I’ve often wondered about the utility of having decaffeinated coffee. Like, what is the point? Obviously, the category is a money-maker, and the demand is there. Which brings me to the non-alcoholic beverage category. You could almost pose the same question: What is the point?
A lot of folks are choosing to drink less. Pregnant women like to have NA options; designated drivers also do not want to just have a cranberry and soda; and those of us who take sober sabbaticals — you know, to make sure we don’t, ahem, have a problem.
The non-alcoholic options have always been lackluster at best. Not anymore. I have tried NA wine in the past, and it always fell flat, lacking acid and textural grip. That changed for me when I was introduced to Proxies, a non-alcoholic wine alternative. Though I have tried its reds and they are interesting, the white and rosé won me over.
The Blanc Slate straddles the fence between a Sauvignon Blanc and a skin-contact orange wine, while striking textural grip and citrusy balance that is delightful. The rosé doppelgänger, Pink Salt, has an intoxicating tropical aroma redolent of passion fruit and pink peppercorns. It’s dry and refreshing. You can find these gems at your local Sprouts grocery stores.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Athletic Brewing Co. In the beer category, AB hands-down wins the “Best NA Beer” category. Its Lite option is crisp, refreshing and actually tastes like beer – at only 25 calories. The Run Wild IPA would fool any beer snob: hoppy and not overly bitter. Cheers to no hangovers!
Proxies
drinkproxies.com
