Hi Smileys!
This week was particularly interesting as I came across something that I have never seen or heard before: Non-Alcoholic WIne! I have heard of non-alcoholic beer but never have seen this with wine. When I came across the bottle I decided that I would give it a try. So I went ahead and purchased a bottle of Fre Wine, White Zinfandel. The taste was very interesting in that you can taste the different fruit notes but then there is a third mysterious taste that seems familiar; but, I can’t quite place it. It almost tastes like alcohol but not so much. It reminded me of a wine cooler. The wine had aromas of strawberries and strawberry jell-o with palate notes of strawberries and raspberries.
So how is this possible?
Well, we know the basic wine making process consists of Sugar + Yeast —-> (Fermentation) = Alcohol.
Fre uses the traditional winemaking methods to make their wines; however, they gently remove the wine after the fermentation process is complete.
So, isn’t this the same as Juice?
No, juice is a lot sweeter because the grapes have not been fermented. Since these grapes have gone through the fermentation process, the sugar has been removed. Therefore; the wine is a lot less sweeter and still maintains the prominent characteristics that were preserved during the winemaking process. Also, this wine still contains less than 0.5% alcohol. For a frame of reference, this is the amount of alcohol in Kombucha (for those who drink Kombucha).
Pairing and Recipe:
I paired this wine with chopped steak and balsamic brussels sprouts and it was quite delicious.
Visit http://www.frewines.com for several mocktail recipes. But as you know adding Cranberry Juice and a spritz of lime juice will always My Go-To!
I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Comment below if you decide to give this wine a try.
XOXO, Smiling Danny
Salu’d
Smiling Danny 