Does alcohol ruin wine? A question Of the future

You’re crazy, is what you are all thinking. Isn’t that the core of wine itself, the alcohol? But, I had a strange experience that made me rethink the value of alcohol in wine, and what the future might hold.

I attended an industry wine event in the fall with peers in the non-alcoholic space. The tasting event was 98% traditional wine, with a few vendors offering non-alcoholic options. Many years ago, being at an event like this would have been a dream, surrounded by European wines to sample ad nauseam.

As a wine professional, tasting and spitting is expected so when a colleague suggested I sample a few traditional wines from her region, I thought it would be good training for my palate which hasn’t tasted alcohol in years.

What happened was surprising. I thought I would enjoy those heavenly sips of the forbidden fruit but it was the opposite. I hated it. After sampling about 4-5 different white and sparkling wines, I was disgusted because all I could taste was the alcohol. It was overwhelming. My palate was unable to distinguish anything more than primary flavours - gone was the ability to assess secondary and tertiary notes.

I felt like alcohol had ruined the wine.

It made me sit back and think about the wine industrial-complex as a whole. From a young age, we’re taught via marketing and society that wine is complex and structured and nuanced and the more you drink the more you are able to ascertain it’s uniqueness. And the more sophisticated you become.

What’s really happening is our palate gets conditioned to alcohol (in general) and becomes metaphorically numb to the overwhelming burn. In the glass, the heat from the alcohol dulls nuance and overwhelms our delicate sensory signals. But, our brain adapts because we have a belief system about wine, so we work hard to suss out the rest of the flavour profile through sensory compensation.

But what happens when you remove the alcohol? What’s left. This is the most sought after question by people who don’t want to drink traditional wine anymore but still crave the wine experience.

I’ve been drinking non-alcoholic wine by the gallon for almost six years and looking back at my experience at the wine event, it’s a stark contrast in the enjoyment of flavour.

Without alcohol asserting itself, the structure and complexity in a really well-made non-alcoholic wine like Zeronimo Leonis Blend is on full display. There is everything you want in a great wine - acidity, fruitiness, tannins and structure. The only thing that is usually missing from non-alcoholic wine is length because that’s the alcohol esther creating a sensory path as you swallow. Without alcohol it’s hard to replicate.

This begs the question about what role alcohol really has in the future of wine, in a slowly changing landscape where people are seeking alternatives now more than ever. Are we seeking escape or are we seeking an experience? Are we looking for the feeling of alcohol or do we want to enjoy something that tastes good and pairs with our food. Is alcohol just a byproduct?

When I interview Moa Gurbuzer, the founder of Oddbird, she suggested the hospitality industry will be much different in the future. That when you go to a restaurant you will be asked whether you want something with alcohol or without.

I don’t think she’s wrong but I do think it’s going to take more than just a small dip in wine sales to create a new world order. To do that, we’ll have to move away from intoxication as the defining aspect of drinking wine which may be an impossible task.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts so please leave a comment below.