Is there such a thing as a good alcohol-free wine?

For those forgoing the virtuous annual kickstarter that is Dry January, disregard this article until, like me, you decide some time around February that it would probably have been a good idea. And for those currently knee-deep in it, let me shed some light on whatever the hell you’ve been drinking.

I’m getting more and more requests to recommend “good” non-alcoholic wine, the inference being that much of the stuff is, well, not good. I can see where they’re coming from. When the word harmonious is used to describe a wine, it means it has just the right amount of all its constituent parts – think of it as something completely spherical, with no rough edges or sharp angles jutting out. At the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), we drinks pros learn that this is a balance between the likes of alcohol, tannin, acidity, alcohol, flavour and sweetness. So, when you take out the alcohol, which brings body and that ever-so pleasing burn, you can be left with a drink that feels oversweet, with tannin and acidity, but no alcohol to give it that mouth-filling oomph.

There are several ways to remove alcohol from a wine, or to create something wine-like with a lower ABV. The first is dealcoholisation, and the most common approach being vacuum distillation – invented by Carl Jung (no, not that one) – which involves gently heating up a wine to 35-40C, so the alcohol evaporates and is then sucked out by a vacuum.

Another method is reverse osmosis, in which the wine is forced at high pressure through a large membrane. The smaller molecules (ethanol and water) pass through the filter, and this concoction, called the permeate, is distilled to separate the alcohol; the water is then mixed back into the original liquid. Then there’s the less common spinning cone method, in which the alcohol is ejected from the wine with – you guessed it – spinning cones.

After all of these procedures, the wine is “rebalanced” for taste and style, to account for any lost structure, aroma or flavour, and how well this is done determines how good the wine is. Creating a “good” non-alcoholic wine is no mean feat and, thanks to growing demand, new methods are constantly being developed or tweaked.

There is also the option to craft something that mimics wine. Blurred Vines, for example, a project I mentioned in last month’s Christmas wine guide, work with plant scientists and winemakers to blend berries, rare teas, botanicals and amino acids; one of their wines even uses jalepeño to ape the alcohol burn that is so missed in most non-alcoholic options. Alternatively, many of the new wave of sparkling tea blends have good tannic structure that satisfies my need for grip and structure in low-ABV tipples.

Or you could just have a glass of Schloer, though I don’t need the excuse of Dry January to crack open one of those bad boys.

Four nolo bottles that are well worth a try

Odd Bird Blanc de Blancs £14.53 (750ml) Dry Drinker, 0%. A blend of chardonnay and colombard, dealcoholised via vacuum distillation and matured in barrels for 12 months.

Torres Natureo 0% Rosé £6 (750ml) Ocado, 0%. A bright, acidic rosé made from cabernet sauvignon. Serve well chilled.

Moderato Merlot-Tannat Cuvée Révolutionnaire £13 (750ml) Club Soda, 0.5%. A thoughtfully made, juicy and rather well-structured French red.

Saicho Darjeeling £17.99 (750ml) The Whisky Exchange, 0%. A sparkling Himalayan black tea with pleasing tannic structure. It’s woody, and has real depth.