Everything you wanted to know about low, no and light wines but felt too silly to ask
You’ve spent years finding your favourite wines for every occasion, and now that you’re ready to drink differently, you don’t want to have to start from scratch again. On this page you’ll find honest answers to the most frequently asked questions about low/no wines and links to resources that help you dive deeper. And, of course, I’ll share a few of the low/no wines I’m loving at the moment so that you can start experimenting too.
Low/no wine isn’t an easy category to get right, but it’s well on its way to being something we can enjoy with more confidence and less compromise.
Why doesn’t non-alcoholic wine taste like regular wine — and is that ever going to change?
Honestly, because it’s a different drink. Alcohol in your glass does so much more than just get you drunk: it adds body, texture (mouthfeel) and finish. It also acts as a preservative, giving the wine time to sit and develop subtle flavour notes that are difficult to replicate in non-alcoholic wine production.
Producers are working very hard to bring back the classic wine notes that you love, but it’s a tough job. It takes time, money and lots of trial and error. We all hope that they’ll get there one day, but until then, focus on finding wine-time drinks that you can enjoy for what they are, instead of focusing on what’s missing.
Why do de-alcoholised reds tend to taste worse than whites or sparkling?
Red wine is a deep, complex, full-sensory experience. Its structure comes largely from extended skin contact during fermentation. Alcohol helps extract tannins, colour, and aroma, developing the wine into what you’ve come to know and expect.
When a red is de-alcoholised, the process strips away a lot of what holds the ‘wine scaffolding’ together, which white and sparkling wines have never had to rely on in the same way (rosé, of course, being somewhere in the middle).
What’s left can feel thin or watery and like it’s missing that familiar ‘punch’. Some of that can be replaced by sugars, but it’s a fine balance before your wine starts to taste too sweet.
Some brands are developing novel techniques that blend different types of wine at different stages of the de-alcoholisation process, but without the booze to hold it up, AF red wine can’t yet match the experience of a full-bodied Rioja.
Instead, stick to lighter varieties like Pinot Noirs where the difference may not feel so pronounced.
Is low/no wine actually alcohol-free, or does it still contain trace alcohol?
Alcohol-free drinks in the UK can contain no more than 0.05% alcohol – that’s one of the lowest thresholds in the world.
However, in countries like the US and others that we frequently import from, the terms alcohol-free or non-alcoholic (it varies by region) apply to drinks containing up to 0.5% alcohol (some up to 2.8%).
This is not enough to produce intoxication, so as long as you are not avoiding alcohol for a medical or religious reason, these trace amounts should not be a concern.
Light alcohol wines can contain anywhere from 1.2% to 7%, and so it’s best to check the labels to be sure you’re comfortable with what you’re drinking.
How much sugar is in low/no wine compared to full-strength?
Producers are getting better at recognising that we don’t just want the alcohol in our drinks to be replaced by sugar, but some bottles can still contain a sneakily high amount.
Generally, a dry full-strength red or white contains only a few grams of sugar per bottle, while sparkling wines vary considerably depending on whether they’re brut, dry or demi-sec.
Non-alcoholic wines vary even more. Current bottles on the UK market range from around 2g to more than 40g of sugar per bottle, with both still and sparkling wines appearing at either end of that scale.
The honest takeaway: the best low/no wines can come remarkably close to a dry full-strength wine. But many mainstream bottles still contain meaningfully more sugar, because producers use it to different degrees to rebuild body and balance.
If sugar content is important to you, the best thing to do is to check the individual label.
How long does it keep once opened, and does it need different storage from regular wine?
This is a good question. Alcohol-free wines do not have the privilege of alcohol’s protective effect. Once opened, treat these wines like any other non-alcoholic drink in your house. Store them in the fridge and consume within a few days.
They’ll also be more enjoyable when drunk sooner rather than later.
Why is alcohol-free wine sometimes more expensive than the “real” thing?
This is a big question with a big answer; read Why Do Alcohol-Free Drinks Cost So Much? for the deep dive into the costs of low/no drinks.
WONDERFUL WINES
Beer
Lucky Saint, Lemon, 0.5%
It’s fresh, crisp and not too sweet. Perfect for summer picknicking in the park.
Beer
Lucky Saint, Lemon, 0.5%
It’s fresh, crisp and not too sweet. Perfect for summer picknicking in the park.
Why these drinks?
These are all drinks I’ve personally tasted and enjoyed. Some were gifted, some were purchased, and some were stumbled upon by accident.
If you’ve found something amazing you think I should add, then I’m excited to hear about it; just drop me a line here.
And finally, some of these items may be affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may make a small commission that helps to keep the site going at no extra cost to you – thank you.
Got a question I haven’t answered? Search the main archive, or drop me an email and I’ll add it for you.
