Waterbrook - Clean Chardonnay (750 ml)

Golden Delicious apple and honey on the nose, oak and vanilla on the finish. A dealcoholized Chardonnay with the aromatics put back in after the alcohol comes out.

Region: Healdsburg, California (per the bottle's own label)
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Sweetness: Off-Dry (16.9 g/L residual sugar)
Body: Medium

Key ingredients: Dealcoholized white wine, grape juice (grape juice concentrate, water), preservative (potassium sorbate/sodium benzoate blend, sulfur dioxide), natural flavors, tannins.

Good to know: Non-alcoholic, under 0.5% ABV. Gluten free. Contains sulfites. Made by Waterbrook, founded in 1984 in Washington's Walla Walla Valley. The alcohol comes out by thin-film vacuum distillation: the most volatile aromas are captured first as an "essence strip" and blended back in afterwards, which is why this still smells like Chardonnay. Like most alcohol-removed wine, it tends to run lower in calories than a traditional Chardonnay, since alcohol itself is a major source of a wine's calories.

How to enjoy: Serve cold in a white wine glass. Good with roast chicken, soft cheese, or anything off the grill. Refrigerate after opening and consume within 5 days; with no alcohol in it, there is less protecting it from the air. Want more depth: a dash of All The Bitter Orange Cardamom Bitters brings back some of the structure the alcohol would have given it. All The Bitter was started by two former French Laundry sommeliers.

Swizzle's Take: Plenty of alcohol-removed whites lose their smell along with their alcohol, and you notice the moment the glass comes up. This one keeps the apple and the oak, which is most of the reason to pour a Chardonnay in the first place.