As a drinks writer with a particular love of wine, the concept of abstinence is challenging. I prefer the “all year round, in moderation” approach, but a recent health kick and three-month hiatus from all things boozy opened my eyes to the world of NoLo (no alcohol, low alcohol).

Not so long ago, the “no” in NoLo could have been attributed to a lack of flavour and texture. But what was once a flimsy, tasteless offering for designated drivers is a booming and exciting scene that continues to evolve at a rate that surprises almost every pundit. Shelves full of non-alc alternatives take pride of place at traditional liquor stores, and non-alcoholic bottle shops are popping up across the nation. The boom shows no sign of slowing down.

The growth in the category was captured by the IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, which found Australia was among the countries where the growth of no-alcohol and low-alcohol beer consumption was projected to be among the highest over the next four years.

According to a report by NielsenIQ Research, there was a 315 per cent year-on-year increase in online sales of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol alternatives in 2021.

Distilleries and breweries are at the forefront of flavour combinations and experimentation, and high-end bars and restaurants across Australia are in on the action, too.

It is now customary to see non-alcoholic drink pairings alongside traditional wine and food options. Mocktails are presented with as much care and creativity as their classic counterparts, and what was once an afterthought is now a priority.

While non-alc wine has a long way to go (many still lack weight and texture), a great deal of research and funding is going into wine de-alcoholisation technology.

Fine wine and hospitality consultant and winemaker Marcell Kustos was part of the team that drove Adelaide’s Restaurant Botanic’s imaginative temperance drinks menu. He believes the NoLo future is bright, so long as care goes into the production process.

“The main challenge for NoLo drinks is to create punchy flavours and interesting textures without alcoholic fermentation involved,” Kustos says. “I think artisanal beverages that stand at the intersection of winemaking, cooking and mixology offer intriguing alternatives to full-strength drinks.”

As quality increases, the world of beverages is better off for it. I now give the non-alc drinks as much attention as the boozy options. Embrace moderation and give these hangover-free beverages a try – not just during July but all year round.

Wine and wine alternatives

SPARKLING

TOP PICK NON6 Tomato, Water and Basil, Melbourne, Vic, $30

You cannot go wrong with the inspired and boundary-pushing concoctions of Melbourne’s NON, including the raspberry and camomile sparkling (NON1). But if you spot NON6 out in the wild, snap it up. It’s like a Bloody Mary in a bottle. The mind-blowing mix of roasted peppers, tomatoes, basil, celery seed, coriander seed, Murray River salt and verjuice is best served chilled and delivers layers of umami goodness. non.world

Monceau Blood Orange Non-Alc Pet Nat, Melbourne, Vic, from $15
Put on your fun pants, this is all bang with no booze. Craft brewery Monceau produces top-notch sparkling wine alternatives using organic ingredients. This is made with blood oranges from South Australia’s Riverland. The rest of the range changes with the seasons and is worth exploring, too. monceau.com.au

Barossa Wine Cartel 2023 No, No. Sparkling White, SA, $20
Winemaker Josh Pfeiffer knows his stuff. He made this non-alc sparkling using fruit from 50-year-old semillon vines in the Barossa’s Vine Vale, plus some 50-year-old, dry-grown riesling from nearby Greenock. The early picked grape juice was made into verjuice, to which Pfeiffer added Adelaide Hills Spring Water, Murray River salt and camomile. It’s a great example of imagination and layering of ingredients to create texture and intrigue. barossawinecartel.com

Pure Vision Zero Sparkling, Adelaide, SA, $20
There’s a lot to love here. When the Carypidis family added a Zero Range to their wine brand, it was a continuation of their certified organic approach. They use a controlled vacuum and temperature control process to gently separate and concentrate the aroma fraction from the wine and then gently remove the alcohol. The sparkling chardonnay should take pride of place on your dinner table in place of prosecco. purevisionwines.com.au

Sidewood ‘Nearly Naked’ Zero-Alcohol NV Sparkling, SA, $22
Dare I say it, as good as the real deal, largely because the fizz is made using Sidewood’s de-alcoholised Adelaide Hills wine, rather than blending grape juice with additives. Layers of lemon and brioche make this an elegant option for discerning drinkers. Bravo. sidewood.com.au

Polka De-Alcoholic Sparkling, SA, $19.95
A pal with a baby in her belly first flagged this non-alcoholic sparkling wine with me. It’s good. Very good. More than 10 white grape varietals and native botanical lilly pilly went into the mix. They do a Davidson plum sparkling, too. polkadrops.com.au

STILL WINE

The search for great red wine, sans alcohol, is a struggle. It’s got a long way to go and for now, I’d rather reach for sparkling water with a dash of lemon. The good news is, things can only get better. Until then, these drops provide some hope for the future.

