Wines previously vinted at 11% are now coming in at 13-14%. What is happening in southern France is showing up worldwide as regions that previously vinted wines at moderate levels of alcohol are now being forced to harvest grapes while still unripe or find a way to reduce the alcohol in finished wine.
Reducing the alcohol level of wine is nothing new. Numerous attempts have been made in Australia and the U. S. since the 1980s, none with any great success except for Ariel Vineyards' zero alcohol wine. And the current trend to obtain richer flavors by later harvesting has led to a market acceptance of wines at 15-16%, particularly in California and Italy.
Many Consumers Prefer Low Alcohol Wines
As the global market sees a continual rise in the strength of wine, the reaction is growing in direct proportion. Many consumers favor wines at 13% or below and technology appears to be accommodating these desires.
Reduced alcohol wines have all but disappeared from the U. S. market and were never an issue in Canada or the U.K. where climatic conditions naturally favored moderate alcohol levels. The emerging leader in this market sector appears to be France, which is now exporting wines from the south at levels reduced to 9-11% using new technologies.
The new technologies employ putting finished wine through reverse osmosis or using spinning cone technology to separate out the alcohol and adjust it to more desirable levels. Do these high-tech wines really compete with higher alcohol wines made in traditional ways? A blind tasting conducted by the French National Institute for Agronomic Research showed that tests on more than 1,000 people demonstrated that producers could reduce the alcohol content by up to three percentage points without an ordinary drinker noticing. These reduced alcohol wines are scheduled for export to the U. K.
More Choice in Low Alcohol Wines Coming Soon
This represents a major turnaround for the EU, which has until recently prohibited the technology from use by the European wine industry. New regulations now permit up to a 2% adjustment. What impact will these developments have upon mainstream winemaking? We don't know yet, but as dry table wine continues to tip the scale at 15% and more, complaints continue to rise about food and wine compatibility, health issues, and the overpowering of delicate flavors.
So far, these reduced alcohol imports are unavailable in the U. S., but it is probably only a matter of time before they offer American consumers the choice of a healthier and possibly competitive alternative.
