Thomson & Scott NOUGHTY Dealcoholized Sparkling Chardonnay (20cl)
£4.75
The wine
An elegant and pale non-alcoholic sparkling Chardonnay offering enticing aromas of crisp, ripe apple and pear. Beautifully balanced, with a touch of sweetness undercut by just the right amount of acidity. Organic, vegan and lower in sugar than most of its rivals. The 20cl bottle is exactly one glass, which suits the occasion rather well.
NOUGHTY begins as real wine, fully fermented, with the alcohol removed by low-temperature vacuum distillation so the aromatics survive. Organic, vegan and halal certified, and low in sugar. The 20cl piccolo is a single glass, and a sensible format for a wine of this kind.
The producer
Thomson & Scott
View all Thomson & Scott winesThomson & Scott was founded by Amanda Thomson, and NOUGHTY was launched in 2019 as an alcohol-free wine made properly rather than as an apology for one.
The distinction matters. Most low-alcohol drinks are built from grape juice and additives; NOUGHTY begins as real wine, fully fermented, and the alcohol is then removed by vacuum distillation at low temperature, which allows it to evaporate without cooking off the aromatics. The wines are organic, vegan and certified halal, and the sugar content is kept low, which is unusual in a category that often compensates for missing alcohol with sweetness.
The sparkling wines come from Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain, the still ones from the Coastal Region of South Africa. It has become the reference point in a category that barely existed a decade ago and now grows faster than almost any other part of the drinks trade.
