Giesen

0% Premium Red

WineMerlot

Giesen 0% Dealcoholized New Zealand Premium Red bottle with a white label
Image courtesy of the producer

81/100

The short take

Appealing plum and berry fruit make this an enjoyable, easy-drinking red. The smooth texture works well, though simple flavors and a short finish leave room for greater depth, structure and length.

Tasted Karl HillHow we score

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In the glass

  1. Appearance

    Deep ruby red.

  2. Nose

    Ripe plum and dark berries lead the aroma, with blackcurrant alongside them and a subtle woody note behind the fruit.

  3. Palate

    Plum and crushed berries carry a smooth, light to medium-bodied palate. Gentle sweetness accompanies the fruit, while restrained savory oak adds definition. The flavors remain straightforward and primarily fruit-driven.

  4. Finish

    A slightly dry close carries a little oak, but it fades quickly. Persistence is limited, leaving a brief impression.

How wine-like is it?

Familiar red-wine fruit and oak establish the character, but gentle sweetness, lighter body and a short finish leave the sense of structure modest.

Structure

  • Off-dry
  • Medium body
  • Short finish

The wine

The finish sets the limit here: a little drying oak, then very little left to follow. Giesen’s Premium Red is enjoyable through the sip, with ripe fruit and a smooth texture, but it closes before those flavors have much chance to develop. The brief persistence makes the wine less memorable than its appealing fruit might suggest.

Deep ruby in the glass, it smells of plum and dark berries, with blackcurrant and a quiet woody accent. Plum and crushed berries carry the palate too. Gentle sweetness sits alongside a restrained savory oak note, giving the fruit some definition while leaving it firmly in charge. The body is light to medium, and the smooth delivery makes for easy drinking.

The familiar fruit and oak keep this recognizably in red-wine territory. Its structure feels modest, though, and the flavors stay on a fairly simple course. The oak adds a welcome savory detail without bringing much further depth or extending the finish. At 81/100, this is an approachable red with clear pleasures: fruit, gentle sweetness and a smooth sip. Greater complexity and persistence would make a stronger impression.

The bottle

Production Dealcoholized

Evidence Producer documented

Production type describes how it is made, not how it tastes. What this classification means.

Method Spinning coneSpinning cone technology: the wine is separated into aroma, alcohol and body; aroma and body are recombined and a touch of premium grape juice is added (producer US page).Verified from producer documentation · Oct 2026

Research notes

Giesen’s US page presents this as a New Zealand Premium Red (Merlot) and, in the same copy, a dealcoholized Premium Red Blend; no blend percentages are published, and a US retail listing describing a Merlot–Cabernet Franc blend could not be read. The producer makes full-strength New Zealand wine, separates it by spinning cone into aroma, alcohol and body, recombines aroma and body, and adds a touch of premium grape juice. The page states not more than 0.5% alc/vol, 750 ml, product of New Zealand, contains sulphites, and “produced with milk product, traces may remain.” No full ingredient list is published. The same US page’s awards copy refers to the wine as Giesen 0% Merlot. Producer tasting copy stays off this record.

Where to buy

Giesen

Buy from producer

Package

750 ml

Recorded price

$12.99 (750 ml) — Luekens Wine & Spirits, US (observed 2026-10-21)

Also listed
  • Giesen 0% Premium Red — Giesen US · Producer
Availability

United States (Giesen US storefront and retail)

Prices and availability are independently observed and may change. Retailer listings do not imply endorsement. A different package is labeled as a different format. Reader-service exceptions and commercial links are identified above; neither affects scores, rankings, classification, verification, or editorial coverage.

Product facts

Producer
Giesen Wines
Base beverage
Full-strength New Zealand red described by the producer as Merlot and as a Premium Red Blend; no percentages published.
Bottle / can
750 ml

Ingredients & nutrition

Ingredients
Dealcoholized New Zealand wine (99%), grape juice concentrate, sulfur dioxide (preservative), potassium sorbate (preservative). Contains sulfites.
Calories
67 kcal per 12 fl oz (360 ml); 145 kcal per container, as printed
Sugar
11 g total sugars per 360 ml; 23 g per container; 0 g added sugars in both columns
Per 100 ml
18.6 kcal · 3.1 g sugar

Tasting notes are opinion. Facts are printed only when a source supports them. Scores are not for sale, and a sample does not guarantee a review.

