16 Wines For People Who Don’t Like Wine [Red, White, & Rosé]

We get that wine is an acquired taste. After all, it’s crafted from fermented grape juice — it won’t immediately appeal to every palate. 

Some people don’t like wine because they’ve had bad experiences in the past, they haven’t found a style they like, they’re avoiding the calories in wine, or they’re avoiding the alcohol content.

Maybe you’re a new wine drinker, and you don’t know where to start (PS: We have a full guide on wine for beginners). Maybe you have fancy friends who know everything about wine, and you want to join the conversation.

Whatever your motivation, if you want to be a wine lover but need some guidance, stick with us.

What are the ingredients in wine? The main ingredients for wine are the same across the board: fermented grapes. The blend of grape varieties in a wine determine its flavor, color, tannins, and mouthfeel. 

We want to help you learn how the variety of grapes and the way vines are cultivated make for subtle differences in wines. You’ll learn to notice the color, taste, and how a sip feels in your mouth. In time, your appreciation of the qualities of wine may even grow into an enjoyment of it. 

Our wine experts at Surely have rounded up 16 varieties of wine for people who don’t like wine, including non-alcoholic options, for the sober curious. We’ll walk you through each category to help you find your perfect match.

What is the best wine for someone who doesn't like wine? 

White or rosé wines are widely considered the best for people who don’t like wine. 

White wine is lighter in body, and it’s easier to find fruity, sweet, and crisp varieties, all good for a developing wine palate. It’s lower in calories than red wine, and it’s best served chilled, like sparkling wine.

4 Best Sparkling Varietals

Sparkling wines are an excellent entry point for those who don’t like the taste of wine. The chilled bubbles are approachable for your taste buds, and the sweetness is a nice perk as well.

If you’re looking to moderate your alcohol intake, you’ll love alcohol-removed champagne. There are plenty of choices for bubbles without the booze.

Best for Taste Without a Buzz

Sparkling wines and lighter white wines have a low alcohol content compared to bold red wines. This is a perfect wine for women who tend to get intoxicated faster than they’d like. 

If you’re giving up wine altogether, there are delicious alcohol-removed options out there for you, too:

• Alcohol-removed sparkling wine: If you’re looking for celebratory bubbles without the alcohol, try a non-alcoholic sparkling white. It’s made in the style of traditional champagne, just without the potential hangover.
• Italian prosecco: Prosecco is the fruitier cousin of traditional champagne. It has a lower alcohol content and fewer calories than both white and red wine styles.

Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Brut

$26.99

Award-winning alcohol-removed bubbly white. Hints of lemon, peach and passion fruit with dry acidity. Better than champagne.TASTING NOTES: The vibrant combination of lemon, peach, and passion fruit create a rich flavor counterbalanced by full acidity creating a delightfully dry profile.FOOD… Read More

Best for Something Sweet

White wines are known for being sweeter than reds. If you’re looking a bottle of wine that’s sweet and fizzy, you have options:

• Asti spumante: Italian Asti spumante, or Asti, undergoes a single fermentation process that allows this sparkling variety to retain its signature sweetness. This might be one of the best types of wine for people starting their wine journey who aren’t used to the fermentation yet.
• Demi-sec champagne: Demi-sec champagne is a style of sparkling wine that is sweeter than a brut or dry sparkling variety. You’ll see winemakers incorporate hints of almond, fruit, and even honey into this varietal to bump up the sweet bubble flavor even further.

Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Rosé Can 4-Pack

$24.99

Dry non-alcoholic California sparkling rosé with crisp, light notes of strawberry, pear & tropical fruits. Rosé all day without the hangover.TASTING NOTES: Flavors of soft strawberry, pear, and tropical fruit notes are balanced with a light acid for a full… Read More

5 Best White Varietals

White wine varietals are so diverse, but one thing they have in common is a more pleasing mouth feel if you’re not used to drinking wine.

Best for Sweeter Tastes

If you’re seeking something sweet, there is a white wine out there for you:

• Riesling: This is one of the sweeter white wines out there, with fruit flavors like apricot and pear that give it a touch of acidity and balance.
• Moscato: This sweet wine from Italy comes from the Muscat grape. While it often comes in white, some varieties are sparkling, some are pink, and some even approach red. Moscato d’Asti is a great choice if you prefer a light sweet grapey wine.
• Chardonnay: A dry Chardonnay will be more acidic and fruit-forward, but full-oaked varieties can be buttery, nutty, and give off hints of vanilla.

Best for Low-Calorie Sipping

Drier white wines will usually have fewer calories and less residual sugar than sweeter white wines. Overall, almost all white wines contain fewer calories per ounce than red wine. 

If you’re looking to cut wine drinking based on calories alone, choose from the options below: 

• Sauvignon blanc: A sauvignon blanc is a popular light-bodied summertime wine due to its tart, fruity flavors, like grapefruit and green apple. Surely has a low-calorie, non-alcoholic version as well. A generous 8 oz pour of our white wine has only 40 calories!
• Viognier: This crisp addition to the world of wine is a blend of two grapes with notes of stonefruit. It’s similar in calories to a Sauvignon blanc, with less acidity than other white wines like Pinot Grigio.

