Alcoholic strength of wine is an issue that consumers take seriously across the world. There has been widespread criticism of 15.5% abv blockbusters and calls for winemakers to aim lower, according to Richard Halstead, CEO of global market researcher Wine Intelligence.

Clare Griffiths, European marketing director of Accolade Wines, says: “Our Wine Nation Report 2012, which combines a study of 50,000 UK wine drinkers with data and insight from industry partners Nielsen, CGA and Kantar, has revealed that low-alcohol wine has experienced rapid growth in the UK off trade in the past year, with a 27% value and 29% volume uplift. The sector is now worth £38m in the UK.

“Lower-alcohol wines are becoming a crucial part of the market and they absolutely deliver on what they promise. We see no difference with our light wines versus full alcohol wines on complaints, returns or repeat purchase rates,” says Griffiths.

Torres general manager Miguel Torres Maczassek says: “In most of our markets we see a trend of responsible drinking and an interest in fewer calories, pregnancy etc as main drivers for the growing interest in this segment.”

Not everyone agrees that there is no difference between lighter wines and ‘full strength’ (for want of a better descriptor) wines. Tim Sykes, head of buying for leading mail order wine club The Wine Society, says: “My overall view is that taste is paramount and that unless a low-alcohol wine tastes decent most people would rather drink another non-alcoholic beverage instead. I also believe that low alcohol beer tends to be more palatable than most dealcoholised and low alcohol wines,” he says.

“We have an increasing number of requests from members looking for recommendations of wines with moderate alcohol levels. We tend to recommend wines that have naturally low alcohol levels, such as Mosel Rieslings and Moscatos from northern Italy, rather than wines that have been mucked around with in their production.

“In addition to the above wines we list a “dealcoholised” sparkling wine from France (the Festian from Gratien & Meyer) and a Chardonnay “spritzer” called Green Ridge. Both wines sell well throughout the year, but the spritzer generally sells most during the summer months and the sparkler sells well at Christmas. Both wines taste fine, unlike the majority of ‘wines’ within the category,” says Sykes.

The UK arguably leads the race to the bottom and is probably the most challenging for two reasons. One is price – thanks to the UK multiple retailers British wine drinkers are some of the most price conscious – the other is that the UK has a tax break at 5.5% abv so the excise duty is about half that of mainstream wines – 81p rather than £1.90.

Torres makes and sells a 0.5% wine, Natureo, using the spinning cone column. Maczassek says: “I am sure price also plays a role in the buying decision, especially in the ‘low’ and ‘lower’ alcohol wines. Taxes can play an important incentive depending on the countries. In general ‘low’ has less than 5.5% and ‘lower’ between 5.6% and 11%.”

Oenologist Henry Powles of Cobevco, a specialist bottler of wine, beer, cider, spirits and soft drinks, takes up the plot: “To produce wines of acceptable taste and palate weight at lower abvs, it’s necessary to add some sugar back to the product post-reduction, or halt further fermentation with the sugar still present. Alcohol reduction can also be achieved via dilution, but this can reduce the concentration of the flavour components. 

“Another popular way to produce alcohol-free and low-alcohol wine is using spinning cone technology. This, however, can have a negative impact on the quality of end products as it removes some of the flavour that was present in the original wine.

“In terms of bottling low abv wines, one of the biggest concerns is the increased risk of secondary fermentation in-bottle, due to elevated sugar levels, and also lower alcohol levels,” says Powles. “However, there is no need to be overly concerned about this as long as proper winemaking protocols are followed.”

Flavour profiles

At the forefront of the crusade to find 5.5% wines that deliver acceptable flavour profiles is McGuigan Wines, part of Australian Vintage (AVL). The company’s most recent shot is Vinni, a 5.5% sparkling “wine product based on the Moscato grape”. It is packaged in a distinctive, non-wine bottle to appeal to younger drinkers who probably drink cider.

Neil McGuigan, the IWSC’s current Best Winemaker in the World, tells DI: “Low alcohol wines are an opportunity that AVL has been investigating for some time. However, producing quality table wine with the appropriate flavour profile at an alcohol of 5.5% has been an industry-wide challenge.

“Certainly, in our view, what is currently in market does not offer the consumer flavour, quality or consistency, nor does it offer value,” he says.

