Wine from tea? Everything about the surprising non-alcoholic wine trend

The rise of non-alcoholic wine has been going on for some time. Basically, the alcohol is removed from the wine in these wines. This can be done in different ways.

A commonly used method is heating to approximately 30–35 °C, during which the alcohol evaporates.

With reverse osmosis, the wine is pressed through an ultra-fine membrane. Alcohol and water are separated and removed, after which the aromas are replaced. This is a slow and expensive process.

Another technique is the Spinning Cone Column. The aromas are first captured separately. The alcohol is then removed and finally the aromas are added again. This method requires large investments and is therefore not profitable for small volumes.

In sparkling 0.0 wines, extra carbon dioxide is added, sometimes in combination with a small amount of residual sugar.

Just like with 0.0 beer, the demand for non-alcoholic wine is growing strongly. In addition, more and more alternatives are coming onto the market that are not wine according to the law, but are presented as “wine”.

These drinks are made from tea, grape juice with herbs or botanical blends, such as verjuice, herbs and spices. There are also fermented drinks in which fermentation is stopped early, so that hardly any alcohol is produced.

Non-alcoholic tea-based drinks have different production methods. This is how high-quality tea is extracted and bubbles are added for a sparkling mouthfeel, similar to prosecco.

Some variants also undergo a special fermentation process. This is not intended to make alcohol, but to develop more complex flavors. For example, in some ACALA varieties, the tea matures for months in tanks and barrels before the product is bottled with carbon dioxide.

The taste varies greatly per product and ingredients used:

• Floral and citrusy – such as jasmine, lemon balm and verbena
• Fresh and slightly dry – comparable to dry champagne or sparkling wine
• Complex and layered – through combinations of white, green and oolong tea, sometimes supplemented with hibiscus or herbs

This may not be an obvious choice for true wine lovers, but it is certainly an adventure to try these popular non-alcoholic drinks.

View our range of non-alcoholic wines here.