Welch's Sparkling Cherry Limeade

Medium strong carbonation, very bright in color, Fuchsia.  It has a deep round cherry scent.

It’s bright and limey, the pear is lessened compared to the Welch’s Raspberry Limeade. Quite sweet, it reminds me of a Shirley Temple.  Steady carbonation.  I liked better at first sip compared to the end of the 3rd glass.  It was punchy and buzzy at first, with a foamy mild, but cherry-strong finish, leaving a minor tingle on the tongue.  It’s acidic, but I’d describe it more as a tartness.  It’s well tempered by the cherry and sugar.

Works as a Wine Alternative: It’s quite sweet for that

Did I Like it: 7/10, finding a good pairing could make this more than a novelty, but I’m not sure what to pair it with.  It’d be good with vanilla ice cream, and compliment it sweetly.

Would I Recommend it: It was fun, but the Strawberry Lemonade by Welch’s was more complex and easily parable with dinner foods.  This is more soda like.

Who Might Like it: Anyone who likes Shirley Temples. 

Kristian Regále Sparkling Black Currant

My Experience:

I'd been searching around for a local place to find more of the flavors from Kristian Regále, and was thinking about ordering from their own website to get the two I hadn't tried yet (Orange and Black Currant.) Before I'd gotten around to making the order, however, I was contacted by Peter Strnad of Kristian Regále, who simply said he enjoyed reading the reviews I'd written. I told him to keep watching for when I finally reviewed the last two flavors once I got my hands on them, and he offered to send me some of the Black Currant (apparently that's the one that people really notice.) Now, I know what you're thinking. "What about your journalistic integrity!" I have only two things to say. First, you are taking this blog way too seriously. Second, you only have to look at my previous reviews before now to see I've always been (and will be) a fan of Kristian Regále (and been honest in my opinion.) Anyway, the best news of all this is that he informed me they are now just now selling through amazon (not a 3rd party at amazon) which means free shipping on orders over $25. Here is a sample pack that has the Black Currant and more. Also make sure to try out the Pomegranate.

The color is a rosy plum, and its scent, like most juices, indicative of the fruit used in it. (read: it smells like black currant!) The carbonation is perfectly fantastic, just like all Kristian Regále (see the link in the sidebar), with its zesty bite that's not over the top, and full of tiny bubbles. It doesn't completely dissipate on your tongue like some of this style of drink does. It's on the drier side of Kristian Regále, which is quite dry for a juice, still sweet for a wine. It's fairly acidic, medium bodied and on the bold side. Fresh plums come to mind while drinking it.

It cleanses well, and it'd pair well with lots of foods. Steaks, pastas, pork and even some desserts. It's very versatile, and complimentary to lots of foods. The ingredients list is gleefully short. Water, apple & black currant concentrates, beet sugar, carbon dioxide, natural flavors and citric acid.

This is now my favorite Kristian Regále drink. It's more nuanced and sophisticated than the pomegranate, and a bit more versatile. It's as wine-like as you can get in the sparkling world, without going for de-alcholized wine. I'm definitely adding this to my table drink list, and with how often we use Amazon to order things, a case of this will be on my Birthday and Christmas lists indefinitely.

We drank this with Spinach Prosciutto Noodle Casserole.

Works as a Wine Alternative: Yes

Did I Like it: My favorite Kirstian Regále so far, 10

Would I Recommend it: Yes, it's easy to pick up and try, pairs well with lots of food, and tastes great.

Who Might Like it: Again, this one has wide appeal.

Lorina French Berry Soda

My Experience:

While on a family trip to Hawaii (I know, I'm very lucky. :) we went to the grocery store to buy food for the week. I ran across several things at the local Safeway that I didn't expect to find. One of them is this French Berry Soda.

The first thing I noticed was the bottle. It had the same type of as the Effervé, with a rubber stopper permanently latched onto the top, which you can use to reseal the bottle. Genius, I love it! I actually kept the bottle of the Effervé so I can use it again in the future!

