The best non-alcoholic tip from the sommelier
Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: the best non-alcoholic tip from the sommelier.
Top sommeliers are our go-to when we are looking for really good wine tips. Whether it's about the very best snack-wine combinations or the tastiest wines for a small budget: we know how to find them. But sommeliers not only have a nose for wine, they also stand their ground when it comes to other drinks alongside the meal. And this is a non-alcoholic alternative that top sommeliers rave about: the fruit juices from Van Nahmen.
Well, not only sommeliers are fans of the special drinks from Van Nahmen – for years on the menu at three-star establishment De Librije. At my home, we love it too. I first tasted Van Nahmen years ago, at a wine fair no less, and was totally blown away. How delicious this was. The reason that Van Nahmen was available for tasting at a wine fair is not strange. The originally German company makes amazing grape juices, such as riesling, made from, yes: the ‘wine grape’ riesling.
Just as special as the namesake wine
And those delicious little grapes (man oh man, what a top grape riesling is) grow in the own vineyard at Van Nahmen. In any case, the fruit for all their juices comes from their own land and they press and process it themselves, which preserves the unique properties of the fruit in question in the juice. The fruit juice riesling is made just as carefully as a winemaker makes ‘regular’ riesling. From the selection in the vineyard and determining the optimal harvest moment to sorting the grapes. And thus the fruit juice, just like the wine, provides an amazing taste experience. One sip and I was immediately sold. The floral aroma and flavors of apple, lime, and peach... Delightfully fresh and mega pure. And super tasty to eat with (fish, chicken pasta).
You immediately understand why sommeliers are so happy about this. They can offer guests at the table a truly delicious non-alcoholic alternative with the same wine experience as people who do drink wine. Try it at home, I would say. A bottle Van Nahmen Riesling Grape Juice costs €7.95.
Delicious with gorgonzola
The other juices are also very tasty, such as the Frucht-Secco Traube, made from organically grown grapes. Deliciously sweet in taste, but thanks to the light acids and fine mousse also refreshingly crisp. Very nice if you want to drink something different with your cheese platter – this Traube is very tasty with blue cheeses like gorgonzola. And ice cream, a dessert that is a killer for almost every wine, this also pairs very well with. Or how about a strawberry tart?
Let the summer come
And the best for last: Van Nahmen Raspberry Rhubarb Nectar, eand juice made from rhubarb. By the way, without raspberry, this refers to the type of German rhubarb used for this juice. If you're still looking for a summery non-alcoholic rosé lookalike I've found it for you. Drink it nice and chilled or do as they serve it in restaurants: as a spritzer with sparkling water or, if you fancy a bit of alcohol, with sparkling wine. GI-GA delicious, believe me. And it costs less than six euros per bottle.
