Nine Elms No.18 Ruby Velven 70cl

“I think I read in some of their publicity materials that the makers wanted people to see this as something distinct from non-alcoholic wine, and flavour-wise, fair enough, it IS different. All the same, though, the perfect niche for this is certainly as an accompaniment to food where red wine would otherwise be. The makers have not only created a suitably complex flavour, but by also paying attention to body and mouthfeel, they've avoided the insipid, watery character that dealcoholised wine or n-a gin substitutes can have. On its own terms, I don't think the flavour reaches the level of interestingness that the best non-alcoholic aperitifs achieve, so I'm not that keen on the idea of putting this in cocktails. But then, who wants to drink an aperitif with dinner? Definitely agree with a previous reviewer that I look forward to offering this as an option at future dinners, and I hope the Nine Elms people have other good things coming up for us to try.”

Joshua Bassett