De-alcoholized wines-that is, deprived of all or part of the alcohol-are now subject to new EU rules in view of their high growth potential in international markets.
CAP reform (Common Agricultural Policy, EU reg. 2117/2021), OIV(Organisation International de la vigne et du Vin) resolutions, Wine Monitor surveys. ABC to follow.
1) Dealcoholisation of wines, EU rules.
1.1) Partial de-alcoholisation of wines, reg. EC 606/09 et seq.
European legislators had introduced partial dealcoholization of wines since 2009 (EC Reg. 606/09, EU Reg. 1308/2013, now repealed), to allow correction of their excessive alcohol contents caused by global warming and high sugars in grapes. (1) Setting, at the time, three strict limits:
– this practice was allowed on generic wines only, thus excluding IGT, DOC and DOCG,
– the reduction could not exceed 20 percent from the original alcohol content,
– the alcohol content of the final product was not to be less than 9 degrees. (1)
1.2) De-alcoholised wines, reg. EU 2021/2117. CAP reform, single CMO, GIs
On 2.12.21, the European Parliament and Council adopted the formal agreement on CAP reform 2023-2027. Within this framework, measures of interest to the wine sector include:
– Review of the rules on the definition of Geographical Indications (GIs, e.g., PDO, PGI, TSG, DOC, DOCG),
– Nutrition labeling and ingredient list, with various exemptions (e.g., electronic labeling. See EU reg. 2021/2117, art.3.5)
– Authorization to produce dealcoholic wines.
Reg. EU 2021/2117 thus amended EU Regulations 1308/2013 (Single CMO), 1151/2012 (quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs), 251/2014 (definition, designation, presentation, labeling and protection of geographical indications of aromatized wine products) and 228/2013 (specific measures in agriculture for the outermost regions of the Union). (2)
1.3) Dealcoholisation of wines, permissible techniques
‘It is authorized each of the dealcoholisation processes listed below, used singly or in conjunction with other listed dealcoholisation processes, to partially or almost totally reduce the ethanol content in the wine products referred to in Annex VII, Part II, (1) and (4) to (9) [wine, sparkling wine, quality sparkling wine, quality sparkling wine of the aromatic type, aerated sparkling wine, sparkling wine, aerated sparkling wine, ed:]
(a) partial vacuum evaporation;
(b) membrane techniques;
(c) distillation.
The dealcoholisation processes used do not result in organoleptic defects in wine products. The elimination of ethanol in the wine product should not be carried out in combination with an increase in the sugar content of the grape must‘ (reg. 2021/2117, art. 1.75.a.v).
1.4) Wine ‘dealcoholised’, ‘partially dealcoholised’
The name of the above wine products (e.g., wine, sparkling wine and sparkling wine) should be supplemented with the words ‘dealcoholised’ or ‘partially dealcoholised,’ as appropriate.
‘The category designation is accompanied:
– by the term “dealcoholised” if the actual alcoholic strength of the product is not more than 0.5% vol;
– by the term ‘partially dealcoholised‘ if the actual alcoholic strength of the product is not more than 0.5% vol. and is less than the minimum actual alcoholic strength of the category preceding dealcoholisation‘ (EU reg 2021/2117, art. 116-bis, para. 32).
Labels of dealcoholised wines with an alcohol content of less than 10 percent must also include the minimum shelf life, nutrition declaration and list of ingredients as mandatory information. Thus,‘alien sugars‘ (e.g., cane, beet) used in some EU member states where the practice of ‘sugaring’ in wines is still permitted will emerge.
2) Dealcoholisation of wine products, OIV resolutions.
EU rules-as far as permissible oenological practices and technologies are concerned-are based on the resolutions of OIV, the intergovernmental reference body in the field of grapes, wines, wine-based beverages and other vineyard products. We refer specifically to OIV-ECO Resolutions 523-2016, OIV-ECO 433-2012 and OIV-ECO 432-2012.
