To Not understand the purpose of alcohol free beer/wine/spirits

[MsJD]

I am almost as afraid of buying alcohol free beer/wine/spirits mistakenly as I am of putting diesel in my petrol car. Why would anyone buy alcohol free gin? If I dont want booze, I drink orange juice. Dont get it.

Soft drinks and fruit juice all taste too sweet and the diet versions full of sweetners taste vile.
AF beer is seriously refreshing and some of the AF wines are truly delicious.

It's just a shame that I can't find decent alcohol free wine anywhere...

I got a bottle of Sainsbury's AF red wine not too long ago which was rather good.

Yabu to not be able to consider the many, many reasons the alcohol free wine/beer/gin etc market is booming.

Some people actually like the taste of wine/beer/gin but don’t want the alcoholic element for whatever reason.

If anyone can point me towards a decent alcohol free merlot, I’d be grateful. Have yet to find one that doesn’t taste like a bottle of open for a week and corked horror.

Please tell me some good AF wines. I’ve been searching for ages! The sparkling whites are ok for a glass, I find the whites taste of appletiser, and the reds like ribena! Would love a great alternative.

AF beers are great though!

I'm pregnant and spent an hour this evening reading reviews of alcohol free wines, so would really appreciate some recommendations!

Yes, I would love a nice Bordeaux, but it needs that fermentation. They all taste of cheap ribena (not diluted!). I hate sweet drinks.

Natureo dry white or Bon Voyage sauvignon.

Sadly they are all crap. That’s what I missed the most. If you like white, some of the sparkling wines are ok, but they are all so sweet!! Even the ones that pretend they are dry! Tonic water was the best at the beginning, then I got sick of it. If you get a white, I’d add some soda water to it, that helped. When I had a craving, I’d just have a small (25ml) glass for a taste instead.

Asda do a nice sparkling Sauvignon blanc. It does taste a little … apple based? But it’s less sweet than others

I found naturo so sweet. I really think of men had to go 9m without wine then there would be a lot better alternatives!!!

Try non alcoholic white wine with tonic water added! It dulls the sweetness. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

Currently 36 weeks preg and sipping on a 0% Heineken because I simply miss the flavour!

I tried this too. Was ok, but it’s just a different drink. I guess it’s like enjoying a steak and having the best vegan alternative.

Having to say, I’m loving the way this thread has turned itself into a pro-alcohol-free recommendations!! Yay!!

I drink loads of af beer. I don't drink soft drinks because they're so sugary they coat my teeth and make me feel like crap, plus if you're out for a whole evening friends might have 3-4 drinks but you don't want that much lemonade orange juice!

There are plenty of beers where you'd really struggle to tell the difference from flavour alone. Great if you're driving or just don't want a hangover because your kids wake at 5am :)

Currently sitting here with my AF rhubarb gin and tonic. I think the reason I drink it is that I actually sit down and relax while I’m drinking it rather than chucking a glass of water down my neck whilst finishing up the housework!
I don’t necessarily want the alcohol, just the nice drink and the down time. Would love a good AF wine recommendation though!

I don’t touch those drinks,because I am a recovering alcoholic,sober 20years.I have seen many many people relapse on alcohol free drinks.But I think they are a brilliant substitute for alcohol if you are not an alcoholic.

@Kranke The only vaguely wine tasting one is M&S rose. It’s like very watered down wine rather than Schloer which I find the others taste off.

I always think how hard can it be. Pink grapefruit juice has a mouth filling sensation. Why can’t they add wine flavour to that ( or something).

Why do you think Gin manufacturers create AF Gin? Surely the fact that they do would alert you to the fact that enough people want it?
Why they do want it is a nice conundrum for you think about, while you evaluate your perfect life choices and consider that others have different needs from you!

Tried AF beer in pregnancy and discovered some that I prefer to real beer. So now I mostly drink that. It’s largely about the flavour for me, rather than the alcohol.

As PPs say, orange juice or lemonade is far too sweet to drink all night.

I buy it because I'm pregnant and when I'm at events where lots of people are drinking like parties or Christmas etc it's nice to be able to have a few glasses of bubbly too.

I will say that I've tried alcohol free rum (as I drank a lot of rum pre-pregnancy!) and it's awful. But the Prosecco & beers are quite good!

On long term medication ( probably lifetime) which means I can't drink alcohol.

I like the taste of gin and lagers and I'm sick to death of diet coke etc. Why shouldn't I have a drink I like the taste of.

Because some people enjoy the taste of the drinks, but may be driving, pregnant or just not like the effects of alcohol.

@Ukelele101 please tell me where you got rhubarb NA gin?

Several million Germans might disagree with you there.