Question 1

Is alcohol free wine really free of alcohol free?

Accepted Answer

Yes and No.

There are some wine producers that will remove all alcohol, but technically you can have up to 0.5 and still be considered non- alcoholic wine.

Question 2

What's the difference between traditional wine and low or no alcohol wine and beer?

Accepted Answer

The difference between traditional wine/beer and dealcoholized wine/beer is the production.

The dealcoholized drink goes through the same fermentation process, but has additional steps to remove the alcohol which takes more time and money to do so.

Question 3

Does alcohol free wine and beer taste like traditional wine and beer?

Accepted Answer

Premium alcohol free wine and beer sourced from quality conscious producers can taste just as good, if not better than those making the alcoholic equivalent.

Question 4

Do they make alcohol free wine differently to traditional wine?

Accepted Answer

Alcohol free wine goes through the same processes. From growing the grapes in the vineyard to the winemaking processes up to post fermentation, when the additional step will  be taken to dealcoholize the wine via spinning cone, vacuum distillation or reverse osmosis.

Question 5

Alcohol free wine is full of sugar, it must be really bad for you?

Accepted Answer

Dealcoholized wine sugars are relatively similar to traditional wine, this amount may differ if a winemaker wanted to add cane sugar or grape juice to add more body or flavor or aromas to the wine.

Question 6

If there's no alcohol in the wine/beer why does it still cost the same as traditional wine?

Accepted Answer

The same financial investments are needed to grow, harvest and produce both types of wine. In fact because of additional steps post fermentation in equipment, labour and time can be more expensive.

Question 7

Alcohol free wine is only for those who can't drink alcohol?

Accepted Answer

There are many reasons not to drink alcohol. Some people choose not to drink due to health conditions, cultural and religious beliefs; but most it’s personal choice.

Question 8

How do wine producers remove alcohol from the wine?

Accepted Answer

There are three main methods of removing alcohol is:

• Vacuum Distillation where the wine is placed into a container and heated until the alcohol has been vaporized.

• Spinning Cone where wine is placed into a centrifuge and spun at very high speeds, vapor flows upwards separating the volatile compounds from the liquid.

• Reverse Osmosis is the use of a semi-permeable membrane to separate ethanol and water with osmotic pressure without removing other compounds such as flavor and aroma.

Question 9

I've never tried alcohol-free wine, beer or spirits before - where should I begin?

Accepted Answer

If you're new to alcohol free drinks try something that is familiar to you at first. Then experiment and broaden your palate with new and different types and styles of non alcoholic drinks. You might be pleasantly surprised.

FAQs