Dealcoholized wine: temporary trend or a revolution in the sector?

October 2024

 The growing interest in dealcoholised wines offers producers the opportunity to explore an expanding segment, although there are doubts about its long-term viability. With recent regulations and increasing demand, it is crucial to understand whether this innovation, which will be discussed at SANA Food, represents a real alternative or a temporary trend.

Current market trends indicate that alcohol-free wines, or dealcoholised wines, are attracting a significant number of consumers. Similarly to non-alcoholic beer and decaffeinated coffee, dealcoholised wine marks a new chapter in the evolution of the sector.

The International Wines and Spirits Record (IWSR) reports strong growth demand for no-low alcohol (NoLo) drinks and forecasts a +7% annual increase in sales volumes by 2026. The data is also confirmed by a survey by the Federvini Observatory, which indicates a +6% increase in 2023 compared to 2021 in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. A growth driven by the new generations, increasingly inclined towards more conscious and healthy consumption.

Since 2021, the European Union has regulated the production and marketing of dealcoholised wines, setting residual alcohol limits and labelling requirements. Dealcoholisation aims to reduce or eliminate ethyl alcohol while maintaining the organoleptic characteristics of the product. According to EU regulations, dealcoholised wine must have an alcohol content less than or equal to 0.5% vol., while partially dealcoholised wine must be between 0.5% and 9%.

Despite the existence of a European reference regulation, producing dealcoholised wines in Italy remains difficult, also because the institutions do not seem interested in promoting the diffusion of this particular type of beverage. For Made in Italy labels, therefore, there is the risk of losing an interesting development opportunity, capable of attracting those consumers who, for religious or health reasons or for personal choice, have turned away from ‘traditional’ wine.

SANA Food 2025 will offer moments of discussion on the potential and challenges of this segment, tracing a path towards the future of the NoLo world and trying to answer the questions of a market in continuous evolution, both in domestic and out-of-home consumption.