2.1) OIV-OENO Resolution 394 A-2012
OIV-OENO Resolution 394 A-2012 defines the process of dealcoholisation of wines as a process of removing some or almost all of the ethanol contained in wines. It refers to the three separation techniques then in fact transposed into reg. EU 2021/2117 (partial vacuum evaporation, membrane techniques and distillation). And it specifies the conditions:
– wines must not have ‘organoleptic defects,
– removal of ethanol from wine should not be carried out if the sugar content of the must from which it comes has been previously increased,
– the percentage of ethanol may be reduced in accordance with product definitions that specify, among other things, limits on alcoholic strength by volume,
– the process will be placed under the responsibility of an oenologist or technical specialist‘. (4)
‘Membrane techniques’ -according to OIV-ENO Resolution 373B-2010 (5)-include so-called reverse osmosis. Namely, the replenishment of vegetation water (see section 4 below), which has nothing to do with Coldiretti’s drivel about a hypothetical ‘watering down’ of the beverage. (6)
3) Alcohol-free, high potential
3.1) Growing global demand
Global demand for ‘zero alcohol’ or low alcohol wines has increased significantly in recent years. And it can experience exponential growth, according to Wine Monitor’s analysis:
– 70% of the planet’s consumers do not drink alcohol,
– in the U.S., the world’s leading country for wine consumption (33 mln hl in 2020, OIE data), 33 percent of consumers are reducing their alcohol intake. Reducing drinking occasions (19%) i.e., choosing alcohol-free, or reduced content drinks (14%), (7)
– The UK, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, and Japan show the same trend, rising sharply especially among young people and among men in every age group compared with women. This explains the success of quality light drinks in the UK. (8)
3.2) ‘Alcohol-free’ consumers
Surveys of regular wine consumers carried out by Wine Monitor-as well as confirming, from a different perspective, the overall decline in consumption noted at the macro level by OIV itself (9)-indicate the various reasons for dealcoholic wine choices:
– positive health outcomes are the top reason (57%). It is certainly not regular wine drinkers who are demonizing its consumption, but rather who are feeling the favorable impact of alcohol reduction that also comes through the consumption of zero-alcohol beverages. As also demonstrated by the extraordinary success of the Dry January initiative, (10)
– Taste is the second reason (48%). Prominent among young people who otherwise favor poké over fish & chips,
– the desire and/or need to maintain lucidity and self-control is in third place (43%),
– the lower calorie intake is also considered (40%), all the more so in lockdown era.
3.3) Zero alcohol, low alcohol. A train not to be missed
UIV – Unione Italiana Vini, Italy’s leading wine trade association – has well captured a ‘very high market potential‘ of ‘zero alcohol‘ and ‘low alcohol‘ wine products. Instead of entrenching behind ideological trenches, we need to ensure that this sector is properly regulated so that innovative products that nonetheless derive from tradition retain their value in the vineyard and cellar. In fact, Big Drink has already expanded into the low-alcohol carbonated drinks segment, from alcopops to hard sodas (11,12).
The train is in motion and must be caught, not least so as not to fall behind other producing countries. France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Chile, Australia. Just look around or search for ‘zero alcoholwine’ or ‘dealcoholic wines’ to realize. Italy is the world’s leading wine producer and is nevertheless far behind in this segment, which moreover makes it possible to enhance the value of ordinary wines, which are often still in surplus or sold off below cost. And the cost of dealcolation, € 0.50/l or so, is largely offset by savings on excise taxes at production,import duties, purpose taxes, and penalizing VAT/VAT in various countries around the world.
