What you will learn in this review:
- What is Gruvi?
- What does the Gruvi Dry Secco taste like?
- My Overall Recommendation
- Where to buy Gruvi Dry Secco
What is Grüvi?
Gruvi is a producer based in Canada that specializes in non-alcoholic beers and wines.
The founder, Niki Sawni, conceived of Gruvi in 2018 when Canada just legalized cannabis and he and his family went to a party, but found that alcohol and cannabis didn’t mix well. Cue the room spinning. So he set out to create an alcohol free drink to complement the cannabis experience.
Originally, Niki had planned to launch in the mecca of craft beer, Denver, and so he and his family moved from Toronto down to Denver to prepare for the launch. After a great reception to their products initially, they decided to reposition and focus on healthy drinking outside of the cannabis community.
Grüvi was initially known for its craft beer. It was created many different varieties. Since then, it has expanded into tasty sparkling wine varieties as well!
I do like a good beer, but sometimes I have an intolerance or allergy depending on the ingredients. So I’ve been refraining from beer and instead opting for their Dry Secco.
What does the Grüvi Dry Secco taste like?
On the nose, the Grüvi Dry Secco is quite fruity with notes of white grape, melon, pineapple, and peach. It almost reminds me of the smell of a really ripe honeydew but also has a yeasty quality to it. It’s very pleasant on the nose, but starts to smell like of like juice.
When taking a sip, it’s got really fine bubbles and a weight on the palate that I like. This is when the tartness really comes through. As they note, it’s a little sweeter than a typical bubbly—and you can really taste the white grape juice come through. In some ways, it just tastes like a less sweet bubbly juice with some mineral qualities. It makes it really drinkable, and something you can really sip on without really thinking about it.
When it comes to white wines, I really prefer wines that have something unique about them. For example, when I used to drink more, I would pick Sancerre because it had this incredible minerality to them and almost a bitterness that made it delicious. Or I’d pick a Chilean sauvignon blanc that would have this wonderful green bell pepper flavor to it in addition to being bright and crisp.
The Grüvi Dry Secco has none of that. It’s just pretty basic. But in a category where some folks try to hard and others try hard not to be sweet and come away with something that has no flavor whatsoever, basic stands out as being, well, quite good.
My Overall Recommendation
All in all, Grüvi’s Dry Secco tastes better than the Acid League’s Sauvage in that it isn’t trying too hard. The Dry Secco is a light, crisp, dry sparkling wine in that way without any peculiar character, making it easy drinking. It’s definitely like a wine you would get at any random pub either—in fact, I would pick this over a cheap chardonnay any day.
For a cocktail that needs a subtle touch of sweetness and a little sparkle, I can see myself using a bit of the Grüvi Dry Secco. Since it comes in a conveniently small bottle, it is the perfect way to top off a cocktail for an intimate gathering. But, I’m not sure I would use it the same way for everyday drinking. At $4.50 per bottle, it’s not expensive but it’s not cheap either and I would only be using this for myself if I really needed to treat myself. Otherwise, I’d just top my cocktail with some simple syrup and soda and a splash more juice.
Where to buy Grüvi Dry Secco?
You can pick up the Grüvi Dry Secco directly from the producer here and get free shipping on orders over $49.
