The Growth of NOLO in France – an Opportunity for Winegrowers?

As alcohol consumption declines in France, the demand for no- and low-alcohol (NOLO) beverages grows. Louise Hurren looks at some of the latest developments.

Reading time: 11m

Shelves of adult drinks at La Paon qui Boit (Photo: Mathieu Menossi)
Shelves of adult drinks at La Paon qui Boit (Photo: Mathieu Menossi)

To say that the French wine industry is going through trying times would be an understatement.  Media outlets have reported that domestic alcohol consumption has declined steadily over the last 40 years, and the average amount of wine consumed per capita each year is now roughly a quarter of what it was in the 1960s.

French consumers’ interest in abstinence is growing. Dry January — le défi de janvier — took off in 2019 and in a CGA-NielsenIQ survey of 2024, 55% of respondents declared a willingness to abstain from alcohol for the first month of the year. Ultimately, only 18% declared they had succeeded, but of those who completed the challenge, the vast majority said they wanted to continue avoiding alcohol or to drink less.

Meanwhile, the alcohol-free beverages category is gaining traction. According to Susie Goldspink, Head of No- and Low-Alcohol Insights at global drinks data provider IWSR, “No-alcohol beer is the standout in France's no/low landscape, as the category is now well understood by the French, is benefitting from premium brand extensions from alcohol brands, and offers a clear proposition on shelves.”

In the NOLO wine space, “sparkling is performing the best, as it caters to celebratory events and the rising spritz occasion,” says Goldspink. Compared to beer, “wine and spirits are more emerging categories in terms of no- and low-alcohol; there is a lot of buzz and promotion around these products which is beginning to translate into cautious sales.”
 

NOLO retailers on the rise

No- and low-alcohol options can be found in many French supermarkets, while restaurants, bars and pubs in larger cities offer zero-alcohol drinks and mocktails. The number of specialist alcohol-free stores and drinking destinations is also growing.

Jérôme Cuny is the founder of NOLO retail franchise La Cave Parallèle. He launched a pilot store in Nantes in 2023, and in September 2024 a second in Aix-en-Provence.

Compared to selling alcohol, there are no retail licensing requirements for NOLO, and more retailers are waking up to the opportunity.

“In 2022 there were only two dedicated alcohol-free retailers in France. In 2024, 27 no-alcohol caviste shops launched, and now there are 33,” says Cuny. “In Europe, France is by far the country with the largest number of dedicated NOLO stores.” 

Santé Publique France (the French national agency for public health)  reports that the decline in alcohol consumption is marked in the younger age group, with 20% of 17-year-olds declaring they have never tried alcohol. In 2000, 80% of young people said they drank alcohol on a monthly basis; by 2022, that figure had fallen to 58%.

However, Cuny stresses that the majority of La Cave Parallèl's customers are in the 30-55 year-old age bracket. He suggests two reasons for the absence of under-26-year-olds: at this age, they do not tend to shop in specialist alcohol stores, and lack the necessary disposable income to do so.

La Cave Parallèle made 30% of its annual turnover in December 2023 and January 2024, but for many, alcohol-free has become a lifestyle choice that extends beyond end-of-year celebrations and Dry January.

“In December, NOLO sales are about entertaining and gift-giving; in January, it's for personal consumption,” he says. “There's a significant percentage of customers who discover alcohol-free beverages in these two months, who then continue to buy them throughout the year.”

Insights

As beverage companies watch in dismay as sales of alcohol drop, some are turning to the growing non-alc category. Chris Losh reports.

Reading time: 5m

More products and diversity    

As wine drinking declines, so the diversity of alternative products grows, with an increasingly broad  range of drinks designed for the abstemious lifestyle coming onto the market.

Jean-Philippe Braud founded France's first e-commerce NOLO brand Gueule de Joie in 2019. In 2023 he formed a partnership with alcohol retailer V and B, creating branded Gueule de Joie corners with 60 alcohol-free references in 13 V and B stores across the country. In the same year, he opened a standalone Gueule de Joie store with 350 references in Nantes.

Jean-Philippe Braud, founder of Gueule de Joie
Jean-Philippe Braud, founder of Gueule de Joie

The Equilibre Zéro range of dealcoholised wines was created by Domaine de l'Arjolle in 2019 at the request of a Dutch client. Their sparkling white and still red, white and rosé 0% alcohol products now account for 20% of their total sales, and their NOLO business continues to double year-on-year, according to Arjolle co-owner Geoffrey de la Besnardière.

Augustin Laborde and Maud Catté of Le Paon qui Boit
Augustin Laborde and Maud Catté of Le Paon qui Boit

Making in-roads in the on-trade

Chavin is a French NOLO pioneer. Created in 2010, the company carved out a name in dealcoholised wine and non-alcoholic beverages made from grape must, and today Chavin products are available in over 60 countries.

