New ideas from Rheinhessen for alcohol-free wines
Innovative winegrowers from Rheinhessen are already perfecting the production of alcohol-free wine and finding new solutions to preserve the authentic taste experience even without alcohol.
What exactly is non-alcoholic wine?
It is almost impossible to produce a wine from which every last shred of alcohol has been removed. For this reason, a wine from which the alcohol has been largely removed may also be called “alcohol-free” under EU law as long as the value of 0.5% vol. (or 4g/l) alcohol is not exceeded. Small amounts of alcohol can even be found in juices, ripe fruit, fermented vegetables, chocolate, etc.
How non-alcoholic wines are made
The vacuum process is generally used in the production of non-alcoholic wine. This is simply because it best preserves the flavour of the wine. The vacuum lowers the evaporation point of the alcohol. Gentle heating to 27 degrees is sufficient to remove the alcohol from the wine and largely preserve the flavour components. Aromatic grape varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc or Gelber Muskateller are particularly suitable for the production of alcohol-free wines.
Here we present a selection of the protagonists:
Peter Hinkel: The trick with Verjus
Peter Hinkel (Weingut Dr. Hinkel in Framersheim) peps up the dealcoholised wine by adding 20% verjus, the juice of unripe grapes. This gives the alcohol-free wine a freshness kick and creates an exciting interplay of sweetness and acidity that combines the absence of alcohol with the flavour experience of wine in a driver-friendly way.
Daniel Mattern: Riesling without limit
Daniel Mattern (Weingut Daniel Mattern in Mettenheim) presents a Riesling with an astonishing ripeness that is rarely found in non-alcoholic wines. This wine has the typical aroma of a high-quality Riesling and a flavour reminiscent of quince and peach.
But Sauvignon Blanc, rosé and sparkling wine are also established alcohol-free in Mattern’s range.
Johannes Trautwein: Flavour saviour
Johannes Trautwein (Trautwein winery in Lonsheim) prefers to refer to his wines as “dealcoholised” rather than alcohol-free. He relies on very gentle vacuum distillation and pays particular attention to preserving the wine flavours typical of the grape variety.
Johannes Balzhäuser: Riesling non-alcoholic
Johannes Balzhäuser presents his typical Rhine-Hessian Riesling from the loess, less acidic, with pronounced fruit as a non-alcoholic version. The residual sweetness, which is essential for the flavour, is reduced to a minimum, making the wine fresh and dry.
Do you fancy tasting the non-alcoholic wines? You can order the wines here.
You can find more information about wines from the Rheinhessen region here: https://www.rheinhessen.de/wir-sind-rheinhessen
Editor’s tip
Take a look at the online magazine of the St. Antony winery. In addition to great articles, you can also buy wines and more in the shop.
