I think part of the issue is how cost inhibitive it is to de-alcoholize wine. The machinery involved is very expensive which is why most NA wine is sourced and manufactured in Germany where they have the most advanced technology and less expensive grapes. It’s so much easier to make other NA options like distillations or RTDs. And the shelf price for NA wine comes with major sticker shock.
Also you can’t age a de-alcoholized wine. Part of the poetry of fermentation is that it suspends decay. There is something special about drinking a wine that was produced the same year you were born or to commemorate another time. I also want to point out that this is not limited to wine. Puerh tea traditionally has been aged 30 years (and is also a very special and expensive experience).
I think it would be remiss to expect wine to adapt to the non-alcoholic trend like other more manufactured and marketed beverages. Part of why writers like MacNeil are so defensive of wine is because they have been able to travel to wineries and meet the farmers who tend to the vines and create the wine generation after generation. They truly are stewards of the land. This is counter to the heavy spirits culture that has historically been so strong in this country. Most master distillers of whiskey in this country can’t tell you who grows the grains that go into the barrels they select for their blends.
I think it’s okay that the wine industry isn’t trying to adapt to the sober curious movement by expanding their offerings with NA options. Perhaps it would be better off popularizing 500ml bottles or boxed wine that can be sealed and enjoyed over a longer period instead of consumers feeling pressure to finish the bottle before the wine goes bad? I also wonder how many NA wines are just trying to capitalize on a trend rather than create a competitive product. There are so many great NA options, maybe it’s better to accept that some mediums are better than others??
Kristen, YESSSSS! Not sure how I missed this piece, but brilliant as always!
The piece I wrote in October about Karen’s bracing against the de-alc movement and the recent piece referencing Coca-Cola changing over the years in response to a top wine writer saying de-alc wine isn’t wine - are my pleas with the industry to see this as opportunity rather than a threat.
So many of my tasting clients right now are Gen X women, wanting wine without the hangover - so I’m beyond excited to see you continuing the generational conversations. 💪
I have my own sobriety account on Insta, @soberassociation (6.5 years sober).
I think a big part of their overzealous attachment to their old industry is financial. Small wineries and breweries take massive investment ($ millions), in the form of land, buildings, and machinery. I used to run tours for wineries in Fredericksburg, Texas, and these winery owners are literally betting the family farm on their operation. Many are older couples who see this as their retirement (and social club and standing within the community). The land under the winery, with the tasting and social rooms, is worth less if people are drinking less wine.
This is SO well written! People don’t even know this is happening, but now ya do. Generational divide has boomers attacking those that are interested in, and participating in, drinking less. Instead of putting a focus on how to adapt. I’m in the wine industry meetings myself and NonAlc is mentioned dismissively. I get it, it’s because they haven’t tasted something great, like what Zeronimo Wine is doing. The alcohol in the glass wasn’t the main ingredient when getting together and socializing. But a great glass of wine in hand is. Wine is down double digits everywhere. They’re focusing on educating people to the beauty of wine and the storied tradition, and how the hell they’ll get the youngest generation to drink more ethanol. Consider innovating and making great non alcoholic wine instead of being on the wrong side of history and trying to stop the tide from rising.
I think part of the issue is how cost inhibitive it is to de-alcoholize wine. The machinery involved is very expensive which is why most NA wine is sourced and manufactured in Germany where they have the most advanced technology and less expensive grapes. It’s so much easier to make other NA options like distillations or RTDs. And the shelf price for NA wine comes with major sticker shock.
Also you can’t age a de-alcoholized wine. Part of the poetry of fermentation is that it suspends decay. There is something special about drinking a wine that was produced the same year you were born or to commemorate another time. I also want to point out that this is not limited to wine. Puerh tea traditionally has been aged 30 years (and is also a very special and expensive experience).
I think it would be remiss to expect wine to adapt to the non-alcoholic trend like other more manufactured and marketed beverages. Part of why writers like MacNeil are so defensive of wine is because they have been able to travel to wineries and meet the farmers who tend to the vines and create the wine generation after generation. They truly are stewards of the land. This is counter to the heavy spirits culture that has historically been so strong in this country. Most master distillers of whiskey in this country can’t tell you who grows the grains that go into the barrels they select for their blends.
I think it’s okay that the wine industry isn’t trying to adapt to the sober curious movement by expanding their offerings with NA options. Perhaps it would be better off popularizing 500ml bottles or boxed wine that can be sealed and enjoyed over a longer period instead of consumers feeling pressure to finish the bottle before the wine goes bad? I also wonder how many NA wines are just trying to capitalize on a trend rather than create a competitive product. There are so many great NA options, maybe it’s better to accept that some mediums are better than others??
Kristen, YESSSSS! Not sure how I missed this piece, but brilliant as always!
The piece I wrote in October about Karen’s bracing against the de-alc movement and the recent piece referencing Coca-Cola changing over the years in response to a top wine writer saying de-alc wine isn’t wine - are my pleas with the industry to see this as opportunity rather than a threat.
So many of my tasting clients right now are Gen X women, wanting wine without the hangover - so I’m beyond excited to see you continuing the generational conversations. 💪
Good writing.
I have my own sobriety account on Insta, @soberassociation (6.5 years sober).
I think a big part of their overzealous attachment to their old industry is financial. Small wineries and breweries take massive investment ($ millions), in the form of land, buildings, and machinery. I used to run tours for wineries in Fredericksburg, Texas, and these winery owners are literally betting the family farm on their operation. Many are older couples who see this as their retirement (and social club and standing within the community). The land under the winery, with the tasting and social rooms, is worth less if people are drinking less wine.
This is SO well written! People don’t even know this is happening, but now ya do. Generational divide has boomers attacking those that are interested in, and participating in, drinking less. Instead of putting a focus on how to adapt. I’m in the wine industry meetings myself and NonAlc is mentioned dismissively. I get it, it’s because they haven’t tasted something great, like what Zeronimo Wine is doing. The alcohol in the glass wasn’t the main ingredient when getting together and socializing. But a great glass of wine in hand is. Wine is down double digits everywhere. They’re focusing on educating people to the beauty of wine and the storied tradition, and how the hell they’ll get the youngest generation to drink more ethanol. Consider innovating and making great non alcoholic wine instead of being on the wrong side of history and trying to stop the tide from rising.