Paris Wine Exhibition Highlights Growing Popularity of Zero- and Low-Alcohol Beverages

PARIS – Navigating social scenes in France without indulging in wine or beer can be quite a challenge, as Justine Bobin, a French non-drinker, can attest. Despite a decline in alcohol dependency, wine and other spirits still play a significant role in social gatherings across the country.

“There’s a widespread belief here that you can’t enjoy yourself without alcohol,” Bobin remarks.

This week, Bobin traveled to Paris to explore a burgeoning selection of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beverages. The offerings, which include a variety of wines such as red, white, rosé, and sparkling from regions like Europe, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, were showcased alongside traditional alcoholic suppliers at a prominent international wine and spirits trade fair.

With catchphrases like “no alcohol, no regrets, no consequences,” and suggestions to “drink different,” the producers of these low and no-alcohol drinks are tapping into evolving consumer preferences. This shift is particularly evident among younger adults who are becoming more conscious of the negative impacts of alcohol.

In the United States, there’s a noticeable decline in alcohol consumption, and globally, the no/low-alcohol market is steadily eroding the dominance of traditional alcoholic beverages.

In France, the government has initiated measures to assist winemakers willing to dismantle vineyards, in response to decreasing demand for certain wine vintages. Meanwhile, Dutch beverage leader Heineken has announced plans to downsize its global workforce by up to 6,000 positions by 2028, following a dip in beer sales last year. Despite this, their no/low-alcohol segment experienced robust double-digit growth across 18 markets.

Bobin, who is Muslim, said zero-alcohol drinks can help teetotalers and drinkers of alcohol spend time together. She tasted a variety of non-alcoholic adult beverages at the Wine Paris show, looking for some to sell at her delicatessen shop in France’s wine-making Burgundy region.

“It allows us to share a moment with people even without drinking alcohol. So they can drink if they want, but we can still share a drink, toast with them,” she said. “It offers an alternative for everyone and brings people together. It’s more of a product for inclusion, I think, for people who don’t drink alcohol, and that’s great.”

Alcohol consumption in France has plummeted in the last half-century, with many adults dropping the habit of wine with most meals and young people, in particular, generally drinking less and differently than their parents.

Katja Bernegger, who produces alcohol-free wines in Austria, said no/low drinking isn’t a passing fad.

“People are more mindful of their body,” she said. “If you drink today, you probably have a headache tomorrow, and they don’t want it because you need to function, you have kids, you have a job.”

Bernegger and her partner, a winemaker, started venturing into no-alcohol wines when she was pregnant. She stopped drinking but missed the flavors of wine.

“You are standing there with your orange juice or Coke. You are out of it. You have to explain why you don’t drink,” she said.

“So you are simply having just half of the fun in life. And that’s the reason why we need some sophisticated non-alcoholic options.”

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AP journalist Catherine Gaschka in Paris contributed to this report.