WBWE presents: IREM EREN from BevZero

I think everyone in the industry will agree with me: Irem Eren has become one of the most relevant voices today, and she mostly talks about non-alcoholic wine! Times are certainly changing.?

On the occasion of her participation in the upcoming WBWE, Irem has granted us an interesting interview in which she provides some insights into the category that is revolutionizing the industry.?

Irem Eren will chair the round-table discussion “No&Low, there is a market out there!” in which will also participate:?

• Sebastien Thomas, Co-Founder of Moderato?
• Laura Willoughby MBE, Co-Founder of Club Soda?
• Florian CESCHI, global wine and grape broker, Ciatti Europe?
• Gianmaria Zanella, Head of R&D, Enologica Vason?

Irem has vast international experience (EU, U.S.), and multidisciplinary background. She is a chemist, holds master′s in international business & marketing, WSET Diploma, is currently studying for Master of Wine.?

Irem held versatile positions in Wine Industry, from production to sales, prior to her journey in No & Low Alcohol products. She currently is an educator & editor at WSET, and judge at several wine competitions.?

• Tell us a little about Bev Zero's business model, and what you are working on right now?

BevZero, headquartered in California, employs a team of winemakers, brewers, distillers and food scientists in U.S. Spain and South Africa, and serves as a one-stop shop to take a product from brainstorm to bottle, producing the highest quality low& no-alcohol and infused functional beverages.??

BevZero was founded over 30 years with a singular mission, to bring an innovative solution to the wine industry. Since pioneering a process in 1991 using vacuum distillation for alcohol removal in wine, hundreds of winemakers around the globe have used our innovative solutions as a standard winemaking tool to remove excessive alcohol from traditionally alcoholic beverages without the slightest loss of aroma or ?avor.?

With the introduction of new patented dealcoholization equipment and processes, BevZero has grown to become the world leader for innovative solutions and streamlined supply-chain processes for low- and non-alcoholic, and infused functional beverages across beer, wine, cider.??

Currently we work on our white label and private label business, helping wineries, brand marketers, distributors, retailers to launch their brands into the market with a fast track.?

Moreover, with the new alcohol duty regulations in UK and also Global warming, we are doing more and more alcohol adjustment, and lowering the alcohol of the wines to comply with the tax regulations and creating more balanced wines.?

• How do you work the process of dealcoholizing of a wine??

It is important to first distinguish a no alcohol wine product and a de-alcoholized wine.? The difference in process and quality is clear upon tasting the various products but many do not understand the difference in the production of the two beverages. True nonalcoholic / dealcoholized wine is produced from wine that has been fermented with yeasts and has undergone a vinification process, then goes through an additional process of having the alcohol removed. All other fruit-based products marketed as nonalcoholic wine are simply juice.?

While there are various methods to dealcoholize a beverage the most common ones are membrane technology or distillation. BevZero uses Low Temperature Vacuum Distillation technology which allows for the most gentle removal of alcohol, through a single pass process, while preserving nearly 100% of the aroma’s and flavors, the essence, that can be added back to the de-alcoholized fraction to retain original characteristics of the wine in the finished product.?

It is important to note that following the removal of the alcohol the product is a very different product than the original starting wine.? Flaws are concentrated, sweetness removed, acidity increased, mouthfeel and other key characteristics minimized. This is why creating a quality zero alcohol wine is challenging. Understanding the desired key characteristics of an incoming wine that will work best to put thru the de-alcoholization process, along with the knowledge of how to build back balance and flavor in the finished product is a critical to delivering a high quality de-alcoholized wine.?

• In which specific markets or countries do you think non-alcoholic wines are working best, and how do you think it will evolve in the coming years worldwide??

Globally low and no alcohol beverages have seen tremendous growth. 10 core markets for No/lo are Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Spain, UK, US. US is leading in all major No/lo categories. However, Germany and UK are the most dynamic markets.? IWSR recently announced the global market value of no/low alcohol products in 2022 surpassed $11billion, up from $8 billion in 2018.?

