With the holidays also come holiday parties — at work, at friends or family, or perhaps at your own home — and that means stocking up on drinks. Wherever it is, it might be a good idea to have some non-alcoholic beverages on hand, because not everyone will necessarily feel like drinking alcohol.
Consumer Reports taste-tested non-alcoholic sparkling wines to find you the best substitute for those Champagne toasts.
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To find out which non-alcoholic sparkling wines are worth serving, CR enlisted 12 staffers to do a blind taste test. They tested eight de-alcoholized sparkling wines, which are made the same way as wine, but the alcohol is removed at the end; and two sparkling wine alternatives, which are blends of ingredients, like tea, herbs and fruit.
Testers evaluated each beverage for flavor, bubbliness and whether they would buy it for themselves. So, which ones did the testers like?
A hit with most of the testers was Vinada Tinteling Tempranillo Rosé, which they found to be refreshing and sweet, but not too sweet.
For fans of sweeter wines, the runner-up might be for you—Sutter Home’s Fre Alcohol-Removed Wine, Sparkling Brut.
And if you’re looking to not spend too much, testers found the more affordable Rondel Zero De-Alcoholized Sparkling Wine a great pick for a party, because it was found to be easy to drink.
While non-alcoholic beverages can be great alternatives, it’s important to keep expectations in check. Don’t expect the non-alcoholic versions to taste exactly the same as their counterparts, but they are getting quite close.
If you’re looking for some nonalcoholic cocktails, CR has some great recipes.
And whatever is your preferred beverage, raise a glass to a safe and wonderful new year!