Review: Studio Null NA Wines – 2022 Gruner Weiss and 2019 Sparkling Verdejo
Review: Studio Null NA Wines – 2022 Gruner Weiss and 2019 Sparkling Verdejo
Non-alcoholic wines continue to improve, and we were interested to taste the new releases from Studio Null — not just because I can get totally behind the name, but because they’re legit wines complete with vintage dating. Let’s give these two Euro-sourced wines a try.
2022 Studio Null Gruner Weiss NA – A (vintage!) blend of gruner veltliner and gelber muskateller from Austria. The sweetness endemic to all non-alcoholic wines is present here, tempered by a punch of vinegary citrus. Some floral elements offer a spin on a common theme, with an elderflower quality the most prominent. Slightly sour on the finish, it’s a wine that grows on you after a glass or so, eventually melding its flowery aromatics with a peach-meets-citrus sweetness. Certainly better than many standard table wines I’ve had. B+ / $32
2019 Studio Null Sparkling Verdejo NA – Verdejo from Rueda, Spain, given the non-alcoholic treatment. This pours with an appropriate fizz but, like magic, the carbonation nearly completely disappears within 10 minutes in glass. Is that a side-effect of the dealcoholization process or something to do with the wine? Who knows — but drink it fast if you are craving a frizzante buzz. As for the wine itself, the carbonation does help to mask some of the vinegary tang endemic to NA wines, and it keeps sweetness mostly at bay. Notes of citrus and melon are prominent, with a slight tropical bent to the finish. Best when it’s freshly poured (use a flute and small quantities), but agreeable even after it flattens. A- / $36
2022 Studio Null Gruner Weiss NA
$32
