Rise of alcohol removed beverages

The rise of alcohol removed beverages The once-niche low alcohol or alcohol removed beverage space is growing to meet rising consumer interest. Lifestyles are changing as are attitudes to alcohol, with a strong focus on wellness,

healthy eating and exercise. This shift is viewed as a way to prevent illness, balance emotions and alleviate our increasingly stressful lives. Alcohol removed beverages are seen as integral to this shift, allowing people to socialise and have a drink without any of the baggage that comes with the real thing. Here’s all you need to know about the category, and what trends have emerged recently.

Health-conscious beverages for active lifestyles

There has been a fundamental shift in our food culture over the last decade or more, toward a health and wellness lifestyle that casts a more critical eye at consumption of alcohol. This is especially evident in the younger demographic, where a government survey in the UK found some 29% of people aged 16 - 24 do not drink alcohol – a figure that has increased 18% since 2005. Across the Irish Sea, and surprisingly, about a quarter of Irish adults do not drink alcohol - with Dublin recently seeing the opening of the country’s first permanent booze-free bar. This in a city renowned for its pubs and drinking culture. Australia, another country with a soft spot for a drink or two, is also seeing a shift in attitudes and behaviour towards alcohol.

 

Healthier beverage alternatives on the rise

In 2018, industry market research analysts IBISWorld identified consumers had, ‘rising concerns about obesity and other health complications’, a trend that has emerged in Australia over the last five years. This has people reaching for low or alcohol-free drinks with beer, aperitifs and spirits all on the ‘new’ drinks menu and on supermarket shelves. In the UK, this is mirrored by a rise in sales of non-alcoholic wine at the supermarket chain Ocado, with sales up by 42% in 2018. The same trend is reported in the United States, where low and alcohol-free beverages sales are predicted to grow by about 32% by 2022, triple the growth recorded over the last five years. Despite this, alcohol removed drinks are still something of a novelty.

 

What you don’t know about alcohol removed wine

The truth is most people don’t know much about alcohol removed wine. First thing to clarify, is that is it starts its life as regular wine - with the alcohol - which we then remove after fermentation in a clever process using a Spinning Cone Column. This removes the alcohol through a process of evaporation, leaving you free to enjoy the wine without any of the implications of a full alcoholic beverage.

 

Why is alcohol removed wine so popular?

People are turning to alcohol removed wine for a variety of personal reasons. Consumer feedback indicates that people are cutting back on their alcohol consumption for health reasons, while others are wanting to lose weight, so are looking to avoid the high calorie count of alcoholic drinks and find the much lower calories (less than half that of regular wine) in our wines a big plus. Mothers-to-be and breastfeeding mums can also indulge in our range, without worrying about the effects of alcohol on their pregnancies or babies. Then there is the purely social aspect and the benefits of having a sophisticated non-alcoholic beverage option that allows you to have a drink, without having a drink. You can still enjoy a BBQ and a few drinks with friends, and then drive home without any worry of being breathalysed. All the market data appears to support the shift to a healthy lifestyle - so expect to see more alcohol-free drink options at bars, functions and on supermarket shelves.  

 

Want to sample our range of non-alcoholic wines? All our varietals are available online, or check availability at your local stockist.

Selected products are available in the beverage aisle at these retailers: