Wine, young people like it with little alcohol and so the producers respond

Low-alcohol wines: 56% of Italians believe they will be the phenomenon of the next two years, reveals a study conducted by Nomisma on behalf of Valoritalia. A figure that has risen by 10% in just one year. And so, while dealcoholised wines are being talked about and discussed, another innovation is (more discreetly) making headway: wines that are born 'light' already in the vineyard, with a management that contains the sugar content of the grapes (and therefore alcohol and calories in the bottle), but maintains the most typical aromas and fragrances. Northern European markets already demand Pinot Grigios with around 11 degrees, and in the United States a popular opinion campaign recommends bottles containing no more than two ounces of alcohol (around nine degrees).

In the US, demand for NoLo (no and low alcohol) wines has exceeded $13 million and is growing at an annual rate of 7%. The latest Iwsr (International Wine and Spirits Record) report estimates a further worldwide increase of $4 billion by 2028. With wines with a reduced alcohol content leading the way, as a sustainable and 'natural' alternative to dealcolates, since they are produced without the addition of additives or concentrated musts (and therefore sugars) and without resorting to processes that affect their sensory characteristics. Exactly what GenZ and Millennials are asking for, interested in mixology and the pleasure of drinking but also attentive to the imperative of fitness and naturalness.

Being able to combine the 'classic' wine experience with a low alcohol and calorie content seems like squaring the circle. Also because dealcolati have a major limitation: they cannot be made with the geographical indications (Docg, Doc and Igt), i.e. 76% of Italian production, and therefore cannot express the territory from which they come, thus losing the central element on which the quality pyramid in Italy has been built so far. So much so that some Italian producers are trying to intercept the demand for 'low alcohol' by improvising technical choices such as bringing the harvest forward, unprecedented blends with different grape varieties, or using techniques that inhibit fermentation in the cellar, with results that are not always balanced from an organoleptic point of view.

But there are those who are trying to change things. The Consorzio delle Venezie Doc (230 million bottles in 2024 and 95% of exports) was the first to decide to change the specifications to also introduce the low natural alcohol content version (nine degrees as opposed to the 11 minimum foreseen today) of its workhorse: Pinot Grigio, of which it produces 85% of Italian production. "A turning point that could be decisive," explains Stefano Sequino, director of the Consortium, "because it is based on two strong points: a research project involving the most renowned Italian wine experimentation centres, and the possibility of emphasising the low natural alcohol content type on labels.

'Natural' means that this wine is already born in the vineyard with a lower ethanol content, thanks to the identification of the most suitable production areas and a specific agronomic protocol capable of slowing down technological maturation so that, when the grapes reach the programmed sugar level, they also retain their rich array of aromas and polyphenols. Underlying it all is the identification of the most suitable grapes, i.e. the Pinot Grigio biotypes best suited for the low degree. "This is a real U-turn,' emphasises Yuri Zambon, director of Vcr Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo, a leading Italian winegrowing company involved in the research project, 'given that, for more than sixty years, clonal selection (or the genetic improvement of the vine) has aimed instead at increasing the alcohol level. Now, on the other hand, it is a matter of changing perspective and managing the DOC territory in a new way, differentiating production and introducing new plantings dedicated only to these 'special' wines that make it possible to align with emerging trends in world wine demand'.