Chavin sells to French on-trade supplier Metro, whose buyer Quentin Bodet is responsible for their dealcoholised wine selection. Of the NOLO products he purchases for his HORECA clientele, Chavin's Le Petit Étoilé brut sparkling is a best-seller: “It's perfect for aperitif drinking and celebrations.”

Bodet is also enthusiastic about Chavin Zéro, the first range of dealcoholised wines with the Vin de France denomination. Launched in 2024, the range features two reds, a white and a rosé, and is well-suited to out-of-home dining, according to Bodet, who has recently listed the Sauvignon Blanc and the Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot.

French Bloom is another name he has purchased for the on-trade. It made its début with Metro in January 2025 in sparkling white and rosé versions: “I have high hopes for this, it's a premium product and a good fit for major hotel chains, upmarket hotels and restaurants,” says Bodet.

 

Wine-alike beverage makes waves

Historically, wine-like alcohol-free beverages have been made in one of two ways, by dealcoholising wine (Torres' Naturéo, French Bloom, Moderato and Invivo's Bonne Nouvelle), or by diluting grape juice (Petit Beret, Opia by Pierre Chavin, and Botega Zero).

However, a “wine-alike” beverage launched in December 2024 has been making waves. Created by oenologist and former Pierre Chavin co-owner Fabien Gross, Levin 0% is the result of alcohol-free fermentation. 

According to Gross, Levin 0% is the first organic, natural, alcohol-free beverage made by fermenting grape juice with indigenous, non-saccharomyces yeast and lactic acid bacteria. Bottled directly at Gross' Villa Noria estate, it is certified organic and vegan, contains no sulphites, preservatives or added flavours, is stabilised by pasteurisation, and comes in reusable glass bottles.

This new, third production method based on non-alcoholic fermentation of grapes produces lactic acid, glycerol, CO2 and aromas — but no alcohol — and thus the Levin name and references to alcohol-free wine have caused a stir in French wine circles, where traditionalists point out that wine has to have undergone alcoholic fermentation, and cannot be alcohol-free by definition. 

What's in a name?

According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin, OIV), “wine is exclusively a beverage resulting from the complete or partial alcoholic fermentation of fresh grapes, whether or not crushed, or of grape must. Its actual alcoholic strength may not be less than 8.5°.” Similarly, the authorised dealcoholisation methods are vacuum evaporation, membrane techniques and distillation.

Stéphane Brière is president of France's Collectif du vin No/Low. Commenting on Levin 0%, he says: “We consider the initiative to be interesting, perhaps opening up a new avenue of diversification for the industry, but this product does not currently belong in the no/low wine collective in the same way as other grape juice-based products.

We regret that the vocabulary used could potentially mislead consumers. There are many new drinks that seek to respond to changing consumer expectations, but not all of them belong to the world of wine, and some seek to appropriate its codes.”

Insights

As beverage companies watch in dismay as sales of alcohol drop, some are turning to the growing non-alc category. Chris Losh reports.

Reading time: 5m

Adult drinks in the ascendant

Conversations with trade buyers confirm that a new generation of innovative adult drinks has arrived. Using combinations of exotic plants, roots, flowers and herbs, spices and fruit, fermented or macerated, and sometimes marketed as “produits fonctionnels” with beneficial health properties, these beverages are focused on refreshment and taste, and are driving the NOLO category forward.

Yoleau spritz 0.0% sparkling cocktail
Yoleau spritz 0.0% sparkling cocktail

Monnier is a fan: “Dealcoholised wine is still in its infancy, it's often much too sweet and the category needs time to evolve. Yoleau however is interesting because it's got acidity and bitterness, it's refreshing and it really works as an adult drink.” 

“Consumers are looking for drinks that meet their consumption habits, be they flexi-drinkers or teetotalers, totally convinced or just mildly curious,” says Olivier Darras of Break Events Group, organisers of Paris-based NOLO event Degré Zéro.

“This year, we're widened our exhibitor criteria to include alternative drinks like aperitifs, non-alcoholic spirits and macerated beverages. We did this based on interest from the trade, and in anticipation of developments in legislation.”

An opportunity for wine producers?

Darras feels that “dealcoholised wine is clearly an opportunity for wine growers,” noting that 80% of exhibitors at Degré Zéro 2025 are traditional wine companies that have added NOLO references to their range.

The exhibitor list features names large and small, from France's largest private winemaker Les Grands Chais de France and Rhône valley cooperative Rhonéa (300 members, 2000 hectares), to niche players like Saint-Chinian's La Madura (12.5 hectares).

La Madura launched their first dealcoholised wine, a red named Alternative 0%, to trade in September 2024. Co-owner Nadia Bourgne explains: “We asked our clients in the on- and off-trade about dealcoholised wine and realised there was a demand for it. We weren't going to let the opportunity pass us by.

Being a family-run estate with traditional winemaking know-how reassures our clients. In France we've had a good response from traditional wine shops, and our New York importer placed a small order as a test and sold out quickly, which is encouraging.”

