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The Australian wine group Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) – whose brands include Penfolds, Wolf Blass, Lindeman’s, 19 Crimes, and Seppelt – has opened a new facility for the de-alcoholization of wine in the Barossa Valley. The newly designed facility, costing approximately nine million euros, has been equipped with the latest technology developed within the company over a period of two years. TWE has registered two patents for a novel aroma processing technique. According to the company, these processes are intended to preserve the aromas removed during the de-alcoholization process and also better retain the mouthfeel of the wine than previously known methods.
Research shows that taste continues to be the biggest barrier to purchasing wines with reduced alcohol content. Toby Barlow, Chief Winemaker of the TWE group, explains that integrating the process into their own operations will improve the quality of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol wines ("NoLo" wines) without compromising the characteristics of the grape varieties. TWE was already a pioneer in the NoLo segment, having launched its first reduced-alcohol wines under the Seppelt brand in 1993.
According to the market research company IWSR, about half of all wine consumers intend to reduce their alcohol consumption. The NoLo segment is projected to grow annually by five percent by 2028.
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More on the topic:
In search of lost aromas – New technologies for de-alcoholization
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