We surprisingly discovered Luminara Non Alcoholic Red Blend by accident. When we were ordering the Fre non-alcoholic wine, we reviewed earlier, the website also had the Luminara Red Blend available. At the time, it was only available in the 375 ml bottle which is ½ the size of a regular-size Fre. Despite the smaller bottle, it was priced closely to the full-sized bottle of Fre. This led me to believe the Luminara would be a more premium non alcoholic wine. TLDR? Skip to the rating.
About Luminara
Illuminating the idea of what fine wine can be, Luminara is the first exquisitely crafted, Napa Valley appellated alcohol-removed wine. With lush fruit, full flavors and delicate aromas, our Chardonnay and Red Blend offer a true fine wine experience without the alcohol. Sophisticated sippability for when you want to enjoy fine wine without the alcohol.
Luminara is owned by Trinchero Family Estates, the same makers of Fre Non Alcoholic Wines. Among their portfolio, they also have a collection of alcoholic wines including Sutter Home, California Roots, and Menage a Trois Wines. It’s common practice for one Vineyard or Wine company to launch their product under multiple brands. Just take the largest wine producer in America, E & J Gallo. They are the owners of both the Orin Swift brand (priced at over $45 a bottle) and Arbor Mist Brand (priced at just over $5 dollars a bottle.) It’s a strategic move, as wine brands can help consumers quickly distinguish between the quality of wines a winery produces.
Dealcoholization process
Our technologically superior and delicate alcohol-removal process allows us to retain the vibrant fruit aromas and flavors that define this Napa Valley Red Blend. Using a revolutionary spinning cone column, we gently extract and safeguard the wine’s delicate aromas and flavors. The finished wine is aged in both French and American oak to impart additional complexity and texture.
Understanding the 3-step production process for Luminara definitely gave me a better appreciation for the wine. First, the Red Blend is produced like a traditional vintage wine, with grapes undergoing a fermentation process. Then via the spinning cone column technology, the wine is dealcoholized. Finally, the newly created UnWine is oak aged to refine the taste. The time it takes to complete age the UnWine that differentiates it from Fre Wine’s Dealcoholization Process, and accounts for the increased price.
Luminara Red Blend 2018 First Impressions
Before we get into the design and presentation of the UnWine, it’s important to note that Luminara is the first UnWine we’ve reviewed that has a vintage. A wine vintage denotes the year the grapes were harvested. It’s very impressive because this limits production quantity and requires significant time and consideration.
For example, if a winery doesn’t have a good harvest, the good grapes harvested that season limit the quantity of wine they can produce for that vintage. There is no mixing of the grapes from year to year. There are also operational complications such as bottle label updates and tracking of harvest quantities. Luminara going through the headache of including a vintage for the Red Blend makes me hopeful for the taste of this UnWine.
By using seasonal grapes, a wine maker can capture the a distinctive markers of the year such as the amount of rain or sun the vines were exposed to. Experienced wine drinkers can taste the subtle differences between the vintages. That being said, we’d have to try a couple Luminara vintages side by side to see if we can taste the substantial difference in flavors, or if the dealcoholization process also removed those flavors.
The UnWine arrived in what’s called a stand up shipper – a specially designed beverage box that keeps its contents standing upright, with minimal packaging. I personally prefer this packaging because it’s much easier to remove wines compared to lay flats. The small Luminara bottles rattled around in the packaging, but there was no damage!
The label design was mostly white, with gold foil and light embossing – very traditional in the design. Unlike other UnWines we’ve reviewed, the Luminara bottle never gave the impression you were about to drink a “non-alcoholic” wine. The “Alcohol Removed” text was a very subtle message on the label. The only other text was a proud Napa Valley script – denoting this Californian wine was produced in Wine Country.
What does Luminara Red Blend 2018 Taste Like?
Our rich alcohol-removed Red Blend reflects the heart and soul of Napa Valley terroir, showcasing bold black cherry aromas over subtle notes of baking spice and smoke. Luxe cherry on the palate culminates in a long, lingering finish, making this Red Blend a luminous offering for any occasion.
Luminarawines.com
The first thing I noticed was the beautiful deep red color. The smell immediately gave the impression of a smooth red wine. Even though the Luminara Red Blend is made up of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Zinfandel, the red wine aroma was not distinct to either grape variety. The most surprising part was the absence of a strong fermented smell and taste, you generally get with dealcoholized wine.
The taste was very smooth, easy to drink and not as thick as traditional wines. The Red Blend wasn’t sweet, and it even had the subtle dryness reminiscent of a Pinot. If I had to guess, I would credit the additional aging process for this authentic taste.
When you combine the overall presentation, taste, texture, aroma and general experience, it’s not hard to see why Luminara Red blend is one of the best UnWines we’ve reviewed here on Social Unbuzz. For that, we give Luminara our full 5 sips!
Luminara Red Blend 2018 Details
Nutritional Breakdown: Calories: 50 / 8 fl oz, Total Fat (0 g), Sodium (20mg), Total Carbs (16g), Protein (0g)
Ingredients: Dealcoholized Premium Red Wine, Grape Concentrate, Natural Flavors, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Potassium Metabisulfite
Luminara Red Blend does contain 3 different preservatives. It’s common practice in the wine industry to add preservatives to make sure the wine doesn’t spoil. They, however, are not required to disclose this information on the label. I’m interested in looking for a non-alcoholic wine that doesn’t have the preservatives and will definitely share once I’ve reviewed one!
Serve: The producers recommend to serve chilled. We had it at room temperature and didn’t feel it needed to be chilled. It’s Interesting since I was always under the impression red wines should be served at room temperature.
I looked into this and America’s Test Kitchen explains it well.
It amplifies the aromatics. “I only chill brighter higher acid wines, rather than full bodied, or high alcohol, high tannin wines,” Segelbaum said. “And that chilled reds tend to work well with spice forward food.”
TJ Douglas, founder of The Urban Grape, also mentioned the concept of bouquet, which refers to the complex aromas in the wine after it’s been bottled and aged.
“Alcohol evaporates quickly in a warm environment, which masks the bouquet in the process of evaporation,” Douglas said. “Cold temperatures can help slow down evaporation and amplify the aromatics and make your wine taste more focused.”
Price: $20 / Bottle ($5 / Serving)
Where to buy Luminara Red Blend
For the 2018 vintage we reviewed earlier, the distribution of this product is limited. The 2018 vintage has sold out, but they do have the 2020. It’s sold online on a couple websites – especially those dedicated to non-alcoholic drinks, , but the only retailer that currently sells Luminara is Total Wine & More.