Dry January, Italy's sprint in sales of alcohol-free products

From the mug to the flûte, all the way to the tumbler: the zero-alcohol wave also involves Italian consumption. First it was beers, then came wines and alcohol-free 'spirits': gin, vermouth, rum and bitters are now presented in an alcohol-free version, and even the most prestigious 'traditional' brands do not disdain this evolution. Then there is the success of products with an identity all their own, which are not the 'teetotal' version of the respective alcoholic beverage: this is the case of kombucha, a fermented, slightly fizzy and acidic drink, obtained from tea, historically widespread in Eastern countries but now conquering the world.

According to estimatesIwsr (International Wine and Spirits Record) taken up by Federvini, the global market for no and low-alcohol (No-Lo) drinks is set to grow by over 4 billion dollars by 2028. In Italy, as shown by data from the Coop and Nomisma Studies Office based on Euromonitor data processed for Food24, volume sales of wine, spirits and no-alcohol beer reached 31.8 million litres in 2025, 14.8% more than in 2022 (+9.5% for wine, +31.1% for spirits and +31.3% for beer) and are expected to exceed 37 million litres in 2029. At European level, this is the second highest growth performance among the four countries analysed after that of theUnited Kingdom (+96.1%) and just above Germany (+10.9%); in last place is France (+5.3%). In the last three years, however, the same products in the traditional alcoholic version dropped by a total of 2.7%. On the low-alcohol front, beer and wine marked +9.5%, while spirits +14.8%.

This is a very small phenomenon in absolute terms, but one that is growing strongly. No-Lo wines are worth 0.1% of the market according to the Uiv-Vinitaly Observatory for a value of 3.3 million dollars which, however, according to Iwsr estimates, should reach 15 million in the next 4 years, with an expected Cagr of 47.1%. Non-alcoholic beers are worth 2% according to the latest report Assobirra and are gaining share in the alcohol-free world: from a slice of 24% in 2022 to 33% in 2029 according to the Coop research office. For '0% spirits' we are still in the range of hundreds of litres purchased in Italy.

"For Italians, food has always been the best metaphor for the spirit of the times. And for some years now, food purchasing choices have been telling us,' comments Albino Russo, general director of Ancc-Coop, 'how wellbeing comes from the table. Foods 'without' are increasingly protagonists and the new No-Lo market fits into this new feeling of Italians. For these beverages we are still in an exploratory dimension, with young people and women as the forerunners of a trend that seems to be strengthening in other social and demographic groups as well". In fact, according to the Coop and Nomisma Studies Office, 15.4 million Italians prefer an alcohol-free drink even when they could consume alcohol.43% of Italians are interested in consuming low-alcohol wines (47% among Millennials), while 24% are curious to try totally non-alcoholic wines (31% among Gen Z). As for spirits, 15% of consumers are interested in trying them low-alcohol and 8% fully alcohol-free.

Confirming that this is no passing fad is the entry of historic brands. In September 2025, Beefeater - among the world's most awarded gins - launched Beefeater 0.0%, its non-alcoholic alternative that retains the iconic flavour profile with citrus and juniper notes, but without alcohol. "Perfectly in line with the trend of modern consumption," explains Pernod Ricard Italia, which produces it. The product comes from the addition of Beefeater London Dry essence to a non-alcoholic base, with a botanical profile obtained from natural flavourings.