Non-alcoholic products have been part of the wine and spirits world for some time, though I remember when they were just… not that good. The delicious ones were few and far between, and early bottles often struggled to capture the depth, texture, and sense of place that make wine so compelling in the first place.
I never believed non-alcoholic wines needed to perfectly mimic the real thing. But if what’s in the bottle is presented as a non-alcoholic sparkling wine, it should still taste complete — delivering on the promise of the label.
I say that as someone who loves a great bottle of Champagne – it’s one of life’s purest pleasures. But I also understand the beauty of balance. My partner and I often reach for non-alcoholic options when we’re cooking or entertaining at home, not because we’re abstaining, but because we want to slow down, taste fully, and still wake up ready for tomorrow. That idea – thoughtful indulgence without compromise – is what drew me to French Bloom in the first place.
“We aren’t anti-alcohol – we drink too – but we believe in optionality,” Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger told me. “Sobriety isn’t the trend; it’s flexibility.”
That flexibility has resonated worldwide. French Bloom’s idea of flexi-drinkers – people who move fluidly between wine and non-alcoholic options without losing the sense of celebration – feels perfectly of the moment. A 2024 NielsenIQ study found that the top reason consumers purchase non-alcoholic sparkling wine isn’t health or sobriety, but conscious hosting: creating inclusive moments where everyone at the table can raise a glass.
A New Way to Toast: The Rise of Luxury Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Wine
Today, non-alcoholic wine is one of the most dynamic conversations in the beverage world. Drinking habits are shifting toward balance and moderation, yet the desire remains – to share a glass with friends, to pour something meaningful at the table.
Among this new generation of thoughtful producers, French Bloom stands apart. When I sat down to interview Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger and Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger, it became clear that this isn’t a brand born out of trend-chasing, but out of lived experience, deep friendship, and serious wine knowledge.
French Bloom was founded in 2019 by Maggie and her longtime friend Constance Jablonski, who lived on opposite sides of the Atlantic but reunited in Paris at a pivotal moment in both of their lives. Maggie was working as a director with the Michelin Guide and was pregnant with twins; Constance was at the height of her international modelling career, navigating constant travel, social commitments and the pressure to always be “on.” Though they came from different professional worlds, they shared the same realization: at social gatherings, celebrations, and meaningful moments, there was a glaring absence of non-alcoholic drinks that felt festive, sophisticated and worthy of the occasion. What was available didn’t reflect how they wanted to live or celebrate.
And they were right – because do you really want to toast with a glass of ginger ale in hand? That’s a compromise rather than a choice. French Bloom was born from that gap: an alternative that didn’t feel exclusionary, something elegant, inviting, and intentional, rooted in pleasure rather than restriction, inclusion rather than compromise.
To bring that vision to life, Maggie and Constance turned to Rodolphe – Maggie’s husband – whose background in Champagne and Cognac would ground the project technically. As CEO of Champagne Frerejean Frères in Avize, Rodolphe approached French Bloom with the same rigour as a fine wine, rethinking how base wines are built so that structure, balance and complexity could survive dealcoholization.
Backed by Moët Hennessy since 2024, French Bloom has grown into a global reference for luxury alcohol-free sparkling wine, now available in more than 60 countries. As global interest in premium alcohol-free wine accelerates, French Bloom has emerged as one of the category’s defining producers. Yet at its heart, the story remains personal – rooted in friendship, shared values and a belief in celebration without exclusion.
“With French Bloom, our goal has always been to reinvent the art of celebrating,” Maggie told me. “We wanted to create an option that brings people together, where no one feels excluded from life’s most meaningful moments simply because they aren’t drinking alcohol.”
“At first, I wasn’t sure,” Rodolphe admitted. “Most alcohol-free wines just didn’t taste good. But we realized you can’t simply take a great wine and remove the alcohol. You have to rethink the entire process – from the vineyard to the base wine.”
That process, refined over years, now involves base wines crafted specifically to withstand dealcoholization, preserving depth, texture and mouthfeel. Many non-alcoholic winemakers refer to this as front-loading the winemaking – building acidity, aromatic intensity, and structure early so that what remains after dealcoholization still feels whole.
As I shared during our conversation, I’ve been tasting non-alcoholic wines since 2008, when most were thin or overly sweet. French Bloom feels like the next evolution – one that understands wine’s architecture and rebuilds it from the ground up.
