A well-made product, but not quite rose
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Win Sparkling Rose, 84 points
Not every non-alcoholic wine is a winner, but that’s just one point of view. Lots of times, discussions over products are varied on quality and taste. There are only a few non-alcoholic wines out there that everyone universally loves. There are lots and lots of new non-alcoholic wines on the market, and our job is to try them all and provide scores and tasting notes so you can decide.
The Win line of non-alcoholic wines is produced in Spain and imported to Canada by Rival House. They have several products in both white and red styles. The nicest by far is their high-end Oak Barrel Aged Tempranillo, one of the first bottles of non-alcoholic red wine that could claim real tannins and worth the $30 price tag. The other styles aren’t as good.
The Win Sparkling Rose is new to Canada, and the first rose in their portfolio.
On the nose, there are notes of berry and fresh strawberry. Very pleasant and fresh, but with a slight tinge of chemical which is surprising for a dealcoholized wine made with a spinning cone.
On the palette, it’s mostly creamy strawberry notes with a hint of sun dried fruit and a lot of fun, sunny bubbles. It’s got a very creamy mouthfeel and there’s a nice tart finish, which redeems this a little.
Overall, this sparkling rose tastes more like a high-end sparkling grape juice rather than a wine. The character of the original fermented juice (pre-dealcoholization) has been lost and overpowered by unfermented juice added afterwards. The typical strawberry notes are overblown and sweet and it’s missing the sophistication of a true rose.
That being said, anyone familiar with Rotkäppchen dealcoholized wine found at grocery stores will know it’s more grape juice than wine, but it used to be a fair enough bottle to take to a picnic or a baby shower. There is a mindset to enjoying a juicy option like this, and if you approach it with the notion you’re not looking for an exact dupe of rose, it can be a really enjoyable experience.
This is actually a well-made product, even if it’s not quite like the other sparkling wines out there.
You will be able to order this soon through RivalHouse.com or if you’re in Toronto/GTA area, look for it on shelves at Summerhill Market or Organic Garage.
