Why Non-Alcoholic Wine Still Has a Long Way to Go (And Why We Barely Sell It)

Non-alcoholic wine is, for the most part, a disappointment. While the non-alcoholic beer world has flourished with incredible options that taste remarkably close to the real thing, non-alcoholic wine often feels like a hollow imitation. The difference is stark, and there’s a good reason for it—removing alcohol from beer and wine affects them very differently.

At Designated Drinks, we’re all about offering the best non-alcoholic options, but when it comes to wine, we’ve only found one that’s good enough to sell. If you’re curious, you can check it out here. Beyond that? Let’s just say we’re still waiting for wine to catch up.

The Science of What’s Missing

Why Non-Alcoholic Beer Works

Non-alcoholic beer has a big advantage: alcohol makes up only about 5% of a typical beer. When brewers remove alcohol, they’re only altering a small portion of the drink. This means the beer retains much of its flavor, texture, and body. Ingredients like hops, malt, yeast, and carbonation naturally provide complexity, so even without alcohol, a good non-alcoholic beer can still be rich, balanced, and satisfying.

Why Non-Alcoholic Wine Struggles

Wine, on the other hand, faces a much steeper challenge. Alcohol accounts for around 12-14% of most wines, which means dealcoholizing wine requires removing a significant portion of what gives it its body and depth. Alcohol is a key carrier of flavor compounds and plays a crucial role in balancing tannins, acidity, and sweetness. Without it, wine often becomes thin, overly sweet, or flat.

Imagine taking 14% of a wine’s structure away—it’s like removing the foundation of a house. What’s left behind just doesn’t hold up.

Dealcoholization: The Double-Edged Sword

The methods used to remove alcohol from wine don’t help matters. Whether it’s vacuum distillation, reverse osmosis, or spinning cone technology, these processes often strip out more than just alcohol—they take delicate flavors and aromas with them.

Winemakers try to compensate by adding sugar, fruit juice, or carbonation, but these quick fixes usually backfire, resulting in drinks that taste more like grape soda than wine.

In contrast, beer’s natural ingredients—like hops and malt—are bold enough to withstand the dealcoholization process, allowing brewers to preserve much of the original flavor.

Why We Barely Sell Non-Alcoholic Wine

At Designated Drinks, we have a simple rule: if it’s not good enough, we don’t sell it. And frankly, most non-alcoholic wines just don’t make the cut.

We’ve tasted dozens of options, and so far, we’ve only found one that we think is worth offering. If you’re curious, you can check it out here. It’s a decent option for those who really want non-alcoholic wine, but even this one isn’t perfect—it’s just the best of a not-so-great category.

The reality is, we’d rather offer a small selection of truly excellent products than fill our shelves with subpar options. That’s why our wine section remains limited, and we’re okay with that—for now.

Non-Alcoholic Wine Has Potential (But It’s Not There Yet)

Despite its flaws, we believe non-alcoholic wine has room to grow. The advancements in non-alcoholic beer have shown what’s possible when producers invest in innovation and commit to creating high-quality products. If the wine industry follows suit, we could see a new wave of non-alcoholic wines that actually deliver on taste, balance, and complexity.

But until that happens, we’re sticking to what we know is good: non-alcoholic beers and mocktails that exceed expectations and redefine what zero-proof drinks can be.

Final Thoughts: Why Non-Alcoholic Wine Still Sucks

The biggest hurdle for non-alcoholic wine is the sheer amount of alcohol that needs to be removed. Taking out 12-14% of a wine while preserving its flavor is a massive challenge, and most current options fall flat.

Non-alcoholic beer has set the bar high, proving that zero-proof doesn’t have to mean zero flavor. Non-alcoholic wine, on the other hand, still feels like it’s stuck in the starting blocks. We’re rooting for it, but until it catches up, we’ll keep offering the best of what’s out there—and being honest about what’s not worth your time.

If you’ve found a non-alcoholic wine you love, let us know. We’re always on the lookout for something that changes the game. But until then, we’ll be pouring our energy (and your glasses) into what we know is great. Cheers to that!