The colour in my drink is a rich golden yellow. I raise the glass and breathe in the scent of ripe apples. My first sip tastes surprisingly dry, with a pronounced, stimulating acidity, followed by subtle tannins.
Although this sounds like a wine description, there is no wine in this glass. In fact, there is no alcohol at all.
Such scenes play out frequently for wine journalist Christoph Raffelt and sommelier Anne Tenschert, who run a podcast on alcohol-free drinks, which remain part of the world of fine wines.
“You have to let go of the expectation that it will taste like wine,” Raffelt says. Instead, it is about discovering new worlds of flavour.
Jennifer Kiessling, founder of The Mindful Drinking Club in Berlin, Germany, is a specialist retailer of non-alcoholic adult drinks. She sees a cultural shift happening.