Sparkling

McGuigan is a long-running Australian wine name, and the Zero range is its answer to people who still want something in a flute. The Sparkling is the most useful bottle in that range. Pear and green apple on the nose, fresh apple and a clean finish on the palate, light-bodied and briskly carbonated rather than rich or bready. It behaves like a party wine, not a contemplative one. Fruit comes from New South Wales and the bottle is listed as vegan-friendly. One detail worth knowing: the label reads 0.5% alcohol by volume rather than a true 0.0%, which matters if you avoid alcohol completely. Serve it properly cold, because the acid and the bubbles carry the whole thing and warmth flattens both at once. McGuigan points at soft cheese, cured meats and antipasto for pairings, and those hold up. It is a straightforward, easy-drinking bottle rather than a technical one.