Drink of the Week: NON7 Wine Proxy

Last week, a colleague who loves to cook (and does so very well) invited me over for dinner, offering to make one of my favorite things from scratch: fried chicken sandwiches. Say less. I offered to bring a bottle of wine, but he reminded me that he’s not drinking at the moment. And because you never show up to a dinner party empty-handed, I searched for an alternative, finding just the ticket with a wine proxy called NON.

Australian entrepreneur Aaron Trotman partnered with chefs and sommeliers to create the aptly named NON, a line of no-alcohol wine proxies. (As opposed to a wine that is made traditionally and then dealcoholized, a wine proxy is crafted more like a tea or tisane using culinary ingredients to replicate the flavors and complexity of wine. We explored the NA wine category in this feature last year.) NON, a relatively new arrival to the U.S., currently makes seven varieties that use ingredients like caramelized pear, chamomile, kombu, and hibiscus.

The bottle I picked up, NON7, is inspired by a dry Lambrusco—lightly effervescent with juicy fruit flavors and a hint of spice. The proxy is made with stewed sour cherries, cold brew coffee, and spices such as nutmeg and garam masala. And while you wouldn’t necessarily mistake the end result for an actual wine, that’s not really the point. Instead, NON serves up an experience comparable to the enjoyment of a great wine—a beverage that’s balanced, complex, and perfectly suited to pouring alongside a homemade fried chicken sandwich. $30, us.non.world