France's Millésime Bio describes itself as “the world fair for organic wines and alcoholic beverages,” but tellingly, at its 32nd edition in January 2025, a conference entitled No-low: What Prospects for Organic Wines and Spirits? addressed “a vital topic for winemakers looking to diversify their offerings.”

Producers of organic, partially or fully dealcoholised beer, cider and spirits were allowed to exhibit at the show for the first time this year. "Millésime Bio adapts to keep pace with changes in the market. Today, the 'no-low' trend is making strong inroads, driven by growing consumer demand for lighter or alcohol-free alternatives,” said the show's president Jeanne Fabre.

Dealcoholised wine (< 0.5%) is also set to make its début at the event in January 2026, once European Commission legislation comes into force in March 2025, authorising the use of the organic label on such products. Julien Franclet, VP of Millésime Bio organisers Sudvinbio, comments: “If we look at this as an opportunity to diversify, it can be considered a strength. I dare to hope that wine won't disappear anytime soon, but dealcoholised products could meet the expectations of younger consumers, given that 55% of NOLO drinkers are aged under 35 — and that's 25% of the French population.”
 

Doing business beyond France

Languedoc's Domaine de Montrose is a family-run estate renowned for its rosés, with a history dating back to 1781. In 2023 the company launched a still and a sparkling 0.0% rosé.

Owner Olivier Coste explains the rationale for this move: “NOLO is a rapidly growing category; our clients both in France and worldwide had started listing and selling dealcoholised wines, so this was a perfect opportunity to diversify our portfolio. If our trade partners want to buy 0.0% rosé, it might as well be ours, based on our expertise in rosé production.

We created a premium 0% product from 100% estate fruit, less sugar and 0.0% alcohol, and the results speak for themselves: in the first two weeks of January 2025, we had already surpassed our entire NOLO turnover for 2024.”

Domaine Montrose has created still and sparkling dealcoholised rosés
Domaine Montrose has created still and sparkling dealcoholised rosés

What next for NOLO in France?

Based on the IWSR's No- and Low-Alcohol Strategic Study 2024, wine consumption in France is expected to continue to decline.

The future of no- and low-alcohol beverages looks quietly promising, as consumer preferences continue to shift towards healthier, more mindful drinking choices. The French government's increasing focus on public health initiatives around alcohol consumption, coupled with the rise of dry or low-alcohol social events, suggests that the NOLO beverage market will continue to expand in the coming years; low single digit growth is forecast for no- and low-alcohol wine, according to the IWSR.

Yoleau's Cynthia Biardeau sees a bright future for NOLO: “Alcohol consumption has halved in France in 50 years; the non-alcoholic drinks market is currently worth €330 million and it's continuing to accelerate, driven by growing demand from consumers who want to reduce their alcohol consumption, and by expansion in the range, with increasingly creative, adult-oriented offerings.”

For Jerome Cuny, no/low remains a niche market, but one that is developing rapidly. Could it pose a threat to the French wine industry? On the contrary, says Cuny, “It's an opportunity. Wine producers are struggling, but there's a demand for dealcoholised wine and it needs wine as its base, so NOLO is  far from being a threat.”

The last word goes to Frédéric Chouquet-Stringer of Zénothèque, a company that provides dealcoholisation consultancy services and distributes dealcoholised wine in 14 countries. Since starting his business in 2021, he has worked with over 60 French and German winegrowers, helping them enter the NOLO market with premium, non-aromatised products: “NOLO is a long-term phenomenon, growing by 7-20% per year, depending on studies. Now it's up to the wine world to meet consumer expectations.”

No/Low at a glance:
  • Alcohol consumption in France dropped by 13% from 2021 to 2023 (source: OFDT – French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends)
     
  • This decline was attributed mostly to a 4.2% decrease in wine sales volumes year-on-year
     
  • The OFDT cites a “reconfiguration of the way in which the French consume alcohol,” with consumption preferences “increasingly often focused on beers and less often on wine”
     
  • In France, the NOLO category grew by 5.5% (volume) in the period April 2022 – March 2023, with an estimated value of €330 million (source: France 5)
     
  • According to a 2024 survey, 25% of French adults have already tried dealcoholised wine (source: Chavin/CSA)
NOLO AT FRENCH TRADE SHOWS
  • In January 2025, organic, partially or fully dealcoholised beer, cider and spirits were included for the first time at Millésime Bio,  France's organic wine fair
     
  • A trade-only event dedicated to No/low beverages – Degré Zéro – will be held in Paris on February 9th (Le Tripot Reignier, 10- 12 rue Mathurin Régnier, 75015)
     
  • Find No/low products at Wine Paris (February 10th -12th , Porte de Versailles) in the dedicated area of the Be Spirits space (Hall 5.2).
Events

Wine Paris is broadening its focus on non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beverages for 2025. The organizer also anticipates an increase in international exhibitors and trade visitors.

Reading time: 1m 15s

Opinion

Robert Joseph considers the reasons for the growth in the demand for zero-alcohol beverages.

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