Winemakers are rebuilding juicy – Newspaper Kommersant No. 47 (7492) of 03/21/2023

Major Russian wineries are launching non-alcoholic versions of their drinks, hoping to take part in a growing category dominated by imports. For example, Fanagoria started producing non-alcoholic white and pink sparkling wine made from aged grape juice. Such a drink is much cheaper than imported brands, but cannot be compared with non-alcoholic wines obtained from alcoholic ones, experts say.

Fanagoria enters the segment of non-alcoholic wines with a line of non-alcoholic sparkling Zero White and Zero Rose, a company representative told Kommersant. The volume of the first batches is about 60 thousand bottles, the recommended retail price is from 230 rubles. for a bottle of 0.75 liters. The product is made from its own grape juice with grape water and is aged in akratophore (tank for the production of sparkling wines) like traditional wines, Fanagoria explains. They added that the new product will first appear on sale in a network of branded wineries.

According to Fanagoria, consumer interest in non-alcoholic wines is growing, and in three years their assortment in stores has doubled. But the taste characteristics of non-alcoholic wines sold in chains are far from the “real wine” taste, the company notes. Andrey Ushakov, Marketing Director of Luding Group, adds that almost all non-alcoholic wines in Russia are imported and so far remain “a specific story”. Non-alcoholic wines account for less than 1% of sales of all wines, he noted.

Alexander Stavtsev, head of the WineRetail information center, says that the new product of Fanagoria can be considered an entry into the segment of carbonated drinks that have nothing to do with wine. According to the expert, according to Russian legislation, non-alcoholic wine must be produced from ordinary wine. This is a rather expensive technology, therefore, to get a drink worth about 250 rubles. for a bottle it would be difficult, says Mr. Stavtsev. According to him, the demand for non-alcoholic wines is growing, which is why Fanagoria is positioning the new drink in this segment. It will not be difficult to sell the product, given that an alcohol license is not required for sale, the expert adds.

Daria Sologub, import director of the Fort wine trading company, confirms that the process of distilling wine, in which the wine is heated and the degrees drop to zero, is complex and expensive. Such wines are always slightly sweet and can cost comparable to alcoholic ones, she explains. In the Winestyle catalog, non-alcoholic wines cost from 600 rubles. for a bottle of 0.75 liters. The new product of Fanagoria is likely to compete primarily with the Abrau-Durso drink Abrau Light Zero, which is available on online platforms for about 240 rubles. for a bottle. Abrau-Durso did not provide a comment. The company “Kuban-Vino” reported that the production of non-alcoholic wines is not yet planned.

Dmitry Isachenkov, Development Director of Ladoga, says that the company is also paying attention to the trend towards a decrease in the degree of consumption and has activated work with drinks with a low degree. According to him, Ladoga has already delivered a batch of non-alcoholic wine to France, previously imported Pomme Doublee cider, which is produced by Calvados manufacturer Pere Magloire, and is planning a large-scale low-grade wine program this summer. Andrey Ushakov says that Luding Group has expanded its range of non-alcoholic wines with the Mio Angelo line of Italy’s Casa Vinicola Costanza, which accounted for 20% of the company’s total sales in the category.

According to Rosalkogolregulirovanie, in January-February 2023, retail sales of wine products decreased by about 8.7%, to 12.49 million decalitres. Sales of sparkling wines rose by 6.9% to 3.1 million decalitres.

Anatoly Kostyrev