Bubbles Without
Alcohol
Corks pop, bubbles dance in the glass—and yet, no alcohol flows. A new generation of sparkling drinks, known as proxies and sparkling teas, invites us to experience the ritual of toasting in a whole new way—creative, effervescent, and always alcohol-free. Because it’s not always about the buzz—it’s about the feeling.
(Drinks) Cut the foil capsule, loosen the wire cage, and finally—always a small first highlight—let the cork pop. Pause for the prelude of the perlage concert, the delicate tingling of the bubbles, and pour. Bring your nose to the glass, savor the lively reception of freshly liberated carbonation, and focus on the gentle effervescent whisper. Take the first sip—exactly as you would on festive occasions with Champagne, Crémant, Riesling Sekt, Franciacorta, or other sparkling wines. The only difference: here you don’t need alcohol to experience it all.
A new generation of sparkling beverages is on the market, and it’s growing fast. Often grouped under the term proxies, countless alcohol-free alternatives to wine and sparkling wine are now making their way into restaurants and home cupboards alike. These alternatives are not exclusively grape-based—this isn’t about dealcoholized wines, which sommeliers still largely regard with skepticism despite technical advances.
Far more exciting are the sparkling drinks in classic 0.75-liter bottles, either based on fermented teas or constructed as complex cuvées from various other base beverages. And with virtually unlimited ingredient possibilities, there are hardly any rules—unlike in the strict wine world, where only certain grape varieties are permitted.
Paths to Three-Dimensionality
Many of these new sparkling drinks use rare premium teas, often from China or Japan (with names as intricate as Si Ji Chun). The teas are either fermented alcohol-free using yeasts or tea fungi, or carbonation is added. Aromatics like lemongrass, fig leaves, hibiscus flowers, dried strawberries, or vanilla may be included, to name just a few. The unusual combinations listed on some bottles (à la sea buckthorn-tarragon-apricot) sometimes evoke contemporary pastry creations. In fact, Proxy producers think more like chefs and bartenders than winemakers. You can’t just add yuzu to a wine if it lacks a fresh lift, or forest honey if it needs subtle sweetness. In the world of Proxies, this is the kind of flexibility that is possible. Occasionally, oak—chips or barrel contact—adds a tannic structure, echoing wine, while Szechuan pepper, ginger, chili, and other spice elements excite the palate alongside the bubbles. When alcohol is absent, other paths are taken to achieve a sense of three-dimensionality.
A number of pioneers in this genre come from Denmark: Copenhagen Sparkling Tea, established in 2017, produces sparkling drinks from up to 13 teas with added carbonation and small touches like lemon or grape juice, and is now found in numerous Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide. Also from Copenhagen is Muri, an urban “blendery” (analogous to a winery), which explores ingredients beyond tea: their still and sparkling drinks carry names like Passing Clouds or Yamilé, and are complex assemblies from base drinks such as quince kefir, tomato water, or alcohol-free gooseberry wine, sometimes including foraged ingredients. Some components are further refined in-house, giving Muri an even broader palette for its innovative cuvées: vanilla and lavender, for example, gain a new aromatic identity after being placed in a smoker. The company’s latest creation—the Koji Rice Series 2—is a sparkling, alcohol-free rice wine with shiso and chamomile. Koji spores, also used in miso or soy sauce, add a certain je ne sais quoi during fermentation.
Norway’s Villbrygg, on the market since 2018, aims to showcase Nordic plants in sparkling, alcohol-free form, called Sparkling Botanical Drinks—meadowsweet, fireweed, lingonberries, and birch leaves all play a role.
The Austrian label Combuchont, created by Michelin-starred chef Klemens Schraml, positions itself unmistakably as an alternative to top-tier sparkling wine. Using premium teas like Gyokuro Asahi, the brand produces sparkling drinks presented in heavy bottles with elegant packaging. Here, the connection to the wine world is not forgotten: carbonation ensues during the fermentation processes of the renowned Lower Austrian winery Bründlmayer.
Companionship Yes, Alcohol No
In ambitious gastronomy, all these painstakingly produced alcohol-free alternatives to wine and sparkling wine (often pricey) have long been part of the beverage offering. Few Michelin-starred restaurants don’t include an alcohol-free pairing with the menu, which alongside house-made juices, kombuchas, or tea blends, usually features Proxies or sparkling teas.
Many sommeliers remain skeptical—their focus is still primarily wine—but the variety of complex alcohol-free drinks provides an expanding palette for pairing. A chef seeking a liquid accompaniment to a challenging dessert with licorice, rose, and bergamot may find a sparkling tea more suitable than a wine. Even for laypeople, the enormous alcohol-free selection broadens horizons. Whatever the reason for abstaining, never has sober toasting been so pleasurable.