Danish grapes, carefully selected green teas and controlled fermentation: with Edwards & Lassen, Mette Aaskov Lassen and Nathalia Edwards are developing beverages inspired by the complexity of wine. Their ambition is a drinking culture in which non-alcoholic pairings are a natural part of fine dining.
On 13 September 2026, a thank-you dinner for supporters of Denmark’s participation in the Bocuse d’Or featured Edwards & Lassen’s Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc 2024, a non-alcoholic drink made from Danish grapes and three green teas. For the young brand, it was an important moment. The idea behind it, however, is almost ten years old.
When Lassen and Edwards met in the summer of 2017, they shared a frustration: people choosing not to drink alcohol had few options that could meet the expectations of serious restaurant kitchens. While wine lovers enjoyed an enormous range of styles, alcohol-free choices were often limited to sweet juices, soft drinks and water. In Denmark, even the term “no/low” was barely known at the time.
Both women knew the beverage industry, though from different angles. Lassen was buying premium food and beverages for a Danish speciality store run by a premium dairy brand. Edwards was working for a large company on the technical development of fermentation solutions for drinks without alcohol.
Lassen understood the gap in the market; Edwards had the technical knowledge to close it. The idea for their own brand was born. Turning it into reality took several years: it was not until 2024 that they began putting their vision into practice. In February 2025, they founded AVA Drinks, the company behind Edwards & Lassen.
Starting with the Grape
“As wine has always been our reference we decided from the very beginning to have grapes as our guiding star,” Edwards explains. Removing the alcohol from a finished wine was never the plan, though. Their drink was to be designed from the outset so that its aroma and structure would hold up without alcohol.
This is technically demanding. Grapes contain relatively high levels of sugar, which conventional fermentation converts into alcohol. Alcohol-free wine therefore generally requires the alcohol to be removed after fermentation, a process that can also strip or alter aromas.
Alcohol-free beer followed a different path. Specialised yeast strains that cannot ferment certain sugars have made it possible to brew alcohol-free beer without always requiring dealcoholisation. According to Lassen, this was decisive in raising the quality and diversity of alcohol-free beer. Wine-like alcohol-free drinks, by contrast, are usually made with other ingredients.
Edwards & Lassen combines grapes with tea and uses controlled fermentation to build complexity. The grapes define the flavour profile of each cuvée, while the teas underline its character. That is why the products are named after the grape varieties used.
Sauvignon Blanc from a Danish Island
For their first cuvée, the founders turned to Lilleø, a small island south of Zealand. Sauvignon Blanc vines grow there that, according to Lassen, were planted with the involvement of René Redzepi, Claus Meyer and Anders Selmer, three figures closely associated with modern Nordic gastronomy.
In October 2024, Lassen and Edwards harvested their own grapes on the island for the first time. The cool climate produces pronounced acidity and fresh, green aromas, which the founders set out to use. According to Lassen, the grapes show gooseberry and white currant alongside green notes.
Three green teas complement this profile: sencha for its clean, fresh character, matcha for mouthfeel and green Darjeeling for structure and minerality. Controlled fermentation adds refreshing acidity, releases grape and tea aromas and creates new ones, such as tropical fruit notes. It also gives the drink body.
Because alcohol itself boosts aroma, the founders chose carbonation for their first cuvée. The bubbles release aromas quickly and create a lively mouthfeel. Classified as non-alcoholic rather than alcohol-free, the Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc 2024 contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume, according to the producer.
Lassen describes it as dry and mineral, with gooseberry and tropical fruit on the nose. The palate is tart with an overall green impression, and the tea tannins linger. This makes it a good aperitif and a pairing for lighter dishes and cheese.
Rooted in Nordic Cuisine
Seasonality, short and transparent ingredient lists, fermentation: these principles of New Nordic Cuisine also shape Edwards & Lassen’s product development. For the company, the origin of its raw materials is part of each drink’s identity. Danish Sauvignon Blanc is also rare, representing a wine region that has attracted little international attention.
“We are deeply grateful, and it is with the greatest respect for the Danish gastronomic scene that we embark on this journey in Denmark,” Lassen says. “Denmark is seen as a foodie ‘capital’ and gains attention from all over the world. This means we have to deliver a very high product quality to be relevant to our customers here.”
