Non-alcoholic wines and sparkling wines

Although they are one of the smallest segments in the wine industry, the demand for dealcoholised wines is growing.

Facts

  • < 1%

    Market share

  • 15%

    Awareness

  • < 0.5 % vol.

    Alcohol

The range of dealcoholised wines and sparkling wines from wineries, winegrowers' cooperatives and commercial wineries has increased significantly in recent years. The taste of dealcoholised wines has also developed positively.

Number of producers on the rise
A search for wine producers who offer alcohol-free wines, sparkling wines or secco now returns over 60 results (2022).Low level of awareness
Following the trend towards dealcoholised wines and sparkling wines, the market research institute Nielsen conducted a consumer survey on the consumption of dealcoholised wines and sparkling wines in spring 2020. 16,883 respondents from the Nielsen household panel were comparatively unaware that there is also wine without alcohol. Only 15 per cent of respondents were aware of non-alcoholic white wine, twelve per cent of the red and nine per cent of the rose-coloured alternative. Of these groups of people, around a quarter had already drunk the specified non-alcoholic type of wine. The level of awareness of non-alcoholic sparkling wines was significantly higher at 53 per cent. Almost two thirds of people who were familiar with non-alcoholic sparkling wines had already consumed them.Making alcohol-free wines
In order to produce alcohol-free wines, a wine must first be produced from which the alcohol is then removed. This is done by means of vacuum distillation.At a lower pressure, the boiling temperature of the liquid to be separated is reduced to up to 30 degrees so that the alcohol can be gently removed.

Alcohol-free wine therefore undergoes the same development stages as normal wine and still contains many of the original flavourings after alcohol reduction, but only has an alcohol content of 0.5% or less.

How do non-alcoholic wines taste?
According to the Nielsen study, some respondents stated that they were very reserved when it came to non-alcoholic wines, even though they had never consumed the products before. This may well be justified in view of the early production of alcohol-free products. Non-alcoholic wines were produced by removing the alcohol from the wine at elevated temperatures, as a result of which the wine lost a large part of its aromatic diversity. In recent years, non-alcoholic wines have developed significantly in terms of flavour thanks to the new production process. Bouquet varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc or Gewürztraminer are often used as base wines. This gives the end product an intense fruity flavour, which goes some way to compensating for the lack of alcohol. For sparkling wines, carbonic acid is used to compensate for the flavour.

Why more and more consumers are having to give up alcohol
Conscious enjoyment and a balanced lifestyle are much more important today than in the past. The fact that non-alcoholic wines often contain significantly fewer calories also plays an important role in the popularity of non-alcoholic products. So if you want to consciously avoid alcohol, alcohol-free wines and sparkling wines are a good alternative.

Good to know
According to European food law, sparkling wine, wine or beer containing a maximum of 0.5 per cent alcohol by volume (% vol.) may be declared as "alcohol-free". The amount of this percentage of so-called residual alcohol varies from drink to drink.

Podcasts: Non-alcoholic wines and sparkling wines

The DWI podcasts "Alkoholfrei" (Episode 69), Alkoholfeier Wein" (Episode 46) and "Alkoholfreier Schaumwein" (Episode 30) are available on the production of alcohol-free wine products.

What is the market share of dealcoholised sparkling wine ?

The market share of dealcoholised sparkling wine is 5%.

the "Frankfurt Green Sauce" Quiche with herbs

the "Frankfurt Green Sauce"

  • 200 Gramm Mehl
  • 100 Gramm Butter
  • je 1 Bund Kräuter für Frankfurter Grüne Sauce (Petersilie, Kresse, Kerbel, Borretsch, Sauerampfer, Schnittlauch, Pimpernelle)
  • 100 - 125 Gramm Schwarzwälder Schinken
  • 7 ganze Eier
  • 125 ml Sahne
  • 100 Gramm Frischkäse
  • 1 EL Zitronensaft
  • nach Geschmack Salz & Pfeffer

Knead the flour and butter with 4 tbsp water and a teaspoon of salt to form a smooth dough. Line a mould with it and leave to cool for 30 minutes.</p

 

<p>Hard boil 4 eggs. Wash, drain and finely chop the herbs from the Frankfurt green sauce. Cut the ham into wafer-thin slices and spread on the pastry base. Chop the hard-boiled eggs into small

and spread over the top. Mix the 3 eggs, cream and fresh cheese and season with 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt and pepper, then fold in the herbs. Spread the mixture over the pastry base.

