# Has anyone tried those alcohol-removed wines? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** wine\ **Created:** [March 31, 2025, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-tried-those-alcohol-removed-wines/1016424 "2025-03-31T21:34:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2025, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-tried-those-alcohol-removed-wines/1016424/1 "2025-03-31T21:34:20Z")
I like to cook with wine, but don’t like to keep alcohol in the house. How about those alcohol-removed wines like I’ve been seeing lately at the market? Do they taste like wine, or are they just grape juice? Additionally, if I bought some and kept it open in the fridge for recipes, would it go on to ferment anyway? ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2025, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-tried-those-alcohol-removed-wines/1016424/2 "2025-04-07T02:25:16Z")
well, they come both “flat” and sparkling, i’ve tried both and not bad, without the body of real wine or tannic taste. Don’t know about fermentation ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2025, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-tried-those-alcohol-removed-wines/1016424/3 "2025-04-07T11:57:19Z")
I can only give you a somewhat generic second hand answer, but it’s a data point/anecdote at least. A friend of mine gave up alcohol for lent. We were at a restaurant recently, and they had both red and white non-alcoholic choices available. She had eaten there once before and had a sample of the white in anticipation of this, and thought it was good. This particular evening, she ordered something that called for a red wine. So tried the non-alcoholic red, but did not like it. So she fell back on the white based on her previous taste. Turns out, after more than just a sampler size, she didn’t like that either. Her conclusion for those particular wines was that they might be ok in very small quantities, but not as a whole glass. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2025, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-tried-those-alcohol-removed-wines/1016424/4 "2025-04-08T01:51:32Z")
I had a bottle at a fancy restaurant long ago (can’t remember why I ordered it). It tasted like the most delicious grape juice ever, but not like wine. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2025, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-tried-those-alcohol-removed-wines/1016424/5 "2025-04-08T02:00:38Z")
A very minor point about using alcohol-removed wines in _cooking_. Some flavors are alcohol-soluble - if your dish is depending upon such an interaction, it’s final flavor could be compromised by the change. I _seriously_ doubt it would be a major issue, just a very minor one in terms of perhaps needing some extra intensity to make up for the lack. > **[Fat-Soluble, Water-Soluble, and Alcohol-Soluble Ingredients: What's the...](https://www.allrecipes.com/article/fat-soluble-water-soluble-alcohol-soluble-ingredients-whats-the-difference/)** > > And more importantly, what does it matter? NOTE - not everyone agrees that this is the case, and again, it’s a very, Very minor issue IMHO, but figured I’d bring it up since the OP talks specifically about _cooking_ with wine.