This not-quite-pink not-really-red drink smells like other Strawberry sodas I've had. It's finely carbonated, and the first thing that hit my tongue besides the (mostly straw) berry-ness was lemon, which gave it a good touch of acidity. There is the very very faintest woodenness to the taste. It's a very light drink for a soda.

It cut through some sweet foods we had quite well. Pairs well with strong foods, or anyting you'd normally eat with any kind of berry, like salads for example. It is very sweet like a soda, but more nuanced than most. It's crisp, clean, and I can see myself sipping this to cool off. The carbonation, though fine and producing small bubbles, is still strong.

6.5 out of 10

Works as a Wine Alternative: I'd say it works as a culinary beverage, but it's not wine-like at all.

Did I Like it: Yes! Definitely another "Table Drink"

Would I Recommend it: Only as a fancy soda, but as such, yes.

Who Might Like it: Soda lovers unite!

Safeway Select Sparkling Apple Pomegranate

My Experience:

We were on a family vacation in Hawaii and stopped by Safeway to get some food for the week. I found this drink, along with a bottle of Lorina French Berry Soda to try.

This would be a direct competitor to Kristian Regále's Sparkling Pomegranate Apple beverage. Let's see how it fares.

It has a dark red, plum color, and not a very strong smell. It doesn't have the steadily streaming bubbles I'm used to from Kristian Regále, and it does have a bit of a head. A very fine carbonation, and is very drinkable on its own. I can't taste anything other than Pomegranate and Apple, though that's not a bad thing. It was a good pairing with your average pizza, (though it didn't pair well with the peanut Thai pizza we tried) and it has just a touch of acid from some citrus extract.

Works as a wine Alternative: This one is very approachable, and still very much a juice, though one I wouldn't mind having often in the house.

Did I like it: I thought it was good, though not spectacular. 6 out of 10.

Would I Recommend it: In terms of trying to find wine alternatives, no I wouldn't really recommend this as a must try, but I like it enough to get more should I ever swing by Safeway again.

R.W. Knudsen's Sparkling Organic Apple

My Experience:

You know, whenever I see a set of something I'm interested in, I get excited. I love sets. So, every time I see R.W. Knudsen's sparkling juices I want to buy them all. This one changed that, at least a little...

It has very little carbonation, as with most of R.W. Knudsen's stuff, and in the glass it looks exactly like normal apple juice. Smells like apple juice, though it's not a very strong scent. It tastes just a little tart, pretty much exactly like you'd expect if you took apple juice and carbonated it. Much much milder than Martinelli's Sparkling Cider.

Works as a wine Alternative: Not really.

Did I like it: It's ok. A 5 or 6 out of 10. It's just very plain jane, expected, and done.

Would I Recommend it: If you love apple juice or drink it semi-regularly, give this a shot to change it up a little.

Who Might Like it: Maybe anyone who likes apple juice...

R.W. Knudsen's Sparkling Strawberry

My Experience:

Strawberry! Who doesn't love strawberry drinks? Like strawberry lemonade. Or strawberry rhubarb lemonade? Or... R.W. Knudsen's Sparkling Strawberry!

It's pretty transparent for a red juice, more a rouge color, and it has medium sized bubbles continuously moving to the top. The carbonation is relatively light. Smells of strawberries, and a hint of something else, maybe grape or apple. It's not that sweet, for a juice. It is not tart, like strawberry stuff often is. The taste definitely hints at the pineapple that is also in this, like in the cherry. It's mellow and easy going, and would probably drink well with lots of light or medium foods. My wife, who is also a strawberry lover in general, loves this. We had it with plain ol' spaghetti, which was a bit heavy for this drink, but otherwise an ok pairing. Canned spaghetti sauce tends to be very sweet, which helped this Strawberry drink because its sweetness didn't overwhelm some of the other flavors, like it might have, if we had this with something more savory like a roast or anything with gravy.

Works as a wine Alternative: Not really. You can drink it with anything, and it'd be ok, but I don't think it would pair particularly well, in terms of giving contrast or complementing a food, with anything.

Did I like it: I think it makes a wonderful cooler, I'd love to sip it with a straw out on the patio, but it doesn't really make for a great pairing with lots of foods. My wife disagrees. We will have to try it again soon for a second take. 7 out of 10.

