Michael McWeeney<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOddbird got very mixed reactions. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis does kind of taste like champagne,\u201d said Associate Lifestyle Editor Fabiana Buontempo. \u201cIf you didn\u2019t give me any insight into this, I\u2019d be, like, yes, this is champagne.\u201d Sunday reporter Shane Galvin called it his \u201cfavorite of all of them.\u201d But investigative reporter Isabel Vincent countered, \u201cIt\u2019s just not champagne. I\u2019m sorry. If you gave it to me, like, at a bar, I would think that it was sort of the wine that had gone bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lifestyle reporter Marissa Matozzo and Photo Researcher Anissa Lorenzi Boukourizia both compared Oddbird to Martinelli\u2019s sparkling apple juice. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have enough of a kick for me,\u201d said Matozzo. \u201cIt\u2019s a little flat, kind of like sad soda.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boukourizia retorted, \u201cI feel like it\u2019s gonna give me acid reflux,\u201d while Fleming deadpanned: \u201cThis would pair very well with graham crackers.\u201d<\/p>\nAssociate Lifestyle Editor Fabiana Buontempo hoists a glass. Michael McWeeney<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBolle\u2019s Sparkling Ros\u00e9 delighted Buontempo, who called it \u201cdelicious,\u201d adding, \u201cI could see myself sipping it on a warm, 80-degree day. It\u2019s crisp, it\u2019s refreshing, very enjoyable.\u201d <\/p>\n
But it was blasted by an \u201coffended\u201d Eustachewich, who declared, \u201dIf somebody brought this to my party, I would kick them out.\u201d Galvin, expertly swirling and hoisting a mouthful, said it wasn\u2019t \u201cterrible\u201d but suggested to \u201cchristen a ship\u201d with it.<\/p>\n
French Bloom was \u201cforgettable\u201d to ros\u00e9 fan Matozzo, saying, \u201cThis doesn\u2019t satisfy my cravings for ros\u00e9.\u201d Underwhelmed Lorenzi Boukourizia pinged an artificial sweetener finish. \u201dIt tastes like sugar-free peach ring [candy], but a less cloying version of that.\u201d<\/p>\nLifestyle reporter Marissa Matozzo and Photo Researcher Anissa Lorenzi Boukourizia were less than impressed with some options. Michael McWeeney<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cIt tastes like dog piss,\u201d Eustachewich groaned of Society de la Rassi, \u201clike tomorrow\u2019s leftover apple juice found in your kid\u2019s sippy cup.\u201d\u00a0Vincent agreed that it reminded her of \u201capple juice that\u2019s gone off,\u201d adding, \u201cIt\u2019s not sparkling enough \u2026 It should have bubbles, but it doesn\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
St. Buena Vida, however, had more positive vibes.<\/p>\nGalvin takes a pour of Oddbird. Michael McWeeney<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nGalvin praised its \u201cfruitier sort of after-finish, sharper bubbles,\u201d calling it \u201cthe best dupe for wine.\u201d Lorenzi Boukourizia declared she was \u201ca big fan,\u201d and Matozzo called it \u201clight and breezy \u2026 elevated and elegant\u201d \u2014 summing up that it would be good for \u201ca sober beach day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Well, pop that cork then!<\/p>\n
The experts\u2019 take<\/h2>\n The expert wine connoisseurs aren\u2019t quite as tough critics as The Post staffers \u2014 but they still flag the NA industry\u2019s shortcomings.<\/p>\n
Sparkling and white wines seem best suited for nonalcoholic substitution, Highsmith suggested, but she admits that the still and red categories leave much to be desired.<\/p>\n\nData suggests that Gen Z is drinking alcohol far less than previous generations. Oddbird<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cRegular, still nonalcoholic wine does not taste like regular wine. We have some great ones, and Oddbird in particular makes a red wine that I think is fabulous, but if you taste it next to an alcoholic wine, I would be stupid to say that you couldn\u2019t tell the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Highsmith calls sparkling wine \u201ca wonderful gateway to the rest of the NA category,\u201d and Unger agrees.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you remove alcohol, you\u2019re taking away so much body. Bubbles can cover a multitude of sins and can really add that mouthfeel that is lost,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Highsmith notes that beyond flavor, sparkling wine \u2014 particularly champagne \u2014 is a symbol of celebration and connection that reflects what customers are really seeking in nonalcoholic beverages.<\/p>\n
\u201cRitual is actually what we\u2019re looking to invoke when we drink, not drunkenness,\u201d she told The Post. \u201cAnd there\u2019s no more well-known ritual than popping a bottle.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n