Party season is around the corner, but that doesn’t have to mean overdoing the booze until we try to undo the excesses in Dry January.
If you’re avoiding alcohol, there are plenty of good alternatives to sparkling wine that still feel celebratory and make that great sound when you pop the cork. And, for once, we can toast to “our good health” and actually mean it.
The best non-alcoholic bubbly for 2024
Best alcohol-free prosecco
La Gioiosa sparkling alcohol free, £4.50
groceries.morrisons.com
£8.60
drydrinker.com
You may be familiar with La Gioiosa, one of Italy’s biggest prosecco producers. It’s based in Treviso, known as “prosecco country”. The brand’s non-alcoholic offering is made with the must of glera grapes (the freshly pressed juice, with the skins, seeds and stems). Glera is the grape used to make conventional prosecco, so those delicate notes of pear, apple, peach and white blossom can also be found in this glass of bright booze-free bubbles.
Best non-alcoholic sparkling rosé
Bolle Rosé, £19.99
bolledrinks.com
wisebartender.co.uk
This is the only non-alcoholic wine to go through a secondary fermentation, like a traditional sparkling wine, making it even more like the real deal. It, technically, has a wisp of alcohol, but at less than 0.5% ABV, it’s about the amount of a ripe banana. Dry on the palate, with fine bubbles and a long strawberries-and-cream finish, Bolle offers a convincing alternative to your celebratory bottle of bubbly.
Best for a party
Kylie Minogue alcohol free sparkling rosé, £5.49
thebottleclub.com
£6
tesco.com
Kylie’s strawberry-scented offering is among the most popular alcohol-free sparkling wines on the market and has driven more than half the growth of the whole category on its own. It looks the part, with its pretty heart-embossed bottle, and it acts the part, with its vibrant flavours and energetic sparkle. A dry mouthfeel, provided by the addition of green tea, balances out the sweetness and a tangy acidity makes it refreshing and moreish.
Best for a budget
Codorníu zero sparkling alcohol free wine, £5.50
ocado.com
£3.99
amazon.co.uk
Codorníu Zero isn’t the cheapest alcohol-free sparkling wine you can find, but it could be the best value for what you get. This dealcoholised wine made with airén grapes is from Spain’s oldest cava producer, Raventós Codorníu. It’s got the bubbles, the dryness and the acidity, and with flavours of green apples, melted butter and peaches, it does the trick with a bowl of salted nuts and a couple of slices of jamón.
Best additive-free
Oddbird Blanc de Blancs, £13.99
thealcoholfreeco.co.uk
£10.99
thewinereserve.co.uk
Oddbird, founded in 2013, is an industry pioneer that has a range of non-alcoholic wines to show for it. It works with traditional winemakers and believes that a quality alcohol-free wine starts as a quality wine first. Oddbird’s Blanc de Blancs is made from chardonnay and colombard grapes in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France, and it has a remarkably crisp and creamy texture. These wines are free from additives, which few alcohol-free wines can claim.
Best free-from option
Thomson & Scott Noughty dealcoholised sparkling chardonnay, £9.50
waitrose.com
£10
majestic.co.uk
Organic, vegan, halal, gluten-free, low-sugar, low-calorie and low-sulphite, Noughty is the most saintly non-alcoholic sparkling wine out there. It’s made like a conventional wine from chardonnay grapes grown in La Mancha, central Spain, and the alcohol is taken out afterwards. It’s delightfully frothy in the glass, with notes of lemon and a granny smith apple crunch.
Best for sauvignon blanc fans
Sidewood Nearly Naked sparkling low alcohol NV, £14.50
davywine.co.uk
This is a smart, almost alcohol-free (0.5%) sparkling wine from the Sidewood winery in Adelaide Hills, South Australia, made with sauvignon blanc grapes picked from its award-winning vineyards. The grapes are crushed and fermented, then the alcohol is removed using the spinning cone technique. It’s bone-dry on the palate with a persistent mousse and notes of lemon, blossom and meadow.