Would I Recomend it: Not as an alternative, yes as a drink.

Who Might Like it: Juice lovers.

R.W. Knudsen's Sparkling Cherry

My Experience:

First off, its scent is very dark, very much like black (as opposed to normal) cherries. It's not as sparkling as Martinelli's (I'm learning that nothing is) and the carbonation was quite coarse. The acidity is higher than most sparkling juices I've tried, and the flavor is very strong. Of cherry, that is, though the plum juice that's also in the drink shows through a little. The acidity probably comes from the pineapple juice that's also in this blend. It's very sweet, though not as sweet as Martinelli's, similar to R.W.'s offering in pear but somewhat more tart, due to the cherries I'm assuming.

It's got a nip of sour in the finish. It could make a good every-day drink, (which I'm calling a Table Drink, as in a Table Wine.)

It reminds me a lot of the cherry kirsebærsauce sauce that goes with Ris a la mande.

This would be great for a cherry float with vanilla ice cream!

Works as a wine Alternative: Sure.

Did I like it: Yes, though nothing spectacular, 6 out of 10.

Would I Recommend it: Just like the Kristian Regále stuff, I've enjoyed trying all of these and comparing them. (Though these haven't been as good as the Kristian Regále stuff.)

Who Might Like it: You know, with all of these sparkling juices it's pretty straight forward. I'd recommend them to anyone who likes the fruit they are based on, or thinks they could find a good pairing.

Kristian Regále Sparkling Peach Juice

My Experience:

It's very translucent, with just a light golden color. It smells like you'd expect a peach to smell, but the taste hints of a white grape juice, though it has no grape in it and tastes more peachy over time, especially as it warms up. It's tingly on the tongue, but doesn't foam up. It's slightly drier than your average juice, with a hint of bitterness, probably from the carbonation.

Works as a Wine Alternative: Yes, a sweet one. I think it would work well with an alfredo, and it'd cut through the sauce. Pair it with things that are very light.

Did I Like it: Yes, though not as much as their offering in Pomegranate-Apple, a 6 out of 10. My wife doesn't like it so much.

Would I Recommend it: Yes, I've had a ton of fun trying out all the Kristian Regále stuff.

Who Might Like it: Most anyone who likes peaches?

[Update: I've tried this again since, and I think I appreciate it even more with the right pairing.]

Effervé Sparkling Pink Lemonade

My Experience:

For our anniversary we went to Fresh & Easy and picked up a random assortment of yummy looking foods and had a meal out in the backyard. As a gift my wife got me the rest of the R.W. Knudsen Sparkling Juices I hadn't tried yet (see side bar for the round-up) but we also found this Effervé Sparkling Pink Lemonade ("Pétillante Limonade Rose" or somethin'.) They also had a non-pink version, but we went with the pink version. (What's Pink Lemonade anyway? Is it made from pink lemons? No.)

The color is light pink, looks like a traditional pink lemonade but with no pulp. Lightly carbonated, it's best served a bit colder than we had it (we only had time for a quick chill). It's quite dry for a juice, just a little sweet, and just a little tangy, and is a touch more sour during the finish. It's alright as a palate cleanser but doesn't quite leave me with the clean feeling a good one does. It's very acidic. We had it with some very acidic lemon hummus salad dressing, and the dressing made the lemonade taste sweet, so I'm glad the lemonade wasn't sweeter or it would have been overwhelming with our salad.

Looking at the ingredients, there is technically no juice, just citric acid and other ingredients, though all natural.

It doesn't really taste like lemonade. There is a hint of bitterness, but just a tiny touch, possibly from whatever sparkling water they used. Smells more lemony than it tastes. My wife likes it a lot.

Works as a Wine Alternative: Yes, in terms of being a culinary beverage.

Did I Like it: Yes! 8 out of 10!

Would I Recommend it: Yes, everyone knows what things to serve lemonade with, so pairing is easy, and it's not a huge departure from what you might expect, so it's very approachable.

Who Might Like it: Most anyone, even some people who don't like lemonade, as while it's more acidic, the sourness and sweetness are both less intense then a normal lemonade.

