Bevzero Experts On The One Choice That Will Make Or Break A Non-Alcoholic Wine
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Christian Deakin, Product Development Manager at BevZero US, and Gregorio Blanco Toledano, Quality and R&D Manager, of BevZero Spain were asked the same questions a week apart without seeing each other's answers. Both named the base wine, for the same reason: alcohol removal concentrates what is left behind, and there is limited time to fix it afterward.
"The most important thing is choosing the wine," Blanco said.
The Decision You Make Before Processing Starts
Removing alcohol from wine also removes water. The finished volume is smaller, and everything remaining sits at a higher concentration. It is very important to choose a wine that will dealcoholize well, not one that that's perfect for a full alcohol product.
"When you have that volume loss, that means everything else concentrates," Deakin said. "If I'm trying to make a rosé, I need to start with the palest, softest pink wine out there. Because after you concentrate that color, it's going to look like lipstick."
Blanco described the same effect in the components a winemaker measures. "If you have high tannins, high color, high acidity," he said. "Everything is going to be increased in the final product, so the final product is going to be unbalanced. If we choose the correct wine... the final product will be better."
Deakin flagged the part that has no workaround. "When I say everything concentrates, that includes flaws," he said. "If you start with flawed wine, you are going to end up with a very flawed dealcoholized wine."
An Expensive Wine Isn't Necessarily the Right Wine
Blanco tested the assumption that an expensive wine makes a better non-alcoholic wine, and found it did not hold. "We made trials with high-price wine, 40 or 50 euros, and found it was not necessarily the best wine to dealcoholize," he said. "It might be the best wine to drink, but not the best wine to dealcoholize. Price is not an indicator of suitability for dealcoholization."
Deakin draws the same distinction. "To make a great non-alcoholic wine, you don't necessarily need to start with an expensive alcoholic wine," he said. "You need to start with a wine that will dealcoholize well."
What that means in practice is that there are key factors that make a wine dealcoholize well, that a winemaker can check a lot against. Paler and softer than the target style, because color and acid concentrate. Moderate tannin in reds. No existing flaws. And aroma to spare, because the process takes some. "If you start with aroma in spades, you've got some room to lose some," Deakin said.
Blanco added one category that works better than most producers expect. "Some clients want to dealcoholize partially fermented wines that have a high sugar level," he said. "This can be a good wine to start with."
Testing Before Committing a Tank
Blanco described a service built around this decision. BevZero Spain runs bench-scale dealcoholization units that process 1 to 2 liters using the same protocols as the production plant.
"A winery can send us 3 or 4 different wines," he said. "We dealcoholize all of them, we taste with the clients, and we choose the best wine."
With these small batch trials, wineries can test their potential product before committing to a large quantity, saving time and money.
"We can make trials with 2 liters, not with 4,000 liters."
What You Are Rebuilding, and How Fast You Have to Move
Deakin described the work after alcohol removal as 3 steps in a fixed order. "Once the alcohol is removed, the first thing that needs to be built back up is the body. We have to overcome the thin wateriness," he said. "We need to rebalance the acid and the sugar, not only around each other, but around the fact that this is now a water base. We need to fix the aroma, because the aroma was reduced by the dealcoholization process."
The window for that work is shorter than winemakers expect, which is why Blanco says base wine selection carries so much weight. "Once you dealcoholize the wine, you don't have too much time to make the corrections and the bottling process," he said.
The reason is microbiological. "The moment you remove the alcohol, you remove the main barrier against microorganisms," Blanco said, which puts the weight on microfiltration, the additions at bottling, and post-bottling stability.
What Customers Are Asking for Now
Both experts said the brief has changed as category quality has improved. "A couple years ago, people just wanted to make a product that could taste good enough," Deakin said. "Now, the goal is to go past good and get them to taste more wine-like, while also being good." In practice that means less sugar and a lighter hand with added flavor.
Blanco sees the same shift in Europe, along with a change in how producers prepare for it. "5 or 6 years ago, wineries sent us the last wine they had in the cellar, and there were issues in the final product," he said. "Now more cellars work in the vineyard or in the cellar to make a wine ready to be dealcoholized."
The 2 markets diverge from there for what brands are requesting. Deakin said functional ingredients are routine in U.S. client conversations, the biggest current push is sparkling product in cans, and still red wine is the category's next test. Blanco said wellness additions have not reached Spain, varietal and origin identity carry more weight there, and European growth should start with partially dealcoholized wine in the 5% to 7% ABV band.
About BevZero
BevZero is a global leader in beverage solutions, with a focus on dealcohlization services and equipment, helping brands create the highest quality traditional and low- and no alcohol beverages across wine and spirits, with a one-stop approach from brainstorm to bottle.
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BevZero's development leads in California and Spain on shifting customer demands, why base wine choice decides the outcome, and what's next for NA wine.
