PSA: SodaStream Released a Sparkling Wine Concentrate

If you own a SodaStream, you probably already feel vastly superior to others, because you can have seltzer any time you please. SodaStream fans can now continue to revel in their feelings of fizz-related dominance, because the company has just released a concentrate that will literally turn water into wine.

SodaStream’s limited edition "Sparkling Gold" is an alcoholic concentrate that is intended to be mixed with sparkling water in a 1:5 ratio of concentrate to water. According to a statement from SodaStream, the resulting drink is 10 percent ABV and tastes like “a fruity Riesling wine.” One cartridge of Sparkling Gold will make 12 glasses of sparkling wine.

Having tasted soda concentrates before, I’m hesitant to believe that Sparkling Gold actually tastes exactly like wine. A “cola” concentrate never tastes quite like a Coke, so how could a wine concentrate mimic the bottle of Cava in my fridge?

SodaStream, however, is hoping to avoid skepticism from the get-go: Their statement also describes an independent market research test on consumers regarding Sparkling Gold’s flavor. The test, conducted in Germany in October 2017, details that “76 percent of people surveyed enjoyed the taste of SodaStream 'Sparkling Gold' as much as or more than French champagne brands Moet & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot.”

Sparkling Gold is currently only available for purchase from SodaStream’s German online shop for 4,99€ (about $6), which is a seriously good deal if the sparkling wine is as good as the survey reports. In the meantime, I guess a bottle of Andre will do.