Product Review: Introducing Bolle
Designated driver? On a diet? Or maybe you´re just ditching the hangover. Alcohol free options used to be diet coke, water or a J20 from the kids fridge. I know I personally struggled when it came to after work drinks, nights out or sociable sunny drinks to wash down those BBQ bread buns and very quickly got bored or burned with the poor options out there for the sober and sober-curious amongst us.
Choosing to go sober hasn’t always been easy but the acceleration of tastier and more “adult” alcohol free choices appearing on the market has certainly made it much more accessible and interesting. It was a personal choice I made, partly for health and partly for my wallet but since stopping I have never looked back. I do however miss the taste of alcoholic drinks, particularly during the summer when most activities revolve around drinking in some way, Whilst I have found many good mocktails and Beer alternatives, wine is one of my old favourites that I have not yet found an imitation for that doesn’t taste like overpriced schloer or packed with sugar and artificial ingredients. Enter BOLLE
BOLLE is a new pioneering alcohol free wine brand pioneering the category with a mission of providing better drink options in the adult low and no alcohol categories. Developed in collaboration with a leading BioTech company, Roberto Vanin ( founder of BOLLE) has developed a unique Zero Gradi Technology to produce a natural, tasty, fermented wine like drink that’s low in sugar, alcohol and calories.
Intrigued, I cracked open BOLLE ROSA, their rose wine alternative, and I was blown away! Fizzy. Fruity. Flipping fantastic. This rose alternative is unlike any other I have tried. Instead of tasting like a sweet, sparkling fruit juice, it genuinely tastes like real rose wine. Admittedly it’s been a long time since I sat down with a glass of the “good stuff” but this has everything I remember loving about a glass of red, minus the hangover. It had a fantastic fizz which lasted weeks with the top on in the fridge, a beautiful bubbly mouth feel and a complex flavour with exactly the right balance of herbs, fruity tang from the wild berries and blackcurrants and toasty undertones. It was really refreshing, light and so full of flavour. I couldn’t get enough. It paired perfectly with the first episode of Love Island for girls night.
ORO is the second flavour variation in this technologically advanced line up, a bright golden beverage with fine bubbles. It has notes of apple, pear, toast and minerals and leaves a really crisp, fresh taste in the mouth. It was a perfect balance of a fruity yet acidic bold white wine that would be perfect for a summer evening alongside a Mediterranean dinner or salmon salad.
I cannot wait for these to launch come July. They are the closest tasting wine replacement I have ever tried and I cannot get over the long lasting bubbles or complex flavours. I will definitely be purchasing these for my Birthday BBQ´s and for many summers to come. If you are looking for a great alternative to your typical glass that has a fantastic taste but doesn’t result in the workday headache, energy slump or midnight pizza, this is it.
Review by Josie Hull
Disclaimer: City Girl Network was gifted these items in exchange for a review