St. Regis non-alcoholic wines make inclusive holiday entertaining easy and affordable

This article is graciously sponsored by St. Regis Wines. All opinions are our own.

Many years ago, your holiday party hosting options were slim to none if you were a non-drinker or trying to find things to offer your non-drinking guests. You had your pick of sparkling water, sodas, sugary punch or caffeinated energy drinks but nothing delivering the taste, texture, sophistication and elegance of beer, wine and cocktails. Fast forward to the end of 2022 and anyone anywhere has their pick from hundreds of non alcoholic products to suit their taste and style.

With all the momentum in this category though, the main hurdle for most Canadians is accessibility. While anyone with a smartphone in an urban area can have a case of non-alcoholic sparkling wine delivered practically overnight, most Canadians trying to practise inclusive hospitality with non-alcoholic drinks have to either plan far ahead to get what they want or fall-back on the old stand-bys.

There might be some trepidation to try the non alcoholic wines offered at your local grocery store, because you may have already tried some and found most (but not all) are terrible. That’s why it came as a surprise to us too that one brand stands out from the others and that’s St. Regis wines.

St. Regis is a Quebec-based company, who produce their line of non alcoholic wines in Germany and bring them to Canada. Their current line of products has seven styles: Chardonnay, Cab Sauv and Rose flat wines, Brut and Secco sparkling wines and Kir Royale and Spritz as pre-mixed wine-based cocktails.

We first clued in to St. Regis back in the spring when an acquaintance mentioned her weekend non-alcoholic wine pick was always the St Regis Chardonnay. Her exact words were “It’s better than the other brands on the grocery shelf, and a reliable option for a Friday night or a relaxed family get-together.”

We tried it, and we have to agree. It’s a great middle-of-the-road option that’s pleasant tasting and most importantly, always accessible. It’s nice and crisp, if a bit fruity, but also has a little bit of acidity rare in lower-priced non-alcoholic wines.

The appealing aspect of St. Regis Wines, particularly now in a busy holiday season, is the accessible price point under $15 per bottle and its ease of access at any Loblaws, Metro, IGA or a number of other small grocery chains. When you’re planning a seasonal get together, there’s so little time to coordinate all the moving pieces, so being able to buy non-alcoholic wine while loading up your grocery cart is invaluable. You can also order St. Regis from Amazon Prime and Well.ca.

Of their entire line, our favourite product is the holiday-friendly Brut. Although it’s slightly on the sweeter side, it’s got a creamy texture and nice soft peachy notes and some light acidity. The bubbles are fun and it’s really enjoyable to drink. As a tasting note, we had it extremely cold which elevated the crispness you expect in a sparkling wine. Anyone can practise inclusive hospitality easily with a bottle of the St. Regis Brut on ice.

The Spritz is new to St. Regis and we think it’s a super fun and really party-friendly drink option. It’s a premixed Italian bitter spritz-style drink that comes in a wine bottle, perfect on its own over ice in a spritz glass. This makes it another easy option for holiday entertaining - just uncork it and pour it!

As the non-alcoholic drinks movement grows, so too does the number of Canadians who are cutting back on drinking either temporarily or permanently. The holidays create a lot of pressure to drink, and it can be tempting to forego healthy habits at this time of year. If you’re hosting a holiday party, chances are one or more people on your guest list are grappling with whether to drink or not. By grabbing some St Regis non-alcoholic wine for your grocery cart, it’s an easy way to practise inclusive hospitality, and set your holiday party up for success!