The secrets of non-alcoholic wine, the new eldorado

More and more traditional producers and start-ups are responding to growing consumer demand. Production is taking off and the trend is taking hold.

Could it be that 0.0% alcohol wine, still the subject of jokes a few years ago, is turning the muffled world of oenology upside down? It's not hard to see why, given the number of companies launching into this niche and the success of some of them. The wine industry is lagging behind the beer sector, which is well advanced in this field: sales of non-alcoholic beers have been growing steadily for years. The world of spirits is not far behind. The reason for this discrepancy between the various sectors no doubt lies in the considerable investment required to develop new beverages. Ad hoc research budgets often remain out of reach for the vast majority of wine makers. Be that as it may, the demand is there. "We're convinced that we're responding to a societal evolution," explains Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger. He is already co-owner of a champagne house. But with his wife Maggie, a gastronome who has long worked for the Michelin Guide  and top model Constance Jablonski, he created the Maison French Bloom just over three years ago.

"My wife was pregnant, so she felt left out of the party," says Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger. She couldn't drink. Hence we had the idea to create an non-alcoholic wine that was as natural as possible." A lovely story.

Around the same time, Coralie de Boüard, owner and winemaker in Saint-Émilion, received an unexpected request: "It came from the PSG soccer club, who wanted an non-alcoholic wine for their parties. I took up the challenge and ended up producing 35,000 bottles of Prince Oscar," she recounts. She continues: "There's a new generation of people who don't drink much alcohol, especially athletes, because a glass of non-alcoholic wine has around 20 calories, five times less than a classic wine. American couples order batches of 120 bottles from me. An importer in New York is multiplying requests for pallets..."

Michael Paetzold, consultant oenologist in Bordeaux and elsewhere in the world, known for his many innovations and patents, explains: "Twenty years ago, I was already thinking that this demand for none wines was going to happen. I was a little ahead of the game, but I had developed a de-alcoholization technique that stuck. And, for the past year and a half, everyone has wanted to make non-alcoholic. In France, requests are coming from all the vineyards, but also from beer microbreweries and cider producers. It's a grassroots movement. He adds: "People still want to toast, and this gesture should remain associated with a cultural beverage, a wine, a beer, a cider, but without alcohol. This opens up a new market that will no doubt concern both winegrowers and the big machines in the agri-food sector."

"ALSO WATCH: Interview with Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger, co-founder of French Bloom, today's most glamorous alcohol-free wine brand.

At Pernod Ricard, where the phenomenon is being studied with the utmost attention, we're categorical: "To say that demand comes from pregnant women or people with health problems is a cliché," explains Isabelle Pernet, Director of Innovation at Pernod Ricard. It's important to understand that we're in a logic of alternation and exploration. Consumers are looking for choice. Depending on the moment, they consume products with and without alcohol. This is what we call "flexi-drinking". The constant is the search for quality, because no consumer wants to compromise on pleasure. This is no flash in the pan. This trend is here to stay. These are long-term inflections.

Some observers, however, take a critical view of the phenomenon, and even see in it the beginnings of prohibition: "In this crusade against alcohol, there is a misunderstanding, explains philosopher Emanuele Coccia. If some people abuse alcohol, we need to understand that the problem is not the alcohol, but the problems and traumas these people are carrying. And today, we're tackling the consequences, when we should be treating the cause. In this way, the world of food consumption reflects our refusal to take reality into account. And we're in the process of passing off renunciation as a virtue.”

From a more practical point of view, how do you make alcohol-free wine? "The best solution, from my point of view, is to combine osmosis and distillation. It's a slower and more costly technique than others, but it provides better protection for the aromas," says oenologist Michael Paetzold.