Ghiddy Vermentino, NSW, $27

A white wine alternative with bite. The creative cats at Ghiddy crafted this beauty using filtered water, pineapple, honeydew melon, verjuice, agave, vinegar, lemon, lemon balm, camomile, and sea salt. It’s a banger. Chill it and serve with seafood. ghiddy.com.au

Ariel Cabernet Sauv, US, $17.25

Friend and respected wine industry photographer Milton Wordley recently embarked on an exploration of zero-alc wine and after extensive sampling, rates this as his top still red. It’s all the way from California’s Paso Robles, where Ariel Vineyards makes award-winning de-alcoholised drops. Wordley is on the money. The medium-bodied red has guts and is surprisingly good with pizza. Find it locally via the likes of clearmind.com.au

Giesen 0% New Zealand Merlot, NZ, from $15

An easy-drinking, affordable red available at your local bottle-o. The slight herbaceous edge makes it stand out from the crowd. Find it on special at Woolies for as little as $15. woolworths.com.au

Triple Creek Winery B1654 2021 Non-Alcoholic Shiraz, SA, from $19

Praise be for a de-alcoholised shiraz with dark fruit flavours, a lick of oak and green tea-like characters. It was made in the Barossa by Dorham Pfeiffer, whose father worked for Penfolds. Pfeiffer was involved in the development of the Spinning Cone technology used in the production of low- or reduced-alcohol wines. The Triple Creek B1654 Chardonnay is worth a gander, too. freespiritdrinkco.com.au, anadrinks.com.au

WILD CARD

Ziggy’s Wild Foods Native Raspberry & Smoked Peach Cocktail Shrub, NSW, $20

What is a shrub? Put simply, it’s an age-old (think 17th-century) form of a mixer combining fermented plants, a sweetener and vinegar. Award-winning Ziggy’s Wild Food draws inspiration from Mother Nature and this wild fruit-packed pearler was made using Australian native raspberries (Rubus probus, from the mid-north coast of NSW, to be exact). It’s zingy and great with soda or ginger beer and fresh fruit. ziggyswildfoods.com.au

SPIRITS

Four Pillars Bandwagon Dry, Healesville, Vic, $50
The team at Four Pillars put in two years of blood, sweat and tears before releasing their zero-alc Bandwagon. They’re serious about gin and have a stellar reputation, so they weren’t willing to cut corners on flavours and aromas. The use of shiraz juice adds weight to the palate and with tonic, this bad boy really sings. The purple tinge is nice, too. fourpillarsgin.com

Banks Botanicals Crafted Non-Alcoholic Spirit, Yarra Valley, Vic, $49.99
There’s a lot to love about the organic, double whammy of wattleseed and wild Tasmanian pepperberry here. Add the Banks Herbarium & Pink Grapefruit Tonic ($19.95/four-pack) to the combo for an utterly “aha!” moment. banksbotanicals.com

The Gospel Responsible Rye Non-Alcoholic Whiskey, Melbourne, Vic, $46
It’s a tough ask to impress whiskey aficionados with anything but the real deal but this is a decent effort by Ben Bowles and Andrew Fitzgerald’s Melbourne distillery. The flavours are there – just in more timid form. Best mixed with ginger ale and a slice of orange. thegospelwhiskey.com

Lyre’s Dry Martini Set, $89.98
Sometimes you just want a dry martini. Look no further than Lyre’s. A lot of thought goes into these zero-alc spirit alternatives and you get what you pay for on the flavour front. This pack pairs Lyre’s Dry London Spirit with Aperitif Dry. Go on, have a few. No hangovers here. lyres.com.au

PREMIXED DRINKS

Yes You Can Pride Peach Bellini, from $49.50/12 cans
I’ve been banging on about the Yes You Can alcohol-free range for a while now. They’re a go-to in my household; the spritzes are fantastic. The limited-edition Yas You Can Pride Peach Bellini is pure joy, from the rainbow exterior to the peach and botanical explosion across the palate. Grab it while you can. Ten per cent of sales go to ACON, which supports people living with HIV. yesyoucandrinks.com

