L'Arjolle Équinoxe
The Producer
L’Arjolle produces many wines, apparently none of which is non-alcoholic, as this bills itself as a ‘drink based on dealcoholised wine’. I am not familiar with the legal implications of this (or if there are any) but given the premium feeling of the packaging, this seems a sad choice. L’Arjolle do offer is a wide range of classic French blends and a few of those are available in non-alcoholic versions. Each is given a conceptual name and I am wondering if Equinox was named to symbolically represent the longest day of waiting I experienced while hoping for the sulphur to blow off from the bottle I’d picked up. While waiting I spent some time fishing for information about the producer, which proved a bit difficult as much of their website site is, let’s say, ‘image driven’. This left me wondering about their interest in the non-alcoholic industry. However, the technical sheets on the shop are a great touch. From this, I found out about the maceration and ageing process.
The Product
Returning to the sitting bottle, the intense stew of cooked fruits and burnt candle wick had me worried that something was wrong with it. After some enthusiastic swirling, this began to clear a bit and left something with a unique character. The smell was not awful, but it is very cooked and maintains the unmistakable smell of campaign season at the sugar beet factory in my town. I spent some time deciding whether it had put me off as I was expecting some peculiar taint (and even after drinking it over a few days, I am not sure whether it was tainted or not!). The taste, though, is not unpleasant, it follows through on the promise of red fruit compote and the clear ring of dried apricots. This indicates some intentionality to me, but that is unfortunately where the intentionality seems to finish. Though the wine has been macerated for 15 days in vats and aged aged with oak staves for 8 months, the tannins feel lacking, there is not very much to dry my mouth out after the sharpness of the acid. And it is quite sharp. I notice an absence in this wine, it doesn’t deliver on the promised structure, it’s a little watery, a little sour, a little empty and thin (and that is even with gum arabic added to it!) This is one that seems to have missed the mark by removing the alcohol and not replacing it with the vinification tricks needed in non-alcoholic wine production. Overall, this one is a tad disappointing but I can’t say that I’ve stopped drinking it. There are more luxurious options for the price point but I’d be open to revisiting it, just in case this one was a dud.
Tasting Note
Wine Details
- Wine Name:Équinoxe
- Producer: L’Arjolle
- Region: Occitanie
- Country: France
- Vintage: Unkown
- Grape Variety/Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
- Closure: Cork
Appearance
- Clarity: Clear
- Intensity: Deep
- Colour: Garnet
- Other Observations: Beautiful colour, just beginning to show some signs of age.
Nose
- Condition: Clean / Unclean
- Intensity: Pronounced
- Aroma Characteristics:
- Primary Cooked dark fruits, dried apricot
- Secondary: Sulphur, beetroot, nutmeg
- Development: developed
Palate
- Sweetness: Dry
- Acidity: Medium(+)
- Tannin (red only): Medium(-)
- Body: Medium(-)
- Flavour Intensity: Light / Medium(-)
- Flavour Characteristics:
- Primary: Cooked fruits, dried apricot
- Secondary:
- Finish: Medium(-)
Conclusions
Quality Assessment
Acceptable
- Justification: Strongly sulphuric and overcooked (could be the dealcoholisation process). Lacks a certain richness and structure, the palate is short and uncomplicated.
Level of Readiness for Drinking / Ageing Potential
**Drink now: not suitable for ageing
- Notes: I don’t feel that this has the structure to age well. And the jury is still out one whether one can age a non-alcoholic wine!
Additional Notes
- Food Pairing Ideas: Grilled meats, lamb, duck
- Serving Temperature: Room temperature
- Price Category: 15EUR
- Personal Preference or Rating: 5/10
4/10/2025