Plus and MinusWine ReviewPlus and Minus Rose Review

November 3, 2021by Jonathan Lambrianidis

As I’m here finishing off my third bottle of Plus and Minus Rose, what better time to delve through my notes and give you the ins and outs of what you’ll find on this alcohol free, all-day Rose from Plus and Minus!

The Plus and Minus Rose is middle of the road non-alcoholic rose with a light body and light flavour profile that is built around fruity elements including strawberry and apple. It performs best when left to warm in a glass slightly, however, due to the taste left by Grape Skin Extract may mean it isn’t one for you!

Key Takeaways

ABV: <0.5%
Style Rose
Calories: 17.2 calories / 100ml
Colour: Deep Pink
Main Notes: Hints of Apple & Red Berries
Cost: $15 – $17
Rating: 6/10

Plus and Minus Rose in Hand

What does Plus and Minus Rose Taste Like?

If you’re into non-alcoholic rose you would have likely run into the Plus and Minus offering given it is widely available through major retailers! If you’re yet to try it, I’ve got you covered with the key things to consider.

The Plus and Minus rose is a light-bodied and light tasting alcohol free rose with strawberry notes and a crisp mineral and earthy profile. The addition of Grape Skin Extract provides for an earthy flavour through the wine that may not be for everyone due to its earthy and distinct flavour.

Having worked my way through a couple of bottles and got some feedback from I have found that each glass is made up of:

  • Light fruity notes (think apple, strawberry, rose petal, melon and apricot).
  • A clean and crisp mineral profile.
  • Short and light body.
  • Earthy undertone from the Grape Skin Extract.
What I Like What Could be better
The mineral profile makes this summer ready! Flavours and body are ultralight.
Range of fruity notes that are in each glass. Earthy Grape Skin Extract – it reminds me of post vintage press grape seed and skins composting.

Given the earthy notes, the Plus and Minus rose is not likely to be for everyone. I have put together a bit of a ‘who is who’ of alcohol free rose.  You can see the roundup of some great non-alcoholic rose options here,

non-alcoholic rose label close up

Where to Buy Plus and Minus Wine

You can buy Plus and Minus wine, including this Rose, at all major retailers such as Dan Murphy’s, Brunswick Aces, Craft Zero and other major retail locations both in-store and online.

I had to hunt for it as it was stuck on the bottom shelf at my local Liquorland, however below are some links that will help you take the trouble out and buy online!

Let me know what you think by dropping me a line at jonathan@tipplezero.com, I’d be keen to hear whether I’ve hit the mark here!

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Plus and Minus Rose Bottle On Bench

Is Plus and Minus Rose Worth it?

The Plus and Minus Rose is worth it if you enjoy a lighter rose and are happy to give it a bit of extra care when drinking. Specifically, this is one to keep on your radar if:

  1. you are willing to take your time and drink it slowly / let it warm slightly;
  2. enjoy a lighter non-alcoholic rose.

I would offer a word of warning on the earthy side of the Grape Skin Extract side of things. For me, personally, I’ve never been a fan of GSE given the smell and taste is paired strictly to composting grape skins and seeds.

If you’re not excited at the thought of earthiness in your glass of rose, I’d recommend reaching for and reading through reviews of the De La Tautila, Funky Monkey Rose and Leitz Rose.

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Plus and Minus Rose Nutrition

Alcohol Free Rose Sugar per 100ml Calories per 100ml
Plus and Minus Rose 1.5 g 17.2 cals
Funky Monkey Rose 3.5 g 21.5 cals
Vinada Sparkling Rose 5 g 18 cals
Leitz Rose 5.1 g 23 cals

The Plus and Minus Rose is the lowest sugar alcohol free rose I have found. It contains 22 calories, 1.9 grams of sugar and 0 grams of fat per 100ml. This makes it, from a nutrition perspective, the best rose if you are looking to keep sugar intake low.

As the table above shows, comparing the Plus and Minus to other options from Funky Monkey, Vinada and Leitz, the Plus and Minus Rose has almost half as much sugar as its closest rival. While all of the Rose options ranked essentially identically in calories.

If you’re interested in the sugar content in non-alcoholic wine I put together a cross-section of the top-selling non-alc wines to find the average calories and sugar content which you will find interesting – check it out here.

The Plus and Minus Rose Nutritional Information is listed below.

Avg Quantity
Per Serving (330ml)

Avg Quantity
Per 100ml

Energy 90 kJ
21.5 Cal

70 kJ
17.2 Cal

Protein

0.26 g

0.2 g

Fat, total

< 0.1 g

< 0.1 g

— saturated

< 0.1 g

< 0.1 g

Carbohydrate

3.9 g

3.1 g

— sugars

1.3 g

1.5 g

Sodium

34 mg

27 mg

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Plus and Minus Rose Nutrition Information

When to Drink Plus and Minus Rose?

There is no doubt about it, the Plus and Minus Rose is a wine crafted for summer days. Its mineral profile is suited to warm days and the light flavours – while a drawback in some senses – make it well placed for those hot days when sweet and full-bodied wines are not what you’re after.

Given the light flavour profile, I’d be mindful of what you’re pairing this with. Anything too bright and bold will wipe out what flavour this brings to the table, for that reason I’d either drink this on its own or with poultry or light summer salads (light on the vinegar or else it’ll drown this out).

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What is Grape Seed Extract?

Having a background working with a leading global vitamins company, I had a front-row seat to the benefits of Grape Seed Extract (or as it is affectionately known, GSE).

GSE is in essence grape seeds (and often skins) that have been dried and then ground into an extremely fine powder which then leads to a concentrated amount of antioxidant-rich powder that can be used in a whole range of ways including in complementary medicine products as a way to support your antioxidant intake.

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Plus and Minus Rose Label

Non-Alcoholic Rose Drinking Tips

To get the most out of a bottle of the alcohol-free Rose by Plus and Minus I’d recommend the following:

  1. Letting it warm slightly.
  2. Using a red wine glass (or big aroma collector glass).
  3. Don’t drink it all at once.

When the wine warms ever so slightly, it helps open it up and brings some more flavour to your glass which just isn’t there when the rose first comes from the fridge. Similarly, it improves after a day in the fridge!

I’d recommend you also reach for a nice big glass too; this will let you wake the wine up in your glass and capture the aroma that comes from a non-alcoholic rose- which is especially important for this one given it is extremely light in both taste and body. If you’re interested in what glasses work for what wines, check out my post on the topic.

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alcohol free plus and minus rose label close up

The Wrap Up: Final Thoughts

I had been on the fence after the first two bottles of the alcohol-free Plus and Minus Rose, so reached for a third. As you can see I haven’t been sold on the light body and taste profile or the impact that grape seed extract has on flavour.

I felt the light flavour was a little below where I wanted it to be (particularly when compared to the Tautila and the Lietz).

For the above reasons, I’m landing the Plus and Minus rose at 6/10 – it has potential but as someone who enjoys more fulsome non-alc wines this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me and I’ll continue to reach for the Tautila (full body) and Funky Monkey (light and crisp option) as my go-to options!

However, if light wines are something you’re interested in giving it a go jump back up the page to buy a bottle or two by, alternatively if non-alcoholic rose is your drink of choice, I compared a few options here that will be worth reading to find a great one!

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by Jonathan Lambrianidis

Non-alcoholic drinks writer and podcaster, beer brewing and winemaking side-kick, lawyer and cyclist. Owner of Tipplezero.com and the Non-Alcoholic Drinks Podcast.