R.W. Knudsen's Sparkling Cranberry

My Experience:

A while back we had R.W. Knudsen's Sparkling Organic Pear Juice, and loved it! So we decided to try the rest of their juices, with high hopes.

The photo makes it look darker than it is, and it has very few, very small bubbles. It's not as tart as I thought a cranberry drink would be, and it's less sweet than the pear drink. It's lighter than most cranberry drinks I've had also. I enjoy it, but think it needs a great pairing to shine. On the negative, it's almost watery, and just a bit sweet and bit tart, overall pretty mellow for a sparkling drink. I want to try it with something light but savory and/or beefy. It's not very fizzy and surprisingly flat, and I wish it were a bit more acidic.

The last glass of the bottle was completely full of big fat red specks. The sediment was a huge downer.

I liked the taste, but with the low carbonation and high sediment content, I'm wondering if I got a bad bottle, which is not a good thing to wonder about.

Works as a Wine Alternative: Yes, though needs to be paired well.

Did I Like it: Yes, with some huge reservations, like the sediment. 4 out of 10, would have been a 6 without the sediment.

Would I Recommend it: Try a different flavor first, the pear is awesome.

Who Might Like it: It's not just for cranberry lovers, which is good in my mind.

Kristian Regále Pomegranate-Apple Sparkler

My Experience:

The color of Kirstian Regále Pomegrante-Apple is peach-ish, or coral. The Pomegranate is the stronger smell, overwhelming the apple. The fizz isn't nearly as fizzy as Martinelli's, and the taste is sharp with a strong bite. The Pomegranate gives it a fair amount of acidity without too much of a tang. The bite overwhelms the finish as it fizzles away. The apple can be tasted, but acts more to tone down the pomegranate. It went very well with the lemon chicken we had, which was already pretty acidic. The Chicken was pretty light, yet still strongly acidic, and this Sparkler went well with it. It's sweet, but much dryer than any of the other sparkling juices we've had, and cleanses the palette much like the dealcoholized wines I've had. Less of a soda than other sparkling juices I've tried so far, with smaller bubbles. It's not flat, just finer. This doesn't have a head, while the others generally have a bit of one. This one also has continues tiny bubbles drifting upwards, where the others I've tried so far (Welch's Red and their White sparkling juices, as well as R.W. Knudsen's Sparkling Pear Juice and Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Grape) just have bubbles that are stagnant, attached to the side of the glass (in general.)

Works as a wine Alternative: Yes, this is perhaps the closest to the dealcoholized wines we've had, yet without the fermentation signature.

Did I like it: Yes, both my wife and I enjoyed it quite a bit. 9 out of 10.

Would I Recomend it: Yes, still sweeter than wines I've had, but getting there, and tasted good, though worked better with food than alone. Since I am primarily looking for drinks to go with food, this is a Highly Recommended.

Who Might Like it: It's sweeter than wine, but not as sweet as most juices. Great with food, so anyone looking for those things. Probably a great intro drink, this might go on my upcoming "What I'd try first" article.

Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Grape

My Experience:

While I've yet to have the courage to write my Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider tasting experience, I have gone ahead to try one of their other drinks, Sparkling Apple Grape.

It's not as deep purple as I was expecting it to be. I think the green bottle tricked me. It's a dark red with a hint of purple. Surprise surprise, it smells like apple and grape! It's smells almost the same as the Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider. The taste has a touch more of a tang than the "normal" Martinelli's, with just a bit of the grape juice taste added in. The carbonation almost creates a small head, as it's very bubbly. It foams up in the mouth and has a quick bite as the carbonation disappears and evaporates during the finish. We served it with noodles and spaghetti sauce! It's a touch more acidic than the Sparkling Apple Cider, not so much as Ariel's White Zinfandel however, for example. The Welch's was much more grapey, less fizzy, and stronger in general.

This could make a good Aperitif or Dessert Wine alternative.

Works as a wine Alternative: I think so

Did I like it: Yeah, but not as much as Welch's Sparkling Red Grape Juice. 5 out of 10.