Now, the goal is to go past good and get them to taste more wine-like, while also being good.” - Christian Deakin, BevZero Product Development ManagerSANTA ROSA, CA, UNITED STATES, November 2, 2026 /EINPresswire / -- Winemakers deciding where their 2026 lots go are making the choice that will determine how a non-alcoholic wine turns out, according to two BevZero product development leads interviewed separately on 2 continents.Christian Deakin, Product Development Manager at BevZero US, and Gregorio Blanco Toledano, Quality and R&D Manager, of BevZero Spain were asked the same questions a week apart without seeing each other's answers. Both named the base wine, for the same reason: alcohol removal concentrates what is left behind, and there is limited time to fix it afterward.
"The most important thing is choosing the wine," Blanco said.
The Decision You Make Before Processing Starts
Removing alcohol from wine also removes water. The finished volume is smaller, and everything remaining sits at a higher concentration. It is very important to choose a wine that will dealcoholize well, not one that that's perfect for a full alcohol product.
"When you have that volume loss, that means everything else concentrates," Deakin said. "If I'm trying to make a rosé, I need to start with the palest, softest pink wine out there. Because after you concentrate that color, it's going to look like lipstick."
Blanco described the same effect in the components a winemaker measures. "If you have high tannins, high color, high acidity," he said. "Everything is going to be increased in the final product, so the final product is going to be unbalanced. If we choose the correct wine... the final product will be better."
Deakin flagged the part that has no workaround. "When I say everything concentrates, that includes flaws," he said. "If you start with flawed wine, you are going to end up with a very flawed dealcoholized wine."
An Expensive Wine Isn't Necessarily the Right Wine
Blanco tested the assumption that an expensive wine makes a better non-alcoholic wine, and found it did not hold. "We made trials with high-price wine, 40 or 50 euros, and found it was not necessarily the best wine to dealcoholize," he said. "It might be the best wine to drink, but not the best wine to dealcoholize. Price is not an indicator of suitability for dealcoholization."
Deakin draws the same distinction. "To make a great non-alcoholic wine, you don't necessarily need to start with an expensive alcoholic wine," he said. "You need to start with a wine that will dealcoholize well."
What that means in practice is that there are key factors that make a wine dealcoholize well, that a winemaker can check a lot against. Paler and softer than the target style, because color and acid concentrate. Moderate tannin in reds. No existing flaws. And aroma to spare, because the process takes some. "If you start with aroma in spades, you've got some room to lose some," Deakin said.
Blanco added one category that works better than most producers expect. "Some clients want to dealcoholize partially fermented wines that have a high sugar level," he said. "This can be a good wine to start with."
Testing Before Committing a Tank
Blanco described a service built around this decision. BevZero Spain runs bench-scale dealcoholization units that process 1 to 2 liters using the same protocols as the production plant.
"A winery can send us 3 or 4 different wines," he said. "We dealcoholize all of them, we taste with the clients, and we choose the best wine."
With these small batch trials, wineries can test their potential product before committing to a large quantity, saving time and money.
"We can make trials with 2 liters, not with 4,000 liters."
What You Are Rebuilding, and How Fast You Have to Move
Deakin described the work after alcohol removal as 3 steps in a fixed order. "Once the alcohol is removed, the first thing that needs to be built back up is the body. We have to overcome the thin wateriness," he said. "We need to rebalance the acid and the sugar, not only around each other, but around the fact that this is now a water base. We need to fix the aroma, because the aroma was reduced by the dealcoholization process."
The window for that work is shorter than winemakers expect, which is why Blanco says base wine selection carries so much weight. "Once you dealcoholize the wine, you don't have too much time to make the corrections and the bottling process," he said.
The reason is microbiological. "The moment you remove the alcohol, you remove the main barrier against microorganisms," Blanco said, which puts the weight on microfiltration, the additions at bottling, and post-bottling stability.
What Customers Are Asking for Now
Both experts said the brief has changed as category quality has improved. "A couple years ago, people just wanted to make a product that could taste good enough," Deakin said. "Now, the goal is to go past good and get them to taste more wine-like, while also being good." In practice that means less sugar and a lighter hand with added flavor.
Blanco sees the same shift in Europe, along with a change in how producers prepare for it. "5 or 6 years ago, wineries sent us the last wine they had in the cellar, and there were issues in the final product," he said. "Now more cellars work in the vineyard or in the cellar to make a wine ready to be dealcoholized."
The 2 markets diverge from there for what brands are requesting. Deakin said functional ingredients are routine in U.S. client conversations, the biggest current push is sparkling product in cans, and still red wine is the category's next test. Blanco said wellness additions have not reached Spain, varietal and origin identity carry more weight there, and European growth should start with partially dealcoholized wine in the 5% to 7% ABV band.
About BevZero
BevZero is a global leader in beverage solutions, with a focus on dealcohlization services and equipment, helping brands create the highest quality traditional and low- and no alcohol beverages across wine and spirits, with a one-stop approach from brainstorm to bottle.
Devin Halliday
WSI Smart Marketing
+1 707-843-3714
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Non-Alcoholic Wine Development: From Base Wine to Balance | BevZero
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