Brussels bets on alcohol-free wine as drinking habits across EU change
The European Commission recently presented measures to strengthen the competitiveness of the wine sector and that includes the promotion of alcohol-free wine.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/04/08/brussels-bets-on-alcohol-free-wine-as-drinking-habits-across-eu-change
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The European Commission recently presented measures to strengthen the competitiveness of the wine sector and that includes the promotion of alcohol-free wine.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/04/08/brussels-bets-on-alcohol-free-wine-as-drinking-habits-across-eu-change
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:00Health concerns crack down on drunk driving.
00:09Alcohol consumption per capita fell by 20% in Europe between 2000 and 2019, according
00:15to the World Health Organization.
00:17Faced with slumping demand, some winemakers are betting on alcohol-free wine to diversify
00:22sales.
00:23In Belgium, this company produces non-alcoholic wine using vacuum distillation, a process
00:29that preserves flavors and aromas better than the other methods.
00:32So here we start with a wine that is more normal.
00:36We receive a wine from our customers or suppliers, French, Spanish, etc.
00:43And then we will pass it in a unit of liquid distillation, so we will put the wine at 100
00:49millibars, so almost the liquid.
00:52So there it will only need to heat the wine a little bit to evaporate the alcohol.
00:57The European Commission recently presented a series of measures to ensure the wine sector
01:01remains competitive and resilient.
01:05In particular, it proposes supporting the market of 0% or low alcohol wines by clarifying
01:10the rules on the single market.
01:12From our point of view, the wine without alcohol market allows us to help the wine industry
01:20in particular, for us here, since we first need to produce a wine with alcohol.
01:25So it allows us to turn out the vines, the vignerons, the caves, and all this part of the
01:31sector.
01:32So we are going to add to the end of chain, we are going to be just a step in more.
01:38While some winemakers have viewed alcohol-free bottles with suspicion in the past, many are
01:42now ready to adopt the new trend.
01:44The wine, in a way, becomes a little bit the baby of the winemaker.
01:50And to see it going through a de-alcoholisation process is a bit difficult.
01:55But that was just in the beginning, and then afterwards they understand, and most winemakers
02:00are commercial, have a commercial side as well.
02:03So it's important to adapt to the market.
02:06So afterwards, it's a lot more accepted.
02:15For now, the European wine industry is holding its breath and its eyes fixed on the United
02:19States.
02:20Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 200 per cent surcharge on European wine if the European
02:26Commission retaliates to the terrorists by taxing American bourbon.