How is Alcohol Free Wine Made?
To make an alcohol-free wine the producer must put the wine through a dealcoholisation process. Thanks to advancements in technology and science there have been vast improvements in how this can be done but how exactly do winemakers make alcohol free wine? There are various methods which can achieve this, including vacuum distillation, reverse osmosis and spinning cone columns.
Vacuum Distillation
Wine is heated in a vacuum to evaporate the alcohol. The alcohol vapour is then collected separately from the now dealcoholized wine. By distilling the wine in a vacuum, the producers can retain more of the aromatics and flavour molecules than through a normal distillation process, although some will still be lost.
Reverse Osmosis
Wine is passed through a very fine filter at high pressure, which separates the alcohol from the rest of the wine. This process is repeated until all the alcohol is removed by the filtration process. This is a very intense process that can affect the colour of the wine and potentially strip flavour and aroma molecules from the finished product.
Spinning Cone Columns
Wine is passed through a series of spinning cones in a low heat vacuum, which separates the alcohol from the rest of the wine. This causes a centrifuge process that enables the targeted extraction of alcohol from the wine whilst maintaining much of the aroma and flavour molecules within the final product, although even this is not perfect.
These processes can be done individually or even in combination, such as using a vacuum distillation and reverse osmosis. But whichever process is chosen there are several challenges that the producer faces.
Firstly, there is the cost element, all three options require specialist equipment not needed in traditional wine making. As a result, the producer must invest in new equipment or send their wine away to another location to be processed. If the former option is taken, then the producer must learn to dial in the new equipment to get the best out of it, which takes time and experience. If the latter option is taken, then they are reliant on contractors.
The next challenge is the danger of losing the wine's character. Each process described above is intense and will remove more than just the alcohol, so the producer then has the challenge of reassembling the wine from its disassembled parts. It is inevitable that the character of the wine will change but the aim is to reintegrate aromas, flavours, tannins etc into the finished product.
There are ways that producers can aid the reassembly process, such as adding in grape juice, sugar, CO2 (i.e. making a sparkling AF wine) stabilisers or other flavour components such as tea or botanicals. This changes the wine but can mask the lack of alcohol, add back body to the wine and hide any flaws that have resulted from the dealcoholisation process.
The takeaway from all this is that making an alcohol-free wine is very challenging and expensive, requiring lots of specialised equipment and expertise. Whilst the technology is definitely improving there is still an issue of finding good quality wines on the market, which is why we are so particular about which wines we put on our shelves. Here is a selection of alcohol-free wines that we think are well worth trying and enjoying.
Name / Producer: Aldea Verdejo 0% - Non-Alcoholic White Wine Region: / Price: £7.95
Non-alcoholic Verdejo from Northern Spain. Dry, fresh and crisp with stone fruit character.
Name / Producer: Zonin Spumante Cuvee Zero Region: Veneto / Price: £7.95
Alcohol Free sparkling wine. Dry, fresh and with notes of pear, green apple and citrus, with light floral hints. It is excellent as an aperitif and goes well with light dishes.
Name / Producer: The Very Cautious One Shiraz 0% Alcohol Free de Bortoli Region: South East Australia / Price: £6.95
A really well made non-alcoholic wine, this is very fruity on the aroma with strawberry jam and blackberry notes. The wine is ripe and fruity on the palate with plenty of smooth red berries and plum. One of the best examples of non-alcoholic wine we have tasted.
Name / Producer: Vilarnau Organic Sparkling White 0.0% Vilarnau Region: Penedes / Price: £9.95
Pale yellow, with a very fine and persistent bubble. Primarily apple and floral fruit aromas such as verbena, with sweet touch of fresh almond. Balanced, fresh, creamy, with a long-lasting taste. Organic & Vegan friendly.