Reader Asks: Does Non Alcoholic Wine Spoil Faster?

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An EverWonderWine reader recently had a bad experience with a non-alcoholic wine. It thickened and smelled bad just a few days after opening. The question asked was “What makes a non-alcoholic wine go bad quicker than regular wine?”

There are several factors that could have contributed to the non-alcoholic wine spoiling rapidly.

Here are some of the factors:

  • Alcohol acts as a natural preservative. Regular wine usually has 12–15% alcohol by volume (ABV), which helps prevent spoilage by inhibiting bacterial growth.

  • Non-alcoholic wine has little to no alcohol (often less than 0.5% ABV), so it lacks that natural protection, making it more vulnerable to spoilage.

  • Without any alcohol, oxidation and microbial growth occur more rapidly after opening a bottle.

  • Without alcohol to inhibit growth, bacteria or wild yeasts can thrive, especially in a warm environment.

  • These microbes can metabolize the residual sugar and other compounds in the wine, producing by-products that change the texture, making the wine thicker or syrupy.

While alcoholic wine (especially red wine) can often last 3–7 days once opened (depending on storage), non-alcoholic wine typically lasts 2–3 days in the fridge after opening when also using a wine-pump stopper to reduce oxygen exposure.

So, once you’ve opened that bottle of non-alcoholic wine, your best bet is to finish it off! After all, it’s non-alcoholic! Cheers!

Give Non-Alcoholic Wines a Try for Your Dry January

Embarking on a “Dry January” involves voluntarily abstaining from alcohol consumption for the entire month of January. This practice has gained popularity as a New Year’s resolution, with individuals choosing a temporary break from drinking to kickstart a healthier lifestyle, reassess their relationship with alcohol, and experience various physical and mental benefits. Whether motivated by health goals, curiosity, or a desire for self-reflection, this month-long commitment has become a widespread phenomenon, fostering a supportive community that encourages individuals to reevaluate the role alcohol plays in their lives.

So, if you are going for a “Dry January", have you considered non-alcoholic wines as an alternative? They’ve been around for years. 

But, you may have wondered: 

  • “What exactly is non-alcoholic wine?” 

  • “How is it made?” 

  • “Is it any good?”

First, let’s consider non-alcoholic wine. It’s essentially ‘real’ wine that’s been made from fermented grapes. It can exhibit similar flavor profiles to regular wine, but without the alcohol content. However, it’s important to note that non-alcoholic wine may still contain a minuscule amount of alcohol. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to check the label for the precise amount of alcohol it contains.

Now, let’s briefly examine the process of making non-alcoholic wine. As mentioned earlier, it begins with “real” wine, which is made from fermented grapes. Subsequently, it undergoes one of two methods to eliminate the alcohol content. One method is known as vacuum distillation. In this process, the wine is heated to temperatures where the alcohol starts to evaporate. However, these temperatures are below the boiling point of the wine. Since the boiling point of alcohol is lower than water, the alcohol “boils” off and is extracted in a vacuum chamber. 

The other method is reverse osmosis. This process employs an exceptionally fine filter that permits only water and alcohol to pass through. The filter captures all the fine grape particles responsible for the wine’s color, tannin, and flavors. Subsequently, the mixture of water and alcohol is distilled to eliminate the alcohol. The remaining water is then reintroduced to the grape solids to create a non-alcoholic wine.

These same two processes are used for “low calorie” or low-alcohol wines except they don’t remove all the alcohol. 

Alright, I’m sure you are already thinking “Is non-alcoholic wine any good?” Well, as you might have guessed, it’s not exactly the same as regular wine, but it does have a lot of tasty similarities. 

If you’re considering participating in “Dry January,” consider exploring non-alcoholic or low-alcohol wine options. Stay hydrated and raise a glass to your success! Cheers!

How Low-Alcohol and Non-Alcoholic Wines are Made

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Low and non-alcoholic wines have been around for years. But, you may have wondered:

  • “What exactly is a low-alcohol or a non-alcoholic wine?”

  • “How are they made?”

  • “Are they any good?”

Low-Alcohol Wine

Low-alcohol wines are produced just as any other wine. Usually, winemakers want the grapes to have high levels of sugar for a full fermentation to take place. All of this sugar is then converted to alcohol during fermentation, resulting in wines with 11-15% alcohol levels. In the case of low alcohol wines, the grapes are harvested up to two months earlier than normal with lower sugar levels. This way, the fermentation goes until the lower levels of sugar are completely fermented, resulting in reduced levels of alcohol. They are still '‘dry’ wines (i.e., very low residual sugar) with full flavors to have sufficient body and structure.

Non-Alcoholic Wine

Non-alcoholic wines are actually ‘real’ wine that’s been made from fermented grapes. It then goes through one of two processes to remove the alcohol. One method is called vacuum distillation where the wine is heated to temperatures where the alcohol begins to evaporate. This temperature is below the boiling point of the wine but, because the boiling point of alcohol is lower than water, the alcohol ‘boils’ off and is pulled away in a vacuum chamber.

