Tasting note
- Colour & appearance
- Radiant pale golden yellow, clear and luminous in the glass.
- Nose
- Honeydew melon and fresh grapes rise from the glass, accompanied by lemon and a delicate wreath of floral and spicy notes. Yellow apple and ripe pear resonate in the background, while a hint of exotic fruit rounds off the picture.
- Palate
- Juicy, playful and refreshing, pleasingly dry. The creamy texture recalls Burgundian models – remarkable for a wine without alcohol. The fruit remains precise, the body surprisingly full.
- Finish
- Long and clean, with lingering fruit and fine spice. A finish that genuinely leaves you wanting a second glass.
- Terroir & origin
- The grapes come from family-run estates in the Mittelhaardt, the heart of the Palatinate. Buntsandstein soils, over 1,800 hours of sunshine per year and the protective flank of the Palatinate Forest shape the environment in which Gregory Emmel founded his label in Gimmeldingen.
- Grape variety & vinification
- A single-varietal Chardonnay, gently dealcoholised through a combination of membrane filtration and vacuum distillation. The alcohol is removed at low temperatures – aroma and mouthfeel are preserved. The result: wine minus alcohol, not juice with ambitions.
- Food recommendations
- An ideal companion to fresh canapés, grilled sea bass, prawns in lemon butter or chicken with Mediterranean herbs. Also a fine choice with goat’s cheese on crispy baguette.
- Special features
- 90 points from Stuart Pigott – an accolade that is a rarity for alcohol-free wines. Gregory Emmel, a Munich native who came to the Palatinate for love, does not regard alcohol-free wine as a compromise, but as a category in its own right. This Chardonnay proves that creaminess and depth do not require alcohol, only good grapes and someone who knows what matters.
