What I’m about to say about the McGuigan Chardonnay is contrary to almost everything you’ve heard… and that is, that I like it! Why? Well, sure it has a hint of sweetness, but if it’s cold, it just does everything a chardonnay should. More below.
The McGuigan Zero Chardonnay is a well-bodied, dry, fruity, and fresh non-alcoholic chardonnay with an oaked finish. Best enjoyed in a larger glass, the McGuigan Zero Chardonnay balances sharp acidity with round toasty oak notes. Leaving it to slightly to allow it to open up and build in body and flavour.
Key Takeaways
| ABV: | <0.5% |
| Style | Chardonnay |
| Calories: | 21.5 calories / 100ml |
| Colour: | Golden Straw |
| Main Notes: | Apple. Melon. Oaky. |
| Cost: | $11 – $14 / bottle |
| Rating: | 6.5/10 |
McGuigan Zero Chardonnay Taste
On average, Australian grown Chardonnay is higher in acid (think brighter and sharper in flavours) and toastier in oak (think those rounded flavours at the end of each mouthful). The McGuigan Zero Chardonnay fits this profile and combines a zingy & acidic profile with toasty oak & creamy vanilla.
Once in your glass, left to air and open up, the Zero Chardonnay will bring you:
- fruity apple and rockmelon notes;
- some sweetness; and
- a balance of acidity and toasty oak; and
- a lasting crisp and oaky finish.
If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while, you’ll know I prefer drier wines – and this one does a decent job at meeting that requirement. It does have some sweetness, I’d say just enough sweetness for flavour while remaining crisp.
The oak finish is my favourite part of this wine, and it acts to balance and smooth it out.
Quick tip – Oaky Chardonnays like this one are best enjoyed in a larger glass. This will give you more room to move the wine and draw out those warm tannins that bring oak and vanilla to your glass.
I recently wrote a post about how glasses can help improve non-alcoholic wines excel, I’d recommend the read if you’re looking to get the most out of your wines.
Is the McGuigan Zero Chardonnay for you? Find out below.
Buy McGuigan Zero Chardonnay
The McGuigan range of wines is available at all major retailers, supermarkets and specialty non-alcoholic online retailers. If it sells groceries or alcohol, it sells McGuigan.
The best part of all is that you can find it for as little as $10 a bottle on special in supermarkets. However, as a general rule, expect to pay between $12 – $14 for a 750ml bottle.
Hopefully, I have gone some of the way to having sparked your curiosity about this non-alcoholic white wine that sits on the top shelf of a supermarket store.
If you’re interested in giving this a go, head to your supermarket or grab it from the links below for all the convenience:
McGuigan Zero Chardonnay Nutritional Information
The McGuigan Zero Chardonnay has 21.5 calories, 3.9 grams of sugar and <0.2 grams of fat per 100ml.
Australian Chardonnays are known to have a higher level of residual sugar given our warm and sunny climate, so to see the Zero Chardonnay land at exactly average from a sugar perspective is reassuring to know it is still a healthy alcohol-free white wine option.
You can find out more about sugar in non-alcoholic wine in the post I wrote, where I dove into the sugar and calorie content of over 20 other non-alcoholic wines.
Full McGuigan Zero Chardonnay Nutritional Information is below:
| Avg Quantity Per Serving (125ml) |
Avg Quantity Per 100ml |
|
| Energy | 112 kJ 26.8 Cal |
90 kJ 21.5 Cal |
| Protein | 0.2 g | 0.2 g |
| Fat, total | <0.2 g | <0.2 g |
| — saturated | <0.1 g | <0.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 6.2 g | 5 g |
| — sugars | 4.8 g | 3.9 g |
| Sodium | 26.2 mg | 21 mg |
Would I enjoy McGuigan Zero Chardonnay?
As a whole, anybody who enjoys all the good things Australian chardonnay has to offer is going to enjoy this wine. If you’re excited by the prospect of a dry, fruity and toasty oak noted chardonnay you are definitely going to enjoy this wine.
If oak in your chardonnay is not necessarily something you’re keen on or enjoy, this might be one to steer clear of as the oak is prominent as mentioned above.
Comparing this to other popular white options I would say it is mid-range. Stacking it up, again I might be controversial but this is my take:
- it absolutely floors the Plus and Minus Pinot Grigio which tends to have a pithy resonance that hands in the glass; and
- slots in behind the Giesen Sauv Blanc, which for me, is the benchmark on non-alc whites at the moment.
What Glass Should I Use?
As a general rule, oaked chardonnay benefits from a Burgundy Style glass as
“the big bowl allows a larger surface for the wine to be in contact with air. This means as the wine reacts with the air it starts to ‘open up’ and release its natural aromas and your nose and your taste buds get the benefit of a more vibrant aromatic profile”
The above, is a quote from my post on which glasses to use, to get the most of out of your wine. I’d recommend the read if your non-alc wine is just a little flat, off or not quite where you want it to be.
Alternatively I’ve mentioned the Schott Zwiesel glasses as great options. I prefer the square bottomed version, however there is a traditional (and cheaper) round version as well.
The Round Up: What Are People Saying
The McGuigan Zero Chardonnay is one that I’ve taken my time to pen my thoughts over as I wanted to make sure I got it right given I had heard feedback that there was some variability between bottles.
The most recent bottle and one I’m writing up is bottle #3 and I can say each has performed exactly the same with bright acidity, light sweetness and solid oak.
For me, this lands itself a 6.5/10, as the sweetness just pulls it back a notch. I hope you’re curious enough to grab a bottle next time you’re buying online or over in your local supermarket.
Head up to the middle of the page by clicking here to revisit where to buy or here to read more about the best non-alcoholic white wine at the moment, the Giesen Sauvignon Blanc.
