It may seem a bit weird to you to go to the London Wine Fair to taste wine that’s alcohol-free, but if you want to know what’s happening in the drinks world, the no- and low-alcohol or nolo sector, as it’s chirpily called, is where much of the action is: “Forty-nine percent of UK adults are either not drinking any alcohol or are planning to cut down,” says Laura Willoughby of the campaigning group Club Soda. And, according to Lucky Saint, the leading alcohol-free beer brand, 7.9m adults took part in dry January this year, compared with 6.5m in 2021.
That said, you don’t really need to look at the stats – instead, just trust the evidence of your own eyes. Almost every deli, healthfood shop and cafe these days has shelves full of alcohol-free drinks. I found the raspberry and rosemary cordial in today’s pick at one of my locals, the Sunday General in Bristol, and it could happily do duty for a pinot noir.
