Ariel Dealcoholised Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 review

One of the few dealcoholised wines that actually come close to tasting like wine – even with less than 0.5% alcohol. Made with a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon wine that has been put through a cold filtration system to remove the alcohol – a system that can also be used to desalinate sea water and remove the caffeine from coffee. The result leaves the wine still looking a wine colour, with its deep red hue, and smelling like wine with sweet blackcurrant aromas with a dash of Cheshire cheese. The flavour is initially sweet blackcurrant with some cocoa dryness but then some distinct citric acid creeps in at the end. Not unpleasant with its sweet-sour flavour. It is rather thin of body but then you’d expect that as the usual method of adding body – the alcohol – is no longer there. And as alcohol acts as a preservative then the lack means that this beverage should be drunk within one year of purchase – it even has a Best Before date on the label.