NON9 Oaked Blackberry & Plum

NON9 Oaked Blackberry & Plum is one of the six expressions in NON's core range, produced by the Melbourne-based company founded by Aaron Trotman. Rather than dealcoholizing wine, NON builds its beverages from whole, natural ingredients using culinary techniques, describing its approach as cooking flavour in rather than cooking it out. Each edition is structured around four markers NON identifies as fruit, tannin, salt, and acid, intended to recreate the complexity and balance of a wine-like experience. NON positions the products as 'wine alternatives,' a category descriptor Trotman coined, and frames them as food-pairable drinks for the dining table.

The producer declares NON9 Oaked Blackberry & Plum as made with water, verjus, Stanley plum, beetroot, Shiraz grape skin, blackberry, fir pine, sugar, tamari, ancho chilli, and French oak.^[1]

Verjus — Acidity Component. The acidity component is verjus, which NON sources from Viognier grapes grown in the Goulburn Valley, Australia.^[2]

Plum & Beetroot — Roasted Fruit and Sugar Base. Plums and beetroots are roasted separately to intensify their sugars.^[2]

Shiraz Grape Skin & French Oak — Tannin Structure. French oak and red wine skins are cooked at very high temperatures to extract maximum tannin.^[2]

Blackberry — Fruit Pillar. A touch of raw sugar is added to the blackberries to balance their tartness.^[2]

Fir Pine — Aromatic Component. Fir pine needles contribute a forest floor aroma to the nose.^[2]

Tamari — Salinity Component. Gluten-free soy sauce (Tamari) provides salinity and creates what NON describes as a moreish sensation.^[2]

Nose. The nose carries a forest floor earthiness, with the fir pine needles contributing that aroma.^[2]

Palate. The producer describes NON9 as dark berries with firm tannins and a spiced finish.^[1]

Structure. ^[1]

• Tannin: firm
• Length: spiced finish

The producer suggests NON9 Oaked Blackberry & Plum pairs well with steak, ragù, and barbecued vegetables.^[2]

Specifications. NON9 Oaked Blackberry & Plum is a still beverage classified by the producer as a non-alcoholic wine alternative. Its nutritional profile per 150 mL serving is listed below.^[2],[3]

• Classification: still non-alcoholic wine alternative
• Energy: 51 calories (213 kJ) per 150 mL
• Total carbohydrates: 12.5 g per 150 mL
• Total sugars: 7.5 g per 150 mL
• Sodium: 75 mg per 150 mL

Production. NON produces its range at NONHQ, a purpose-built cooking facility and cellar door in Cheltenham, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, where a team of chefs roast, toast, steep, and extract flavour from whole ingredients. NON notes that its beverages may exhibit natural sediment and slight variances in colour and profile due to the use of natural ingredients.^[3],[4],[5]

Ingredients Policy. NON certifies each bottle as vegan and gluten-free, made from plant-based ingredients, and states it uses only natural ingredients and never artificial ones. The soy sauce used in NON9 is a gluten-free tamari.