Best for cava lovers
¡H! Barcelona Hola alcohol free sparkling NV, £6.99
laithwaites.co.uk
£37.93 for six bottles
amazon.co.uk
As with cava, this Hola is made with Catalonia’s local grapes: macabeo, parellada and xarel-lo. The juice is fermented and carbonated, resulting in big, busy bubbles, alongside flavours of green apple and lime. The drink is definitely reminiscent of Spain’s favourite fizz – though it does have an edge of sweetness and a slight tropical character. At less than £7, this is great value, and the label looks pretty stylish, too.
Best for Christmas Day
French Bloom 0.0% Le Rosé, £35
fortnumandmason.com
£34
uk.frenchbloom.com
It may be the most spenny alcohol-free bubbly on the market but French Bloom feels special. It could be the fancy packaging or the fact the brand has champagne royalty, a Frèrejean-Taittinger, behind it, but it fits the bill for a celebratory occasion. The rosé version is made from organic chardonnay and pinot noir grapes, giving notes of fresh red berries and crisp pink lady apples. Fine bubbles provide a creamy texture and a pleasant, lingering finish.
Best for a midweek pop
Wednesday’s Domaine non-alcoholic Éclat Sparkling Wine, £18.99
delli.market
£19.95
drydrinker.com
Wednesday’s Domaine was created by a wine lover who wanted to save drinking for the weekends. With that in mind, the aim was to keep these alcohol-free wines as wine-like as possible. The Éclat started life as a verdejo from the La Mancha region of Spain, before being gently dealcoholised and held in a tank under pressure for 24 hours for the bubbles to form. It’s zippy and zesty and will ensure you’ll keep your zip and zest at least until the weekend.
Best for wellness geeks
Wild Life Botanicals Blush, £16
wildlifebotanicals.co.uk
£13.49
thealcoholfreeco.co.uk
The company’s hashtag #BubblesWithBenefits refers to the boatload of vitamins, minerals and botanicals in this effervescent elixir, including six B vitamins, vitamin C and zinc. Not to be confused with a breakfast health drink, it is wine dealcoholised to 0.5% ABV, and comes, like the others, in a champagne-shaped bottle ready to bring out for any occasion that requires fizz. The notes of refreshing rhubarb, wild strawberries and crab apples are reminiscent of the Cornish countryside, where it’s made.
Best with food
Wild Idol alcohol free 0.0% sparkling white, £30
ocado.com
£29.99
wildidol.com
Wild Idol has won over gastronomes with its naturally alcohol-free wines that are stocked in many top restaurants across the country, including Nobu and The Dorchester. This one is made at Kent-based winery Balfour with German grapes, and Wild Idol claims to use a “cleaner, less mechanised method” because it doesn’t have to remove the alcohol as the juice is never fermented. Technical stuff aside, the brand’s sparkling white has been praised for its perfumed aromatics, crisp fruity flavours and fine, long-lasting bubbles.
Sparkling teas
LA Brewery sparkling English blush kombucha, £9.50
thewinesociety.com
£8
ocado.com
Made in a B-corp-certified microbrewery in Suffolk, LA Brewery’s sparkling kombuchas are infused with blends of fruits, flowers and botanicals to enhance aromatics, texture and depth of flavour. The sparkling blush has been enhanced with hops, elderflower and rhubarb – all the lovely flavours of the English countryside.
Real Peony Blush non alcoholic sparkling tea, £11.50
waitrose.com
£9.50
amathusdrinks.com
The Real Drinks Co makes naturally fermented sparkling teas at its “Fermentery” on the Waddesdon Estate in Buckinghamshire, which you can visit. The award-winning Peony Blush, made using white peony tea, is a refreshing alternative to sparkling rosé, thanks to its mouthwatering acidity and notes of fresh summer berries.
Copenhagen organic sparkling tea Blå, £18.50
fortnumandmason.com
£17.99
fenwick.co.uk
This sparkling tea, developed by the award-winning Danish sommelier Jacob Kocemba, seems to be the expectant mother’s favourite cuppa. Made with 13 jasmine, white and Darjeeling tea blends, Blå is delicately aromatic and clean-tasting, with a fine tannic structure, helping it to pair with a multitude of foods, from cheese to salmon.
Sophia Longhi is a wine writer, judge and tastings host
