elevate your dry january experience with these 8 alcohol free wines

More and more drinkers are doing Dry January, and the alternatives out there are better than they have ever been. Having said that, there are still plenty of No-Low drinks that will fool you into thinking they’re all just as dreary and nothing-y as that one was – particularly when it comes to wine.

Nonetheless, just as there are many underwhelming wines, there are some absolute gems at the other end of the spectrum. These wines are not in the business of compromise. And for well under £10, they’re also incredible value. In fact, they’re appealing enough to make Dry January a breeze.

The Best Non-Alcohol Rosé Wine

Not Guilty Alcohol Free Rosé Wine

This fun bottle doesn’t make the cardinal sin of being too sweet, which is something that seems to ruin some alcohol-free Rosés. There are subtle red berry flavours, tartness, and an alluring lightness that makes for relaxed easy drinking. It really is wonderful value for the runner up at the 2023 World Alcohol-Free Awards.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 0%
Find here: £4.50 (usually more!)

The Best Non-Alcohol Sparkling Rosé Wine

Oddbird Sparkling Rosé

oddbird elevate your dry january experience with these 8 alcohol free wines

If you’ve been into No-Lo wines for a while, then chances are you’ve heard of Oddbird. Their reputation for quality really does precede them, and they’re also making great strides towards sustainability. Their fizzing Rosé displays superb balance, blended from Chardonnay and aged Languedoc-Roussillon Pinot Noir. Gorgeous strawberries come through with lots of freshness, and the dry tang makes sure all that fruity sweetness doesn’t go overboard. If you’re missing Rosé over Dry Jan, then this is a must try.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 0%
Find here: £9.99

Kylie Minogue Sparkling Rosé Alcohol Free

elekylie elevate your dry january experience with these 8 alcohol free wines

This pink beauty is another hit for Kylie, delivering a harmonious balance of florality and juicy red fruits that linger longer than you’d expect. The fizz is gentle but lively and overall, it feels like really well made, light and refreshing Rosé. Great value too.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 0%
Find here: £6 (£4.50 Clubcard Price)

Thomson & Scott Skinny Noughty Organic Alcohol Free Sparkling Rosé

thomson and scott skinny noughty elevate your dry january experience with these 8 alcohol free wines

The entire Noughty range focuses on skipping over not only those unnatural inclusions, but also unnecessary sugars, meaning each glass has so few calories and feels clean. The grapes from southern Spain and give a seriously seductive shade of pink. The bubbles are there, the balance of acidity and sweetness is there, and the red berries share the lead role with the juicy grape flavour itself.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 0%
Find here: £9.50

The Best Non-Alcohol Sparkling Wine

McGuigan Zero Sparkling

mcguigan zero elevate your dry january experience with these 8 alcohol free wines

As one of the biggest names in Australian wine, McGuigan have a robust choice in their Zero range these days. Thanks to their state-of-the-art tech, they’re able to remove all the alcohol from these bottles at lower temperatures than usual, retaining even more of the winey goodness. This fizz has an appealing dry bite, with sweetness comparable to Prosecco. Orchard fruits come through with a hit of a refreshment too. For pennies, it is tremendous.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 0%
Find here: £3 £3.50 50 (usually more!)

Freixenet 0.0 Alcohol Free Sparkling

freixenet elevate your dry january experience with these 8 alcohol free wines

Freixenet’s fizzy offering retains the character of the wine, avoiding the cloying sweetness that so many rivals fall prey to. The fruity nose is very welcoming, yet the first sip is surprisingly dry. It’s not going to blow you away with a myriad of different flavours and depth, but there is a reason so many return to this as their No-Lo sparkler – it’s reliable, quaffable and fools a lot of people into thinking it has booze in it.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 0%
Find here: £4.75

La Gioiosa Alcohol Free Vegan Sparkling

la gioisa elevate your dry january experience with these 8 alcohol free wines

This lovely looking Italian No-Lo fizz knocks it out the park for around a fiver. Think fine bubbles, and signature Giera accents of pear, peach and apple, alongside lovely floral notes. Fruity, easy-drinking wine that we’d recommend serving chilled for added refreshment. Solid.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 0%
Find here: £4.99

Vintense Fine White Bubbles

vintense elevate your dry january experience with these 8 alcohol free wines

Vintense take things in an elegant direction here, capturing the special feel and sophistication of the sparkling wine experience. A fruity bouquet is accompanied by subtle lemon and sun-kissed peach on the palate. This would be delicious with fish, shellfish, oysters and salads too – very food-friendly.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 0%
Find here: £8.78

Something you might not have considered as an alternative to wine is sparkling teas. They’re flourishing right now, so give something new a go!

Mind, Sense & Soul: Breathe

Navy seals. You’ve heard of them, right? The U.S. Navy's primary special operations force... You may even know some. They are HARD AS NAILS; certainly not new age, woo woo types. Well, they use intentional breathing religiously in their training and in combat to regulate their bodies and we all know, they wouldn’t bother with anything that didn’t work and didn't work well. So hopefully, that’s a good reason to listen on...

