What is de-alcoholised wine? (And is it actually alcohol-free?)
De-alcoholised wine is real wine with its alcohol gently removed after fermentation. It's grown, picked, crushed and fermented like any other wine. The difference comes at the very end, when the alcohol leaves and the flavour stays.
If you've ever wondered why a good de-alc sparkling tastes like an actual drink, not fancy grape juice, this's your answer. Let's break it down.
Is de-alcoholised wine just grape juice?
Not even close. Grape juice is never fermented, so it keeps all its natural sugar and tastes like, well, juice.
De-alcoholised wine goes through full fermentation first. Yeast turns the grape sugar into alcohol, and along the way it builds the dryness, acidity and complexity that make wine taste like wine. Only then is the alcohol taken out.
That's why Corsika Blossom Spritz starts with a dry Semillon Chardonnay wine. You get the crisp, grown-up backbone of wine, minus the standard drinks.
How is the alcohol removed from wine?
Winemakers have a few ways to do it. All of them aim to take the alcohol out without cooking the flavour.
Vacuum distillation. Lowering the pressure lets alcohol evaporate at a much lower temperature than usual, so delicate aromas aren't boiled away.
Spinning cone column. The wine flows over spinning cones under vacuum. It captures the aromas first, removes the alcohol, then returns the aromas.
Reverse osmosis. The wine is pushed through an ultra-fine membrane that separates the alcohol from the flavour compounds.
Some aroma is always lost along the way. That's why the best de-alc drinks bring flavour back with natural botanicals. [Alex: add one line on the method your producer uses.]
Is de-alcoholised wine completely alcohol-free?
Short answer: check the label. Some de-alcoholised wines keep a tiny trace of alcohol, while others are tested to 0.0%. Corsika wine has been tested at 0.1%.
In Australia, "alcohol free" applies to products with no alcohol at all. Drinks with a trace can be labelled "de-alcoholised" instead.
Corsika Blossom Spritz contains less than 0.5% ABV. The Standard Drink is 0, which puts it in the non-alc. category. If avoiding alcohol completely matters to you, whether for health, faith, pregnancy or getting behind the wheel, always check the ABV on the label and ask your doctor if you're unsure.
Does de-alcoholised wine taste like wine?
A good one tastes like a good drink. Alcohol carries body and warmth, so taking it out changes things. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.
So we didn't try to make a carbon copy of sparkling wine. We built Blossom Spritz as an apéritif: de-alcoholised dry white wine, lifted with orange blossom, mandarin and native Australian wattleseed, then made properly sparkling. Crisp, dry and delicately floral.
Less "where's the alcohol?" and more "what is that, and where do I get it?"
Why are more Australians drinking de-alcoholised wine?
Because drinking differently is having a moment. Some people are cutting back. Some are sober curious. Some are driving, training, or just want to remember the party.
We're not here to judge any of it. De-alc wine means you can say yes to the apéro, the toast and the long Sunday lunch, and still feel like yourself the next morning.
How should you drink it?
Chill it well. Pour it over plenty of ice. Add a slice of dry orange or a rosemary stick if you're feeling fancy. Or spritz it up with your favourite spirit. Your glass, your rules.
Ready to taste the difference? Shop Corsika Blossom Spritz.
Quick answers
What's the difference between de-alcoholised and non-alcoholic wine? De-alcoholised describes how it's made: real wine with the alcohol removed. Non-alcoholic describes what's left, and in Australia it should mean no alcohol at all.
Is de-alcoholised wine vegan? It depends on the producer, because some wines are fined with animal products. Corsika Blossom Spritz is vegan-friendly and gluten-free.
Does it contain sulphites? Yes. Like alcoholic wines and sparkling wines. Always check the label if you have an allergy.