“You can take Château Margaux and de-alcoholize it – it won’t make a good alcohol-free wine,” Rodolphe said. “So we started making base wines with that purpose in mind, using our Champagne and Cognac background to build structure and complexity.”
From Limoux to the World: Terroir and the Future of Alcohol-Free Wine
One of the most significant shifts in French Bloom’s next chapter is its commitment to place. In 2025, the Maison acquired a 25-hectare vineyard and winery in Limoux, in southern France’s Languedoc region – becoming the first house in the world dedicated exclusively to producing non-alcoholic sparkling wines from its own estate. In a category where grapes are typically sourced, and wines are engineered with the final product in mind, this represents a fundamental change, opening the door to tasting true vintage variation year after year and bringing non-alcoholic wine closer to the traditions of fine wine.
Limoux is no ordinary region. Often cited as the birthplace of sparkling wine, the monks of Saint-Hilaire recorded blanquette here in 1531, long before Champagne’s rise. The vineyards sit between 250 and 500 metres above sea level, rooted in limestone and chalk soils and cooled by mountain air – ideal conditions for freshness, tension and aromatic complexity.
For French Bloom, estate-grown fruit restores something non-alcoholic wine has long lacked: a sense of terroir. De-alcoholization can flatten identity, muting the connection between wine and place. By growing and vinifying their own grapes, that link is re-established – allowing alcohol-free wine to be discussed in the same language as fine wine: minerality, altitude, and vintage expression.
“If the best place in the world to make Cognac is Cognac, and the best place to make Champagne is Champagne,” Rodolphe explained, “then Limoux is the best place to make French Bloom – complex alcohol-free wine with real terroir.”
Estate Winemaking and the Future of French Bloom
According to Maggie and Rodolphe, the estate will be fully operational by September 2026, marking a shift from contract production to true estate-grown winemaking – an unprecedented step for the category. French Bloom is moving beyond an offer of an alternative and toward building something more enduring: a house rooted in history, stretched by purpose, and grounded in terroir.
As Rodolphe told me, “It’s a wine first. A wine for those who still want to celebrate, to taste, and to feel part of the moment.”
And as they look ahead, French Bloom is poised to take the conversation even further. Plans are already in motion for vertical vintage tastings and the eventual establishment of an AOC-style designation – ideas that would have seemed unthinkable in the non-alcoholic world just a decade ago. It’s a bold step that mirrors fine-wine tradition while reimagining it through a modern lens of innovation, sustainability and shared experience.
French Bloom Sparkling Wine Cuvées
Le Blanc
100% organic Chardonnay with notes of white peach, pear and citrus blossom. Fine bubbles, lifted acidity, and elegant balance make it a Blanc de Blancs in spirit— Champagne-like without imitation.
Price: $30.00shop now
Le Rosé
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with wild strawberry, red currant and rose petal. Juicy yet refined, it’s the kind of bottle that makes even an ordinary afternoon feel celebratory.
Price: $35.00shop now
L’Extra Brut
Organic, zero-dosage, no sugar, only one calorie per glass— yet complex and mouth-watering. “It’s a wine of precision, of tension,” Maggie said. “It has this beautiful minerality and sharp salinity that makes you want to go back.” It also carries the same structure and dry finish you’d expect from a fine grower Champagne.
Price: $59.00 USDshop now
La Cuvée Vintage 2022 Blanc de Blancs
Aged in new oak before dealcoholization for layered texture and complexity. Brioche, almond and chalk shape the finish. “It’s a wine first— yes, without alcohol— but still a wine,” said Rodolphe.
Price: $96.00shop now
Each French Bloom cuvée captures a specific facet of this mission – and more than that, they’re simply delicious. They’re among the few non-alcoholic wines I consistently reach for, offering a genuinely vinous quality in the glass: texture, tension, and aromatic depth that invite another sip.
All are organic, sulphite-free, and vegan, crafted through low-temperature vacuum distillation to preserve original aromatics and structure. They drink as a celebration of terroir and craftsmanship – bottles that belong in conversation with Champagne, not in comparison to it.
As the category matures, non-alcoholic wine is increasingly judged by the same standards as fine wine — structure, provenance and craftsmanship — rather than simply what it lacks.
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