Cabernet Merlot

Vacuum evaporation is the reason this tastes like wine rather than grape juice. Chavin takes the alcohol out at a maximum of 35 degrees Celsius and skips pasteurization altogether, so the aromatics survive a process that heat would otherwise flatten. The blend is Cabernet and Merlot, bottled as a Vin de France. In the glass it shows deep red with purple reflections, and the nose is genuinely complex for this category, running blackcurrant and strawberry over pepper and vanilla. Serve it at 14 to 16 degrees Celsius, the same as you would a real red. Alcohol-free wine served too cold loses what structure it has. The bottle is a full 75cl and it will keep around three years. Pierre Chavin works out of Béziers in the south of France and is still run by its founder, Mathilde Boulachin, which is rare in a category otherwise dominated by large drinks groups.