4) Oenological practices
4.1) Natural methods
The dealcolation stipulated in OIV-OENO Resolution 394 A-2012 and reg. EU 2021/2117 is achieved by physical methods, natural processes in accordance with ISO/TS 19657. How:
– reverse osmosis, where wine is passed through semi-permeable membranes at high pressure (up to 40 atm), resulting in a mixture of vegetation water-rich in phenolic and other compounds-and alcohol. The latter is separated by distillation, while the vegetation water is reintegrated into the original wine to reduce its alcohol content,
– vacuum evaporation. Due to a low vacuum pressure on the wine (80 mbar), the alcohol evaporates at a low temperature (35°) in less than 6 minutes. This technique limits the loss of volatile aromas and ensures better preservation of the wine’s organoleptic qualities, to an alcohol content of less than 0.05 percent. However, evaporation tends to subtract scents, as they are volatile molecules.
4.2) The winemaker’s challenge.
Even among Italian winemakers there are those who look at dealcoholic wine as an opportunity. Jacopo Vagaggini for example, in acknowledging that dealcoholic wine is a product in its own right, recognizes how it does not represent a threat but a new market segment that wine producers should consider. (13) Moreover, dealcoholized wines must be treated in their entirety, and the subtraction of alcohol has a significant impact both on structure, which loses its characteristic ‘unctuousness,’ and on flavor profiles, which tend to increase acidity and astringency.
The winemaker’s challenge is to maintain the wine’s balance in its three main components-sour, sweet and bitter. Ingredients such as concentrated must (4-5 g/100 ml) and gum arabic must then be added, in accordance with oenological standards. And reduce acidity and tannicity, with the sparing addition of deacidifiers and clarifiers (to curb their effect of depleting structure. Without losing sight, we would add, of the growing consumer focus on organic and natural wines.
Dario Dongo, Giorgio Perrone
Notes
(1) Dario Dongo, Andrea Alberto Della Penna. Dealcolated wine and CMO reform, some clarity. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 5/21/21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/vino-dealcolato-e-riforma-dell-ocm-un-po-di-chiarezza
(2) Regulation (EU) 2021/2117, Amending Regulations (EU) no. 1308/2013 establishing a common organization of the markets in agricultural products, (EU) no. 1151/2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs, (EU) no. 251/2014 on the definition, description, presentation, labeling and protection of geographical indications of aromatized wine products and (EU) No. 228/2013 on specific measures in agriculture for the outermost regions of the Union. See Article 1, Sections 70.e, 74.b, 75.5 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2117/oj
(3) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/IT/TXT/HTML/?from=IT&uri=CELEX%3A32011R1169
(4) OIV-OENO Resolution 394A-2012, 22.6.12. Dealcoholisation of wines. https://www.oiv.int/public/medias/1490/oiv-oeno-394a-2012-it.pdf
(5) OIV/ENO Resolution 373B/2010, 25.6.10. Employment of membrane techniques. https://www.oiv.int/public/medias/1275/oiv-eno-373b-2010-it.pdf
(6) EU: now Brussels wants to water down the wine. The Coldiretti Point. 6.5.21, https://www.coldiretti.it/economia/ue-ora-bruxelles-vuole-annacquare-il-vino
(8) Dario Dongo. Quality zero-alcohol bubbles, the unexpected success in the UK market. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 3.1.20, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/progresso/bollicine-di-qualità-a-zero-alcol-l-inatteso-successo-sul-mercato-uk
(9) Per and Britt Karlsson. Wine Consumption In The World 2020 In Decline, A Detailed Look. Forbes. 12/31/21, https://www.forbes.com/sites/karlsson/2021/12/31/wine-consumption-in-the-world-2020-in-decline-a-detailed-look/?sh=18ef326f3f71
(10)Dario Dongo. Dry January, a month of alcohol-free lightness. Try it to believe. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 12/31/21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/salute/dry-january-un-mese-di-leggerezza-senza-alcol-provare-per-credere
(11) Dario Dongo, Alcopops, the ABCs. Labels to be redone. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 8/15/19, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/etichette/alcopops-l-abc-etichette-da-rifare
(12) Marion Nestle. The coming influx of hard soda. Food Politics. 3.1.22, https://www.foodpolitics.com/2022/02/the-coming-influx-of-hard-soda/
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Jurist and specializing in food law and safety.
