Downtown Magazine Crowns Noughty Best AF Sparkling Wine in Taste Test

If you’ve ever wondered whether an alcohol-free bottle can really hold its own against Champagne — Downtown Magazine just answered the question. They lined up 16 alcohol-free sparkling wines and proxies from around the world for a blind tasting, and who came out fizzing on top?  Noughty.

As we here at Noughty HQ have been saying for some time now, non-alcoholic sparklings are no longer the sad corner of the drinks aisle. As Downtown puts it, the category is “exploding”... and not just because of the bubbles.

From dealcoholized wines to creative blends of teas, botanicals and juices (known as “proxies”), this new wave of fizz is now being considered by many in the drinks industry as serious business.

The testers at Downtown weren’t just swirling and spitting, they were on a mission to find which bottles genuinely deliver celebration in a glass without the alcohol. They looked at everything from flavour and balance to bubble quality, food pairing, and even bottle design. Because let’s be honest, half the fun of popping a cork is how good it looks on the table.

Sixteen bottles entered the ring. There were the usual suspects, a few sugary contenders, a few lightweights, and some very fancy botanical blends. But the real surprise? How high the bar has risen.

The team said that they found fine bubbles, delicate aromas, and structure that could fool even seasoned sparkling wine lovers. And at the very top of that list sat our Noughty Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Rosé, described as having “Champagne flair."

What made our rosé the overall winner? According to Downtown, it came down to balance, bubbles, and beauty:

• Champagne-style aroma of brioche, berries, and citrus in perfect harmony

• Fine, elegant fizz  - a delicate mousse that lifts, not overwhelms

• Complete structure - “nothing left to be desired — not in structure, not in elegance”

• Design that pops  - minimalist, modern, and proudly celebratory

• Great value - holding its own against bottles twice the price

In other words, Noughty walked that fine line between grown-up sophistication and feel-good fun — proving that you don’t need alcohol to make a toast taste special.

The feature also highlights a bigger truth: non-alcoholic doesn’t mean non-exciting. It’s a new era of mindful celebration — drinks crafted with care, flavour, and joy.  And while there are some playful new entrants in the “proxy” space, Downtown’s verdict is clear: when it comes to the real deal, Noughty still sets the standard.