ALTD Spirits An-marabula Native Peach Bellini, $25/four-pack
Act fast to get your mitts on this limited-edition collaboration with Indigenous bush foods specialist Kakadu Kitchen. ALTD Spirits founder Tim Triggs gave up alcohol in 2016 for what was meant to be six months but hasn’t returned to it since. With bevvies like this at hand, it’s no wonder. The debut run puts a spotlight on an-marabula (aka the Kakadu native peach) and is limited to 300 cases. altdspirits.com

Naked Life Spiced Caribbean, Vic, from $5/can
The problem with many RTDs – alcoholic or otherwise – is they’re full of artificial flavours and are just too sweet. This spicy humdinger was made using distilled botanicals and sits on just the right side of sweet. Bang some dry ginger ale and lime in the mix, close your eyes and think of exotic faraway locations. Find the individual cans at the likes of First Choice Liquor. nakedlifespirits.com.au

Awesome Source Non-Alcoholic Gin & Tonic, $59/eight bottles
There’s a lot to love here. Flavour: tick. Zero-alc: tick. All natural: tick. awesomesource.co

Crodino Aperitivo Non Alcolico, $20.99/four-pack
An aperitivo with punch but none of the morning-after cobwebs. This is a full-frontal sensory assault and I’m all for it. Citrus, spice, herbs, and lashings of Italian charm dating back to 1965. Serve it on ice with a slice of orange. Find it at Dan Murphy’s and beverage merchants nationwide. crodino.com

TOP TIP

Wow guests at your next dinner party with a cocktail made using the Banks Botanicals creations topped with garnishes by the native ingredient gurus at Warndu. Founders Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard are the authors of First Nations Food Companion and they create a number of inspired Warndu freeze-dried fruit packs, which pair beautifully with non-alc drops. Think dried Davidson plum, finger lime and pepperberries. I’m obsessed. So easy, so impressive. $40/pack, warndu.com

BEER

TOP PICK

Heaps Normal Coffee Run Non-Alcoholic Stout, NSW, $15/four-pack, $74.99/case
Discerning beer consumers know that Sydney’s Heaps Normal deliver the goods in their XPA, classic lager and Half Day Hazy Pale Ale. Winter, however, calls for stout and this cockle-warming, brain-buzzing, special release was a collaboration with Newcastle’s Floozy Coffee. Like any good stout, it’s a meal in a drink. The caffeine hit makes it a worthy breakfast option, too. heapsnormal.com

NORT Refreshing Ale, Newcastle, NSW, $13.99/six-pack, $52/case
If you’re not careful, lofty phrases and clever packaging in the drinks industry can reel you in like a snapper short on luck. NORT’s Refreshing Ale does exactly what it says on the can: refresh. It’s also low in kilojoules, all but sugar-free, and brewed using 100 per cent green energy. Founder Jaz Wearin came up with the idea for a decent alcohol-free beer while she was pregnant and also makes a Tropical XPA, an All Day IPA and a Pacific Ale. nort.beer

Hop Nation Opening Doors Non-Alc Hazy Pale Ale, Vic, $17/four-pack
Melbourne craft brewery Hop Nation’s Opening Doors Non-Alc Hazy Pale Ale and No Fool Non-Alc Raspberry Sour are my gardening go-tos. With a few under your belt, you can still prune roses without losing digits. Their Mind Ya Head Non-Alc XPA ($15/four-pack) was awarded Australia’s number one Non-Alc Beer in the 2022 Australian International Beer Awards. Try them all as a mixed six-pack for $25. Bargain. hopnation.com.au

Sobah Lemon Aspen Pilsner, Burleigh Heads, QLD, $18/four-pack
Not your average brew. Sobah’s spread of chemical and preservative-free bevs channel bush tucker vibes and promote First Nations’ culture, arts, language, and history. It’s sober done right. sobah.com.au

James Squire Zero, $15.49/six-pack
“There is no way known to mankind that I would even entertain the thought of trying a non-alcoholic beer.” Anyone else have the same attitude as my blunt father? Slip them a James Squire Zero or a Coopers Birell Ultra Light ($9.69 at Dan Murphy’s) and see what unfolds. If nothing else, it’s a great experiment. jamessquire.com.au