 

Bake at 180 °C (gas mark 4) on the middle shelf of the oven for about 30 minutes.

  • Riesling (trocken)

to sweet selections Apple doughnuts with vanilla sauce

to sweet selections

  • 5 große, säuerliche Äpfel
  • 200 Gramm Mehl
  • 2 Eier
  • 250 ml Milch
  • 2 EL Rum
  • Nach Bedarf Schmalz oder Öl
  • Nach Belieben Zimt, Zucker, Salz

Peel the apples and remove the core, cut into finger-thick, even slices. Drizzle with rum and sugar. Leave to infuse.

 

Stir the batter, it should be quite thick. Turn the apple rings in it and bake floating in hot fat until golden brown.

<p

 

<p>Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with cinnamon and sugar.

  • Riesling (süß & edelsüß)
  • Scheurebe (süß & edelsüß)

with shrimps Pumpkin soup

with shrimps

  • 1 kleiner Hokkaido-Kürbis
  • 1 Zwiebel
  • 5 cm Ingwer
  • 2 EL Butter
  • 750 ml Gemüsebrühe
  • 300 ml Kokosmilch
  • 12 mittelgroße Shrimps
  • 2 EL Olivenöl
  • Eine Prise Salz & Pfeffer

Peel and dice the pumpkin, onion and ginger and sauté in the butter.

 

Deglaze with the vegetable stock and sauté for about 15 to 20 minutes until soft.

 

Sauté the shrimps in a little olive oil and leave to cook over a low heat for a few minutes. Place on wooden skewers and keep warm in aluminium foil.

 

When the vegetables have been steamed until soft, blend finely with a hand blender. Stir in the coconut milk and season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Serve the soup in large cups and garnish with the shrimp skewers.

 

Freshly baked white bread goes well with this.

  • Muskateller (halbtrocken & feinherb)
  • Federweißer (brut nature)

with pears, beans, parsley root and black walnuts Venison medallions

with pears, beans, parsley root and black walnuts

  • 12 Stück Rehmedaillions (a 80g)
  • 30 Gramm gebratene Speckstreifen
  • 200 ml Bechamelsauce
  • 3 EL Sonnenblumenöl
  • 8 kleine Petersilienwurzeln mit Grün (alternativ Knollensellerie)
  • 6 - 8 breite Schnippelbohnen
  • 1 große Birne
  • 4 - 6 schwarze Walnüsse
  • 100 ml Wildfond
  • 2 EL Butter
  • 2 Stängel glatte Petersilie
  • nach Geschmack Salz

Preheat the oven to 180 °C top and bottom heat. Clean, peel and trim the parsley roots. Clean the beans and cut into diagonal pieces. Blanch the parsley roots and beans separately in boiling salted water and rinse immediately in iced water.

 

Cut the walnuts into eighths and warm in the game stock. Wash the unpeeled pear, cut into eighths, remove the core and cut into thin slices. Fry the venison medallions on both sides in oil, then finish cooking in the oven for approx. 3 - 5 minutes.

 

In the meantime, toss the beans and parsley roots in melted butter and season with salt. Arrange the vegetables with the black walnuts and pear slices on large plates. Place the medallions on top, garnish with game stock, Béchamel sauce and bacon strips.

 

Tip: You can make your own black walnuts. To do this, prick the walnuts all over with a fork or skewer and place in water for 10 days. Change the water every day so that the tannic acid can drain off. Boil the nuts 3 times in salted water until they are deep black. Simmer with bay leaves and peppercorns for approx. 20 minutes until soft. Layer in preserving jars and cover with syrup. The nuts can be kept for approx. 1 year.

  • Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (trocken)
  • Pinot Gris (trocken)