Bordeaux wineries are increasingly certain

Wineries accept “no” wine amid dark clouds over their national and international markets.

“If we are surviving in these difficult times, it is because we have moved towards the alcohol-free market”

Not long ago, talking about alcohol-free wines in Gironde or Nouvelle-Aquitaine, known for their Bordeaux wines, was almost heretical. Anathema. Sacrilege. A red line that most winegrowers viewed with suspicion or hostility. That was long ago. Things are different now that one in three Bordeaux wine producers is struggling, according to group data. In fact, “alcohol-free” bottles are becoming lifesaving.

Bad wine times. Figures speak volumes. Not good for French wineries. French wine consumption is down from a few years ago and much lower than in the middle of the century. Between 2005 and 2022, national consumption fell 24.5%, and the decline was even greater over six decades, according to Statista. If per capita wine consumption was 120 litres in 1960, it was 40 in 2020, says The Times. In this decline, red wine has suffered more than sparkling, rosé, or white.

A complex image. The French wine industry has problems abroad. Bottle exporters face the turbulence of the Chinese economy, a tax policy that affects trade with the US and UK, and the possibility of Donald Trump using tariffs in his foreign policy. Changing consumer habits: beer is overtaking wine, and Generation Z is moving away from alcohol, according to studies.

We must reinvent ourselves. A tired saying says crises are times of reinvention. In France, wineries have taken the tale into account by betting on non-alcoholic wines, which were once considered taboo and still divide Bordeaux purists. Coralie de Bouard, from Clos De Bouard, told the BBC that she began considering non-alcoholic wine five years ago when she was asked to make a wine for the Qatari owners of Paris Saint Germain (PSG).

After my ‘betrayal’, my family didn’t speak to me for a year. Winegrowers still say I’m ruining the market, De Bouard told the British broadcaster. “Now my dad congratulates me. Our success in these tough times is due to our move to the alcohol-free market.” Although Clos de Bouard only has two “non-alcoholic” brands, they account for a third of sales.

“It has been very difficult to accept .” Bernard Raboury of the Bordeaux Families cooperative told the BBC that some Bordeaux producers have struggled to open their cellars to non-alcoholic wine. He believes the sector must act because the market in 2024 is very different from that of the 1960s, when OFDT data showed almost four times as many alcoholic beverages sold per person per year. “We must evolve. Customers have moved. We must find them or they will leave.”

Reuters and The Times reported on the arrival of alcohol-free wine in traditional French wineries dedicated to great red wines and how complicated this transition can be. A few months ago, Bordeaux purists were divided and displeased with the marketing of alcohol-free bottles. The British newspaper’s article came weeks before the Meyre family, a Médoc winemaking powerhouse, released its first “non-alcoholic” wine.

Future of the sector? If the French National Interprofessional Wine Committee’s forecasts are met, alcohol-free wine’s global trade will grow from 1.8 billion euros in 2022 to 5 billion euros in 2032.

The EU has even begun considering how to regulate “non-alcoholic” wines sold in the growing wine market due to its growth forecasts.

“We see a huge interest in low-alcohol or non-alcoholic drinks,” addiction researcher Mickael Naassila told Reuters. “People are more concerned about their health.” Overproduction, declining exports, and the need to clear acres of vines are causing wineries problems.

“When we started, it was rubbish .” More than consumption and the market have changed. Alcohol-free wines have gained popularity because the industry has promoted them. “When we started a few years ago, what we were doing was downright rubbish,” says Bordeaux winemaker Frédéric Brochet, who has created alcohol-free wines. We’ve made great strides and are getting closer to our goal. I believe it will transform wine.”

After removing alcohol and adding aromas, the industry now uses low-temperature vacuum distillation and “capturing” aromas. The sector says we can already talk about “a moment of genuine wine” when uncorking a bottle ‘without’. “Arona, tannins, fruits, balance: everything is there.”

Bordeaux wineries are increasingly certain

By nr39r

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