Alcohol-free wines are still relatively uncommon, but they are becoming increasingly popular in response to growing demand in this market. They offer numerous health benefits and are a good alternative to traditional wines for people who cannot or do not wish to consume alcohol.
What is alcohol-free wine?
Legally speaking, the term alcohol-free wine can be used for any wine with an alcohol content below 7%. In reality, most alcohol-free wines contain only between 0 and 0.3% alcohol. The technique of dealcoholizing wine, that is, removing the alcohol, was patented in 1908 by Carl Jung, a German winemaker. The technique has continued to evolve ever since.
Initially, this type of wine was intended for pregnant women, athletes, and people with diabetes. Today, it is becoming increasingly widespread and appealing to many people who simply do not wish to consume alcohol.
Alcohol-free wines are available in every color: white, red, rosé, sparkling... However, dealcoholization is prohibited for wines with a Controlled Designation of Origin (AOC) and a Protected Designation of Origin (AOP). It is permitted only for regional wines and table wines, with a maximum reduction of 2% of their initial alcohol content.
How is it made?
Alcohol-free wine is not made from different ingredients: it is “classic” wine from which the alcohol is subsequently removed. This can be done in different ways: dealcoholization may be partial or total, biological or physicochemical... In every case, it affects the wine, causing acidity to dominate over sweetness (the more alcohol there is, the higher the sugar content, since alcohol results from the transformation of sugars by yeast during fermentation).
To reduce the alcohol content of their wines, winemakers can intervene at different stages of production:
⦁ During vineyard work: by adjusting the harvest date (early harvesting), using grape varieties that produce lower alcohol levels, increasing yields (which produces grapes with a lower sugar concentration)...
⦁ During winemaking: by using yeasts with a low alcohol yield, removing sugar from the must...
⦁ Once the finished product is ready: by using low-temperature distillation, nanofiltration, and other techniques...
The benefits of alcohol-free wine
As mentioned above, it is suitable for anyone who cannot consume alcohol (people who are ill, athletes, pregnant women, former alcoholics...). But it is also an excellent ally for your health. In fact, it contains three times fewer calories than traditional wine (an average of 25 kcal/dcl compared with 75 kcal/dcl for traditional wine). Although it is similar in this respect, it is also much less sweet than grape juice: around 5 grams of sugar per bottle, compared with 15g for organic grape juice.
It has also been shown that alcohol-free wine reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease: it lowers blood pressure, and its consumers are 20% less likely to suffer cardiac arrest than people who drink traditional wine. As for other diseases, it may help prevent cancer and inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, and may have anti-aging effects. It also contains fewer sulfites than traditional wine. Sulfites are often responsible for a number of intolerances, including headaches, breathing difficulties, rhinitis, digestive disorders, skin problems, and fatigue...
Finally, and this is no small advantage! No alcohol means being able to drive home without any problems. It is therefore ideal for farewell drinks after work, but also for family or social occasions, as it avoids many worries when everyone has to get behind the wheel again.
How should you taste alcohol-free wine?
One thing is certain: it should not be tasted in the same way as traditional wine. Dealcoholization changes the wine’s balance on the palate (between alcohol, acidity, and sugar). Acidity tends to dominate the other elements, so it must be balanced with the right amount of sugar. In terms of taste, it will be closer to a well-crafted grape juice than to traditional wine, although it is more complex than simple juice.
The main objective during production is therefore to preserve this balance as well as the wine’s aromas. Alcohol gives wine structure and enhances the perception of aromas, so in its absence, care must be taken to reproduce these qualities as much as possible.
What does the future hold for alcohol-free wine?
We can predict with almost certainty that alcohol-free wine has a bright future ahead of it. New consumption habits, particularly the trend toward “eating better,” point in this direction. Fewer calories, greater health benefits (according to studies)... these qualities are driving growing demand and, consequently, a wider range of alcohol-free wines.
Wine is no longer the only beverage to be dealcoholized or reinvented. Today, there are alcohol-free beers, alcohol-free cocktails, and even alcohol-free gin (such as JNPR). Although wine and alcohol in general are deeply rooted (and will remain so) in our country’s culture, it is still crucial to innovate with this type of product in order to reach an even wider audience.
In 2019, the alcohol-free wine market exploded: +12.3% growth for still wines and +3.7% for sparkling wines.
