Non-alcoholic Wines

​Dear Readers,
I hope you all had a good summer and are ready for the transition into fall. For many, this is the start of another school year, and what better way to celebrate than with wine!
Of course, children should not be consuming alcohol, and as much as teachers might need a drink at the end of their day (not because of your kids, obviously), this seems like the perfect time to dive into a current hot topic: non-alcoholic ‘wines’!
“What? Your first blog post for Trio and it’s not even about alcohol?!” you may have just shouted into your phone or computer screen. Yes, that’s correct. Not only because it’s an important topic for folks who want to limit their alcohol consumption (for any number of reasons), but because there is something fascinating about the variety of products that have been created to try to replicate the flavours of wine and provide pairing options for food without the effects of alcohol. So, with that, let’s dive deeper into the world of non-alcoholic wine: what it is, how it’s made, and why it’s important.
First, we must recognize that not all non-alcoholic or “0%” wines are created equal. There are 2 main categories for these types of beverages:

• De-alcoholised wine
• So-called wine “alternatives”

De-alcoholised wine is something you can find in a lot of grocery stores and liquor stores. These are typically wines made by wineries to supplement their product portfolio and reach an audience of people who either cannot consume alcohol or may not want to on a particular occasion. They usually come it at around 0.5% abv, the legal limit for calling something “non-alcoholic” in many countries. They are made from a nearly finished wine – perhaps a Sauvignon Blanc that could otherwise be sold as a normal table wine – but the alcohol is reduced before bottling, usually using one of 3 methods: adding water (uncommon for full alcohol removal because of how it impacts flavour and texture), reverse osmosis, or by the use of a “spinning cone” device that separates alcohol from the other components of the wine. The result is a wine with nearly no alcohol but some of the same flavours as a normal wine. The biggest impacts of the loss of alcohol – other than reduction in flavour intensity – are to texture and shelf-life, since alcohol both provides body and acts as a preservative. This means that non-alc wines won’t keep nearly as long as normal wines and are therefore likely to have some extra ingredients added: glycerine, gum arabic, or sugar to enhance texture; sulfites and/or sugar for shelf-life (these two are present in many wines, as well, though not always as an additive). This means that sometimes, non-alcoholic wines are a bit sweet rather than dry, and this can impact your pairing options. Leitz (Germany), Giesen (New Zealand), and Thomson & Scott (UK) are just a few examples of wine producers who make de-alcoholised wine, and there are many others.
Wine alternatives are created with the end goal of 0 alcohol in mind. They are not necessarily made using grapes at all, and a producer’s decision to ferment is more about naturally adding some bubbles for texture towards the end of production than developing any alcohol (much like with kombucha, for example). These products are often from some combination of juices, teas, and blends of other flavouring components. The complexity of flavours and ratio of acids to sugars helps mimic a complex, well-balanced wine, and the best examples make for excellent food pairings. Proxies (based in Guelph) make some that I really like, and right here in Ottawa, Checkers! has recently begun producing a few that I’ve enjoyed, too. There are many, many producers trying their hand at building the perfect wine alternative, and it is fun to explore what different approaches they take and the end results.
So, why do these wines exist, and why are they important? There is a significant market for low- and no-alcohol wines, especially among younger consumers. This has been a trend for several years now, with a general movement towards lighter styles as global tastes shift and alcohol becomes less central to social gatherings. A greater focus on health – with some claims that calories are lower in non-alcoholic wines (this is proven true in some cases but is not universal) – has also resulted in more low- and no-alcohol options being offered. And we can’t forget the very important fact that some folks simply cannot or prefer not to drink alcohol at all – whether temporarily or in general – yet still want to have something more interesting, complex, and food-focused than simple soft drinks. De-alcoholised wines and wine alternatives offer this possibility to a wide range of consumers.
As for where to pick up these kinds of products, because they’re non-alcoholic, you don’t need to go to a liquor store to get them (though some do sell them, which is great if you’re shopping for a large gathering). Many grocery stores and online retailers carry non-alcoholic beverages, and it’s also a great opportunity to support local small businesses in your area who produce and/or sell them (believe me, there are a lot of them).
Whatever you end up picking in this category, I don’t have to tell you to drink responsibly. But, if you throw a back-to-school party, please do the right thing and offer an alcoholic option to your adult guests as well. 😉
Take care everyone and have a great start to the fall!
 
Etienne Martin
Consulting Sommelier and Occasional Blogger
Trio Bistro & Lounge