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.