In my opinion, given my experience and observing the market closely I believe the future of the category will take different directions; first, the Blurring of Category Lines; moving away from the no and low alcohol wine category separations in the next 10-20 years. The segmentation is getting more already blurry, there is Industry fluidity, it is not limited to the category, but consumer occasion is and will continue to drive.?

No / Low alcohol is not a trend anymore, it is a category which is here to stay, and the market is out there.?

• Do you think that, in Spain, the time will come for a boom in non-alcoholic wines??

Despite the acceleration in the category, the no/low space is still in the early stages where the category is defining itself, there is a lot of focus on taste and occasion. The highlight of the current trends since 2018, accelerated by Covid-19 Pandemic. In some markets, it is entering the next phase of growth, where retailers and consumers become aware and make space for it. The next phase will be the expansion phase in many markets such as Germany, UK, USA.?

In Spain, Beer has led the way in no alcohol however non-alcoholic wine is still in the early stages. I believe the reason for the wine sector has been long to catch up in Spain is the tradition.? However, with the emerging younger consumer there is a thirst for alternative products. Especially with improved choice, branding, new formats as canned wines and quality the non-alcoholic wines are growing in Spain. I believe most of the major wineries in Spain will include no-alc wines as part of their line extensions in 5 years’ time.? Line extension with 0% abv wines is a great opportunity for wineries to reach a different consumer group which may not be possible with their current portfolio, hence it is an opportunity for increased sales. For bulk wine producers offering 0% abv wine is very important too, as they can create a new product out of the surplus of bulk wine and turn it into a new sales opportunity.?

• In my opinion, the biggest barrier for non-alcoholic wine to succeed as a category is that it is almost impossible to find them in the HORECA sector; in Spain there are neither bars nor restaurants that offer non-alcoholic wines while all of them have 0.0 beers. What can be done to improve their presence in these places??

One of the challenges for non-alcoholic wine is the route to market, choosing the right product positioning and launch path. Retailers and consumers become aware and make space for it. Given my 10+ years of brand marketing experience, the wine brands are made in on-trade. However, wine buyers, and the sommeliers in HORECA are the barrier because they compare these products to wine. Therefore, the most important step is the education of the wine trade. No & Low wine is an alternative category, targeting different types of consumers, not competing with highly engaged wine connoisseurs.? On the other hand, in Spain there are a few online retailers focusing on non-alc beverages online with a significant portfolio in non alc wine. The next step might be opening bars focusing only on non-alc beverages, which then encourage others to include sober menus in their offerings.??

• Robert Joseph recently commented on this in an interview: “A wine that has had its muscle removed by a spinning cone, or any of the other methods, is free from the legal constraints associated with stuff that comes under the legal definition of wine. So, why not add water, tea and carrot juice and maybe some herbs and spices? And why not experiment with ingredients other than the customarily-used sugar to replace the mouthfeel that's invariably lost through dealcoholisation?” What do you think about the possibility he raises??

I echo Robert Joseph, especially considering the current regulations that wine is an alcoholic beverage with a minimum of 8.5% abv alcohol. Maximum dealcoholization level through different processes allowed is 20% of its alcohol level. Therefore, these products should be free from legal constraints, unless OIV recognizes the dealcoholized wines as wine. On the other hand, technically speaking dealcoholized wine reacts very well to different infusions with herbs, tea extracts, they add complexity and extend the finish. I believe the next stage of the no & lo movement is new flavored drinks, as well as the plant based functional drinks such as functional mushrooms with additional health benefits (mental health, focus, cognitive health). Hence the sky is the limit.?

• Which brands or companies would you recommend us to enter this interesting world of non-alcoholic wines??

The quality of non-alcohol beverages has seen tremendous improvement lately, therefore there are many choices for different types of consumers. My personal favorites are ISH Espumante, Moderato, Zeno (especially if you are looking for a good non-alc red), Natureo by Torres which is a pioneer. Odd Bird, Naughty, Codorniu, Lautus ,Cognato, Wild Life Botanicals, which is a nonalcoholic wine with herbal infusion.?

I will be conducting a guided tasting at this year′s WBWE show, as last year, and we might taste a few of my personal favorites, stay tuned.

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