Inspired by the festive sangrias of Spain, Altina has launched Sansgria, a vibrant ruby sparkling wine that is bold, balanced, delicious and naturally alcohol free.
“We developed our new non-alc wine as a response to the changing drinking culture in Australia,” says the co-founder of Altina, Dr Christina DeLay. “Consumers are seeking ‘better for you’ non-alcoholic alternatives without the sugary fizz of kids’ soft drinks.
“Launching a red was a natural extension to our existing white and rose variants. Our new Altina Sansgria is built from botanicals and features native Australian riberry, sweet orange, cayenne pepper and green apple.
“The taste profile is complex and refreshing, with a hint of spice and vanilla. As with the rest of our range, Sansgria is formulated without the need to add any sugar.”
While awareness of the negative aspects of excessive alcohol consumption has increased, Delay says that the non-alcoholic drinks category has been defined by compromise.
“While the quality of non-alc beers has improved dramatically in recent years, the quality of non-alcoholic wines has lagged. Most non-alc wines are made from de-alcoholised wine with concentrated grape juice added,” DeLay explains. “The result tends to be a poor imitation of the ‘real thing’ and is loaded with sugar.”
However, Altina wines are made from an intersection of green science, nature and design using botanicals, Australian native ingredients and contains no added sugar.
With qualifications in chemical bio-tech and botany, Dr Delay’s scientific qualification allowed her to understand how difference flavours interact biologically with taste receptors.
“I have used these learnings to create the unique Altina taste profile. The ingredients I have chosen gently layer on top of each other while developing in complexity as you sip,” she said.
She has also pioneered new methods of flavour extraction that doesn’t rely on a base carrier containing alcohol or sugar.
“Our carefully selected botanicals are cold-steeped for a minimum of 36 hours to capture all the wonderful smells and flavours. We then triple-filter out any impurities to maximise taste and visual clarity. This gives Altina a broader palate of ingredients to blend than our competitors,” she said.
Made in Canberra, Altina non-alcoholic wines are available at selected Dan Murphy stores, BWS and independent retailers as well as online at altinadrinks.com.
