Storia
From broadcasting to wine
Amanda Thomson spent 25 years as an arts broadcaster and journalist before moving to Paris to retrain in wine at Le Cordon Bleu. Her subsequent work in wine was shaped by an interest in product transparency and by the conviction that consumers should be able to understand what goes into their bottles.
2013: Thomson & Scott begins
Thomson & Scott was registered as a business in 2013. Its original activity centred on traditional alcoholic Champagne and later included Skinny Champagne, reflecting Thomson’s interest in sparkling wines made with little or no added sugar.
2018: a change of direction
In 2018, the company decided to move towards an entirely non-alcoholic future. Thomson identified a gap between the increasingly sophisticated non-alcoholic beer category and a wine sector that offered few premium alcohol-free choices. Her objective was to make an alcohol-free product that would be treated as wine rather than as a substitute soft drink.
2019: the launch of Noughty
Noughty made its public debut at London Food Tech Week on 21 May 2019, where Thomson appeared as a keynote speaker. The first release was a sparkling wine based on 100% organically grown Chardonnay. It was vegan, suitable for a Halal diet and made without added sugar or artificial aromas. Initial distribution included both hospitality and retail channels.
The launch established the principles that continued to guide the range: vineyard quality, transparent production and a complete wine experience without conventional alcoholic strength. Noughty subsequently expanded from its original sparkling Chardonnay into sparkling rosé and still white, rosé and red wines.
2020: B Corporation certification
Thomson & Scott completed the B Corporation accreditation process in time for B Corp Month in March 2020. The assessment required evidence covering social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. Work presented during accreditation included long-term carbon-neutrality planning, organic and vegan credentials, and Amanda Thomson’s mentoring and support of women in business. The company also embedded its purpose beyond profit in its articles.
Expansion of the alcohol-free range
The range developed into a multi-origin portfolio made through specialist partner wineries. Sparkling wines use organic grapes from southern Spain, while still wines draw on dryland-farmed vineyards in South Africa’s Western Cape. Noughty has pursued placements in restaurants, hotels and bars as part of a strategy to establish non-alcoholic wine within the broader fine-wine and hospitality environment rather than in a separate compromise category.
Amanda Thomson also became a founding member of the Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association, served on its board and helped establish the organisation in the United Kingdom. The association was conceived as a collective voice for the emerging category and a means of developing appropriate standards.
2025–2026: recognition and international reach
In 2025, The Drinks Business named Amanda Thomson its Entrepreneur of the Year. By that point, Noughty was sold in more than 40 countries and had secured listings across international hospitality and retail. In 2026, Thomson continued to present the brand as a wine-led project focused on grape quality, provenance, production and taste, while encouraging more established producers and winemakers to raise standards throughout the non-alcoholic category.
Terroir
Noughty is a multi-origin brand rather than a single-estate producer.
Southern Spain
The sparkling Chardonnay comes from sandy and calcareous vineyards in southern Spain. The sparkling rosé uses organic Tempranillo from sandy and calcareous vineyards in La Mancha.
Darling, South Africa
The Syrah for Noughty Rouge and Monté comes from dryland-farmed vineyards in Darling. Sites are selected to combine warm sunshine with the cooling influence of the Atlantic Ocean. Their deep soils consist of decomposed granite and clay and provide good drainage.
Western Cape, South Africa
Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinotage for the still white and rosé wines come from dryland-farmed Western Cape vineyards. The vines are untrellised bush vines planted on south-west-facing slopes, where they receive cooling air from the Atlantic Ocean and the cold Benguela Current. The soils are deep, well drained, clay-rich and derived from decomposed granite.
Vinificazione
Viticulture varies by production origin. The Chardonnay and Tempranillo used for the sparkling wines are organically grown. The South African still-wine grapes come from dryland-farmed vineyards, without irrigation being identified as part of the regime.
In the Western Cape, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinotage are grown as untrellised bush vines on south-west-facing slopes. Syrah comes from selected dryland sites in Darling. The Monté bottling narrows its sourcing to a couple of Syrah vineyards to obtain greater concentration.
Noughty wines begin as conventionally fermented wines and are subsequently dealcoholised. The company does not own production or warehousing facilities; specialist partner wineries undertake production.
Sparkling wines
The Chardonnay and Tempranillo sparkling wines are made traditionally in stainless-steel vats. Alcohol is then removed through vacuum distillation with aroma recovery, after which the wines are lightly carbonated. The sparkling rosé receives a four-hour maceration before dealcoholisation. The finished sparkling wines are presented at 0.0% alcohol by volume.
Still white and rosé
The Western Cape white and still rosé undergo a 14-day fermentation at 14–15°C. Grapes and juice are handled reductively to limit oxidation and preserve fruit character. The wines remain on their lees for two months to build complexity. Alcohol is removed using spinning-cone technology under vacuum at low temperature, a process intended to retain body, colour and flavour. Finished alcohol is below 0.5% by volume.
Still reds
Noughty Rouge is dealcoholised to 0.5% by spinning-cone technology under vacuum and at low temperature. Noughty Monté is aged in French oak for more than 12 months during malolactic fermentation, adding structure and depth, and is then reduced to below 0.5% alcohol using the same low-temperature vacuum spinning-cone approach.
Every currently presented wine contains less than 150 mg/L of sulphites and is gluten-free. Organic, vegan and Halal certifications are identified for the sparkling Chardonnay and sparkling rosé.
Filosofia
Noughty was conceived as wine without conventional alcoholic strength, rather than as a soft-drink imitation or a lesser substitute. Amanda Thomson’s standard is that an alcohol-free bottle must first qualify as good wine: grape quality, provenance, production and taste remain central.
The intended experience includes the rituals and social context of wine—proper glassware, food, dinner parties and celebratory toasts—without requiring alcohol. The range is therefore positioned alongside conventional wines in restaurants, hotels and bars. Moderation is treated as compatible with wine appreciation rather than as an all-or-nothing choice.
Transparency is another founding principle. Thomson & Scott advocates clearer wine labelling and seeks to build trust through disclosed ingredients, nutritional information and production details. Corporate responsibility extends this approach beyond the bottle. As a Certified B Corporation, the company has legally embedded a purpose beyond shareholder profit and applies its commitments across governance, workers, community, environment and customers.
The company’s environmental philosophy recognises that most of its impact occurs in the supply chain because manufacturing, warehousing and logistics are outsourced. Its long-term ambition is to strengthen environmental governance and data collection, collaborate with suppliers to reduce impacts, support responsible and regenerative wine production, and maintain transparency with customers and other stakeholders.