McGuigan Zero

Over the years McGuigan Wines have cemented their place in the top list of wine makers worldwide, and now they’ve created a range of Non-alcoholic wine, establishing their place within the alcohol-free world. You got questions, I know! Here are your answers. Read on to learn about McGuigan Wines and their innovative, fancy and seriously tasty McGuigan Zero wines. 

What does the “Zero” in McGuigan Zero mean? 

McGuigan have called their non-alcoholic range McGuigan Zero in order to establish and send home the fact that there is zero alcohol in their Zero wines. 

For a wine to be classed as having zero alcohol or alcohol-free, there must be no more than 0.05% residual alcohol left in the wine when it hits the shelves, ready to go home with you. Want to know more about what non-alcoholic wine is, I wrote a whole article about that What is non-alcoholic Wine?

The McGuigan Zero guarantee is that all their Zero wines fully meet these standards. You can easily tell which of their wines are suited to people who don’t drink by looking for the tell-tale Zero in the name. 

How long have McGuigan been making wine? 

The McGuigan love for wine dates back all the way to 1880 with pioneer Owen McGuigan working on vineyards in the Hunter Valley. 

From 1930-1950 this love was even further established by the one and only Perc McGuigan. 

Then came Brian and Fay McGuigan, leading the charge between 1960-1980 and bringing the McGuigan name to the tip of everyone in the Australian wine market’s tongue. 

Brian and Fay joined forces with Brian’s younger brother Neil in the 90s to truly set the foundation for McGuigan Wines as it operates today.

The rest is history… 

What is in the McGuigan Zero wine range? 

At Sans Drinks you can buy the entire range of McGuigan Zero: 

McGuigan Zero Sauvignon Blanc

McGuigan Zero Dry Sparkling

McGuigan Zero Chardonnay

McGuigan Zero Shiraz

McGuigan Zero Dry Rose 

These delicious drops are almost indistinguishable from their alcoholic equivalents, without the nasty health and well-being related consequences that alcohol tends to leave us with. 

Does McGuigan use artificial ingredients in the McGuigan Zero range? 

Absolutely not! 

McGuigan are dedicated to providing their connoisseur customers with wine that is completely free of artificial sweeteners or flavours. Everything in their Zero range is stemmed from juicy, vine-ripened wine grapes. Nothing more, nothing less.

This ensures a truly natural wine taste and mouthfeel, while providing added health benefits that artificial ingredients simply cannot offer.

Are the McGuigan Zero wines vegan-friendly? 

I wish! They’re not quite vegan-friendly just yet but we’ve heard that McGuigan are working on formulating a recipe that will allow vegans everywhere to enjoy a drop of the good stuff. 

It should be introduced within the next few years if everything runs according to plan. I cannot wait! 

Does McGuigan do anything to help the environment? 

The McGuigan brand is entirely committed to sticking by their sustainable wine making beliefs and practices. 

Among the list of environmentally friendly processes in place throughout the wine making experience, McGuigan have introduced renewable energy to their Buronga Hill Winery. 100% of all electricity generated there is renewable – that’s a whole lotta love for Mother Earth. 

What are the health benefits of drinking McGuigan’s non-alcoholic range of wines? 

McGuigan’s Zero range have some awesome health benefits including lower sugar, lower calories, no gluten and no refined sugar. 

Lower calories come from the removal of alcohol. The alcohol is where most calories in alcoholic beer and wine are found, not in the other ingredients. 

The only sugar used in the Zero wine making process comes from the natural goodness of wine grapes. No artificial nasties. The sugar content, especially in the Zero Rose, is significantly lower than a range of other mainstream alcoholic products, fruit juices and soft drinks. 

Why is there a “best before” date on McGuigan Zero wines? 

The ability for wine to age is reduced when alcohol is removed from the picture. To allow their Zero drinkers to experience non-alcoholic wine at its absolute best, McGuigan include a “best before” date on their wines. 

They are also highly forthcoming with the ingredients used in their wines, so they provide nutritional details on each bottle. They’ve got nothing to hide and they want to allow their drinkers to make their choices based on facts.

What is McGuigan’s Wines history with winemaking awards and achievements? 

McGuigan are proud to be one of the most awarded names in the wine industry worldwide, having taken out the following titles and achievements, plus more! This information has been taken directly from the McGuigan Wines website, so you know it’s legit… 

2002

Australia’s 4^th largest winemaker

2009

International Wine & Spirit Competition 2009 London

·         International Winemaker of the Year

·         Australian Producer of the Year

·         International Riesling Trophy – Shortlist Riesling 2003 

International Wine Challenge 2009 London

·         White Winemaker of the Year 

2011

International Wine & Spirit Competition 2011

·         International Winemaker of the Year

·         Australian Producer of the Year

·         International Semillon Trophy – Bin 9000 Semillon 2006

·         Gold ‘Best in Class’ – Bin 9000 Semillon 1997 / 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2006

2012

International Wine & Spirit Competition 2012 London

39 wines entered – 39 awarded 

·         International Winemaker of the Year

·         Australian Producer of the Year

·         International Semillon Trophy – Bin 9000 Semillon 2004

·         Gold ‘Best in Class’ – Bin 9000 Semillon 1997 / 2011; Farms Shiraz 2009; Shortlist Semillon 2007

·         Gold – Bin 9000 Semillon 2003 / 2005 

International Wine Challenge 2012 London

·         White Winemaker of the Year

·         Eden Valley Riesling Trophy – Shortlist Eden Valley Riesling 2010

·         Gold – Shortlist Chardonnay 2010; Shortlist Riesling 2005 / 2007 / 2010; Bin 9000 Semillon 2004

2013

Halliday’s 90 points – 2012 Expressions Sauvignon Blanc

Sydney Wine Show 91 points – 2012 Expressions Pinot Grigio 

2014

McGuigan Black Label Red is Australia’s # 1 selling red wine by volume, cementing its place as Australia’s favourite red wine. 

2015

McGuigan becomes fourth largest global wine brand in the UK market 

2016

International Wine and Spirit Competition 2016 London

·         International Winemaker of the Year

·         Australian Producer of the Year

·         International Semillon Trophy – McGuigan Bin 9000 Semillon 2003

·         International Shiraz Trophy – McGuigan Handmade Shiraz 2007