Would I Recomend it: Sure

Who Might Like it: Someone who likes normal Martinelli's

R.W. Knudsen's Sparkling Pear Juice

R.W. Knudsen's Sparkling Pear Juice

Fine, small bubbles, compared to what I'm used to anyway (soda, martinelli's...) Had a fizzy feel to it. The Pear juice dryer than say, Martinelli's. It's dry enough you can taste the pear, sweet enough that it's easy to drink. I'd prefer it a little more acidic, with the pork chops we ate it with.

Works as a wine Alternative: Yes, a nice alternative to a sparkling wine, I think. Subtle enough, though not very complex.

This could make a good Aperitif or Dessert Wine alternative.

Did I like it: Yes, this is a definite buy again. 8 out of 10.

Would I Recomend it: Absolutely, worth a try for anyone.

Who Might Like it: Someone who likes Martinelli's, but is looking for a more subtle alternative.

Juice Roundup - R.W. Knudsen's Pomegranate Nectar and Yum Berry Juice

R.W. Knudsen's Pomegranate Nectar

It's a blend - the ingredients list says Water, Apple, Pomegranate, Grape Juice, and Pear Juice.

Looks like apple juice with a tinge of red, and I thought it would be stronger than it is. It's smooth. The apple and pear come through stronger than the pomegranate. For a juice it's not too sweet. Cut a bit of water into it - too weak. Cut with Sparkling water - not bad. Best chilled.

Works as a wine Alternative: Yes, though not as sweet as most juices, still a bit sweet for a wine alternative, however.

Did I like it: Yeah, it's pretty good. i'd give it a 5 out of 10.

Would I Recomend it: Yes, it's worth a shot. Not a stand out drink, but I thought it worked well.

Who Might Like it: Anyone who likes juice, I think.

R.W. Knudsen's Yum Berry Juice

Lots of ingredients. Very thick, smells mostly of strawberry, thick like Kerns nectar, My wife hated it, not recommended. Cut with anything makes it worse - It stays thick but loses flavor.

Works as a wine Alternative: No

Did I like it: No, it was horrible. Maybe a 1

Would I Recomend it: No

Who Might Like it: Can't think of anyone.

R.W. Knudsen's Blueberry Pomegranate Juice

I had this at the same time we tried Ariel's White Zinfandel & R.W. Knudsens' Black Current Nectar

My Experience: I don't have much to say about this. The blueberry taste is the strongest, and it tastes like a juice. It's sweet, and has a slight tang to it. The aftertaste is mostly blueberry and tangy. Much better with ice.

Works as a wine Alternative: Not really. It's a juice. An interesting juice, but it's not subtle enough nor is it complex enough.

Did I like it: I liked it through about one glass, didn't want to reach for another, though. 4 out of 10.

Would I Recomend it: Not as a wine alternative, maybe for a juice-o-phile.

Who Might Like it: People who love blueberry.

R.W. Knudsen's Black Current Nectar

R.W. Knudsen's Black Current Nectar

The same time I tried Airel's white Zinfandel I also tried a few juices, this being the first. (This being the second)

My Experience: It looks like a red wine in the glass. Guess what it smells like? (Black Currant, duh!) It's nice to have experienced this to know exactly what it smells like when someone says a wine smells of black currant. Now I know! It was smooth, with a hint of better, like the dregs of grape juice. It's sweeter than wine, but not sugary like many juices. The aftertaste has a touch of tang. I had it a room temperature and liked it better that way, compared to being iced. It'd probably be best just a bit under room temperature (like red wine.)

Works as a wine Alternative: Yes, I think it does. It's subtle, though not terribly complex, I think it does work. Just barely acidic enough to pull it off.

The ingredients also list Apple, so this isn't quite a "Pure Juice" so under the blended juices label it goes.

Did I like it: Yes, both my wife and I thought it was worth trying again. 6.5 or 7 out of 10.

Would I Recomend it: Yes, again if for no other reason than to taste black currant. It's so common to hear that a wine tastes or smells like black currant, so it's worth it to try it out.

Who Might Like it: I'd think this juice would have a very wide appeal. Sweet, but not sugary, not too acidic, easy to drink.