bottle the same day, as its aroma and carbonation disappear quickly.
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