No Alcohol? No Problem!

Hong Kong is an evolving wine market that today is still in the early stages of what, in a decade or so may become the largest consumer of wine in Asia, with (in my opinion) the younger generations, having had more exposure the alcohol than generations before them, taking the mantle and hopefully consuming more and more wine.

That though is some time away and so for now, people who either are unaccustomed to drinking alcohol or do not like to drink alcohol have limited options when it comes to celebrating specific times of the year. With the start of Chinese New Year just around the corner I thought we’d look at one product that is alcohol free and let people who want to party this new year have the option of this wine to bring the year of the snake in with.

I recently found that Rotkappchen, makers of arguably Germany’s finest sparkling wines and with a rich history and tradition for making sparkling wines, make an alcohol free sparkling Brut wine called Rotkappchen Alkoholfrei. So, we just had to give it a try and see what it was like and whether it was something we thought would be worth recommending to those who are not partial to alcoholic drinks.

Firstly the design of the bottle struck me as very nice as it is in a typical ‘champagne’ style bottle but the glass it’s made from is slightly frosted giving it a more youthful look and something that would stand out more were it placed on a shop shelf.

The wine itself is made up from de-alcoholised wine in a method that eliminates all but a minute amount of the alcohol from the product. The sparkling wine that is the end product comes from making it in exactly the same method as other sekt or champagne, but the end result is one with less than 0.5% alcohol – about as much as you find in “Jolly Shandy” and some fruit juices.

The taste of the wine is also actually very similar to the alcoholic version but it’s a little fruitier making it ideal for the novice ‘wine’ drinker and perfect for younger, female drinkers who want to enjoy a glass of bubbly without the side-effects of the alcohol. Personally, I thought it a very pleasant drink (obviously I’d rather have the alcoholic version!) and have nothing to complain about. The quality, fruitiness and bubbly and lively character of this wine makes it ideal for families who do not indulge in alcoholic beverages to have some fun at Chinese New Year.

I have to say I’ve tried a couple of non-alcoholic wines in recent weeks, all red wines and again from Germany. Here is where the failings in non-alcoholic wine are evident with the reds having a complete lack of structure and complexity – the worst I remember is Blue Nun Alcohol Free Red Wine! Fortunately, Rotkappchen have done an excellent job with this sparkling wine and it’s something that I think anyone can enjoy at any time, especially at this time of year where friends, family and celebration are the focal point of the holiday.

Rotkappchen Alkoholfrei is available from S&D German wines and can be bought on line at www.sd-germanwines.com/wines/type/sparkling or for more information you can contact them on info@sd-germanwines.com or (+852) 2117 8286