How we score and verify · Send a correction

Sources disagree on Sugar and Base beverage.

Sources & verification

Facts checked Oct 2026 3 primary sources Method: documented Conflicts: 3 noted Show details Hide details

Where sources disagree

Sources disagree on the following points.

  • Sugar: Physical bottle supplied 2026-10-18 declares 0 g added sugars per serving and per container. Earlier producer-panel evidence below is retained as a conflicting source, not the canonical value for this bottle.
  • Sugar: The producer nutrition panel gives 11 g total sugars including 5 g added per 12 fl oz (360 ml). The Wegmans listing on Instacart gives the same calories, carbohydrate and total sugars for the same serving but 0 g added sugars and 3 g protein. The record keeps the producer figure; the added-sugar disagreement is unresolved.
  • Base beverage: The producer page calls the wine both a New Zealand Premium Red (Merlot) and a Premium Red Blend, without percentages. Whether it is Merlot alone or a Merlot-led blend is unresolved.

Evidence at a glance

  • Bottle verified7 facts
  • Producer documented6 facts
  • Retailer sourced1 fact

Sources

  • Bottle / can label Bottle label

    • Nutrition
    • Package
    • Ingredients
    • ABV
    • Country
    • Calories
    • Sugar
    Bottle verified
    7 notes
    Nutrition
    Both serving and container columns preserved as printed. Cholesterol printed as 0 g and normalized to 0 mg. Protein reads <3 g per serving and 2 g per container. No invented daily values or inferred corrections.
    Package
    Printed code W49741 04:21; not interpreted as a date. Refrigerate after opening for quality. Contains sulfites.
    Ingredients
    Dealcoholized New Zealand wine (99%), grape juice concentrate, sulfur dioxide (preservative), potassium sorbate (preservative). Contains sulfites.
    ABV
    Physical bottle declares contains less than 0.5% alc/vol.
    Country
    Product of New Zealand. Manufactured by Giesen Group Ltd., 26 Bristol Street, Marlborough, New Zealand. Manufacturer address does not independently establish vineyard origin.
    Calories
    67 kcal per 12 fl oz (360 ml); 145 kcal per container, as printed; retain printed columns independently rather than forcing an exact serving-to-container conversion.
    Sugar
    Physical bottle: 11 g total sugars per 360 ml and 23 g per container, with 0 g added sugars in BOTH columns. Supersedes prior producer-panel added-sugar value for this bottle.

  • Producer giesenwines.com

    • Production
    • Method
    • Base beverage
    • Volume
    • Producer
    • Availability
    Producer documented
    3 notes
    Production
    Producer: full-strength New Zealand wine with the alcohol removed by spinning cone.
    Method
    Spinning cone separates aroma, alcohol and body; aroma and body recombined; grape juice added.
    Base beverage
    Producer names Merlot and also calls it a Premium Red Blend; no percentages.

  • Retail listing luekensliquors.com

    • Price
    Retailer sourced
    Note
    Price
    Luekens lists the 750ml bottle at $12.99 on 2026-10-21. The listing barcode matches the UPC on this record.

Additional sources

See something wrong? Submit a correction.

Product record history Sourced changes and open disagreements. Prior claims stay on the record when sources conflict.
  1. ReviewedReviewed and published.
  2. OpenDiscrepancy · SugarPhysical bottle supplied 2026-10-18 declares 0 g added sugars per serving and per container. Earlier producer-panel evidence below is retained as a conflicting source, not the canonical value for this bottle.
  3. OpenDiscrepancy · SugarThe producer nutrition panel gives 11 g total sugars including 5 g added per 12 fl oz (360 ml). The Wegmans listing on Instacart gives the same calories, carbohydrate and total sugars for the same serving but 0 g added sugars and 3 g protein. The record keeps the producer figure; the added-sugar disagreement is unresolved.
  4. OpenDiscrepancy · Base beverageThe producer page calls the wine both a New Zealand Premium Red (Merlot) and a Premium Red Blend, without percentages. Whether it is Merlot alone or a Merlot-led blend is unresolved.

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