Aroha Sauvingnon Blanc and Saffron product reviews

I am always looking for alcohol free drinks that are a bit special as I am quite often a sober driver. I normally stay away from rich creamy fruit juices when I go out as I find them too sweet, especially if at a BBQ where you are continually taking a sip.

I enjoy Sauvignon Blanc wine so was surprised to see this as a juice. I was really unsure how this would taste especially with the added Saffron. Grape juices are normally quite sweet and get sickly after the first one or two. I served this chilled and enjoyed drinking it straight from the bottle. This makes it an easy vessel to drink from at BBQs and picnics. Although I only had the one bottle I did not find it sweet at all and felt that I would be able to quite easily drink a few bottles of this without that sick bloated feeling. It was very thirst quenching.

Because this was not alcoholic I was able to give both my boys a sip of this drink. Problem being was that they wanted more. I will definitely be looking for this drink when I am needing to be the sober driver and at the price would definitely make it a cheap night.

I was unsure what to expect from this juice. I do not think I have ever had saffron before, so therefore I was not certain what to expect in terms of smell or taste, and I half expected that the taste and smell of grapes would be stronger than anything else. It wasnt lol At first smell I thought I could smell apples, but knowing this wasnt possible, I soon realised it was the grapes that I could smell, not as strongly as you would with wine though.

Having tried this after the rhubarb sparkling water I admit I preferred the rhubarb and I do wonder if this would be more enjoyable if it too was a sparkling variety. It is not a strong flavour and to be perfectly honest it is actually quite bland in taste. I think it could use a boost in flavour to be fair. It is a little boring and the taste left is really kind of weird...perhaps thats the saffron, I don't know.

I do appreciate and like that the Aroha range of drinks are more natural and not filled with nasties we do not need. The bottle is a decent 330ml serve, so you do get a decent serving. I also like that it is 100% pure New Zealand goodness and that this is stated on the front of the bottle. I like the natural look of the label. To me it shows the company cares about the environment as well, unsure why lol I am enjoying trying the Aroha range. I had never heard of them before now. Although I think there is room for stronger flavours I do believe they are a refreshing drink for taking to a bbq or summer picnic :)

I'm very fond of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wines so thought I'd give Aroha's Sauvignon Blanc & Saffron a trial. I put the bottle straight in the fridge when it arrived and let it cool overnight since on the bottle it says "served chilled."

The bottle is a fairy standard size for a premium juice drink and I loved the little Aroha truck on the back carrying the barcode. The grape picture on the front of the bottle make it very clear that this drink is made with grapes and when looking at the ingredients list Sauvignion Blanc Grape Juice is at the top along with a few other ingredients, all of which you would expect in a fruit drink (sugar, citric acid, water, etc).

For a non-alcoholic drink made from grape juice I did expect it to be a little sweeter but it actually just tasted like wine to me with out the alcohol content. Like white wines, it tastes best when chilled and once the drink got a bit too warm the experience isn't the same. My mother is a huge wine drinker so I gave her a taste of the drink and she thought it was alright but she prefers the real thing. She did say it would be a nice drink to have with lunch while out and about though.

I personally wasn't a huge fan of this drink but I do prefer my juice drinks to be sweeter and if I was going to drink something a little more tart then I'd drink proper wine. But I do think this would made a fantastic drink to be served in evenings to sober drivers who want to look and feel like they are drinking wine but still want to be able to drive later.

I was very excited to try Aroha's Sauvignon Blanc & Saffron drink. I wasn't sure what to expect but I did think I would love it. I love Sauvignon Blanc wine after all! I liked the idea of having a drink that was close to wine but non alcoholic.

The bottle is 330ml and therefore the same size as a lot of drinks of this type. It would be handy to pop a few in the chilly bin when going to a BBQ. I like the fact that it is New Zealand made as this supports our local economy. The list of ingredients is nice and simple and I really appreciate that when it comes to the food and drink I offer my family. I love the lack of added rubbish, like colours, flavours or preservatives.

So far, it seemed like a great option for my family. I poured a glass for my husband, mother and me. My husband and I both had the same reaction. We thought that the smell was ok but the taste was rather disappointing. It wasn't at all what I thought it was going to taste like. I am not sure if it was the saffron (I am not sure what that actually tastes like) or if it was just the overall taste. I think that I will be sticking to grape bubbles if I want to have a non alcoholic version of wine. My mother thought it was an ok alternative to wine as she is not a wine drinker. She did mention that there were other drinks she would have in preference though.

Mr 5 overheard us discussing that it was an adult drink and it might be an alternative for wine. The fact that it wasn't wine meant that he could have a sip. Funny enough, he actually liked it. Miss 3 did too! I guess different tastebuds react differently to flavours!

Although some people might enjoy the drink, it is not for my husband or me! So, unfortunately, it won't be on our shopping list. Given the positives that I have outlined above, I would still be very interested to try other drinks in the range, this one if just not for us.

Sometimes over summer we go out and I don't or can't drink alcohol. I'm either recovering from a biggish night or I'm the sober driver. I'm not that fond of grape juice, sparkling or otherwise. In my opinion they are usually much too sweet. But I was intrigued by this grape juice and the addition of saffron.

I have had saffron in a few things in the past. I enjoy the flavour, though usually it is used very sparingly as it is such an expensive ingredient. I chilled this bottle of drink down and enjoyed some with my youngest the other day. She enjoyed the flavour of the drink very much and tried to wrangle more out of me. However, I managed to 50/50 split the bottle with her.

The flavour of this drink was good as far as, it wasn't too sweet. I could taste the saffron, and the grape flavour was there too. I thought that it was really drinkable and could easily be served as a non-alcoholic wine substitute for anyone tee total this summer. It would be great for the kids on Christmas day, something a little special to toast with us.

The price is in line with many other drinks in a similar style and volume bottle at our local cafe. If I saw this while out and about I would definitely try it again though I would almost certainly have to split it with Miss 3 as well. If I could find it in a 4 pack at the supermarket as well, it would be well worth taking to the next BBQ.