EconomyLens.com
No Result
View All Result
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials
EconomyLens.com
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials
No Result
View All Result
EconomyLens.com
No Result
View All Result
Home Economy

German family winery taps into zero-alcohol trend

Natalie Fisher by Natalie Fisher
November 26, 2024
in Economy
Reading Time: 8 mins read
A A
1
43
SHARES
536
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Alcohol-free wine served at a bar in Frankfurt . ©AFP

Rüdesheim (Germany) (AFP) – Alcohol-free drinks are becoming ever more popular, especially with health-conscious younger people — a trend cheered by a small German winery based in a Rhine Valley castle. While demand for zero-alcohol beer has risen strongly, the family business is betting on similar growth in the wine sector, using a technique it pioneered more than a century ago.

Related

Volkswagen US deliveries fall as Trump tariffs bite

Cambodian garment workers fret Trump’s new tariff threat

China’s snaps 4-month consumer decline but factory price deflation deepens

Iraq’s Kurdistan enjoys all-day state electricity

Iraq’s Kurdistan enjoys all-day state electricity

“We are seeing this growth in demand and it’s going strong,” said Bernhard Jung, who runs the Carl Jung wine estate based in the picturesque town of Ruedesheim. Germany — better known for its storied beer-brewing tradition — may seem an unlikely place for the alcohol-free wine industry to flourish, but the Jung family had a head start. Back in 1907, Bernhard Jung’s grandfather Dr. Carl Jung invented a process to gently extract alcohol from wine while preserving the original taste. The winemaker hit on the idea when he risked losing a loyal customer who had to stop drinking alcohol for health reasons, and went on to patent the system which set the industry standard.

From its base in a small castle set amid vine-covered hills, the business has been making alcohol-free wine ever since, and three decades ago stopped producing alcoholic varieties altogether. Jung said the company now produces about 17 million bottles of alcohol-free wine a year, with sales up by around 35 percent annually. There have long been markets for “zero” drinks, including many Muslim countries, and also in earlier times, during the United States’ 1920-33 Prohibition era.

But recent years have seen a growing popular thirst for non-alcoholic varieties of beer, wine, and even gin from consumers eager to avoid health impacts and hangovers.

– Shifting attitudes –

That trend is bound to continue, says beverage data and analysis firm IWSR, which sees the highest volume growth in the United States, at 11 percent annually until 2028, and substantial increases in Britain, France, and Germany. The shift in attitudes has been especially pronounced among younger consumers and comes as studies have contradicted popular views about the supposed benefits of drinking in moderation. The World Health Organization disappointed many when it concluded last year that “when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.”

Nowadays, around two-thirds of the wine the Carl Jung winery processes comes from other businesses that want to offer alcohol-free vintages without investing in pricey equipment. Tanker trucks arrive frequently from across Germany and Europe to have the alcohol removed from their wine varieties. In a large room, two metal contraptions hooked up to pipes rumble day and night as batches of red and white tipple flow through them. The liquid is heated up in a vacuum, meaning the alcohol evaporates off at a lower temperature than usual, helping preserve much of its original character. It also undergoes an “aroma recovery” process that seeks to restore some of the character lost during the de-alcoholisation process.

– Convincing sceptics –

Critics love to dismiss alcohol-free wines as “grape juice” or worse, but Jung insists that “now we have better wines for de-alcoholisation than we used to get years ago.” “The know-how is also getting better.” At a bar in Frankfurt, Die Bruecke, owner Sandra Beimfohr said many customers agree and opt for alcohol-free whites and roses.

“We started offering it about four years ago, and at that time the guests were still hesitant. But now there is active demand — in the last two or three years it has increased more and more.” For now, alcohol-free wine still has a long way to go — it currently makes up just 0.5 percent of the global market for still and sparkling wines, according to IWSR data. Jung conceded that the industry still needed to win “more respect from new customer groups,” especially sworn connoisseurs of traditional plonk. Alcohol-free wines also generally cost more than regular labels.

And for some, there will never be any substitute for the real thing. Baerbel Buchwald, a customer in Die Bruecke, said that when she tried alcohol-free wine she found it “too sweet” and “very artificial.” “It didn’t really taste like wine,” scoffed the 67-year-old pensioner. “It tasted like cleaning detergent.”

© 2024 AFP

Tags: healthnon-alcoholic beverageswine
Share17Tweet11Share3Pin4Send
Previous Post

Asian markets mixed as traders eye fresh trade tensions

Next Post

Paddington: the affable bear who became a lucrative business

Natalie Fisher

Natalie Fisher

Related Posts

Economy

The long slow death of Norway’s wild salmon

July 9, 2025
Economy

China’s snaps 4-month consumer decline but factory price deflation deepens

July 8, 2025
Economy

China’s ‘new farmers’ learn to livestream in rural revitalisation

July 9, 2025
Economy

Trump says to set 50% copper tariff, no extension to August deadline

July 8, 2025
Economy

Trump says ‘no extensions’ to Aug 1 tariff deadline

July 8, 2025
Economy

Bulgaria becomes 21st member to adopt euro after EU green light

July 8, 2025
Next Post

Paddington: the affable bear who became a lucrative business

To tackle plastic scourge, Philippines makes companies pay

Trump names trade envoy, top economic advisor to fill policy team

'Very, very slow': plastic treaty talks grind forward

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
guest
1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

New York ruling deals Trump business a major blow

September 30, 2024

Elon Musk’s X fights Australian watchdog over church stabbing posts

April 21, 2024

Women journalists bear the brunt of cyberbullying

April 22, 2024

France probes TotalEnergies over 2021 Mozambique attack

May 6, 2024

Ghanaian finance ministry warns against fallout from anti-LGBTQ law

74

New York ruling deals Trump business a major blow

72

Shady bleaching jabs fuel health fears, scams in W. Africa

71

Stock markets waver, oil prices edge up

65

European stocks brush off Trump’s copper, pharma tariff threats

July 9, 2025

Commerzbank commits to strategy as UniCredit ups direct stake

July 9, 2025

Volkswagen US deliveries fall as Trump tariffs bite

July 9, 2025

Cambodian garment workers fret Trump’s new tariff threat

July 9, 2025
EconomyLens Logo

We bring the world economy to you. Get the latest news and insights on the global economy, from trade and finance to technology and innovation.

Pages

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Categories

  • Business
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials

Network

  • Coolinarco.com
  • CasualSelf.com
  • Fit.CasualSelf.com
  • Sport.CasualSelf.com
  • SportBeep.com
  • MachinaSphere.com
  • MagnifyPost.com
  • TodayAiNews.com
  • VideosArena.com
© 2025 EconomyLens.com - Top economic news from around the world.
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials

© 2024 EconomyLens.com - Top economic news from around the world.