Have an Alcohol Free Christmas with Eisberg Review
Reviewed by Jane Warwick
In a few short weeks we will be coming up to jolly time of year, packed with Christmas parties, free flowing alcohol and general merriment. But while a lot of people will be enjoying a tipple or three, not everybody likes to drink alcohol. But that doesn’t mean you have to be excluded from the fun of the parties or enjoying a glass with your Christmas dinner as there are plenty of alcohol free wines on the market, and Eisberg sent me a couple of theirs to try out.
The first bottle I received was the Eisberg Non-alcoholic Chardonnay.
The bottle arrived in a cardboard box packed inside an air bubbled plastic padding which protected the bottle well during transportation.
The bottle of Chardonnay was immediately put into the fridge, ready to be reviewed as it said to chill before use on the back label.
The bottle looks like a normal bottle of wine with a clear crisp orange and white front label mimicking successfully a wine label whilst clearly stating it is alcohol free. It also looked like a bottle of Chardonnay as the liquid was a yellow golden colour. Like wine bottles, on the label at the back of the bottle, it has the tastes you can expect from it “a hint of lemon, peach and soft vanilla”, together with what it goes best with such as chicken or salad dishes, but it also stated it is perfect on its own which I was keen to try out.
Having chilled the wine for several hours I opened the screw top and poured myself a glass. The first smells I received were very peachy and so I took a sip as I love a glass of Chardonnay which to my taste buds needs to be fairly dry but this tasted sweet, peachy and slightly citrusy, but I could not get the hint of vanilla. In my mind, this is more like drinking a fruit cordial bearing no resemblance to any Chardonnay that I have tasted, this was very disappointing. A shame that they have called this “Chardonnay” and I believe if they are going to keep this flavour and taste, the manufacturer needs to rename it to a wine that it resembles more. The concept is a good idea as when you are out with friends and family celebrating or having a meal it is nice to have something which looks like wine so someone can drink it without being questioned as to why they are not drinking anything alcoholic. However, to me, this bottle is really a posh version of a fruit cordial which is masquerading as a wine. I am not sure what the manufacturer is expecting as many people will only drink it once when they find it falls below their expectations. It could be used for a non-alcoholic spritzer, but I would use a bottle of tonic rather than lemonade to reduce the sweetness of the drink. The number of calories is low compared to a glass of Chardonnay as only 28 calories per 125ml so useful if you are dieting.
It is refreshing and easy to drink when thirsty but, in all honesty, I would prefer a glass of water if I am thirsty rather than this bottle of alcohol-free Chardonnay. If I had to rate this out of 5, unfortunately it would have to be 2.
The second bottle I received was the Eisberg Non-alcoholic Sparkling Blanc. Suitable for a Christmas gift or as a Christmas/New Year celebratory drink.
Again, the product arrived in a cardboard box inside air bubbled plastic padding which protected the bottle well during transportation.
The bottle of Sparkling Blanc was immediately put into the fridge, ready to be reviewed.
This looked like a bottle of sparkling wine with the wide cork and wire holding the cork in place along with the shape of the bottle and the colour of the wine, a light straw colour, very promising.
The label at the front of the bottle is clear and clean in looks. The manufacturer’s name and alcohol free in white on a green crisp looking background and further information such as the name of the product “Sparkling Blanc”, percentage of alcohol 0.0% together with made from quality wine with alcohol removed mainly in black on a white background.
On the back, there is another label with the normal nutrition data such as ingredients, dietary and nutritional information.
It has the special occasion feel as one opens the bottle holding the cork (having untied the wire), and gently twisting the bottle. A healthy “pop” is produced when the cork is removed, and the bubbles effervesced beautifully. A perfect head is produced as the wine is gently poured into the champagne flutes. When smelt immediately after the cork is removed there was a slight smell of sulphur dioxide, but this very quickly disappeared and normally not noticed when pouring into glasses, but I was keen to sniff it.
I was not sure what tastes I would get, and I was slightly nervous (having been disappointed by Eisberg non-alcoholic Chardonnay), so I took a small sip and rolled the liquid around my mouth. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not sweet as I was fearing and had more of a taste than some Proseccos and certainly tasted much better than some sparkling grape juices that I have tried. It was light (but not too light), and crisp, certainly a very drinkable non-alcoholic wine.
It is ideal for those unable or do not wish to drink alcohol for a number of reasons, whether for some celebration or a relaxing drink on holiday. It would also be ideal for a mocktail and would look identical to cocktails that others may be drinking. I would certainly have no qualms of drinking this if I needed to have a non-alcoholic wine particularly during a festive period when attending a number of events and do not wish to drink alcohol all the time.
Also, I was pleased unlike some soft drinks that it is fairly low in calories – 31 calories for a small glass of wine (125ml).
Recommend it? Yes, I would definitely recommend it to others. I think it is very reasonably priced with some promotional offers being £3 per bottle. If I had to rate this out of 5, I would give it a very healthy 5!
For more information and where to buy visit www.eisberg.co.uk.