Drinks with a wine profile

What are wine profile drinks ?

The drinks with wine profile are produced from grape juice or grape/seeds maceration, which allow to extract all the beneficial components of the grape as for example its polyphenols. These drinks are therefore blends that have never undergone the alcoholic fermentation that characterizes the manufacture of a classic wine. This is why they are called " wine profile drinks" and not directly wine. Consequently, they are guaranteed alcohol free. 

What taste ?

    From 15 to 17 May, Prowein 2022 took place in Dusseldorf after 2 years of postponement! (Its last edition took place in 2019). This show, until then the most important at the world level in the annual calendar of stakeholders in the wine sector, ended this year with a mixed results. 

    Wine consumption among young consumers, aged 18 to 30, has been declining for several years, particularly because of the increasing rise in alcoholic degrees observed.  More and more winemakers are therefore interested in light wines in order to offer products that are more in line with consumer expectations.

    The wine sector is trying to refresh its image: natural wines, biodynamics, wines without collage and filtration, pet-nat have appeared in recent years and are gaining in popularity. Young consumers want innovative products that are out of the ordinary. In addition, millennials are very sensitive to maintaining a healthy and ecological lifestyle. In this context, more and more of them are reducing their alcohol consumption and turning away from traditional alcoholic beverages in favour of lighter alternatives: hard seltzer, non-alcoholic beers and light wines among others. These drinks have a much lower calorie count than their fully alcoholic counterparts, which appeals to the younger generation.

    A "light wine" is a wine with an alcohol content far below the usual norms: no more 13 or 14 degree wines, 5 degree wines are emerging and becoming all the rage. In the United States, light wine alternatives are created practically every week and consumers are crazy about them. France is no exception, with more and more new products coming out, such as Moderato, a light wine with 5% alcohol, released this year.

In order to create these light wines, several techniques exist, but the simplest and most qualitative is de-alcoholisation. By using this industrial process, the wines retain all the characteristics acquired during fermentation and keep all the work done by the winemakers. Consumers can also enjoy drinks that are very similar to a classic wine, but with a lower alcohol content.

    It is in this context of evolution of the sector that B&S Tech is there to help winegrowers diversify their range of wines while allowing consumers to find products that suit them.

http://dealcoholization.zohosites.com/

    The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is currently undergoing institutional discussions (called trialogue) in order to draw the outlines of its upcoming reform. Among the many points discussed on Friday 26 March, the regulation of de-alcoholised wines was on the agenda

    The parties to these trialogue meetings, including the main rapporteurs of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on the CAP dossier, studied the progress of dealcoholisation and the proposal to authorise it in PGI.

Emiliano Garcia-Page Sanchez, President of the Assembly of European Wine Regions (AREV), gave Vitisphere an update on the measures that could be taken in the near future. "The demand for de-alcoholised wines (...) is a reality, as is the demand for organic or sustainable wines. "I note with interest the progress in the current negotiations which seek the right balance between tradition, innovation and the emergence of market segments. ". The CAP would like to offer PGI wines the possibility of reducing the alcohol content of their wines to a greater extent than is currently allowed.

The different parties in the trialogue also agreed on the possibility of offering dealcoholised or partially dealcoholised wines a protected designation of origin or a protected geographical indication.

    In any case, if one of these proposals is accepted, its use will be very closely monitored by the institutions, especially for labelling. "Clear information for the consumer is essential. We owe it to them to be as transparent as possible. It is a question of ethics and of ensuring a strong producer-consumer relationship in the long term. "concluded Emiliano Garcia-Page Sanchez.

    The various agreements reached will be discussed by the European ambassadors in the coming weeks before final and applicable decisions are taken.

    To be continued ...

    With global warming, French wines are becoming increasingly alcoholic, with some Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines reaching 16°. In contrast, French consumers are looking for lighter wines.

    This is the result of the autumn 2020 wine fairs: regions producing light wines are more appreciated by consumers. In fact, red wines are down by 6% in value, mainly due to the decline in sales of southern wines. However, some regions are doing well: Burgundy, the Loire and Beaujolais. These three regions, known for producing lighter red wines than the other regions, recorded an increase in sales. For example, sales of red Burgundies increased by 11% and those of Loire by 15% compared to the previous year. These cooler regions manage to keep their alcohol levels lower than the more southerly regions. Wines from the Languedoc, for example, have gained half a degree in ten years, an increase caused by global warming.

    This search for light wines goes even further with a real trend in the consumption of "no-low" products. A third of French people say they drink light or non-alcoholic beverages, and among 18-25 year olds, the proportion of such consumers rises to 40%. In response to this trend, many winegrowers are diversifying their production to offer wines with a low alcohol content. For example, the Vignerons de Buzet offer Nuage, a rosé wine with a low alcohol content of 10.5°. A light and airy wine, to be enjoyed as an aperitif or cocktail, is also available in white. Also in France, the start-up Moderato has raised more than 4,000 people on the Ulule crowdfunding platform with their wine drink at 5° alcohol. This light, pesticide-free drink will soon be available for sale.

    In order to obtain these wines, several techniques exist, such as the selection of old grape varieties or partial fermentation. But these techniques are not suitable for all vineyards. Indeed, the use of grape varieties not authorised by the appellation downgrades the wines, losing the PDO or PGI, and partial fermentation produces sweet wines that are not always to the consumer's taste.

On the other hand, dealcoholisation technologies make it possible to create light wines, retaining the wine appellation provided that the alcoholic degree is at least 8.5%. By totally or partially dealcoholising wines, this approach makes it possible to enhance the winegrower's know-how while retaining the typicity and qualities of the wine and giving consumers a quality product that meets these new expectations.

    It is with the aim of enhancing the value of the sector and its know-how by diversifying product ranges in order to respond to these new consumer trends, that B&S Tech brings its expertise in dealcoholisation for an adapted and customised development of light wine projects.