Another Round - No. 5
Big Moves, From Big Names and Why Words Still Matter
Is anyone else think pieced out, overstimulated and finding it hard to keep up with the pinging from what feels like every earthly corner of your phone? And it’s only the middle of the first month of the new year - before 47 and the billionaire boys club come for even more of our freedoms and sanity. Since November, The Luncheonette mostly took a breather - because life and the world pushing us to survival mode and despair can do wonky things to creativity. So, to get back into the swing of things, because we have to create and write during all times - The Luncheonette is kicking off 2025 with the latest installment of ‘Another Round’.
‘Tis the season for resolutions, routines and reflection for what a more mindful and healthy life entails. And while The Luncheonette has roots in the beverage world - you don’t have to be in it to know about the now, pretty popular Dry January or Marathon Month for anyone in the alcohol free space. Every year Dry January gains more momentum, and at the end of 2024 there was a constant broken record about how saturated the zero proof market has become. And while that may feel true, there is one area in which non-alc products still have a long way to go … wine.
In 2021, after a long career in wine and restaurants, and the lifestyle that went along with it - I made the choice to go one hundred and sixty days alcohol free. It was a game changer, and started my exploration into many zero proof products, and specifically launched a new journey with dealcoholized wine. Three years ago, I was already impressed with the improvements I’d seen in the category, as my first tastes with non-alc wine was in 2015 and at the time - the selections available were a hard pass for me and the programs I ran. In 2021, three brands stood out and while The Luncheonette isn’t about product listicles, it does stand behind quality wines in which we recommend to Aldea clients and industry pros; those wines were: Leitz Eins Zwei Zero, Noughty, and Odd Bird.
Fast forward to 2025 and dealcoholized wines have come even further with more options than ever - to the point that now traditional, legacy media regularly include features on non-alc wines - which is fantastic! At the same time … as with anything in our world, language matters - especially around such a nuanced topic, that continues to, at times, cause friction across the beverage world.
Representation Matters, So Do Words
It’s great to see one of the largest food publications in legacy media shine a light on dealcoholized wine. And while I am happy to see some of the best options on the market right now featured, the words in which the stage gets set for the line up of .5% juice diminishes dealcoholized wine from the jump.
One of the most famous editors in the world of wine kicks off the article, with ‘As a wine lover - of the real stuff’ and follows it up with ‘To make good-tasting nonalcoholic wine, you need to de-alcoholize real wine …’ - and while I agree that beginning with the traditional, alcoholic version of wine makes for some of the best non-alco versions available - calling the former “real” is not only thoughtless but shows the continued us vs. them mentality when it comes to the emerging category and quality of dealcoholized wine.
Of course Food & Wine is a magazine more focused on consumers rather than industry pros (even though we love, reference and respect it) - so I understand the reasoning behind the title and word choice, we want consumers to be informed and expectations in check when trying the diet coke version of adult grape juice of which we’re more familiar. Yet, the othering of the dealcoholized option isn’t the only issue with the language. The title stating ‘… That Taste Just As Good As The Real Thing’, is lacking the nuance of actually tasting through these types of wines, with actual consumers in mind. Yes, if you’re getting a dealcoholized wine from a reputable importer and winery - the Pinot Noir is going to taste like Pinot Noir, same for Chardonnay or Riesling. The nuance comes in with the texture and bite that dealcoholized wine often lacks (because there’s in fact, no alcohol), that consumers are looking for - and what have them searching for more. So to say the top eight wines that they selected taste just as good as … can be setting up an apples to oranges comparison1. Still, it’s great to see more folks, especially with far reach, covering dealcoholized wine - especially with so much room and opportunity in this zero proof category.
Two Ways to Wine
In October, The Luncheonette got into some of the numbers behind the immense opportunity to address the wine world woes - by embracing dealcoholized options in their portfolios. Watching vineyards get ripped up is heartbreaking - maybe there is more than one way to wine.
Big Names Know Data
The Luncheonette tends to like its wines, like its support of businesses - small. Yet, when big names get into any game it means their big data is pointing to best bets for their bottom line - meaning the recurring theme of this week’s newsletter - there’s a ton of opportunity in dealcoholized wine. Josh Cellars, the largest premium U.S. table wine in the $11+ segment, announced the launch of their Non-Alcoholic Sparkling this month - citing “their commitment to innovative products and fulfilling consumer’s needs and evolving preferences.
The None Newsflash News
Another traditional, legacy media outlet kicked off the year with a story on wine - which, again we’ll take. But to many folks in the beverage business and around the zero proof world, it’s no newsflash that Gen Z is opting out of booze more often and have less of a connection to wine. Again, it’s great to see big names like Antinori and Stag’s Leap taking low-alcohol options and mindful drinking into consideration, because it can help diminish the stigma of opting out of booze - while still wanting to enjoy a glass of wine.