Non-Alcoholic Sauvignon Blanc

$22.99

Award-winning alcohol-removed California Sauvignon Blanc. Citrus meets pear and apple to create a crisp, bright, dry sip. TASTING NOTES: Crisp, clean, and bright like a diamond. This perfectly balanced, dry Sauvignon Blanc is citrus-forward with soft pear and sweet apple… Read More

3 Best Rosé Varietals

Sometimes sweet, sometimes dry, rosé is a fun, flirty wine varietal. While the flavor profile can vary, you’ll know it by its signature pink color. This color is achieved by contact with grape skins, not by a particular grape.

Best for Versatility 

Due to the broad range of grapes that are used in different rosé wines, there’s likely a rosé for you, no matter what flavor profile you’re going for: 

• White Zinfandel: The name can be confusing, but white zinfandel is considered more rosé than white for its dry notes and pink color. It’s most popular in California, as the original came from Sutter Home Winery.
• French-style rosés: Much like French red wine, a French rosé will be on the dry side. If you’d like a low-calorie, alcohol-removed version, Surely’s rosé is the perfect choice.

Best for Fizzy Fun

If you’re looking for a special occasion beverage, sparkling rosé is a great option that keeps the pink and adds some fizz:

• Sparkling rosé: Light and fruity, sparkling rosé is particularly popular in the summer months or for celebrations. The sparkling rosé from Surely retains the flavor of a delicious California rosé with the addition of vibrant bubbles sans alcohol. 

Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Rosé Can 4-Pack

$24.99

Dry non-alcoholic California sparkling rosé with crisp, light notes of strawberry, pear & tropical fruits. Rosé all day without the hangover.TASTING NOTES: Flavors of soft strawberry, pear, and tropical fruit notes are balanced with a light acid for a full… Read More

4 Best Red Varietals

The traditional red wines you’ll see out there are considered less approachable if you’ve had a bad experience with wine in the past. The best red wines for hesitant wine drinkers are typically sweeter, offering your glass of wine a less overwhelming presence.

Best for Something Fruity

Red wine doesn’t have to be bold and in-your-face. There are more subtle, even sweet varieties that are fruit-forward:

• Brachetto d’Acqui: This sweet red wine from Piedmont, Italy, has a raspberry aftertaste that makes it a classic dessert wine to pair with chocolate. This one is also semi-sparkling, so it’s a good option for date nights or after-dinner drinks.
• Lambrusco: When fermented to dolce (very sweet), Italian Lambrusco resembles a mixed berry beverage more than you’d consider most red blend wines to be. It can also come in a dry wine. Read the labels closely so you know you’re getting what you want.   

Non-Alcoholic Bubbly Red Can 4-Pack

$26.99

A jammy and fruit forward blend of alcohol-removed Cabernet & Pinot Noir with fun effervescence, dark cherry notes and a nice dry finish.TASTING NOTES: Complex blend with notes of dark cherry, blackberry, plum and black currant. Hints of french Oak,… Read More

Best for Low Tannins

Red wines like cabernet sauvignon are known for tannins, a compound that non-wine drinkers often get turned off by for their puckering effects. 

If you’re looking for red wines that are lower in tannins, try these:

• Pinot noir: Pinot noir is often considered the gateway red wine. It’s lighter, less dry, and contains relatively low tannins compared to other reds.
• Beaujolais Nouveau: Specific to the Beaujolais region of France, this is a popular holiday wine, meaning you’re only likely to find it available around Christmastime. This variety is best served chilled.

Honorable Red Wine Mentions

Reds have a vast range of depth and flavor. If you want a more robust blend as you start enjoying red wine, try:

• Shiraz: This fruity, full-bodied blend also has a bit of spice, with notes of black pepper and smoke. This grape is also called syrah in some regions of the world.
• Merlot: This is a dry, fuller-bodied wine with a high tannin content. It’s often paired with the main course in fine dining. However, its tannins make it a wine you should ease into, not start with.
• Bordeaux: Medium to full-bodied Bordeaux tends to have rich, earthy aromas. Again, not a good wine for first-time wine drinkers, but as your taste for wine develops, it’s worth a try.

Impeccable Wine Without Any Alcohol

It’s no secret that drinking too much alcohol can lead to a range of health problems, weaken your immune system, and lead to alcohol dependency.

If you’re looking to have some sober fun, want to quit drinking for your health, or just don’t love how you feel after too much wine, there are non-alcoholic options for you to explore that will still satisfy your tastebuds.

Is there a non-alcoholic wine that tastes like wine? Surely non-alcoholic wine tastes like wine because it’s made from real high-quality wine that has had the alcohol removed.

Surely’s wines are crafted in California by expert winemakers, and it shows. Shop now to try our thoughtful approach to wine.