Van Hunks

Van Hunks launched in 2020, the creation of Tom Gamborg and Matthew Krone, a winemaker who comes from twelve generations of South African viticulture. The pair started with a sparkling mead, followed quickly by a Cap Classique Brut and a Brut Rosé made from Stellenbosch grapes, hand-harvested and grown without pesticides. The Cap Classiques brought some serious credentials to the brand early on, and the non-alcoholic range that followed in 2024 was reportedly two years in development.

That non-alcoholic range currently sits at two bottles: a Chenin Blanc Sparkling and a Rosé. Both are made using conventional winemaking, then de-alcoholised to below 0.5% ABV. The Rosé blends de-alcoholised Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon with natural Chenin grape juice, and lands as a pale salmon pink with strawberry and plum on the nose and a fairly dry, crisp finish. The Chenin white is the lighter, more citrus-driven of the two. Neither is cloying, which is the main thing you want from a non-alcoholic sparkling wine at this price point.

Established in South Africa and the US first, Van Hunks made its UK debut via Amazon in 2025, priced around £14 a bottle. The Savanna, a South African specialist retailer in the UK, also stocks the range.

As an alcohol-free option, Van Hunks sits in an interesting position. It's not a brand that was built around sobriety; the AF range is an extension of a sparkling wine operation with a full alcoholic portfolio. Whether that's a drawback or a virtue depends on your point of view. What it does mean is that the winemaking pedigree backing the non-alcoholic bottles is genuine, not an afterthought.