To counter declining wine consumption, experts encourage European producers to explore the growing market for low and non-alcoholic wines, offering economic potential.
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00:00Hi, I'm Stephan Grobe.
00:16Enjoying wine is part of Europe's cultural history, yet it has become fashionable to
00:20drink less, especially among younger generations.
00:26That's why a group of experts is encouraging the European wine industry to embrace the
00:31growing market of low and non-alcoholic wine.
00:36It might be the key to stop the negative economic trend.
00:40EU citizens account for roughly half of global wine consumption, drinking 107 million hectolitres
00:47in 2023.
00:48But that consumption has been in decline for many years.
00:53Between 2010 and 2020, EU consumption fell by almost a quarter.
00:58This decline is expected to continue, albeit at a slower rate.
01:03The reasons for this decline, according to experts, are health concerns and changing
01:08drinking patterns.
01:09Thus, the idea of offering consumers low or non-alcoholic options.
01:14Now, would people appreciate this?
01:17I don't really like the idea of trying to be a wine monkey.
01:21I'd rather drink something completely different, like infusions, things like that.
01:25I don't know.
01:26But in any case, I prefer to drink wine when I want to drink wine and something alcoholic.
01:32And something else if I want to drink something else.
01:33However, it's true that there aren't many alternatives with complex things and not too sweet, especially.
01:39I've tried several products, I've never been satisfied, I've never found anything
01:44that suited me.
01:45I've always been a bit disappointed.
01:47The desire to open this first non-alcoholic winery in France is born from a personal approach.
01:52Since we've been around for three years, we've seen the supply of decoupled non-alcoholic wines
01:56double.
01:57From what we hear from our customers, that the fact that wines are now very strong,
02:01at 13, 14, 15 degrees, doesn't really correspond to the use anymore.
02:05It's too strong.
02:06So we're not going to drink it at noon, in the evening, to drink several glasses.
02:09You still have to be strong and it's hard to drink several times a week, etc.
02:13A drop in the consumption of wine.
02:16Well, I have no idea.
02:18My thought would be the opposite, even.
02:22Maybe it has to do with the price.
02:25But if it's in wine in general, it doesn't make sense because we have very cheap wines.
02:30When I drink alcohol, it's also a bit to relax and I think, I don't know,
02:34only if I liked the taste a lot and if it was much better than the alcoholic wine, maybe.
02:39But if I didn't do that, I don't think so.
02:42People don't have the purchasing power to drink good wine.
02:47Maybe that's the reason.
02:49Maybe because the new generations don't appreciate it as much as the older ones.
02:55So, eventually, the new generations appreciate it less and that's it.
02:59Let's bring in Gerardo Fortuna now, who has covered the topic of non-alcoholic wine
03:04for Euronews in the past.
03:07Last year, the EU Commission established a reflection group
03:11to study the situation of the wine industry.
03:15What was the purpose of that mission?
03:17Clearly to address the current challenges that the wine sector is facing,
03:23such as extreme weather conditions,
03:25how to adapt to a changing climate and changing environment,
03:29but also shifts in the consumer taste
03:32and, of course, a particular tough situation for international trade
03:37that is leading the export of wine down,
03:42as well as the domestic consumption is also not particularly good at the moment.
03:47And what were the main recommendations?
03:49The main recommendation is also how to better address
03:53the shift in the consumer taste.
03:56Not only when it comes to less expensive wines,
04:00the market segment of cheap wines,
04:02but also when it comes to the change in the...
04:05when it comes to the non- or low-alcoholic wine,
04:09the so-called no-law wines,
04:12which are a new segment also for emerging economies.
04:16And how did European wine producers react?
04:19There's still some sort of resistance from the winemaker in Europe
04:25because it's perceived that something alien
04:28to the traditional way of making wines.
04:31But at the same time, we're having more competition
04:35from market operators outside the traditional wine sector
04:39that are threatening to enter this market.
04:43In a sense, they're considering how important it is to having,
04:47for instance, a new legislation when it comes to no-law wines.
04:51There's a growing market potential for European producers
04:55as the size of the global market for non-alcoholic wine
04:59will grow from almost €8 billion today
05:02to €14 billion by the end of 2031.
05:05That represents an annual growth rate of more than 10%.
05:09The biggest markets are the US, Canada, Australia and India.
05:15It seems that proud EU wine producers
05:18are finally coming around to the idea of non-alcoholic wine.
05:22That's a significant shift compared to just a few years ago.
05:26Yet balancing traditional wine interests with emerging opportunities
05:30is also a challenge for European policymakers.
05:34Joining me now is Eric Zargachomo,
05:37the Vice-Chairman of the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament.
05:40Welcome to the program.
05:42The beer sector has already introduced non-alcoholic products
05:46some time ago.
05:48Why do you think the wine sector has such a hard time innovating?
05:53I believe that wine has always innovated.
05:56The wine we drink is not what my grandparents drank.
05:59But today, there are a number of products
06:01that are coming onto the market,
06:03notably non-alcoholic wines.
06:05And today, we have possibilities
06:08in relation to community rules
06:10to be able to de-alcoholize.
06:12We can also limit the evolution
06:14of the alcohol content of wine
06:16because of climate change,
06:18the alcohol content tends to increase.
06:21And for the market,
06:23we think it's better to lower it.
06:26How can the EU facilitate
06:28the marketing of non-alcoholic wine?
06:32You know, there are a lot of programs
06:34to promote products
06:36around the world by Europe.
06:38And I think that non-alcoholic products
06:40as well as wines in general
06:42should be able to benefit
06:44from all these promotion programs,
06:46from all the products of excellence
06:48of the European territories.
06:50But how will the legislative framework
06:52change with the emergence
06:54of non-alcoholic wine?
06:56I think it's one more element
06:58in the range.
07:00It doesn't fundamentally change
07:02the economy of wine.
07:04It's a possibility
07:07of more.
07:09We already had the possibility
07:11to make distillations,
07:13to make grape juices.
07:15So it's one more element
07:17that allows to absorb
07:19a part of the overproduction.
07:21But it's not a magic wand.
07:23So all the other means
07:25of resolving crises,
07:27of limiting volumes,
07:29we will have them.
07:31And in particular,
07:33the plan of extraction
07:35It's always difficult
07:37to give up long cherished traditions
07:39and embrace change.
07:41But overall, non-alcoholic wine
07:43can be a flavorful and healthy alternative
07:45for those looking to enjoy
07:47drinks without alcohol.
07:49And if European winemakers
07:51get fully on board,
07:53this can also be a powerful
07:55business opportunity
07:57in the years to come.