14 Popular Grape Soda Brands, Ranked From Worst To Best

What's with all the hate on grape-flavored things? Nobody wants the purple Skittles or grape-flavored lollipops, and the fruity flavor is often all that's left after grubby hands have pawed through Halloween basket candy. If you ask me, grape doesn't deserve to be relegated to flavor purgatory. It deserves just as much spotlight as any other fruit flavor, even — or maybe especially — when it comes to soda. 

Is it a bold claim if I say it's time for grape soda to have a moment in the spotlight? Different orange sodas get enough affection, and we all know that dirty sodas are having their five minutes of fame. I figured it was high time to give grape soda some recognition, in the form of a comprehensive ranking. I visited local grocers (including a shop stocked with vintage soda bottles) and grabbed one of every grape soda I could find. The most important factor in this ranking was the flavor of each soda, though secondary factors (like whether it was pre- or probiotic) played a secondary role in the ordering below.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

I'll admit, this bottle wasn't very promising from the moment I grabbed it off the store shelf. There's a distinct aesthetic appeal to Whirly Pop's lollipop-emblazoned label, but how would that translate to the grape soda within? I don't naturally gravitate toward candy, so I was understandably dubious — unfortunately, my fears were well-founded. This was my least favorite of the grape sodas, and I could hardly take more than a single sip.

Complaint number one is the flavor of the soda — its "grape" essence is very vague, and extremely artificial to boot. Moreover, the soda didn't taste very carbonated, and it was sickeningly sweet. Seriously — I felt like I was drinking liquified candy (perhaps not surprising, again, considering the label). At the end of the day, I couldn't get past the melted-lollipop vibe and the subtle, fake grape flavoring, and this was an easy contender for the last spot on my list. 

I was surprised I hated Spindrift's grape soda as much as I did, and I wonder if my feelings would have been different had I not tried it as part of a grape soda lineup. Granted, I've never had any of the brand's sodas (or any of Spindrift's sparkling waters, for that matter), so I suppose I didn't really know what to expect. But given the ubiquity of the "healthy soda" craze, I think it was reasonable to expect more from this than what it delivered.

To be frank, I disliked the flavor of this just as much as I disliked Whirly Pop's; however, this had a couple of things going for it that merited a higher ranking. First of all, the soda has four ingredients — carbonated water, concord grape juice, apple juice, and lemon juice — so purely from a health-conscious perspective, it's an easier can to grab off the shelf. Everything else fell flat. The flavor was far too citrus-forward, and the grape fell to the background. I probably wouldn't have been able to identify this as a grape-flavored beverage in a blind taste test. Moreover, I didn't like the appeal of the citrus-grape combo (which you'll see pop up again on this list). It was a wholly unpalatable beverage that I'd be happy not to drink again. 

When I told my mother I was doing a ranking of grape sodas, her first question was whether I'd gotten my hands on a bottle of Nehi. Well, Mom, I did indeed, and I'm sorry to say that I won't be reaching for the vintage brand again anytime soon. On the plus side, the bottle doesn't claim to be anything it's not, and it discloses that it's artificially flavored right on the front of the label. But transparency is about the only thing Nehi's grape soda has going for it.

The only reason this made a higher spot than the two aforementioned brands is because I didn't downright detest the flavor (high compliments, I know). That said, its flavor still wasn't great. The grape notes were fairly weak — on the one hand, I was grateful it didn't overwhelm, but on the other hand, what's the point of drinking it if it's not full of grape flavor? It was another very sweet selection, so it felt like drinking a thin grape syrup. I didn't hate it, but compared to the following selections, it wasn't my jam. 

The other can that got a spot interspersed between the vintage bottles is Culture Pop's grape soda. I'm all for a probiotic soda — you'll see quite a few as we move down this list — but Culture Pop's was unfortunately very lackluster, and only earned a higher spot than the previous sodas because it does have probiotic benefits. But given that other probiotic sodas tasted way better, I was thoroughly underwhelmed with Culture Pop's offering. 

This is another soda that incorporates lemon juice, and I don't think that worked in its favor. I found it to be very tart, especially compared to the other sweet options, and there wasn't much balance in the tasting notes here. The grape flavor is wholly overpowered by lemon, and the inclusion of elderflower — which I usually love — added a slight perfume-y note that didn't contribute anything good. It's not the worst soda on this list, but I won't be reaching for it again. I'd be interested to try some of the brand's other flavors, though, to see if I have the same issue.

