Sainsbury’s, Taste the difference, Blanc de Blanc, Chardonnay, Non Alcohol, Sparkling wine
Is wine really wine if there’s no alcohol? Well at 0.5% this does have alcohol, just. It’s really rather good, excellent I would say. Off dry, clean, crisp with peach notes and a soft creamy undertone it’s not a wine that screams 30kcal a glass. Could this be the next big sparkling wine? At £3.75 a bottle it’s well worth trying. Gold star from me.
Aldi, Castellore, Organic, Extra dry, Prosecco, Italy
Could Castellore, Organic Prosecco be thd one to buy, by the case? Yep it is. Yes it’s still Prosecco and from Aldi but it’s very impressive. Dry, clean, plenty of fiz with soft pear flavours and a hint of green apple. At under £5 a bottle, on offer, I wish I had bought more than 2 bottles. It’s like getting a Mazda mx5 for half price, excellent at double the price but awesome at under £5.
CoOp, Cava, Brut, NV, Spain
Cava is so under eated in the uk. It’s a great alternative to cheaper Champagnes and thus one from the CoOp is a great example. Clean, crisp and dry with fresh apple and pears flavours that last a long time. It’s a very solid silver medal Cava to me and at £6 a bottle fantastic value.
Waitrose, Prosecco, Italy
Its a Procecco under the Waitrose supermarket brand in the UK is the best description I can gave. Its very nice, flavour is pear, its light in a good way and not overly sweet. Its one of the better Prosecco’s I’ve tasted and at £8 worth trading up to from the £5-6 bottles you see in many supermarkets. Its like the new wave of Chinese electric cars coming to the UK, much better than many European cars especially at the cheaper end.
I much prefer Crémant’s to Champagne for their easier and fresher drinking style and this Crémant D’alsace from Aldi is a rather good example. Dry, fresh with notes of strawberry and raspberry. Its £10 at Aldi which makes this an easy choice. A step up from the usual Prosecco.
Veuve Ambal, Cremant de Bourgogne, Grande Cuvee NV, Burgundy, France
I like crémants because they tend to be fresh and vibrant, more fruit driven rather than toasty notes driven. This one from Veuve Ambal, Burgundy in a good example. Clean and fresh with citrus and just a hint of grapefruit it’s lovely to sip in the sun, watching the world drift by. At £30 a bottle it’s not cheap, more silver than gold, but worth trying.
Masia Bou, Brut Cava, NV, Spain
Cava is the new Prosecco for many in the UK Nd this Cava from Masia Bou shows why. Clean, fresh with decent aromas and flavours it delivers something a bit more than your usual Prosecco. It’s dry with high acidity. Lemon and sherbet come through but it’s light if a little tart on the back palette. At £11 a bottle it’s reasonable value too, worth a bottle for when friends pop over.
Freixenet, zero alcohol, Rosé sparkling, Spain
Low and none alcohol wines, beers and spirits have come a long way in recent years. Personally I prefer non alcohol beers. This on the other hand is not something I would drink again. On thd sweet side it has bubbles and a taste of something but nothing anyone could pin down. The best I could think of was the taste of sparking water, the taste of the carbonated process. Save the cash and go for a traditional fancy lemonade.
Villa Sandi, Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore, Millesimato, 2020, Italy
Another prosecco that delivers on being easy to drink with decent bubbles and taste. Green apple, melon, lemon, hints of honey and an undertone of minerals make it very enjoyable.
Bernard Massard, Cuvee de L’Ecusson, Brut NV, Luxembourg
This is a quality sparking wine from Bernard Massard located in Luxembourg and has freshness and zing after 10 years in our wine store. Theres softness and subtleness in the citrus flavours and a hint of butteriness, decent acidity and fine bubbles make this a pleasure to drink. At £20 a bottle its fair value and worth getting a few bottles in.