“A number of years ago we produced a terrific reduced-alcohol wine at 8% that delivered on all touch points, however table wines at 5.5% are a very different challenge. We are extremely excited about Vinni as we believe the aromatic character of the variety, coupled with the refreshing lift that carbonation provides, works well for the consumer. It offers consumers a low alcohol option without compromising on flavour.

“We are now pushing forward with a project to develop a range of 5.5% alcohol table wines that will be produced from vintage 2013. AVL has been producing de-alcoholised wines for nearly 20 years now and we consider ourselves as pioneers within this category. Key to taking this project into the future is the installation of a new, state of the art spinning cone column which reduces alcohol under vacuum. The project cost for this installation is a significant investment for AVL and our unit is the only unit in Australia solely dedicated to wine,” says McGuigan.

Australian Vintage’s recently appointed general manager UK/Europe, Julian Dyer, who previously worked for UK multiple retailer, Sainsbury’s, says: “We need to step-change the quality of what is out there to make the category credible. It will only grow over time, but it is currently held back by this gap between consumer expectation and what is being delivered.”

“There are some credible wines round about 8%-9%, and we would love to see a new tax break at 8.5%. But currently we have seen nothing below this level that meets consumer expectation,” concludes Dyer.

Lighter variations

Laura Jewell, a Master of Wine in global retailer Tesco’s wine buying department, endorses Vinni along with the FirstCape Discovery brand and lighter variations of Italian Pinot Grigio, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Californian white Zinfandel, which, she says, have all the flavours the consumer expects from the normal abv wines.

“Muscat and Muscatel from Spain make naturally low alcohol very appealing styles – our Simply Pink Muscatel sparkling is selling really well and is great well chilled. Several of the big brands have produced 5.5% versions such as Banrock and Blossom Hill which seem to be working,” Jewell says.

She adds: “At Tesco we merchandise our lighter wine styles separately, with Lambrini and products such as Bucks Fizz. This includes wines and wine-based cocktails at 5.5%. 

“More mainstream brands which have produced lighter styles such as the Jacob’s Creek Moscato at 9% sit in the Australian wine model alongside the brand. We have changed our range considerably in the time I have been here, from developing a brand with McWilliams, to choosing a range of well-known brands and styles which will have a broader appeal. We currently list more than 30 lines,” says Jewell.

The crux is: are consumers really seeking wines with a lower alcohol content? Jewell replies: “Some are, but it is not a deluge. The main area of take up we are seeing is by the younger consumer who does not think of them as low-alcohol wines but as flavoured drinks at the same sort of alcohol level as RTDs with wine style packaging. 

“The Fairhills Fair and Light brand was a great hit at consumer fairs with a younger audience. The price point and flavours appeal to students. We recently launched a range with a cross-category promotion on all the 5.5%s, which performed well.

Year-round appeal

Are they seasonal? “Light wines are relevant throughout the year as consumers are continually health-conscious, but there are occasions when light wines can be effectively promoted, for example in the summer for lunch-time alfresco drinking, and also around Christmas time when consumers often over-indulge and a lighter option is a welcome alternative,” says Griffiths. 

Whereas Jewell says: “Definitely January, but we are seeing sales all year round, and yes in summer when they are great over ice.”

Wine Intelligence’s Halstead concludes: “The UK has become a bit of a laboratory for 5.5% wines, purely due to a quirk in its tax system – and for that reason it’s hard to draw conclusions that will apply to the rest of the world. Twenty-three per cent of regular wine drinkers in the UK have bought them, and say they will continue to buy. Another 15% are open to the idea but have yet to take the plunge. That’s almost four in 10 wine drinkers – a respectable audience to aim at. 

“Sweden’s Systembolaget monopoly is introducing 5.5% wines in June 2013, and has been making space for more wines at around the 12.5% mark for some time. It says it wants to go even lower for health reasons, though there will be a significant price difference, because of a tax differential, at 5.5%,” he says.

“We’d like to think that, in future, nobody will buy 5.5% wine by mistake. That’s an issue that has been addressed. Consumers should, in theory, be taking home such products because they actually want them. But whether that’s because they really want lower abv, or simply the cheapest price tickets in the wine aisle, is a question the industry will continue to ask,” opines Halstead.