If Dry July has passed you by (no rhyme intended), spare a thought for the makers of New Zealand's newest 0% alcohol wine, the Giesen family, who added another dealcoholised wine to their now growing range this week.

The new wine is the 0% Giesen Chardonnay (RRP $18.99) and its fortuitous timing, given that it taps neatly into the nerve of Dry July and a growing concern globally about the impact of alcohol on our health. Not that I am personally taking part in Dry July this year, aside from regular alcohol free days (AFDs). So to the million dollar question.

Does this new 0% alcohol Chardonnay taste any good? 

Tasting note 0% Chardonnay

17/20

Giesen 0% Chardonnay RRP $18.99

Dry, medium bodied with depth of flavour, moderate acidity and recognisably Chardonnayesque aromas of white peach, a touch of nectarine flesh here and a note of creamy mouthfeel. This is definitely Chardonnay, only without the alcohol. It is the most convincing zero alcohol Chardonnay that I have yet tasted and is good quality. 

Giesen chief winemaker, Duncan Shouler, has spear headed experimentation in the no-alcohol wine category, creating flavoursome, convincing, alcohol-free wines. This is the latest addition. 

Growth in zero alcohol wines

Giesen now produces 1.8 million litres of zero alcohol wine each year thanks to the company's 10,000 litre spinning cone, which removes alcohol from wine that is made the usual way up until entering the spinning cone.

The Giesen Group is also building an alcohol distillation column to distil the leftover alcohol from the spinning cone into ethanol, which will be used to fuel the boiler that powers the spinning cone. When this initiative is fully operational by the end of 2024, Giesen will have invested $7 million on no alcohol technology since 2020.