Sutter Home

The winery was established in 1890 by Swiss immigrant John Thomann, passing through several owners before Mario and Mary Trinchero purchased it in 1948 and relocated their family from New York City to the Napa Valley. Sutter Home now serves as the flagship label for Trinchero Family Estates, described as the second-largest family-owned wine company in the United States. The brand's wider reputation rests partly on a 1972 winemaking accident that gave rise to the White Zinfandel category, a style that shaped accessible American wine for several decades.

The Fre range, launched in 1992, was among the earliest commercially produced alcohol-removed wines in the United States. Fre uses a spinning cone column to remove alcohol from fully fermented wine. The spinning cone column is a low-temperature method of separating alcohol from finished wine, which allows the process to proceed without the heat that would otherwise damage delicate aromas and flavours. The range spans several classic styles, from whites and a Chardonnay to a Cabernet Sauvignon and a sparkling Brut, giving sober-curious drinkers a familiar set of options within a single recognisable label.

Fre's availability through mainstream supermarket channels in some international markets makes it one of the more accessible American alcohol-removed wines for consumers who prefer to buy in person rather than through specialist online retailers. Pricing sits at the accessible end of the alcohol-free wine category, positioning Fre as an entry-level option rather than a premium or craft offering. The range's longevity — more than three decades in production — gives it a track record in the dealcoholised wine space that newer AF wine brands cannot yet replicate.