Barbera con ridotto grado alcolico

Less alcohol, same personality: the new balance of Barbera

In recent years, the growth in demand for wine and non-alcoholic beverages is there for all to see, but while it is difficult to talk about ‘’alcohol-free‘’ wine, it is possible to talk about ‘”low-alcohol wine”. The trends analysed by market surveys in Europe and the rest of the world predict double-digit growth for wine, spirits and aromatised wines with no or low alcohol levels, while for beer, which dominates in this segment in terms of volume and turnover, it has now become a mature market.

In such a context, the determination of a wine’s alcohol level is more than ever a fundamental aspect that affects not only flavour and the overall tasting experience, but also… sales. While quality remains the fundamental driving force behind every wine, for the end consumer that number on the label showing the alcohol content seems to increasingly condition the choice of bottle, well before tasting.

A trend that was also picked up by Stefano Labate for MilleVigne during the Barbera Wine Festival in Asti, in which he reports on the experience of Othmar Kiem, co-founder of the Merano Wine Festival, who recounts how often at the tasting counters the first question is about alcohol content, but also Aldo Fiordelli, influential wine journalist and senior editor for James Suckling, who confesses how too much alcohol reduces the pleasantness of wine, as well as Jeff Porter, one of the most influential sommeliers for Italian wine in the United States, according to whom ‘alcohol levels need to come down. Consumers today do not want 14 or 16 degree wines’.

Alcohol alone does not make quality: just as is the case with wines with excessively low alcohol levels, wines with an excessively high alcohol content are unbalanced, unacceptable and poorly compliant with the framework dictated by the designations.

At Vinchio Vaglio, we have taken up the challenge (and the consumers’ request) to further seek that necessary balance between quality and alcohol content.

The wines of the 2024 vintage contain a lower alcohol level (on average half a degree less than in previous years), therefore we will have wines that are more drinkable and have a significantly lower calorie content.

What determines the alcohol level of a wine?

While fermentation is the key process in the creation of alcohol, the techniques for calculating the alcohol level of a wine are anything but simple. In a nutshell, we can state that the alcohol content of a wine represents the amount of alcohol, i.e. ethanol, contained in a given volume of wine.

The alcohol level of wine is, however, influenced by countless factors of various kinds, ranging from the type of grape to its degree of ripeness, from the composition of the soil to the climate (and in this, climate change does not help), and even wine-making practices.

Approximately (since the perception of alcohol is also influenced by many factors, first and foremost the tasting temperature) the scale for evaluating the alcoholicity of wine is:

  •     – <10% alc.vol. = light (perceptible)
  •     – 11-12% alc.vol. = fairly warm
  •     – 13-14% alc.vol. = warm
  •     – 14-16% alc.vol. = marked alcoholic warmth
  •     – >16% alc.vol. = definitely alcoholic

De-alcoholisation and alcohol-free ‘wines’ 

The introduction and authorisation among oenological practices of wine dealcoholisation techniques is intended to give producers a tool for managing alcohol content in a controlled manner.

Dealcoholisation, which is carried out using the techniques and within the permitted methods and limits of a maximum reduction of 20% of the initial alcohol level described by the OIV for generic wines, was introduced at European level in 2009 (with Reg 606/2009 and then confirmed with Reg 1308/2013), but there are many problems inherent in this process:

  • alcohol plays an important role in the flavour of a wine and creates that pleasant sensation in the mouth. We speak of alteration of the sensory profile, loss of volatile aromas, but also of microbiological stability 
  • the costs a winery has to bear for dealcoholisation.

It is true, therefore, that according to EU legislation – a wine can contain as much as 0.5% alcohol by volume to be defined as such (if the alcohol content is 0%, we speak of non-alcoholic beverages made from grape must), yet the dispute is a long way from being resolved, given that the 2016 Testo Unico del Vino stipulates that in order for a beverage to be called wine, it must have at least 8.5 degrees.

In addition to this, it is worth remembering that the specifications impose a minimum alcohol level for each appellation (e.g. the minimum alcohol level must not be less than 12 degrees; Barbera d’Asti wines that have an alcohol level of not less than 12.5 degrees and are aged for at least one year can claim the definition of Superiore).

The opinion of Matteo Laiolo, oenologist of the Vinchio Vaglio Cantina Cooperativa

The subject of alcohol levels in wine will certainly be a topic of future discussion for everyone in the wine industry. Especially for us technicians, both agronomists and oenologists, because it will affect us personally. In this context, we should try to find the best possible solution to obtain wines with an acceptable alcohol content while at the same time having a high ‘quality’ level.

Writing ‘qualitative’ in inverted commas has a meaning because each wine may respond to different characteristics depending on its placement on the market. When producing a wine, one must be clear what its destination might be and consequently work in the vineyard to produce grapes that might have ideal characteristics for that type of product.

Certainly, increasing yields leads to a slight decrease in the quantity of sugar; we have also seen, however, that this is not always the case (e.g. in 2018 there was a lot of production but we had high alcohol contents, even in 2024 where the yield exceeded 90 quintals/ha but we still obtained wines with over 15 degrees). This is due to major temperature fluctuations and periods of intense heat (even short ones).

It is therefore difficult to find a solution, because you have to work the vineyard with the well-being of the plant in mind and above all its correct ecosystem. Each type of soil and sun exposure produces grapes with a different aromatic picture and different sugar quantity, so selecting the vineyards carefully could be a starting point, to which one must however pay attention because it can vary from year to year.

Harvesting early is not ideal in my opinion because you do not get grapes with certain characteristics to make quality wines. Harvesting Barbera early results in wines that are lacking in colour and, above all, aroma. Each variety has its own qualities and consequently one has to work differently.

With new cellar technologies it is possible to lower the alcohol content, yet today the costs are still very high and there is no high quality response from such new technologies.

A look at the alcohol level of wine around the world

An example of what is happening beyond the Alps is the case of the recent alcohol tax in the United Kingdom. As of February 1st 2025, the tax will be calculated on a sliding scale according to the alcohol content of each product. Specifically, each 0.1% increase in alcohol content will result in a corresponding increase in the tax. As a result, wines with a lower alcohol content will be cheaper in terms of the cost of the tax.

According to official data:

  • Currently, a wine with 13.5% ABV has a duty of £2.68 per a 75CL bottle. After the change, the same bottle will have a duty of £2.89 per a 75CL bottle. An increase of 21 pence per bottle.
  • Currently, a wine with 14.5% ABV has a duty of £2.68 per a 75CL bottle. After the change, the same bottle will have a duty of £3.10 per a 75CL bottle. An increase of 42 pence per bottle.

The legislation marks the direction of a further issue involving the availability of end consumers on whom it will be increasingly important globally to keep the alcohol content of wines low (as far as this can be achieved).

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