Nevertheless—in contrast to wine—the segment of NoLos or "non-alcoholic drinks for adults" is growing. This is how Frédéric Chouquet-Stringer, founder of Zenotheque, a company specialising in alcohol-free wines, describes these products. His experience: "Most people who drink alcohol-free wine are not teetotallers. They want to reduce their alcohol consumption, but are looking for a flavour close to wine." There are currently two opinions on the scene: one says that wine lovers are more likely to turn to non-alcoholic wine. The other sees it as a door opener for other types of drinks.

Jennifer Kiessling from the Mindful Drinking Club in Berlin, which specialises in non-alcoholic drinks that do not consist of dealcoholised components, agrees. "There is such an incredible variety, you don't have to remove anything from the drink and you can use regional products. It's incredible what herbs and plants grow around Berlin that you can work with. And fermented products are part of everyday life for us, just think of sourdough. I come from southern Germany, where sauerkraut is almost a middle name." For both of them, one thing is clear: it's about having more choice. Do you drink wine with alcohol or something else? And that you don't have to justify yourself for one or the other. "That should no longer be a topic of conversation at all," emphasises Kießling.

"There is no clear trend at the moment as to which products will prevail," reports Chouquet-Stringer. In fact, the number of new developments is dizzying: fermented products based on tea, juice or verjuice ("proxies") offer an incredibly wide range of flavours and a mouthfeel that is very similar to wine. "Sparkling tea—tea-based sparkling wine—is more tangible for many people because they already know tea," believes Kießling. Kombucha is also appearing more and more frequently in drinks.

However, supply could soon exceed demand, especially for dealcoholised products. New plants are constantly being put into operation, including by large wine companies. "What are you going to fill all these plants with and who is going to drink it all?" asks Chouquet-Stringer. "On the one hand, such industrial investments are to be welcomed because they lead to more favourable prices and efforts to achieve better quality. However, they also trigger cut-throat competition that only the best will survive." This is not fundamentally bad for consumers.

A distinction must be made between wines from overproduction, which are to be disposed of by removing alcohol, and those that are grown and vinified by winegrowers specifically for this purpose and taste better accordingly. Chouquet-Stringer believes that the former will disappear from the market sooner or later as they are simply not good enough. He also doesn't see many more opportunities to dramatically improve the quality of the higher-quality dealcoholised wines: "We already have the right technologies for aroma recovery." It is more important to get high-quality flavours for less money in order to offer top quality even in the entry-level segment and attract new customers.

Another step is to improve the mouthfeel. There are so-called "mouthfeel molecules" for this purpose. These are non-volatile compounds that create physical sensations such as astringency, viscosity, coolness or warmth in the mouth. Well-known examples of these are tannins, fat molecules, menthol, and the chilli ingredient capsaicin, which triggers a sensation of warmth and is therefore often used in non-alcoholic spirits.

Christian Kloss, head of sparkling wine producer C-Kloss in Winningen on the Moselle, produces sparkling teas as well as sparkling wines. He has undergone several training courses to better understand the basic product. He has also recently launched a sparkling coffee—a very innovative drink. He sees the future in fermentation without the formation of alcohol: "There are yeast cultures that make natural low-alcohol fermentation possible." Such yeasts are currently not yet authorised in the EU, but this ban will soon be lifted—the EU Commission has already decided this. "Instead of subtracting something, we can add something. That will be a game changer!" reports Kloss.

Sebastian Bausinger from the beverage technology company Erbslöh in Geisenheim, which conducts intensive research and development for the NoLo sector, puts the brakes on this hope: "There have long been many yeasts that produce very little or no alcohol. They have made non-alcoholic beers so much better recently—but they also have the ingredients malt and hops, which can be used to balance out a lot of flavour. In terms of the process, beer is very different to wine. Because it only has one starting product: the grape." Wine is defined by alcoholic fermentation and you can't balance it out with other flavours—unless you call it a "wine-based drink" and not a wine. "But then it can also be two litres of wine to 1,000 litres of water and herbs."

A second possibility is currently almost impossible to control: the yeast forms biomass, it multiplies itself, consumes the entire sugar content and energy for this and forms less alcohol. Although the process can be influenced by the oxygen content, it only results in a slight reduction in alcohol without off-flavours. The same result can be achieved precisely and biologically safely with a filter membrane at the touch of a button. Lactic acid fermentation also produces CO₂ and flavour, but would take the product in a different direction in terms of taste. "I can't take away the underlying, meaningful function of a drink and expect to achieve the same result. Even sugar-free lemonades taste different to the originals, we've just got used to it."

Christian Kloss and some other producers therefore rely on fermentation with fungal cultures such as kombucha or water kefir. "You can always get a better grip on the acetic acid." Jennie Kießling hopes for more regionalisation and awareness of the origin of products: "Regionality can become just as important here as it is with wine or beer. Drinks that convey their origin, that are not interchangeable, can give a boost to local economies and small businesses—right through to gourmet tourism." Frédéric Chouquet-Stringer summarises: "The market is becoming increasingly structured. The pioneers are competing against the large corporations. That's why differentiation is becoming increasingly important."