Product development also takes place in an unusual setting: Edwards & Lassen uses the former kitchen of Vridsløselille Prison, known from the Olsen Banden films. The prison is no longer in operation, and the site is being redeveloped as a residential area. Next door is Slowburn Brewing Co-op, which Lassen managed before starting Edwards & Lassen.
The range will not stay limited to Denmark, however. For future cuvées, the founders are working with producers in the Loire Valley, including Passavant, Toby and Julie Bainbridge, and DiVin Loire. From the grapes of the warmer climate they expect a more pronounced varietal character. The first test batches are about to be evaluated.
What matters most is the interplay of grape variety, origin, tea and fermentation. Edwards & Lassen draws on the language of wine while taking its own path in production.
An Appearance in the Orbit of the Bocuse d’Or
The September dinner was held to thank those supporting Denmark’s participation in the Bocuse d’Or. It was organised by the current Danish team, led by Christian Wellendorf, together with Danish chefs who had previously represented Denmark at the competition. The world final will take place in Lyon in January 2027. Denmark had qualified after Christian Wellendorf won the European selection in Marseille in March 2026.
For the young company, presenting its first product in this setting was an important step. Edwards & Lassen aims to establish its drinks where ingredient quality, craftsmanship and food pairing count most. The evening also shows how alcohol-free cuvées can find a place alongside established wine pairings.
Approval from within the industry matters to Lassen. She says the brand already works with some of the best restaurants in Denmark. “They have tried many products and still, they choose us.”
Recognition alone is not enough, though. For sophisticated alcohol-free drinks to become permanent fixtures on menus, the economics must also work.
“I hope the beverages will be defined by what they deliver and not by what they lack.”
Beyond the Wine Alternative
Lassen has observed a significant shift. Eight to ten years ago, she recalls, the selection in Denmark was limited, with many products too sweet or unfermented and therefore lacking complexity. Demand came mainly from people avoiding alcohol for health reasons or during pregnancy.
Today, the focus is increasingly on moderation and on physical and mental health. Guests expect a full adult experience: served in a proper glass, with the same quality and storytelling as beer or wine. Alcohol-free beer, she says, was what opened consumers’ eyes.
For restaurants, the question is shifting. Rather than asking which alcohol-free drink could replace a particular wine, another one comes to the fore: which drink works best with this dish?
According to Lassen, some front-of-house teams are already building beverage menus rather than wine menus. Tea, ferments and other alcohol-free compositions gain their own place in food pairing, regardless of alcohol content.
This takes more than new products. “The change is about the mindset, the margins and breaking with business as usual,” Lassen says. Service staff need training in a broader beverage category, and new products must be tasted and built into daily operations.
Then there is pricing. Alcohol-free drinks are often priced below alcoholic ones, even though quality ingredients and complex production come at a cost. For restaurants, they also need to make money by the glass. Edwards & Lassen lists its Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc at 210 Danish kroner, approximately €28, for a 750 ml bottle in its online shop. Whether guests will pay a comparable price for an alcohol-free drink cannot be taken for granted.
Lassen therefore sees producers and hospitality as sharing responsibility. Producers deliver quality and innovation, ideally in close dialogue with the market. Sommeliers, chefs and service teams are the ambassadors guests listen to. To play that role, they need not only product knowledge but a story: about the ingredients, the label and the people behind a bottle. In the glass, though, the drink must prove its quality on its own, visually as well.
A Drinking Culture in Transition
For Lassen, the vision behind Edwards & Lassen goes beyond individual products. “I hope the beverages will be defined by what they deliver and not by what they lack.”
The industry is still searching for a shared vocabulary. Terms such as “no/low” and “proxies” (drinks composed from juices, teas or botanicals to approach the structure of wine) coexist, without any single name having taken hold.
Lassen draws a comparison: bars without smoking were once hard to imagine, as smoking was part of drinking culture. Today, reality is completely different. She hopes choosing not to drink alcohol will one day feel just as natural.
With Edwards & Lassen, the founders want to contribute to that change. Their first product combines winemaking tradition with the experimental spirit of Nordic cuisine and shows what grapes, tea and fermentation can achieve together.
Whether this becomes a commercially successful brand in the long run remains to be seen. But the two have already found their way into the kind of dining for which their drinks were created.
Perhaps the real transformation does not lie in alcohol-free drinks becoming ever better at imitating wine. Perhaps it lies in reaching a point where they are simply judged on their own flavour, quality and ability to complement food.
Mette Aaskov Lassen answered the questions in writing.
