Dry January is here, and so is the annual tradition of companies making announcements about introducing new non-alcoholic wine brands to their portfolios.
Paso Robles-based Miller Family Wine Company is among the latest to announce its foray into connecting with the booze averse and sober curious, developing a new collection of non-alcoholic wines in collaboration with celebrity chef Cat Cora of Iron Chef Fame. Company executives said the new products are designed to address what they said was a dearth of non-alcoholic wine options among a sea of premium non-alcoholic spirit and beer offerings.
The new offerings include a Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Rosé. In addition to being bereft of alcohol, Hand on Heart claims it is lower in sugar, calories and carbs than most other zero- and low-alcohol beverages.
Available Jan. 1 and being promoted through various social media channels, the varietals are sourced from multiple California vineyards, Head Winemaker Johnathan Nagy said.
“We approach these just as we would any premium wine, and though the alcohol is extracted in these wines, they consistently and harmoniously highlight desirable characters and textures,” Nagy said.
The company chose to align its new brand with Cora, a chef who’s a health and wellness enthusiast.
“It’s vibrant, complex and food-friendly,” she said, giving the new brand her seal of approval.“
Miller’s other brands that include beverage alcohol include Butternut, J. Wilkes, optik, Ballard Lane, Smashberry, Barrel Burner and Volunteer.
The creation of the new products comes roughly a year after Acid League — a gourmet food company whose product lineup includes vinegars — released information about its wine proxies and introduced a “wine club” for folks seeking an alcohol-free adult beverage.
“There are plenty of non-alcoholic spirits and craft beers, but nobody is really addressing wine. Restaurants are limited to serving non-alcoholic cocktails with meals, but drinkers don’t typically have cocktails with their food — they have wine,” co-founder Scott Friedman told Vintner Magazine. “So instead of dealcoholized wine, we craft layered blends of juices, teas, spices, bitters, and more to create a new type of beverage that looks, feels and drinks like wine but doesn’t have alcohol. They have acidity, texture, tannin, and spice, and pair really well with food, just like traditional wine does.”
Last year, the lineup included three SKUs with characteristics intended to remind consumers of Cuvee, Sauvignon Blanc and orange wine similar to that which is enjoyed widely in the southern part of Spain.
The lineup has been expanded to create blended beverages that imitate a Gewurztraminer, a Rosé, and a Super Tuscan that are now offered direct to consumer through sampler packs on its website.
The trend has expanded beyond the U.S. borders. Stella Rosa, an Italian wine imported by California-based Riboli Family Estates has also thrown its hat in the non-alcoholic ring, announcing this week four new SKUs: Non-Alcoholic Black, Non-Alcoholic Red, Non-Alcoholic Peach, and Non-Alcoholic Rosé.
Each has a suggested retail price of $11.
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