Non-alcoholic wine is not an exact science. Each maison is constantly improving its formula. Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger insists: "The development of French Bloom involved a great deal of research and development. We had to get away from a dogmatic mindset. We wanted to work the wine with a specific approach right from the harvest, to limit the effects of the subsequent dealcoholization procedure", bearing in mind that at the end of the vinification process, the wine reaches 13-14°. Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger and his partners choose to work with Languedoc grapes, "pinots noirs and chardonnays, which meet our expectations best, as they have more shoulders to withstand the dealcoholisation. On the other hand, to retain maximum acidity, we have to harvest earlier. The region is 40% organic, and we want to make an organic wine with no added sulfites or sugars. We vinify in oak barrels for around eight months. The wines are wooded, then acidified with tartaric acid. We then dealcoholize it by triple cold vacuum distillation at 32°C. Distillation has one major drawback: the loss of around 60% of the aromas. Solutions had to be found to reintegrate them. French Bloom had already launched two cuvées in Le Blanc and Le Rosé, "intended more for celebration. Now, the company is going one step further, with the launch of a vintage cuvée, a more complex wine."

For her part, Coralie de Boüard prefers to work with companies that are already used to these procedures: "We send our finished wines in tankers to Germany, because the Germans have mastered this know-how. They practice cold distillation at 32° under vacuum. Before this, the aromas are captured with a food-grade resin that absorbs the aromas in the same way that eggshell absorbs the aromas of truffles. The wines come back to us bottled.

The general consensus is that there is still room for improvement. In terms of quality, we can go much further," adds Michael Paetzold. We're asking ourselves a lot of questions, especially about mouthfeel. We need to find the right composition, the optimum level of extraction, and innovate with new techniques. I believe that this research will eventually benefit classic wines.

All the major groups in the sector are working on the subject. Everyone is looking for a recipe. There's a lot at stake when it comes to alcohol-free wines. We need to invest. The Pernod Ricard group has set up a special department, the No Low Company, with some fifteen employees working on the subject.

Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger and his two partners were joined in the first two investment rounds by Jean Moueix of Petrus, Florent Hérard Dubreuil, the Houzé family, Frédéric Biousse and a number of other leading investors. A third round of financing is in preparation. Others prefer to outsource the final stages: "If I didn't call on German companies, I'd have to invest 4 million euros in a dealcoholization structure."

Prices for alcohol-free wines are highly elastic. Coralie de Boüard's Prince Oscar sells for between 24 and 29 euros. French Bloom, which produced 300,000 bottles last year, has a similar pricing policy, and aims to exceed 3 million bottles by 2027-2028. The new limited-edition vintage is available from wine merchants at 109 euros. It is expected to cost well over 300 euros in the restaurant trade.

Is the relationship between price and tasting pleasure justified? "The problem with non-alcoholic wine is its metallic taste. I admit that our V1 wasn't incredible, but we're very proud of the V8," explains Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger. On the nose, French Bloom presents aromas of walnut, dried apricot, vanilla and a hint of spice. At this stage, it could be compared to a classic wine. But on the palate, it's in a class of its own. There's none of the usual body, fat or texture. It's a new product, very fresh, very light. Is it really wine? Some people think that wine has to contain a certain percentage of alcohol, but I think that if the product is complex and gives pleasure, that's enough," says Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger. French law is on the side of alcohol-free products. In France, you can make a "zero alcohol" product and call it wine if it's made from grapes. In Italy, this is not possible.

Alcohol-free wine has a bright future ahead of it. Model star Bella Hadid has just launched Kin Euphorics, an 0.0% alcohol wine. Her 60 million followers already know about it. French Bloom works with the Ducasse group, the Rosewood and Six Senses hoteliers, the Nicolas wine merchant, Galeries Lafayette, the Moma group and Paris Society... In the United States, the brand is a partner of Coachella, the major music festival held in California.

"Two years ago, everyone thought I was a UFO. Today, non-alcoholic consumption is accepted," concludes Coralie de Boüard. She continues: "A few months ago, I didn't know what the future of my company would be. We had made colossal cash advances. I talked to my banker about filing for bankruptcy. Alcohol-free wine is a lifeline. It's giving my neighbors ideas. A little competition on this product will be very positive.”

Article link