Zotz's grape soda is the final one on this list that I definitely won't be having again, but it still wasn't as repelling as the former four choices. Another retro bottle in my collection, I had no idea what to expect from the brand (which I'd never heard of before) — as it turns out, I shouldn't have expected much. The one thing that gave this soda a leg up over the previous ones is that it had a pretty potent grape flavor.

Unfortunately, that's the one good thing I have to say about it. Though it tasted heavily of grapes, it didn't exactly taste like real grapes — it had more of a liquified Jolly Rancher vibe, with that signature artificial grape flavor that just tastes "purple." It also tasted distinctly retro, though I'm not sure how to qualify that. It was significantly sweet but not as sweet as any of the previous bottled sodas, so that gave it a couple of extra marks as well. It was a very middling entry in this list, but not as bad as the former.

Ah, Fanta — the brand is an old childhood favorite of mine (I particularly loved Fanta's orange soda), and I have a deeply ingrained sense memory of the song from the 2000s-era commercial. That said, I didn't expect great things from the drink, so I wasn't surprised when I sipped it and found it was thoroughly mediocre. Nothing in particular turned me off from this soda, but there wasn't much endearing about it, either.

I'll admit that it was a bit of a hard choice deciding whether Fanta or Zotz should take the higher spot. While Zotz's entry was more flavorful, its flavors were more artificial. Fanta's, on the other hand, was slightly subtler but tasted more natural than the former. It was still obviously heavily sweetened and, on the whole, I felt very "meh" about this selection. It earned a pretty solid ninth spot here.

Before you ask, no — the absolutely adorable vintage label on the bottle had nothing to do with its number eight spot on the list, though I'll admit I found it endlessly enticing. I can't say I'd have Frostie's grape soda again, but I wouldn't mind sipping on it every once in a while, and not just for the retro appeal. This was a favorite selection of the bottled sodas I tried simply because its flavors were superior.

Finally, we've reached a selection on this list that has both a potent and real grape flavor. I could taste the natural juiciness of Concord grapes, and though the soda was still definitely sweet, it wasn't sickeningly so. It had that same depth of flavor you get in vintage bottled Coca-Cola made with real cane sugar. I still didn't adore it, but I very willingly drank more than a few sips. I couldn't give it a higher spot because of the sugar content, though — even though it wasn't overwhelming, it was still too sugary for my palate.

Ah, Olipop. We have a fraught relationship — I haven't tried every Olipop flavor on offer, but those I have tried haven't impressed, and I suspect that has something to do with the botanicals and plant fiber the company uses in its beverages. In fact, the brand got a pretty low spot on a previous ranking of prebiotic and probiotic drinks that I did, and I tend to stay away from it on the whole. I initially thought I might have a change of heart, especially trying this in a lineup of some other grape sodas that I really didn't enjoy. Unfortunately, my verdict on the brand remains the same.

This merited a higher ranking than the previous because, though the flavors of the two are wholly different (and I'd even say the prior has a slight flavor edge over this one), this one at least has some health benefits and only four grams of sugar. However, it had an herbal, almost tea-like flavor that I didn't find appealing in the slightest. I did taste the grape in this can, which was a plus, but the other tasting notes humming underneath it kept this from claiming a higher spot on my list.

Having never had any of Ramuné's plethora of soda flavors before, I didn't entirely know what to expect from the uncolored beverage, so imagine my surprise when I was thoroughly pleased with what I tasted. Ramuné's was a distinct offering among the other bottled sodas on this list, and a welcome one at that. Its tasting notes were well balanced and very natural; moreover, they were potent, and I didn't want to stop my taste test at just one sip.

The flavors here were very punchy, juicy, and fruity — exactly what I'd hoped for from the sodas on this list. Grapes were at the forefront but there was still dimension to the flavor, and it had a brightness that the previous brands lacked. It was slightly less sweet than some of the aforementioned bottles, so it didn't taste like syrup, but it was still sweet enough to balance the juicy grape flavors. It easily tasted better than the previous, but given that the following selections all taste just as good (and many have health benefits), I had to relegate this one to spot number six.

Simple Truth is Kroger's natural, organic brand, and I honestly didn't expect much from the store-brand grape soda. This is a common theme with me and store brands (Kroger's own brands specifically), and I nearly always end up changing my tune — not everything has to be name brand to be good, which I really should have learned by now. Though this pre- and probiotic grape soda wasn't my favorite, I'd drink it again if it were on offer at a gathering.

