Non-alcoholic wines (also called NA or dealcoholized) are gaining traction among consumers who, for health and inclusivity reasons, seek to experience the pleasure of a glass without the alcohol.

With “Dry January”, the month of no alcohol, upon us, what better time to deep-dive into alcohol abstention and NA wines? What is Dry January, how are NA wines made, and what do they taste like?

Fast facts

• In the USA, beverages with no more than 0.5% vol are categorized as NA.

• The International Wine and Spirits Record (IWSR) projects the global NA wine market will grow from $2.39 billion in 2024 to $3.78 billion in 2030.

• Meticulous Research business data company says sparkling wine in the NA category is expected to dominate up to 2031.

• The trend towards NA wine production is global with key players in the USA, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Australia, and Canada

Dry January involves participants abstaining from alcohol for the first month of the year. It was launched in 2013 by Alcohol Change UK to encourage people to have a break from alcohol following the festive season.

The initiative has spread globally with partners in the USA, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Iceland, and even the granddaddy of wine, France.

Fun facts

• The first reported Dry January was a 2008 independent initiative by one Frank Posillico in New York state. This inspired Alcohol Change UK staff member, Emily Robinson, to start a formal, wider movement.

• According to global business data company “Statista” in 2024, 57.8% of Americans in the 21 to over 55 age categories were interested in participating in Dry January.

• The reactions across cultures to the initiative have varied. When the first French Dry January was launched in 2020, critical leading chefs and writers, dubbed it an “Anglo-Saxon and puritan obsession”. “Défi de Janvier” still takes place but remains controversial.

• Roots for the practice of organized mass abstention go back a long way. In 1942, Finland ran its own “Sober January” to help its war effort.

Every NA wine begins life, in one way or another, as a regular wine. So how does it end up with less than 0.5% alcohol content?

Several techniques produce NA wine. They are:

Reverse osmosis: This technique sees wine passing through a filter that isolates the alcohol and leaves behind concentrated flavors. The winemaker then removes the alcohol, and the remaining wine is balanced to the desired taste.

Vacuum distillation: The wine is heated at a lower than usual temperature allowing the ethanol to evaporate, preserving wine flavors without the ABV.

Spinning cone column: Rotating cones divide the alcohol and aromatic/flavor compounds, retaining the wine’s profile minus the alcohol.

Fermentation arrest: The all-important fermentation process is halted before a large quantity of alcohol is produced, crafting a wine with lower ABV content.

Fun facts

• As with traditional wines, NA wine producers say that a great dealcoholized red or white begins in the vineyard with quality fruit.

• Popular NA wine varietals include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Tempranillo, Grenache, Pinot Noir, Müller-Thurgau, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and classic sparkling wine grapes like Glera, Macabeo, and Parellada.

Yes, its fans claim it’s healthier. Yes, it’s an amazing feat of winemaking. And, yes, its market share is worth billions of dollars.

But can NA wine satisfy the tastebuds and find a worthy place in a collector’s cellar like traditional wine can?

Is NA wine living up to the hype or is it just glorified grape juice?

It depends on who you ask – and what you try personally. NA wine omits a crucial, thousands-year-old component: Alcohol. This ingredient impacts the impression of sugars, acidity, and tannins as well as a wine’s body, mouthfeel, finish, ability to age, and food pairing potential.

Indeed, critics argue that the heart of a wine’s unique character is its alcohol content. In the vineyard, harvest painstakingly occurs when the alcohol-making sugar levels are optimal. Too early or too late, and the wine’s profile suffers. Sometimes a poor vintage takes control out of the winemaker’s hands and low sugars have to be augmented in winemaking through chaptalization to create the necessary alcohol content for a classic style of wine.

In short, from the vineyard to bottling, fine-tuned methods have been developed over time to ensure that sugar and subsequent alcohol levels are perfect for the style of wine being crafted in each region and appellation.

Alcoholic fermentation is where all the delicious things happen in winemaking – and now this vital, age-old feature is being removed?

As venerable, New York Times wine critic, Eric Asimov has said: “Taking the alcohol out is a tremendous technological process.… A lot of the attraction of wine is lost in that.”

That said, Asimov has also identified that some NA styles of wine fare better than others. “I think sparkling versions take some of the sting out of losing the complexity and natural interest,” he says. “Sparkling has more texture, more tactile interest than a flat wine that’s gone through this process”.

Non-alcoholic wines can display fruity, floral, spicy, and herbal notes accentuated by acidity, sweetness, and mouthfeel. White styles often display citrus and orchard fruit while reds showcase berry, plum, and even dried fruit.

Still, crafting a drink that has the complexity and depth of wine without alcohol remains a challenge. To help mitigate this, NA winemakers use extended skin contact, oak extract, and natural aroma compounds.

Notably, dealcoholization also reduces tannins. With two important building blocks removed, is it possible for NA wine to retain the weight and balance that makes traditional wines so admired, enjoyable, age-worthy, and collectible?

In Dry January and non-alcoholic wine: Part 2 we look at what’s behind the growth of NA wines, who’s getting in on the trend, and the debate on “health benefits”.

Want to read more? Take a look at some of our other blogs:

• • The art of timing the harvest
  • How winemakers measure grape ripeness
  • The harvest dilemma – navigating environmental and practical constraints