But here is the newsflash that very few have picked up - while we have the data on drinking habits of younger generations, much like there is opportunity for dealcoholized wine in the zero proof realm, too many marketing folks and businesses are sleeping on a generation that already loves their product - Gen X. Listen, we’re used to getting ignored and passed over - but the dealcoholized wine brands that go all in on the Gen Xers that already love wine are going to get a jump over those chasing to get Gen Z to like the stuff in the first place.
Does Dry Dating, sound like a disaster?
While my dating days have long passed, one of the lessons learned during that one hundred and sixty day stint in 2021 was that I didn’t have to give up going out and having fun. A lesson that easily helped me cross a year of being alcohol free in mid-December 2024 - a story I’m excited to share as a guest feature on a popular publication in the coming weeks. If you’re testing out Dry January or looking to cut back - you may be worried about how to socialize without the sauce - let alone go on a first date, both of which are very valid.
NPR has been rolling out features all month that have been fun and informative, from their Dry January Kit to a Dry Dating episode on 1A. If the Dry Dating piece has you intrigued, I also want to highly recommend checking out one of the featured writers in the piece - Tawny Lara; she writes a crushable newsletter ‘Beyond Liquid Courage’, is the founder of the botanical spirit (parentheses) and author of the fabulously titled: Dry Humping. Check out Tawny’s work and subscribe below.
Everything is Going to be OK: I might simply be trying to talk myself into this statement, given the incoming administration2, but it’s also a reminder to everyone in the beverage world, up in arms about the recent announcement from the Surgeon General. Yes, alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States3; and while the scientific evidence for this connection has been growing over the past four decades, less than half of Americans recognize it as a risk factor for cancer. However, it’s third to tobacco and obesity, with tobacco clocking in annual sales at $282.4 billion in 2024, with an estimated compound, annual growth of 4.6% in 2025 - and there’s been a Surgeon General warning on cigarettes since 1964. Just like with tobacco, if people want to drink alcohol they’re going to, no matter the risk. It’s also another indicator of changing times, where we all have the choice to adapt or get left behind.
One of the mistakes a lot of folks make when first traversing the zero proof space is thinking decades of experience are going to easily translate into understanding the depths of dealcoholized wine and zero proof spirits. I did, even after I had built and created spirit free selections into multiple beverage programs in 2015 and 2016. Does a foundational knowledge help? Yes, of course. However, it’s important to know this part of the beverage world is more nuanced than many give credit; it takes time to understand cocktail builds are different with non-alc spirits and dealcoholized Pinot pairs differently than it’s fully leaded counterpart. Our backgrounds in beverage may be a solid foundation upon which to base our education of this growing category - but a career in selling wine and enjoying a few mocktails a couple times a month doesn’t make for expertise - truly no offense to anyone in that category4, but it’s true. One of the things I’m most excited about in 2025 is more beverage industry pros getting into this part of the drinks world - my recommendation is to take your time to learn about the nuances, while working with and hiring folks that have spent years and in some cases decades in the non-alc space.
Over the past three years it’s been fun and intriguing to taste and educate myself, and eventually others in a quiet and behind the scenes style - to see what worked for on-premise, retail and consumers; that approach has been highly beneficial and I’m looking forward to working in the space even more in 2025.
If you are a restaurant, non-alc or traditional retail shop looking to tap into more opportunities with zero proof programs or a cannabis dispensary and lounge looking to elevate your hospitality - Aldea specializes in zero proof programming, education and events. Reach out and let’s have tea: liz@aldeahospitality.com; if you don’t reach out to me - I encourage you to at least talk with a professional in the non-alc space if you’re looking to enhance profits and inclusive hospitality with zero proof selections.
While dealcoholized wine, is “real” wine - comparing it equally to it’s alcoholic counterpart doesn’t do either, any favors. Think of it like diet coke vs. coke or coffee vs. decaf.
The iconic 'Keep Calm and Carry On' poster was designed months before the Second World War began. Its message was supposed to boost morale and ensure the public could bear the sacrifice and burden required of them - however the poster was never sanctioned and only became popular after rediscovery in 2021.
My recovering people pleaser is coming out here in stating no offense - but it’s true, just because you have a background in wine and booze, doesn’t mean you’re qualified to educate or consult on zero proof beverage programs.
Love love love your perspective on this as a beverage industry veteran who acknowledged that NA drinks (especially *good* NA drinks) require some education.