We couldn’t be more excited to have Sarah Kate, the face behind Some Good Clean Fun, sober sommelier, and trusted non-alcoholic wine expert, as our collaborator for this month’s The New Vintage box! She’s personally curated a selection of standout non-alcoholic wines for a truly memorable tasting experience.

In this Q&A, we get to know Sarah Kate a little more personally, from her love of wine and the journey that led her to an alcohol-free lifestyle to the community she’s built through Some Good Clean Fun. She shares some refreshingly honest perspectives on drinking, the realities of navigating social gatherings without alcohol, what she looks for in a great glass of wine, and why making room for everyone at the table matters.

Where did your appreciation for wine start? Was there a specific bottle, experience, trip, or moment that really pulled you in?

Around the time my second child was born, I had this aha moment that I felt really dumb about wine, but it was the one thing I really liked to drink. I had briefly worked in restaurant PR before I had kids and remembered the great wine I had had access to. That’s why I spent years learning about wine and how to taste it. Unfortunately, life and drinking too much wine got in the way of actually achieving my WSET certification at that time. 

How did that love of wine eventually lead to Some Good Clean Fun?

When I chose an alcohol-free lifestyle, I was really sad thinking about giving away my wine glasses. I was also certain that one day, if we can make burgers from beans, someone would make a great wine without alcohol. So I leaned in to learning more about the non-alcoholic drinks world, and using my experience as a writer and my wine education to help share what I was finding that was good to drink. 

How did non-alcoholic wine enter the picture for you? Do you remember the first one that made you think, “Okay, there’s something here”?

Everything was garbage when I first started this journey in 2020. Just grocery store stuff. I saw a post from the UK on instagram about Noughty and I was like WOW, this is the future. It was really Oddbird Blanc de Blanc though that really made me see the potential for the category - it was as close as we were going to get at that time to a non-alcoholic sparkling wine that didn’t taste like juice. 

Can you share three completely random facts about yourself that we’d never guess?

1. I learned how to x-country ski before I could walk thanks to my very Finnish family

2. I love Star Wars and have a collectible IG-11, and a lego rebel pilot figurine on my desk in front of me

3. My favourite job (other than this one!) was working in the communications department at a museum and getting to be behind the scenes during a massive dinosaur installation

Beyond taste, what does wine represent to you? What is it about the experience and ritual of wine that you love?

There’s just something so sophisticated about wine. The complexity of flavours, the elegant wine glasses, the connection to taste and discernment is so appealing to me. It offers something so naturally that cocktails have to work so hard at. At first, non-alcoholic wine felt so flat without alcohol, but after I really started trialing bottles I started to appreciate the nuances that still exist in non-alcoholic wine that make it fun to have at the table with food or to sip on while your at a girls night. You can get to those nuances a lot faster with mocktails and zero proof spirits but the recipes are sometimes complicated and often involve syrups, bitters, homemade infusions, etc. It’s just so easy to open up a bottle of wine and start enjoying life! 

Wine has a way of showing up in so many moments, around the dinner table, while cooking, when friends come over, during celebrations. Why do you think it has such a strong connection to gathering and togetherness?

Honestly, it's because there’s alcohol in it and it goes with food and it’s easy to pour. Alcohol helps loosen inhibition so it's easier to connect with people, but I have to be honest when it comes to these questions, because a lot of why people tie drinks to occasions is because it’s an addictive substance.  We’ve been trained since we were young to believe we need alcohol to enjoy moments. My challenge to that is that we’re numbing ourselves from experiencing life. But I also say that having a non-alcoholic option can help someone 

What do you personally look for in a great wine, alcoholic or non-alcoholic? What makes you want to pour a second glass? 

Lately, I’ve had some really really good bottles of non-alcoholic wine and I’ve had a second and even third glass. I finished the bottle in one sitting once, which is REALLY rare for me. What I’m looking for is not just complexity and taste, but a mouthfeel that has some weight and a finish that lingers after you swallow. That’s the thing that makes me coming back for more -> does it drink like a real wine and does it sing after I’ve finished the sip. 

You’ve created such an inspiring community around Some Good Clean Fun. Who is that community for, and what do you hope people find when they come into your corner of the internet?

The Some Good Clean Fun community is really for anyone who is interested in finding something good to drink when they aren’t drinking. I want people who land on my website or sign-up for the newsletter to have a resource for when they’re perusing the grocery aisle or walking into a bottle shop to be able to read about the product. There’s a lot of crap out there in the n/a space right now. I used to cover zero-proof spirits and beers more regularly, and I do want to get back to that as not everyone is a wine drinker and the market and category for n/a beer has really proven itself as a winner in the sober drinks arena. 

What have you learned from the community you’ve built?

The hardest lesson for me to learn is that everyone has different taste buds. There are so many times I’ve recommended a wine and everyone hates it - Casa Emma Sangiovese is a good example of that. Or someone will try something I hated and tell me they loved it. I’ve also had to learn that not everyone is alcohol-free all the time. My community has people of all sorts and some are just interested once in awhile in an alternative lifestyle. Other people are totally sober and love non-alcoholic drinks. It’s so interesting! 

What’s always on the table when you’re hosting?

I love putting out non-alcoholic sparkling wine and beer because I know it’s a sure thing. It’s usually either Oddbird Blanc de Blanc or for special occasions I serve Zeronimo Sparkling Select. 

Has your relationship with hosting or gathering changed since zero-proof became a bigger part of your life?

Covid was the thing that really changed my relationship with hosting. I’m a lot more insular now and don’t host that often anymore. Especially since I don’t drink - a lot of friends I had pre-2020 have slipped away because I’m just not into sitting around and drinking all night like I used to be. Now when I host it’s for a tight circle and/or family. And I’m usually the only one drinking the n/a options. 

For someone who wants to make gatherings feel more inclusive of people who drink, don’t drink, or are somewhere in between, what’s one thing you’d encourage them to think about?

Serve the non-alcoholic options first, or put them front and center. Celebrate the mindful choice - it’s up to us to start shifting the narrative from putting alcohol at the center of things to making it on equal footing with the other options. 

Wine is tied to so many little rituals, dinner, celebrations, opening a bottle with friends, having a glass while you cook. What do you think non-alcoholic wine gives people beyond simply being an alternative to alcohol?

I think the most important thing about non-alcoholic wine is that it prevents the FOMO for someone who isn’t drinking. That FOMO can often lead to “I’ll just have one”. But having a good non-alcoholic wine in your hand in a beautiful glass means you’re not left out. No-one ever wants to be the odd man. People all want to feel included, and sometimes when you don’t drink you feel like you’re not included.  Non-alcoholic wine helps you feel like you’re still a part of what’s going on around you when you’re dining and/or socializing. And because the alcohol doesn’t numb your senses, you’re also able to really connect with people and enjoy being present! 

What are you raising your wine glass to lately?

Well, the world is dumpster fire right now but I’m happy that my eldest child has successfully landed at university and is happily adjusting to her first year away from home. And I’m turning 50 in November so although I want to cry a little inside at that, I’m still young at heart and looking forward to the second half of this crazy life!

Get your New Vintage non-alcoholic wine box here.