Can California winemakers finally legitimize this flailing beverage?
By Jess Lander for SFChronicle.com
Nonalcoholic wines have an image problem. They have a reputation for tasting overly sweet and artificial, and not much like wine at all.
…
Blending is another helpful tool. Former Napa winemaker Alisa Jacobson, who recently launched her first dealcoholized wine from her Central Coast wine label Turning Tide, adds a touch of Viognier to her organic nonalcoholic Sauvignon Blanc ($20) for aromatics and mouth feel. Instead of relying on artificial additives to build the wine back up after dealcoholization — a common practice — Jacobson said she “tried to make the wine as big and aromatic as I could up front.” For Missing Thorn, Pott said he has put together an intriguing red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Teroldego, a lesser-known Italian grape, that likely wouldn’t work in conventional winemaking.
Jacobson and Pott said they were drawn into the nonalcoholic world by the challenge, but the premium wine industry remains hesitant to embrace these wines — even during a historic downturn in sales.
“As an industry, we can get very traditional and that can be one of our flaws. We need to come up with new ideas to get young people interested in wine,” Jacobson said. “I think this is a good way to do that. It’ll keep people drinking wine, and at the end of the day, that’s a good thing.”