In terms of flavor, it was fairly subtle but still definitively grape. Though the former was more potent and juicier, I'd say this was still just as good, and it has the additional gut benefits of being a pre- and probiotic drink. Aside from its subtlety it's really not a bad offering in the genre, and I could see it appealing to consumers who want relatively gentle, effervescent sodas and are a fan of grape flavors.

Is Cove a well-known probiotic soda brand? I'd never heard of it until doing this tasting, but I have to say, it makes for a competitive entry in the market. I'd call Cove's a relatively neutral offering — on the downside, it may not appeal to those looking for a flavor blast-off, but I think it will have some of the widest appeal of any soda on this list. Don't take "neutral" to be synonymous with "subtle," though. This can definitely packed more flavor than the former.

I appreciated the mix of gentility and genuine grape flavor here, and I think this is what some of the aforementioned cans were aiming for with their inclusion of citrus and botanical notes. Fortunately, this can didn't try to introduce other flavors to the mix, which ultimately worked out in its favor as far as I'm concerned. It's easily identifiable as grape and slightly sweet, a perfectly pleasant drink that neither overwhelms nor underwhelms.

Given that Zevia made my top three grape sodas and it doesn't have gut benefits, you know it's delicious — flavor alone (and a lack of nutritional hits) earned this soda the third spot on this list. I couldn't find any singular cans of the zero-calorie soda, so I had to buy a six-pack, which I'm not at all mad about now. Yes, it's been my afternoon drink of choice, and yes, I may get more the next time I'm at the store.

I love the flavor of Zevia's grape soda. It's just sweet enough to satisfy, and it's undeniably grape-flavored, though without any artificiality whatsoever. I'd venture a guess that its flavors are improved by the fact that the company doesn't try to add any gut benefits, and its only ingredients are carbonated water, natural flavors, citric acid, and stevia leaf extract. I'd be tempted to give this the top spot on my list, and it's certainly on par with the following two in terms of flavor, but I couldn't give it a higher spot because my next choices have gut benefits.

Who hasn't tried Poppi's prebiotic sodas right now? The brand seems to be everywhere and has gained a loyal following among fans, and I'll admit, I didn't get the hype at first. I've tried a couple of Poppi's flavors, and I wasn't very impressed. Because of that, I expected its grape can to get a lower spot on this list — I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually quite enjoyed it.

This can stuck out to me for a couple of reasons. First, yes, it had an undeniably grape flavor, but I also found that I quite liked the addition of apple juice. I don't know that I can say the apple juice was apparent on its own, but it definitely added some well-rounded body to the grape juice and almost amplified its flavor. Plus, I'm happy the company didn't rely on citrus juice, like some of the aforementioned cans. This was a close second, but ultimately couldn't compete with my top contender.

If you're looking for a grape soda that has gut benefits and a pure, potent flavor, look no further than Slice's selection. I appreciated that it leaned into its strengths without trying to be anything it's not — it didn't attempt to incorporate any other juices or flavors, instead sporting an ingredient list full of gut-friendly bacteria and other recognizable ingredients. While many of the former drinks hit the mark in some areas, Slice's entry hit the ball out of the park in all of them, and I'd be happy to drink this again and again.

At the end of the day, grape soda producers should have a simple goal — making a great-tasting, grape-flavored soda (bonus if you can stuff some gut-healthy bacteria in there). Slice did just that. It's an extremely juicy can that captures everything there is to love about grape flavors without any of the artificiality or attempted dressing-up of some of the former brands. Its subtle sweetness works to its advantage, and though I don't know if I'd say there's anything "special" about this grape soda, I think that works in its favor — it's a well-formulated representation of the flavor without any frills. It was an easy number one pick for me.

Compiling the list of grape sodas to rank wasn't difficult — I visited five different grocery stores in my area to get my hands on as many grape sodas as I saw, and ended up with a pretty well-rounded selection of 14 options. I ranked them primarily in terms of how they tasted, including factors like whether the grape flavor seemed natural or artificial, how sweet the drink was, and whether any other flavor notes came into play (like the citrus that was used in some drinks).

You'll notice most of the bottled vintage sodas are at the bottom of my list. This isn't just because they were loaded with sugar (though that was certainly a contributing factor), but I also genuinely didn't think they tasted very good. Perhaps it's because I'm not a sugary soda drinker in general, so I'm not used to that flavor profile. The sodas ranked at the top of my list had a very natural, fruity, punchy grape flavor that I quite enjoyed, while there are a few towards the bottom that I won't be going near again.