Non-alcoholic wine, also known as alcohol-free wine, is produced using various methods to remove or reduce the alcohol content while retaining the aromas and characteristics of traditional wine. Here's a brief description of the process:
1- Fermentation: The process starts in a similar way to normal winemaking. Grape juice is fermented with yeast to convert sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
2- Methods of alcohol removal:
Reverse osmosis: In this process, the fermented wine is passed through a membrane that separates the alcohol, water and other components on the basis of their molecular size.
Vacuum distillation: The use of low pressure for the evaporation of alcohol at lower temperatures than traditional distillation.
Heat Evaporation: This process involves heating the wine to a specific temperature at which the alcohol evaporates. The alcohol is then condensed and removed.
Spinning Cone Column: This technology separates alcohol from other compounds based on their volatility by spinning the wine in a conical column.
Cold filtration: In some methods, the wine is cooled down to a temperature that makes the alcohol insoluble, allowing it to be filtered out.
3- Flavour adjustment: Once the alcohol has been removed, the winemaker can adjust the flavour profile by blending in unfermented grape juice, using oak chips or extracts for ageing flavours, or by adding other natural flavours to enhance the taste.
4- Stabilisation: Wine is stabilised, often through filtration and the addition of preservatives such as sulphur dioxide, to prevent re-fermentation or spoilage.
5- Packaging: For distribution and consumption, the finished non-alcoholic wine is bottled and labelled.