Cantina Zaccagnini: that's amore?
Make It Non-Alcoholic; December 1, 2025
Today’s wine comes from Abruzzo, and it’s a very very rare example of a non-alcoholic wine from Italy. As you know, the laws have only recently changed to allow Italian producers to make dealcoholized wine and call it wine.
Abruzzo doesn’t often make the headlines, but it absolutely deserves more of the spotlight. Nestled between the Adriatic Sea and the Apennine Mountains, Abruzzo is home to some of Italy’s most beloved, approachable reds particularly montepulciano d’Abruzzo, a varietal known for its richness, deep color, soft tannins and generous fruit.
So when a historic Abruzzo winery develops a non-alcoholic version of its signature red, my expectations are understandably high.
If you’ve ever seen a Zaccagnini bottle on the shelf, you know it instantly: a rustic twig tied around the neck with raffia. It’s an actual piece of grapevine from their estate; a lovely, sentimental nod to the land and to the winemaker himself, which I think is rather heartfelt.
Cantina Zaccagnini’s traditional montepulciano d’Abruzzo regularly earns praise, including 93-point scores for its 2021 vintage.
So when they released a 0.0 red, I was excited.
Cantina Zaccagnini 0.0 Red Wine: A Promising Idea That Doesn’t Fully Land
Reading the material and sell sheets, it does feel like the winemaking team tried to be thoughtful in the dealcoholization process, but then they threw me for a loop. I can over look the wine being shipped to Germany to dealcoholize because everyone does that but my biggest beef is not being transparent about the varietal. Italian Red Grapes is not a varietal and is frustrating when trying to determine what it is I’m drinking.
You can tell when a producer is simply removing alcohol, and when they’re trying to craft something unique. It’s not clear what Zaccagnini was going for.
But even if there was good intentions, the final wine falls short of what I think this varietal, appellation and producer are capable of — and far short of what I had hoped for.
Aroma
There are some pleasant notes on the nose: dusty cardamom, a hint of black cherry, and a faint whisper of something cooked which always turns me off.
Taste
This is where the disappointment is most apparent. The palate never fully finds its footing, lacking the structure and complexity that define well-made montepulciano. The fruit veers into slightly cooked territory, soft and indistinct, with none of the varietal character that should anchor this wine.
I had hoped for montepulciano’s hallmark notes of dark cherry, gentle tannins, and a rustic charm I remember from my days of guzzling Abruzzo wines. Instead, the wine presents as a generic red blend, almost like a table wine, pleasant enough but ultimately stripped of identity.
Mouthfeel & Experience
Light-bodied, reminiscent of a very young Beaujolais but without the vibrant fruit Beaujolais is known for. It’s not thin, technically, but there’s no weight or grip and nothing grounding it.
Overall
This one hurts a little because the potential for greatness was there. The story, the region, the producer… everything pointed towards a breakthrough Italian non-alcoholic red.
But the execution simply isn’t strong enough. At $20, the price isn’t outrageous, but I can’t confidently recommend this bottle when there are better options available.
For a winery with Zaccagnini’s track record, this really feels like a missed opportunity.
Score: 88 points.
A perfectly drinkable red in the technical sense but not the soulful Abruzzo moment I was hoping for!
If you do want to try this - because I have been known to be wrong about wines - it was available for a short time through Better Rhodes but is now sold out.
I would say that as a collective, we’re still on the hunt for that Italian red….without alcohol.
Until next time, have a great weekend!
-Sarah Kate
How I rank wines (based on IWSC standards):
95 to 100 - An excellent drink with a great personality. An example that stands out among its peers
90 to 94 - An accomplished drink with considerable personality, character and complexity. A classic example of its style or variety.
85 to 89 - A perfectly well-made drink which provides an enjoyable drinking experience.
80 to 84 - An acceptable but simple drink, lacking distinction.