Non-Alcoholic Wine vs Sparkling Juice: Is It Just Grape Juice?
Non-alcoholic wine isn't grape juice. How each is made, sugar and calories side by side, why they taste different, and when to choose each.
No, non-alcoholic wine isn’t grape juice. Most of it is made as real wine, fermented and often aged, with the alcohol removed at the end. Fermentation turns the grape sugar into alcohol and builds a wine’s flavor, so what’s left is drier and more complex than juice. The numbers show it: grape juice has about 14 g of sugar per 100 ml, while every one of the 113 non-alcoholic wines we checked had less, with a median of 3.1 g. Here’s how they differ and when each is the better pick.
Our picks if you want wine, not juice
- 0.0%
- 0.0 g sugar per 100 mL
- Dealcoholized
- France
- <0.5%
- 2.0 g sugar per 100 mL
- Dealcoholized
- New Zealand
- <0.5%
- 0.4 g sugar per 100 mL
- Dealcoholized
- United States
- 0.0%
- 4.5 g sugar per 100 mL
- Never Alcoholized
- France
See all non-alcoholic sparkling wine →
Non-alcoholic wine vs sparkling juice
| Non-alcoholic wine | Sparkling juice | |
|---|---|---|
| Made from | Wine, with the alcohol removed | Fruit juice, carbonated |
| Sugar / 100 ml | Median 3.1 g (0 to 12 g) | About 14 g (grape) |
| Calories / 100 ml | Median 17 | About 60 (grape) |
| Taste | Dry to off-dry, with acidity | Sweet and fruity |
Wine figures are from our check of 113 non-alcoholic wines; grape juice from USDA FoodData Central (bottled, unsweetened).
Why wine and juice taste so different
- Fermentation uses up the sugar. Yeast turns most of the grape sugar into alcohol. When the alcohol is removed, the sugar doesn’t come back, which is why most non-alcoholic wines are far drier than juice.
- It builds flavor. Fermentation and aging give wine its acidity, its aromas and, in reds, tannin from the skins.
- Some producers add a little juice back, to round out the body. That’s why non-alcoholic wines vary from 0 g to around 12 g of sugar. See our sugar check of 113 wines.
A smaller group of non-alcoholic wines is never fermented: producers blend grape juice with tea, spices or botanicals to build a wine-like drink. These are often 0.0%, and in our check their median sugar was 4.5 g, still well below juice. Browse everything never alcoholized, or read how non-alcoholic wine is made.
When sparkling juice is the better pick
Choose non-alcoholic wine for
- A dinner or toast where you want the taste of wine
- Less sugar and fewer calories than juice
- Food pairing: acidity and dryness work with a meal
Choose sparkling juice for
- Children: non-alcoholic wine is made for adults, and many bottles are under 0.5% rather than 0.0%
- A sweet, fruity drink
- The lowest price per glass
Shop by what matters to you
Common questions
Is non-alcoholic wine just grape juice?
No. Most non-alcoholic wine is fermented into wine first and has the alcohol removed afterward. Fermentation uses up most of the sugar and builds the flavor, so it's drier and more complex than juice.
Does non-alcoholic wine have more sugar than juice?
No, less. Grape juice has about 14 g of sugar per 100 ml. The non-alcoholic wines we checked had a median of 3.1 g, and the sweetest had 12 g.
Is sparkling grape juice the same as non-alcoholic champagne?
No. Non-alcoholic sparkling wine is made as wine and has its alcohol removed, so it's drier, with a median of 4.0 g of sugar per 100 ml in our check. Sparkling grape juice is carbonated juice, at about 14 g.
Can kids drink non-alcoholic wine?
Non-alcoholic wine is made for adults, and many bottles contain up to 0.5% alcohol. For children, sparkling juice is the better choice.
