My Secret to Enjoying NA Wine
More than a year ago, when I made the decision to remove alcohol from my lifestyle, I knew I would miss wine the most. A big glass (or more!) of Cabernet Sauvignon or Petite Syrah in the evening and the warm, comforting feeling it gave me while relaxing after a long day, had become somewhat of a ritual. I soon learned that the ritual itself was what I craved, not the alcohol. I discovered, after much trial/error that I could recreate that experience using non-alcoholic (NA) wine and bitters.
In my opinion, the challenge with NA wines is that they don’t have the same “bite” that full alcohol wines do. Many of them also tend to taste like a very expensive grape juice. No thank you! With the help of Kris Patrick and Loren’s AF, I experimented with many different NA wines and eventually found some of my favorites.
The secret, I soon learned, lies in using All the Bitter, 0.00% bitters, to add back the acidity and “bite” to the wine. NA bitters also have positive health benefits aiding in supporting digestion, liver health and detoxification. All the Bitter offers multiple varieties of bitters but here are a few of my favorite pairings.
Noughty Syrah with 5-6 drops of All the Bitter Oak Aged New Orleans Bitters
- This is a limited release variety of bitters so when I don’t have that handy, the New Orleans bitters is a great substitute!
Plus Minus Pinot Grigio + 5-6 drops All the Bitter Lemon Verbena Bitters
- Again, another limited release variety of bitters but the Orange Bitters or the Lavender Bitters are good substitutes
If you have tried NA wine and were turned off by the fact that it simply did not resemble the wine you are familiar with, I highly encourage you to visit Loren’s and ask to sample either of the two combinations I’ve highlighted above, and see what you think. From there, you can begin your own journey of experimenting with different NA wines + All the Bitters to find the one that is most satisfying to you!
Audrey Schnelker
Carmel, Indiana
