Many of us enjoy unwinding with a glass of wine after a long day at work, at a social event or celebrating with friends and family.
However, some of us cannot drink alcohol for religious reasons, being pregnant or on medication, for other health reasons or because we're the designated driver.
Non-alcoholic beverages are the answer, allowing drinkers the experience of the ritual of drinking, and a similar taste and look, without the effects.
(A note for recovering alcoholics: counsellors do not recommend non-alcoholic wines and beers. Stay away from anything that looks or smells like alcohol as research has indicated that the anticipation of alcohol may bring on cravings for alcohol. Even cooking with alcohol can be problematic.)
I recently visited several bottle stores to enquire about their selection of non-alcoholic wines. The response was varied. A few asked: "Why bother?" Some said: "We have the Monis Classico sparkling grape juices", while others offered some beer. Only the top-end suppliers seemed to know anything about alcohol-free drinks, but could offer little.
There are a few low-alcohol wines on the market, although the levels are still in the 9 percent volume range.
An alcohol-free beverage contains no or only traces of alcohol. Around the world government regulations control levels. In Europe, alcohol-free beverages must have below 0.5 percent, while in the UK alcohol-free means alcohol-free.
In South Africa, the Wine and Spirits Board says only that a "light" wine should have less than 10 percent alcohol.
According to EU regulations, a "wine" needs to contain at least 9 percent alcohol and if it's less than this, the beverage needs to be referred to as a "wine-based drink".
Bear in mind that even orange juice (up to 0.5 percent) and grape vinegar (0.2 percent) contain minute quantities of alcohol.
Alcohol-free wine is produced either by adding sulphur to stop fermentation, which produces alcohol; filtration to remove existing alcohol; or by de-alcoholising or cooking the wine. None of these processes do much to improve the taste of the wine, although some producers are experimenting with new methods.
I saw dozens of non-alcoholic beers on the shelves during a recent visit to the Middle East, produced by some of the world's biggest breweries, although locally I've only encountered a few: Beck's, Erdinger Weissbier (a wheat beer) and Bavaria 0.0% (a truly non-alcoholic beer) - all imports.
On the grape side, there are two innovative producers. The first is Fairlife's Ega (R54 at Norman Goodfellows), which is made at Fairview.
Fairlife aims to produce healthy, alcohol-free alternatives to wine and Ega has received top accolades. This attractively bottled drink is crisp, salmon-pink in colour, and a blend of unripe grapes and natural rooibos and pomegranate extracts.
It is high in antioxidants and folic acid - so great for pregnant women - and should always be served chilled. It can be enjoyed as an alternative to wine, as an aperitif, in punch or as a mixer. I even tried it a few times in my morning smoothie, which was delicious.
Ega is certified halaal so is not fermented at all, and was a finalist in the 2008 Best New Adult Drink section at the Beverage Innovation Awards in Moscow.
Ega has also released an antioxidant sparkling water and olive oil, although I haven't seen any of these in Joburg.
The second producer is Inah, a Stellenbosch-based winery that specialises in non-alcoholic "wine" that is really a grape juice. Inah sources grapes from producers in the area and uses the "thermo flash" extraction method to produce a juice with the complexity and benefits of wine but no alcohol.
Interestingly, this method produces what is punted as the first "true" red grape juice in the world. Most fruit juices are apparently made from a colourless, odourless and tasteless concentrate, so fruit aromas and dyes must be added to correct taste and colour.
Not so with Inah's extraction method, which "bursts" the red skin cells to release colour pigments that are high in phytochemicals.
The estate has three "superior" grape juices - a cabernet sauvignon, merlot and shiraz - that look like wine in the glass, but taste like a rich grape juice.
These should also be served icy cold, and will pair well with meals or just on their own. Inah's juices are also certified halaal (R67.50 at Norman Goodfellows).
Two other producers are Robertson, which has an alcohol-free sparkling wine, and Tulbagh, which makes the Pure White and Pure Blush grape juices (all in the R30 region). These demi-sec, cork-topped drinks are delicious as sparkling grape juices and perfect for festive occasions.
In terms of product development, the US leads the way, offering a range of varietals like zinfandel, shiraz, chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. Sadly, the local industry still needs to wake up to this market potential.
Non-alcoholic beverages could find popular appeal, but many consumers simply do not enjoy them because the taste is often "thin" and watery.
Be aware that non-alcoholic wines are never going to taste "just" like wine. At best, they will look like it and give you a similar mouth feel.
There may also need to be a shift in mindset: drinking for effect is well entrenched in our society.
The white "wines" I found were mostly sweeter and tasted like expensive grape juice.
Non-alcoholic beer is more true to taste, although if you're not a beer drinker, it can be quite heavy on the stomach.
New release: low-cal wine
Four Cousins Light Natural Sweet Rosé has received Weigh-Less endorsement, the first wine in the country to do so. It was also the first wine release of the year.
Along with the Four Cousins Extra Light White, the Light Natural Sweet Rosé 2010 won't add very much to the waistline. Both have only 9 percent alcohol by volume.
Produced from 80 percent white muscadel and 20 percent pinotage, it has 35g/l residual sugar. It sells for between R25 and R30.