Now, breathing is, as we know, something we do everyday without thinking about it so it’s normal to think that we can ignore it. However, if we don’t ignore it and actually take control of it, we can make immense, positive changes to our health almost instantly. A lot is being said about how we breathe right now for obvious reasons because sometimes, it takes a massive health crisis for us to appreciate the profound effects the way we breathe has on our entire being.

Breathe With Intention

Giving ourselves space to pause and breath with intention, i.e. think about how we’re breathing before we do certain things like start answering emails or eat food or have a meeting can have a profound effect on how we react, how we think and even, how we digest. All the research is pointing to how simply breathing in a more mindful way can make a huge difference, even just two minutes at a time. Give it a try. Maybe add in a two minute breathing space as it were before you do a new task and see how differently you feel. It’s effective, it’s free and there are no side effects!

By controlling our breath, we can instantly drop our cortisol levels and blood pressure, calming panic and anxiety within a couple of minutes. Controlled breathing through the nose specifically however, is something we should all be doing as much as possible, apparently. Here’s more on that.

Mouth Vs Nose Breathing

Many of us may not realise that we’re breathing through our mouths, especially while we sleep. The truth is, habitual mouth breathing has serious implications on an individual’s lifelong health, from snoring issues, dry mouth and bad breath to sleep apnoea, chronic fatigue and brain fog. See link at the end for A LOT more in this by the experts.

In children particularly, the negative effects are quite clear: it can cause crooked teeth, facial deformities and slower growth. Mouth breathing children also often have problems concentrating at school to the point where they are often misdiagnosed with ADD or hyperactivity. They’re also more irritable and show daytime sleepiness. Eeek.

Why Nose Breathing?

Why is nose breathing better? Here are some reasons:

The nose acts as an air filter , delivering clean air to the lungs and reducing the amount of allergens that get in. Very important for asthmatics!
Nose-breathing produces nitric oxide, helping with oxygen absorption and sterilises the air.
Nose-breathing strengthens the immune system by activating immunoglobulin production.
It adds moisture to the air to prevent dryness in the lungs and bronchial tubes.
Nose breathing adds resistance to the air stream and this increases oxygen uptake, maintaining the lungs’ elasticity.

Breath and the Gut

Stressful events may cause immediate physical reactions, such as a faster heartbeat, shallower breath and knots in the stomach. These “fight or flight” responses move blood away from the gut to larger muscles so we can run away from danger but this interferes with digestion, weakens the immune system and increases inflammation. When they happen again and again over time, they can damage your gut health.

Slower, deeper, abdominal breathing, gently massages the internal organs like the intestines and stomach, so long, deep, belly breathing before and after we eat creates a relaxed abdominal. This can reduce abdominal pain, urgency, bloating, and constipation.

If you’re an IBS sufferer, have you ever been able, weirdly, to eat anything on holiday and yet suffer badly when back at home? Could this have anything to do with being more relaxed? Something to think about.

Breath for Grief and Trauma

I wanted to put what I learned about breath and grief in this as it seems so simple, yet the advice was nowhere to be seen when I lost my father a few years ago. Grief and trauma generally, if not dealt with properly, comes out in other ways such as anxiety and panic attacks and yet often, we have no idea that this is what has caused it.

How many people have thrown themselves straight back into work or other projects after losing a loved one, choosing distraction over sitting with the sadness over a period of time and gently coming to terms with it? Apparently it is seen in the workplace all the time, especially with CEOs who suddenly start having panic attacks in meetings, for example.

The research shows clearly that just helping people learn to sit with their breath for two minutes at a time, doing slow but gentle abdominal breathing soon starts to stop the attacks altogether, because what happens is that almost without fail, within a minute or so, the person usually burst into tears - a much needed release that can begin a process of acceptance and healing.

Breathing Toolkit: 3 techniques to tackle anxiety, promote sleep or boost energy

Breath for Calm

Try alternate nostril breathing. This technique can quickly help reduce agitation and anxiety. With your thumb, close off one nostril and take air in slowly through the other. Then switch, closing off the second nostril with the ring finger of the same hand while breathing through the first. Repeat the process until you begin to feel calmer.

Breath for Sleep

Try the 4,7,8 Method. This now well-known breathing method is a cracker for promoting good sleep. Simply inhale to the count of four, hold your breath to the count of seven and then exhale to the count of eight. Repeat as needed, but at least five rounds will do you good.

Breath for Energy

To renew your energy in the middle of the day, try this stimulating breathing technique to help you to feel more alert: Keep your mouth closed, then inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose, keeping your breaths as short as possible - three times a second if you can manage it. This is a great practice for the diaphragm. NOTE: pause to breathe normally every 3 seconds or so and only do this exercise for only 15 seconds when you first start. You can go longer as you get used to it.

Elevate Your Dry January Experience with These 8 Alcohol Free Wines