Zeronimo Sparkling Sauvignon Dealcoholized

Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald

DRY DRY DRY

The Heriber Bayer winery in Austria is known for its very high quality wines. I have never drunk an alcoholic wine from this winery and will never do so. But the idea and the quality standards behind the new Zeronimo brand made me curious.

With Zeronimo, the winemaker couple Katja Bernegger and Patrick Bayer are focussing on high-quality wines with little sugar. The aim is to preserve the pure flavour and character of the wine. Wines of the highest quality are used as base wines. The grapes for the Sparkling Sauvignon, a dealcoholised cuvée of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay, come from the renowned wine-growing region of Rust. The wine is then gently distilled under vacuum to remove the alcohol, and I tasted the Sparkling Sauvignon (see picture above) some time ago. I was surprised at how dry and at the same time fresh and sparkling a dealcoholised sparkling wine can be. The Sauvingnon Blanc was also one of the best in our very first podcast episode, in which I tasted some sparkling wine alternatives with Felicitas. The only downside is the price of €19.90.

There is now a follow-up in the range under the name Sparkling Select. It is still a cuvée made from Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay. This non-alcoholic sparkling wine also has an elegant interplay of flavours. The golden yellow colour is beautiful and the very fine and persistent perlage is even more beautiful. In contrast to many other alcohol-free sparkling wines that I have tasted so far, this one is really dry. Quince and a little peach on the nose. The really nice thing is the very fresh flavour with mineral notes. The finish is long and pleasant. For me, there is also a hint of almond, in contrast to the caramel described. But perceptions are always somewhat different.

The fine perlage already mentioned - there are 6 bars on the bottle - makes it even more sparkling, and I would definitely recommend this de-alcoholised sparkling wine as an accompaniment to a meal. The dry notes go well with green, fresh flavours. I had the impression that the drink adapts well. I would avoid overly acidic dishes. But I've already thought about that and created a delicious recipe, just click here. Friends of dry, non-alcoholic sparkling wines who are not afraid of the investment will definitely get their money's worth. Always have it in the fridge for special dishes and occasions! Available from alkoholfreies-vom-winzer or directly from Heribert Bayer.

Cheers!