Review: Non-Alcoholic Wines from French Bloom

Non-alcoholic wine can still feel like an immense leap of faith. It’s a perpetual trust-fall exercise, hoping whoever is on the other side bottling the stuff actually cares that it tastes like something in the same postal code as the alcohol-filled alternative. Enter French Bloom, a venture co-founded by ex-Michelin guide director Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger and model Constance Jablonski, arriving with a pair of options timed almost with precision to the entire grueling holiday gauntlet, and the inevitable cleansing of Dry January. They are also the official non-alcoholic sparkling wine of Formula 1, a sport whose relationship to sobriety seems complicated by the customary champagne showers in the winner’s circle.

NV French Bloom Le Rosé – Filled with rose petal and red berry character, followed by notes of guava and white peach on the palate. There’s a curious blend of white tea and rhubarb lingering on the finish, providing a tart pinch as it fades. The mouthfeel is about as close to bubbly as it can get, though. A nice Sunday brunch accompaniment, especially when served with a sliced strawberry as garnish. B+ / $44

NV French Bloom Le Blanc – There’s some complexity working here: nuts, Granny Smith apple, a little honey, and an oxidative thing happening, reading as intentional rather than a bottle gone rogue. The palate leans into apple crumble territory, but the middle sags the way anything missing non-alcoholic tends to sag, as a tent with one pole pulled. It finishes quite tart with a touch of lemon zest, propped up entirely by acid doing the heavy lifting alcohol usually handles. B+ / $39

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