BLAH

That is how I feel!

It’s not really my way to respond in the manner I’m about to—or at least I’d like to think it’s not my way—but it’s been a hard day and I’ve been holding onto this since my birthday (yes, January 6 is unfortunately my birthday), so I’m just going to say it.

This is a bad take:

Or, rather, a bad headline. The take in the body of the San Francisco Chronicle piece isn’t all that bad: I, too, generally prefer alcohol-free beverages that aren't trying to taste like alcohol, and I said as much in last week's Sightlines newsletter. In my book, I write: "[M]aybe we’re doing these drinks a disservice by comparing them to cocktails. These don’t have alcohol in them, and ethanol behaves in a particular way, so they’re going to be different. And that’s okay!"

This doesn't mean, though, that I can't appreciate the successes of the beverages that are trying, and I find it hard to believe that, if this author really tasted through a number of alcohol-free wines on the market today, she found them all unworthy. If she did, I'm still disappointed by the tone of the piece (“faux wines, wannabe beers or sad virgin cocktails”). Imagine speaking to a city-wide readership this way! And consider that a good portion of the consumers of these types of beverages don't ever drink alcohol. After so many nights enjoying a "cold, crisp glass of fizzy water" that this writer finds "hard to beat," it gets boring.

There's been so much improvement in this area that's worth celebrating. Yes, the dealcoholization process strips wine of some texture, weight, and aroma, but technological advances are allowing for the retention of an increasing amount of the volatile compounds and complex flavor constituents that make drinking wine so pleasurable. When you taste these new and improved alcohol-free wines, you do get the sense that what you're experiencing has been unlocked by fermentation. That’s something for which I’m grateful, as someone who can no longer consume alcohol and enjoys complexity.

TL;DR I expect more from a paper of this caliber than to refer to an entire category of drinks as “gross.” The attitude is—to take a similarly unsophisticated approach—shitty.

Now to the important part: recommendations! I listed some of my favorites here back in August. Since then, I’ve tasted some new bottles and I would point you to Sapiens, both the sparkling rosé and the red—the first alcohol-free red I've enjoyed!—and I agree with FloFab about Chateau DelISH Sparkling Rosé and Wölffer Estate's Spring in a Bottle.

I wish ALT was available in the U.S., because it’s delightful, but you know what will be soon(ish)? Blurred Vines from the Three Spirit team. These aren’t dealcoholized wines; they’re built from a combination of juices, herbs, vinegars, and spices. My fiancé couldn’t shut up about the white, called Sharp—he kicked the whole bottle!—which he said "tasted like slightly salted English cucumbers with chili powder, but bright.” I preferred the red, Spark, which was bubbly, earthy, and tannic (I think there’s some black tea in the mix?), but also fruity. Totally friendly and crushable; I could see myself drinking it with dinner multiple nights a week.

Bottles (currently stored on my living room floor) that I’m excited to open: Studio Null, Lili (for which I just found out Han Suk Cho is a consultant), and chef Sean Brock’s collaboration with Acid League’s Wine Proxies. And there’s a lot of other non-wine stuff to talk about—soon!

Some recent press coverage:

• How to Host a Wedding if You're Sober, Brides

• Lots of thoughts about lots of things in this interview with Gloria. I liked it and hope you do, too.

• “A good host is prepared,” said I, in the New York Times. Tis true!

That’s all for now. Sending <3 and nothing gross.