Road test: Edenvale wine

NEW technology removes more than just alcohol from these otherwise conventional wines.

WHAT is it?

A range of "alcohol-removed" wines.

What's the point?
Hey, you don't need to get drunk to have a good time, Edenvale says, parroting your mum all those years ago. It's a fair point. But if you wanted grape juice without the alcohol, why not just drink grape juice?

How do they remove the alcohol?
It must be a trade secret. Edenvale will only say it involves a "revolutionary technology". And there we were thinking they just boil it off in bloody big vats.

What's the range?
Shiraz, Chardonnay and Sparkling Cuvee.

Tasting notes:
The shiraz smells like red wine but tastes like something you'd find in the bottom of a plastic cup at a kid's birthday party. The chardonnay is plain awful, thin and sour, like licking a Frenchman's forehead. The sparkling cuvee is rather nice: good colour, plenty of bubbles, with a crisp appley taste.

Anything else?
They have all the antioxidants of regular wine, but half the calories. They're cheap, too.

What to say:
"Oh, how thoughtful - I'm the designated driver."

Don't say:
"Zero alcohol, eh? Well I'm going to spit it into this bucket anyway."

Price: $8.49 per bottle, edenvale.com.au