The
wine business
in Argentina explores new terrain to win over consumers and get closer to the global trend of healthy habits.
A new provision from the national government enables
the production of non-alcoholic wines
, under the same conditions as other producing powers.
This was established by resolution 5/2024 of the
National Institute of Viticulture (INV)
, an alcohol control and regulation body, under the orbit of the Ministry of Agriculture, which corrected the ethanol content of the wine approved as "licit oenological practice."
And in article 17 of the General Wine Law No. 14,878, the category of partially dealcoholized wine or non-alcoholic wine is incorporated.
"It is a product obtained by
dealcoholization of wine
that has an alcoholic content of less than 0.5% vol.," details the INV, based in Mendoza.
Grape juice and non-alcoholic wines are not the same.
Grape juice is very sweet and water is added.
Non-alcoholic wine is produced by first making wine and then removing the alcohol from it
.
The oenological practice is the dealcoholization of wine.
The most used technique is
reverse osmosis
: using a machine that separates the components of the wine through different dissolution and hydration procedures and recomposes them all, eliminating the ethanol.
The advantage of this method is that it avoids heating the wine to remove the alcohol.
A system of inverted stainless steel rotating cones is also used, which
reduces the alcohol in the wine without loss of aroma and flavor
.
The wine is centrifuged to separate it into layers of liquid.
The aromas are removed on the first pass through the rotating cone and are stored separately.
The alcohol is removed in the second pass.
The concentrated flavor and aroma compounds are fully incorporated back into the dealcoholized wine.
But to ensure obtaining wines with a lower alcohol level and balanced acidity,
the process must start in the vineyard
with an advance of the harvest and less ripening.
This results in a grape with low sugar content, but also with higher acidity and fewer phenols.
The wineries, in favor
The authorization of non-alcoholic wines in Argentina
has taken several years
.
In 2018, the INV approved a partially dealcoholized wine, with a decrease in alcohol content of more than 20%, but required that the minimum final volumetric alcohol content had to be above 5%.
Now, the new provision
allows the alcohol content of a wine to be reduced to 0%
.
The majority of exporting wineries were waiting for this regulation to advance in non-alcoholic wine projects, which join other trends such as
sparkling wines or sweet wines with low alcohol content and wines for cocktails
.
In the last decade,
the demand for these dealcoholized wines has grown
in Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In any case, they represent between 1.3% and 2% of the world wine market.
Marcos Jofré, general manager of the Trivento winery, told
Clarín
that they were waiting for this legislation: "We have been testing these wines that are growing in global consumption. In 2019, we developed the White Malbec line, with 9.5% alcohol levels (a traditional Malbec is between 13 and 14% degrees) with very good sales results, 120 thousand cases are produced annually, and aims at a fresh wine, for other moments of consumption, more relaxed, on the beach, in the pool, or to combine with drinks."
Non-alcoholic wines, says Jofré, accompany the trend of drinking wines with low alcohol content, higher acidity, but above all
fewer calories
.
And he announces that the Trivento winery (which is in the top 3 of Argentine exporters and reaches more than 50 international markets) plans to make investments in machines, processes and vineyard development to start with non-alcoholic, white and rosé wines, starting
from the 2025 harvest
.
The wine industry leaders who were consulted clarify that it does not mean discontinuing work with the
terroir
, and the adaptation of the grape to the diversity of landscapes and climates of Argentina.
These products target a
new consumer
who, for reasons of health, taste, or light diet, does not drink wine today.
A survey by the consulting firm W, released in July 2020 by the Argentine Wine Corporation (Coviar), showed that
27% of men and 37% of women in the sample did not consume alcohol
.
Juan Schamber, from the Peñaflor Group, said that the authorization to produce alcohol-free wines is
very beneficial for the industry
.
"New possibilities for product innovation open up and allow us to be close to consumer trends. In addition, we celebrate that there are modifications that allow more Argentine wine to be exported."
In the case of Peñaflor, the manager commented that in their wineries there is a commitment to innovation and that, surely,
they will add non-alcoholic wines
, as they have done with other new consumption options, such as canned wine and bag in box.
Alejandro Vigil, oenology manager at Catena Zapata, owner of the Casa Vigil winery and president of Wines of Argentina, said that non-alcoholic wine is an
update
of what has been happening worldwide in the last five years.
"There is an enormous diversity of dealcoholized wines in New Zealand, Spain, France and the United States, with
an increase of more than 200% annually in this type of beverage
."
And Vigil highlighted: "All exporting wineries are moving towards this trend of consumption of non-alcoholic beverages, which new generations are looking for."
Within the group that supports the new regulation, Santiago Ribisich, general manager of Antigal Winery & Estates, said: "Being able to participate in this category of wines
expands commercial alternatives
and allows us to get closer to markets and consumers who are looking for different products."
The executive warned that, if the Argentine industry does not venture into dealcoholized wines, "we are going to continue losing unsold liters to other consuming countries."
He said that the Antigal winery, in Maipú, Mendoza, is already developing
a non-alcoholic wine project to export
to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Brazil.
In 2022, the main international consultancies in the wine industry showed that
the non-alcoholic wine category sold more than 10 billion dollars
, with the value projected to double in the next five years.
There is also support from the wine entities for the INV measure.
Magdalena Pesce, manager of Wines of Argentina, which promotes wine exports, said it is
"excellent news
. "
And having just arrived from a wine fair in Paris and from ProWein Düsseldorf, she says: "
Argentina was being left out of a global trend in the main wine markets
, such as Europe and the United States. I am glad that we can start producing and competing in dealcoholized wines, which will require innovation, creativity and the search for quality like the wines we produce today.
And the president of Bodegas de Argentina, Walter Bressia, considered that it is not only an opportunity for export but for
sales in the domestic market
.
"With the regulation of 0 alcohol tolerance for driving, and greater blood alcohol controls, consumption in restaurants and bars decreases. This type of product
can help reverse this drop in sales
," he analyzed.
Wine industry leaders agree that this new category will be attractive to athletes and teetotalers, to the consumer who is the designated driver, or to those who have to work after lunch or dinner, and want to drink a wine with different characteristics.