Alcohol-Removed Wine: How Do They Do It!?
One of Sechey’s most in-demand and popular products is our alcohol-removed wine. There are so many delicious alternatives to consider when becoming a more intentional and mindful drinker. Joyus, Hand on Heart, Studio Null 21, Surely, and Noughty are just some of our favorite alcohol-removed wines. When new customers come into the store, they are often curious about how exactly the alcohol is removed from the wine. Well, we’re here to answer that question!
Making Great Quality Alcohol-Removed Wine
Much like beer, most alcohol-removed wines typically have no more than 0.5% ABV while some brands have been able to perfect the 0.0%, but how do they do it and still preserve the quality of the flavors and aromas in the wines that we know and love?
The creation of alcohol-removed wine can be a tricky process when your goal is to provide an authentic, true-to-taste wine alternative that will retain the original flavors and aromas of the wines we know and love.
Initially, alcohol-removed wine and traditional wine are made in the exact same way. In various regions across the globe, particular grapes are grown and harvested to produce the optimal balance of desired flavors and aromas. Wine experts then use different processes and technologies to gently remove the alcohol while still preserving the original character and nuances of the wine.
There are three main ways to strip the alcohol from wine:
- One of the most popular ways alcohol can be removed from wine is through a process called vacuum distillation. Very carefully, the traditionally made wine is put through a distillation column that extracts the compounds that make up the aromas while being heated to the lowest temperature possible (about 30 degrees Celsius). This allows the ethanol to evaporate without cooking down the wine. This is usually done twice to remove as much alcohol as possible.
- Another way alcohol-removed wine is produced is by using something called spinning-cone technology. Wine producers such as FRE and Giesen use this creative method. First, the traditional wine with alcohol is fed into a spinning cone column and is separated into three different components. Using vacuum distillation, centrifugal force, and nitrogen gas (which keeps the wine at a very low temperature), they gently extract the aromas of the wine from the liquid. Once those complex aromas are separated, the alcohol can be burned off from the now grape juice like drink. Once the alcohol has been fully extracted, the aroma essences can be reintegrated back into wine.
- A third way wine can be de-alcoholized is through reverse osmosis. During this process, the original wine is fed through a filter with such small pores that the water and alcohol are separated from any other particles like that acids, flavors and aromas that make up the wine. The water/alcohol solution is then distilled with high heat to burn off the ethanol. Despite this process being proven successful, many companies are choosing alternate methods due to the amount of product that gets wasted in the process.
The Benefits!
There are so many benefits to drinking de-alcoholized wine! Antioxidants, low sugar levels, and low calories are just some of the major benefits of choosing alcohol-removed wines.
On average a 8 oz. glass of wine contains only 20 calories! Alcoholic wine usually has around 200 calories per glass!
Many studies have proven that by drinking non-alcoholic red wines, which are bursting with antioxidants, can significantly decrease blood pressure, and lower the risk of heart disease and stroke by 20%!
Delicious and nutritious? We’re in!
Hope this was helpful! Have questions? Feel free to get in touch anytime!
Team Séchey