Walk down any drinks aisle and every alcohol-free bottle is "premium". The lemonade is premium. The tonic is premium. I half expect the tap water to start wearing a little gold foil.
I should know. I run a drinks shop. I've stood in front of a shelf wondering why one bottle costs twice as much as the one next to it, and whether I've been had. Sometimes I have. I'm 46, I've been had by better.
So here's the honest version. Which trends in pricier alcohol-free drinks are actually worth your money, and which are just a fancy font.
The short answer
Pay more when the extra money goes into the liquid: real wine from good grapes, careful dealcoholisation, proper fermentation, real botanicals and skilled blending. Don't pay more for a heavy bottle, a long list of trendy "functional" ingredients in tiny amounts, or the word "premium" on its own.
For everyday drinking, good mid-priced options are brilliant. Save the big spend for when it shows in the glass.
Why some alcohol-free drinks cost more than the boozy version
It feels mad. You're paying more for less. But taking alcohol out of wine is expensive. You make the wine first, properly, then strip the alcohol out with kit that costs more than a terraced house in Ilkley. Then you've got to keep the body and texture alcohol was giving you.
Alcohol-free beer is a bit easier, which is why it's often cheaper. Spirits are the odd one. There's no alcohol to remove, so you're mostly paying for botanicals, know-how and the bottle. More on that in a minute.
If you want the bigger picture on where these drinks are heading next, we've covered the trends worth drinking in 2026 already. This one's about your wallet.
Worth paying more for: wine made from proper wine
This is where the money really shows. A cheap alcohol-free wine can taste like grape juice that's been told some bad news. A good one starts as a serious wine and keeps its structure.
The trend is big-name estates getting involved. ILEX Saint-Émilion Merlot was the first alcohol-free wine made in Saint-Émilion, from estate-grown grapes at Château Franc Mayne. Plum, black cherry, a touch of mocha, soft tannins. Back when I drank wine, I paid a lot more for a lot worse. It's 0.5%, so check the label if you need zero.
For a Tuesday, though, you don't need a Château. Pierre Zéro Merlot is a true 0.0%, fruity and floral, and made for spaghetti bolognese. Not every night needs to be a dinner party in Bordeaux. Some nights it's a fish finger sandwich in Otley.
Worth paying more for: fizz
Sparkling is the sweet spot. Bubbles hide a lot of what's lost when alcohol comes out, so good alcohol-free fizz gets very close to the real thing.
Wild Idol sparkling white is one of the classiest bottles in the shop: green apple, white peach, fine bubbles and a true 0.0%. If you're toasting a wedding, a big birthday or finally fixing the shed door, this is the one.
Worth paying more for: skilled blending
Sparkling tea is a trend I didn't see coming. Then I tried it, and it shut me up, which anyone who's met me will tell you is rare.
Copenhagen Sparkling Tea LYSERØD is blended by a Danish sommelier from up to 13 organic teas. It's dry, with red berries, apple and a lightly bitter finish. You're paying for a skilled person's palate, not a label. That's money well spent.
Spirits: check the serves, not the price tag
With alcohol-free spirits, look at how many drinks you get from a bottle. Some are made to be mixed with lots of water or tonic, so a bottle goes a long way.
Take Glen Dochus Island. In a previous life I was a peaty whisky man, so I went in suspicious. It's smoky, salty and peaty, 0.0%, and you mix one part with three parts water or a mixer. That's about 28 drinks a bottle. Don't drink it neat. It's not designed for that, and you'll pull the face I pulled.
Then there are the genuinely clever ones. Pathfinder starts with fermented hemp seed, copper pot distilled, then blended with wormwood, ginger, sage and Douglas fir. Herbal, bittersweet, resinous. It's 0.5% and makes a cracking alcohol-free negroni. You can taste where the effort went.
For more on choosing a bottle, we've got a full guide to alcohol-free spirits, and our wine and spirits bottle deal gives 10% off 6 bottles and 15% off 12.
Just a fancy font: what not to pay extra for
The word "premium". It means nothing. Anyone can print it on anything. I could call a bag of pork scratchings premium. Somebody probably already has.
Heavy bottles and gold foil. Lovely on a shelf. Doesn't change the taste. It's like paying extra for a sofa because it came in a nice box.
The "functional" shopping list. Adaptogens, nootropics, mushrooms, a vitamin alphabet. Some of these ingredients have research behind them, but a long list doesn't tell you how much is in there or whether it'll do anything. If the label promises to unlock your potential, keep your hand on your wallet. I've had plenty of drinks with nootropics in. My potential remains firmly locked.
That's not a dig at drinks that contain them. Some taste great. Just buy them for the taste, not the promise.
The honest rule of thumb
Ask one question: "Where did the money go?" If you can taste the answer, pay it. If the answer is "the box", don't.
And buy smart. Mixing a box gets you money off across the whole site: 6 drinks for 5%, 12 for 10%, 24 for 15%. You can build a wine box with one posh bottle for the weekend and a few everyday ones for midweek. Like having a good suit and a decent pair of jeans. You don't wear the suit to the tip.
If you want the beginner's tour of the posher end of the shelves, our guide to "premium" non-alcoholic drinks covers the basics. Yes, I put that word in quotes on purpose.
The serious bit
In the UK, drinks up to 0.5% ABV aren't classed as alcohol, so most alcohol-free wines, beers and spirits sit somewhere between 0.0% and 0.5%. The official labelling guidance uses different words for different levels, so read the ABV on the bottle. If you need to avoid alcohol completely, choose 0.0%.
If you're pregnant, on medication or have a health condition, check with your GP first. If you're worried about your drinking, Drinkaware and NHS services offer free, confidential support.
Kombucha Kev, Functional Drinks Club
