Posted on 02/25/2026 1:49:22 AM PST by Libloather
As nearly half of U.S. adults say they’re actively trying to drink less, the non-alcoholic aisle has become crowded with options that promise ritual without consequence.
The problem is that many of them taste like cough syrup or some other kind of compromise. Wine, in particular, has historically struggled in this category. As a professional product tester, I can attest to my own disenchantment with non-alcoholic wine, to the point that I’ve covered it maybe once before.
You can remove the alcohol, but can you preserve structure, aroma and the layered character that makes wine worth pouring in the first place?
Missing Thorn is betting that you can. Co-crafted by award-winning actual winemaker Aaron Pott and Napa Valley vintner Stephanie Honig, the brand approaches dealcoholized wine as a continuation of tradition rather than a shortcut around it just to hit current trends.
Both founders built their careers in serious wine, so this pivot came about as an acknowledgement of the current cultural shift. Younger consumers aren’t rejecting the ceremony, beauty, and real benefits of wine; they’re rejecting the all-or-nothing nature of alcohol itself.
As a budding vitner myself, I also believe wine should be defined by its purpose — connection, flavor, presence at the table — not just ABV. Missing Thorn uses traditional winemaking techniques first, then (gently) removes the alcohol to preserve aromatics and structure. The goal is to maintain the depth, tannin profile, acidity, and textural cues that make a Bordeaux hold up as a Bordeaux should, and a Riesling feel lifted and bright rather than sugary and flat.
The lineup spans five expressions, each positioned as a premium alternative rather than some kind of placeholder.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I work in retail wine and spirit sales. In our market many of younger drinkers are moving to spiked seltzers and spiked sweet fruity concoctions especially young females who previously would have consumed sweet moscato wines. However, drinkers in the 25-35 age especially those who are college educated are slowly discovering wine and classic cocktails. Another factor is the availability in some states of THC drinks. The drink to get a buzz crowd is moving toward the THC products instead of beer or cheap whiskey. California wines have also gotten more expensive and the quality has decreased as smaller wine makers have been bought out by large conglomerates.
The most popular wines I sell are from Spain, Portugal and Argentina where a good quality wine is still affordable. Another factor is increasing state and local liquor taxes. In my part of Minnesota, state and local taxes on a bottle of wine are approaching 11%.
“Jesus drank wine” is usually far different than the drinking some people try to justify using that line.
I see the THC stuff taking over our Total Wine - entire pallets taking chunks out of the beer section. My opinion - pricey and nasty.
They had caves and cooler areas to store liquids. I’m not convinced either way and think the point is irrelevant. But both sides seem to get all exercised over it for some reason. Let each be convinced in their own mind.
It would have been boiled - that was also called “wine”.
But I think it is pretty clear that fermented wine was used as the parable of the wine skins was about fermentation. Though that was commonly diluted to allow it to last longer.
It was also used medicinally to kill bacteria - they didn’t have water filtration and purifiers back then. Paul’s letter to Timothy advised him to include some wine to treat a stomach ailment...a verse used falsely used commonly as proof text to justify drinking when it is clearly about using it as medicine.
“Jesus drank wine” is correct. That does not justify drinking intoxicating amounts of wine or any other type of alcohol, and the Word is very clear on that in multiple places.
Sadly that is probably correct - just getting intoxicated on a different kind of drug. People are being properly educated on the health risks with consuming alcohol and consumption of it has fallen to record lows, while being miseducated on other drugs.
It isn’t between both sides of equal positions, one is normal and common sense and historical in every way, and the other is shockingly bizarre.
The only time I ever ran into this or hear about it was in Wisconsin in the late 1980s and it shocked me, I’ve been curious about it ever since, it is sort of flat earth type stuff except it is being interjected into the bible.
No one. The comparison was with modern day drinking habits. So the statement I responded to was irrelevant and should be viewed as sarcasm. As was my comment. I didn’t think it needed labeling as such.
You know, the wedding where Jesus made wine out of water.
I switched to “elevated” seltzers, 20 calories a can, nice buzz, refreshing, no hang overs.....
That’s harsh.
Yes. But there is no mention of him drinking that day. The ‘fruit of the vine’ was used during Passover.
https://www.gotquestions.org/did-Jesus-drink-wine.html
Agree people need to learn how to live and not depend on booze and drugs to make it through the day.
Being weak has been excepted far to long it sets a bad example for the youths to follow.
The price of a drink at a concert venue are outrageous, yet they sell a bunch of it.
Whatever the cost , there seems to be no shortage of drunk drivers. Every weekend there is a new batch of them.
That’s true: in the past when bad water was common and would kill you, mixing water with wine was a sensible, if not necessary, precaution. The Greeks, for instance had Kraters, large two-handles vessels, typically elaborately decorated, specifically used for mixing water with wine.
That is also why they used to serve Grog on the British War ships. Water mixed with Rhum from the West Indies and flavored with Fresh Limes.
Different how? Explain.
White rice was considered a delicacy in 19th Century Japan, with all but the upper classes relegated to eating brown rice. However, one of the perks of being a sailor in the Japanese navy was that you were served white instead of brown rice. As the Navy grew and began longer international voyages, it experienced an unusually high death rate from beriberi, owing to the exclusive consumption of white rice. No one had any clue as to why this was happening, except Takaki, who correctly identified the problem and proposed a more varied diet, including fresh vegetables. He was scoffed at and ignored for years, until one captain tried his solution and it worked, dramatically.
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