As Paris hosts Wine Paris this week, a familiar cast of wine and spirits makers is sharing floor space with producers of zero- and low-alcohol alternatives, betting that non-alcoholic versions can fit into social life without changing the ritual. The show features a range of no/low drinks, including non-alcoholic red, white, rosé and sparkling wines, sold alongside established alcohol brands from Europe and beyond.
For some visitors, the appeal is not only taste but the ability to participate in occasions where alcohol traditionally plays a role. Justine Bobin, who described herself as a French teetotaler, said many people associate not drinking with losing fun in France. She said, “People are convinced that you can’t have fun if you don’t drink alcohol in France,” and said the message is part of what drew her to the show.
Bobin came to taste products and look for options to sell at her delicatessen shop in France’s Burgundy wine-making region. She said alcohol-free drinks help teetotalers and alcohol drinkers spend time together, describing the benefit as shared moments rather than exclusion. “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, adding that she views the products as “more of a product for inclusion.”
The business case for no/low drinks is also being presented at an industry scale. France’s government is offering to pay wine-makers who agree to rip up their vineyards to reduce output of vintages “no longer in demand.” In that environment, Heineken also highlighted both costs and growth, saying it will cut up to 6,000 jobs from its global workforce by 2028 after its beer sales fell last year.
At the same time, Heineken said its portfolio of no/low drinks has expanded, with double-digit growth in 18 markets. The message at the show is that non-alcoholic beverages are not just substitutes for another segment, but products aimed at changing consumer habits, particularly among young adults who are more mindful of alcohol’s harms.
Other producers at Wine Paris say demand is rooted in personal experience and changing attitudes rather than novelty. Katja Bernegger, who makes alcohol-free wines in Austria, said she does not see no/low drinking as a passing fad. She said, “People are more mindful of their body,” and argued that people expect alcohol to bring downsides the next day. “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,” she said.
Bernegger also described how she started down the no/low path while expecting a child. She and her partner, a winemaker, began venturing into no-alcohol wines after she said she was pregnant, adding that she stopped drinking but missed wine flavors. “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, arguing that drink options need to offer “some sophisticated non-alcoholic options.”
In the background of the trade-show sampling, AP reported that alcohol consumption in France has fallen over the last half-century, with many adults reducing wine consumption and young people generally drinking differently than their parents. Organizers and exhibitors are using that shift to frame their products as both lifestyle choices and mainstream offerings, aligning the idea of “drink different” with a market that appears to be expanding beyond a niche.
AP journalist Catherine Gaschka in Paris contributed to this report.