At a time when fewer and fewer people are drinking wine and non-alcoholic alternatives are on the rise, it bridges the gap between these two worlds: low-alcohol wine. But can it really boost business?
At the height of summer, sales of wine traditionally experience a deep dip. Particularly on hot days, hardly anyone likes to consume alcoholic beverages, which can be a strain on the circulation. For the specialist wine and food retail trade, this poses a challenge year after year. That's why it's worthwhile to focus more on de-alcoholized wines and non-alcoholic sparkling wines, especially on midsummer days. Or on proxies . But there is another category with which you can score points with customers. Low-alcohol wine bridges the gap between traditional and non-alcoholic wines not only in the height of summer, but all year round.
There is just one small problem. To date, no wine law in the world has defined exactly what low-alcohol wine actually is. In other words, up to how many percent alcohol by volume a wine can be called low-alcohol. For this reason, the prevailing definitions are unfortunately quite variable. The common denominator is the lower spectrum. Low-alcohol wine starts at 0.6 percent alcohol by volume. The wine world has already agreed on this without a vote. Simply because anything below that can be called alcohol-free. But where is the upper limit? And this is where there are different points of view. Many wine experts say that anything below 10 percent alcohol by volume is alcohol-free. Others see the upper limit as 3.5 percent alcohol by volume - which then limits the choice extremely. In order to give you a few more tips for your sales on hot summer days, we will focus below on a maximum of 10 percent alcohol by volume.
Classic low-alcohol wine: wine spritzer
If your customers don't want to do without wine on midsummer days, but can't tolerate alcohol very well due to the heat, then wine spritzers are ideal for finding a middle ground. Here you even have two different sales strategies to choose from. On the one hand, you can offer wines that are ideal for spritzers. This in turn has two advantages. Firstly, you can offer wines with the best suitability and margin. Secondly, your customers can decide for themselves how high the alcohol content of the wine spritzer should be. The more mineral water, the lower the alcohol content of the wine - a simple rule of thumb. Grape varieties such as Grüner Veltliner, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc are ideal for wine spritzers. Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris or Chardonnay can also be excellent if they have not been matured in wooden barrels.
On the other hand, you can also offer wine spritzers as RTDs (ready-to-drink). Ready-mixed wine spritzers directly from the winery or from the wholesaler have the advantage that they can be enjoyed on any occasion. Whether you're having a drink in the city, at a party on the beach or at the lake, swimming pool or park - with ready-made wine spritzers, there's no need to mix them yourself and you can enjoy them straight from the bottle. This is exactly what makes the enjoyment more mobile. Another advantage: as the consumer, you know exactly how much alcohol you are consuming. When you mix your own, the ratio can quickly become less harmonious if you really want to enjoy low-alcohol wine.
