AF white wine recommendations - Not sweet.
Discussion
Recently I've been trying a few AF white wines from Dry Drinker
I tried AF white wine years ago and it went down the sink. The wines I've recently had are well made and have a nice balance of fruit and acidty and are not unpleasant. They are clearly quite good wines before the alcohol is taken out and are a decent substitute for wine when taken with food. They are quite handy if you're trying to cut down and, although expensive, it's not difficult to take a glass or two and reseal and put back in the fridge. So by volume they are expensive but a bottle lasts longer.
However I don't think they'll ever get to be a true substitute like AF beers as alcohol is quite a significant part of the flavour (not in itself but drives volatiles into your nose) and textural profile of wine.
Fizzy ones are pretty good if that's your thing as the bubbles act as a textural disguise and CO2 also drives flavour and acidifies wine.
In contrast to beer where, in modern beer, hops are driving the flavour and there are plenty of good AF or 0.5% beers I'd take in preference to boggo alcoholic pilsners and IPAs.
I'd see them as a tool for breaking a habit or an alternative for a non drinker/driver than a like for like substitute.
ETA - I think I made the mistake of getting them fridge cold before daring to try them but as with most decent white wine the flavours do better a few degrees above fridge temperature.
I tried AF white wine years ago and it went down the sink. The wines I've recently had are well made and have a nice balance of fruit and acidty and are not unpleasant. They are clearly quite good wines before the alcohol is taken out and are a decent substitute for wine when taken with food. They are quite handy if you're trying to cut down and, although expensive, it's not difficult to take a glass or two and reseal and put back in the fridge. So by volume they are expensive but a bottle lasts longer.
However I don't think they'll ever get to be a true substitute like AF beers as alcohol is quite a significant part of the flavour (not in itself but drives volatiles into your nose) and textural profile of wine.
Fizzy ones are pretty good if that's your thing as the bubbles act as a textural disguise and CO2 also drives flavour and acidifies wine.
In contrast to beer where, in modern beer, hops are driving the flavour and there are plenty of good AF or 0.5% beers I'd take in preference to boggo alcoholic pilsners and IPAs.
I'd see them as a tool for breaking a habit or an alternative for a non drinker/driver than a like for like substitute.
ETA - I think I made the mistake of getting them fridge cold before daring to try them but as with most decent white wine the flavours do better a few degrees above fridge temperature.
Edited by oddman on Sunday 22 January 08:41
I would completely agree - go for a fizz, assuming you like fizz normally! my wife is currently pregnant and we got a few different AF sparkling in for Christmas most were actually better than expected but unmistakably AF and too sweet, however, Thompson and Scott Noughty was head and shoulders above the others, it’s based on a chardonnay too.
It won’t beat the real thing but it’s a genuinely passable substitute and would happily drink it as an alternative. It’s not too pricy either.
https://noughtyaf.com/products/noughty-alcohol-fre...
It won’t beat the real thing but it’s a genuinely passable substitute and would happily drink it as an alternative. It’s not too pricy either.
https://noughtyaf.com/products/noughty-alcohol-fre...
Edited by andy ted on Sunday 22 January 08:29
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