The other method is reverse osmosis. This process uses an extremely fine filter that only allows the water and the alcohol to pass through. The filter catches all the fine grape particles that give the wine its color, its tannin and its flavors. The mixture of water and alcohol is then distilled to remove the alcohol. The left-over water is then recombined with the grape solids to form a non-alcoholic wine.

The Bottom Line

Now, there’s that final question “Are these low-alcohol and non-alcoholic wines any good?” The simple answer is “Yes!” These white wines can be bright and refreshing while the reds can have great depth of fruit flavor and balance.

So, stay tuned for the next Behind the Cork™ Wines of the Week that will feature two quality low-alcohol wines, a Chardonnay and a Malbec. Until then, cheers!

Are You Observing a Dry January? Ever Wonder? Is Non-Alcoholic Wine a Good Alternative?

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As mentioned last time, non-alcoholic wine is actually is ‘real’ wine that’s been made from fermented grapes. It then undergoes processes to remove all or part of the alcohol. But, the lingering question remains - Is non-alcoholic wine any good? Especially is you are trying to observe a Dry January.

Non-alcoholic, or Alcohol-free, wines can taste like regular wine in many ways. They go through the same fermentation process as regular wine, so they can have flavors, aromas, tannin, tastes and mouthfeel just like regular wine.

But, to be called a non-alcoholic or alcohol-free wine, it must contain less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). So, whereas a 5-ounce glass of red wine is typically 12 percent to 15 percent alcohol by volume and about 125 calories, a 5-ounce glass of non-alcoholic red wine is 0.5 percent alcohol by volume and about 30 to 35 calories.

This is a great alternative for a Dry January. But, there are some drawbacks. By removing the alcohol from wine, there are key traits that are also removed.

First, most of the aromas in wine come from the surface of the wine to your nose by evaporating alcohol. That’s why you’ll often see someone swirl their wine glass - it yields more aromas. But, when the alcohol is removed from wine, the aromas no longer have their primary delivery method. And, remember, while your tongue can only perceive sweet, salty and sour, your nose is how you distinguish all the thousands of various flavors. So, no alcohol means it's harder for the aromas to reach your nose.

Secondly, a quality wine is considered to be “balanced” when its elements are harmonious and no single element dominates. These elements include acidity and tannins as well as sweetness (residual sugar), fruit and alcohol. Without alcohol, wines can become too sweet, too acidic or too fruity. And, the lack of alcohol can change the ‘mouthfeel’ such that it will be different than a wine that contains alcohol.

Non-alcoholic wine can taste like wine in a lot of ways. Some have a good balance of acidity, while others are fruit-forward. Non-alcoholic sparkling wines and white wines often get the closest to tasting and feeling like drinking wines that contain alcohol.

So, here’s to non-alcoholic wines as part of a Dry January. Cheers!

Are You Observing a Dry January? Try Non-Alcoholic Wines for a Change

Embarking on a “Dry January” involves voluntarily abstaining from alcohol consumption for the entire month of January. This practice has gained popularity as a New Year's resolution, with individuals opting for a temporary break from drinking to kickstart a healthier lifestyle, reassess their relationship with alcohol, and experience various physical and mental benefits. Whether driven by health goals, curiosity, or a desire for self-reflection, this month-long commitment has become a widespread phenomenon, creating a community that encourages individuals to reevaluate the role of alcohol in their lives.

So, if you are going for a “Dry January", have you considered non-alcoholic wines as an alternative? They’ve been around for years.

But, you may have wondered:

  • “What exactly is non-alcoholic wine?”

  • “How is it made?”

  • “Is it any good?”

First, let’s look at non-alcoholic wine. It actually is ‘real’ wine that’s been made from fermented grapes. It can have similar flavors to wine, just without the alcohol. Although, non-alcoholic wine may still contain a very small amount of alcohol. So, check the label - it will tell you the exact amount of alcohol that it contains.

Now, let’s take a brief look at how non-alcoholic wine made. As stated previously, it starts with "‘real’ wine made from fermented grapes. Then it goes through one of two processes to remove the alcohol. One method is called vacuum distillation where the wine is heated to temperatures where the alcohol begins to evaporate. This temperature is below the boiling point of the wine but, because the boiling point of alcohol is lower than water, the alcohol ‘boils’ off and is pulled away in a vacuum chamber.

The other method is reverse osmosis. This process uses an extremely fine filter that only allows the water and the alcohol to pass through. The filter catches all the fine grape particles that give the wine its color, its tannin and its flavors. The mixture of water and alcohol is then distilled to remove the alcohol. The left-over water is then recombined with the grape solids to form a non-alcoholic wine.

The same processes are used for “low calorie” or low-alcohol wines except they don’t remove all the alcohol.

So, we get to the final question “Is non-alcoholic wine any good?” Well, as you might have guessed, it’s not the same as “real” wine but it does have a lot of similarities. We’ll discuss this a bit more next time. Until then, Stay Dry! Cheers!