Zerozzante Cuvée No.3 – red crabapple – non-alcoholic

An apple that is red to the core

The Zerozzante Cuvée No.3 is an alcohol-free apple sparkling wine made from red-fleshed wild apples and grape juice, cold-pressed and carbonated. It is not a dealcoholized cider, but a juice that has never begun to ferment.

Zerozzante Cuvée No.3 red wild apple is the apple sparkling wine from the Raumland sparkling wine estate in Flörsheim-Dalsheim, crafted from red-fleshed wild apples and red grapes. For years, it was simply sold in our shop as Raumland Apple Sparkling Wine; since the new packaging, it now bears the number three in the Zerozzante range. The apples come from a friendly local fruit farmer.

Harvest-fresh apple, lemon zest, and cranberry

This red apple sparkling wine has a floral and fruity aroma of harvest-fresh apples and red grapes, complemented by the freshness of lemon zest and cranberry.

On the palate, the sweetness is remarkably restrained, as wild apples possess the highest acidity and lowest fruit sugar content of all apple varieties. This is precisely why this cuvée feels drier than the light grape sparkling wine from the same producer. It is sparkling, tart, and clearly defined, with a finish reminiscent of freshly sliced apple.

Because of its high acidity, this old variety is not suitable as a table apple at all, which is why almost no one has grown it for decades. For an alcohol-free sparkling wine, however, this acidity is the best thing an apple can offer. The fruit is not just red on the outside, but through and through, right to the core.

For the afternoon and a long brunch

Where cake is on the table and no one is yet thinking of wine, this apple sparkling wine finds its true place.

It pairs perfectly with apple cake and streusel pastries, as well as fried fish, poultry, and light meat in a light sauce. A matured hard cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano really wakes up its acidity. Serve it at 8 to 10 degrees in a white wine glass; in a narrow flute, the apple note would be overshadowed by the carbonation.

Once opened, the 750 ml bottle will keep in the refrigerator for about three days, after which the effervescence will noticeably fade. If you are serving it throughout the afternoon, it is better to return the bottle to the cold rather than leaving it in the sunshine on the terrace. You can find more sparkling non-alcoholic drinks right next to it in our selection.

Only pristine apples are allowed into the press

The wild apples are cold-pressed, and the heavily chilled juice is then supplemented with grape juice before being carbonated. It is not heated at any stage, even though that would make the bottle shelf-stable for longer.

Volker Raumland consciously accepts this effort because heat flattens the aromatics and turns a lively juice into a bland drink. For this to work, the produce must be flawless, as a single rotten spot would jeopardize the cold-sterile filling process. Aside from apple juice, grape juice, and carbon dioxide, the ingredient list contains only 30 milligrams of vitamin C per liter.

Volker founded his sparkling wine estate in 1984 and now farms 14 hectares organically; his daughters, Katharina and Marie-Luise, have been working with him since 2019. Much respect. You can find more drinks from Flörsheim-Dalsheim here, including the fruit sparkling wine with rhubarb.