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Trade looks to push low-alcohol wines

Published:  08 October, 2009

Trade and consumer interest in low alcohol wine is soaring, the organisers of a major forum on the rapidly emerging category claimed this week.

Trade and consumer interest in low alcohol wine is soaring, the organisers of a major forum on the rapidly emerging category claimed this week.

Organised by the WSTA, the Low Alcohol Wine Forum, held in central London heard the views of some of the key players in the wine and wine buying industry.

 

The forum, which attracted around 150 people from across the trade, heard that low alcohol wines could have an important future in the industry.

 

One of the key speakers at the event, Andrea Ruggeri, director of purchasing at Matthew Clark, said: "The purpose of the forum was to find out what exactly low alcohol wine means - is it a good idea? I think that it has to be a good idea as it increases consumer choice. We were looking to get to the pros and cons of low alcohol wine and can low alcohol wine can be drinkable. We wanted to find out how far the industry has moved on in terms of low alcohol wine. I think that it is a good thing for the industry to be supportive of it, but whether the consumer buys it is another thing."

 

He added that if the consumer is to be given a choice on low alcohol wines that quality needed to be good.

 

"The jury is still out on whether it will be a success or not."

 

Ruggeri said in the on-trade if people want to lessen alcohol levels in their drink they generally tend to blend wine with a spritzer.

 

But he adds there is a move to wines with alcohol levels less than 10.5% that is currently growing by 20%.

 

"Matthew Clark sells lower alcoholic wine through the likes of brand Germany, we also sell some Italian wines and Zinfandels that tend to be naturally lower in volume.

 

"But if you ask people if they know that German wines are reduced alcohol with an ABV at eight or nine per cent, most people say, no."

 

Ruggeri also said that it's tricky to market in the on trade and the difficulty is whether restaurants should promote it under a lower ABV category on the menu or keep it within its generic country of origin.

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