1. IT’S MORE EXPENSIVE
FAKE “An alcohol-free wine or spirit is not easier to make,” explains Maud Catté, manager of the Parisian wine cellar Le Paon Qui Boit, “because it involves real dealcoholization work adapted to each drink. » As the new creations arriving on the market are essentially the result of small French productions, their cost is also naturally higher. “Nevertheless, we are on the same prices as an independent Parisian wine merchant,” estimates Augustin Laborde, owner of Le Paon Qui Boit. Here, non-alcoholic beers cost 3, 4 or 5 euros. The wines start a little below 10 euros, but they start to move up in price, so the bill can go up to 20 euros. Sparkling wines are in the same price range and spirits are around 30 euros. »
2. IT’S A WOMAN’S THING
TRUE “We have the impression that alcohol is linked to a certain idea of masculinity,” remarks Augustin Laborde. We often welcome couples to the boutique whose wife is pregnant, and regularly, her partner cannot help but say: “It’s just for her!” “. Hence this observation: women, who make up 70% of its clientele, are more open-minded on the subject.
3. IT’S JUST SUGAR
FAKE “When I stopped drinking, I visited the supermarkets, and all the non-alcoholic drinks were very sugary,” remembers Augustin Laborde. He will have to open his own store to discover a whole range of no-low offerings with low sugar content, which often come from small independent productions operating light years away from mass distribution.
4. IT’S CHEAP
FAKE Far from the garishly colored Mister Cocktail bottles and the synthetic flavors of Pacific anise, which have long dominated our imagination of alcohol-free products, the new independent labels stand out by offering “a sexier and more festive alcohol-free story with packaging originals,” analyzes Augustin Laborde. An attention to detail that changes everything.
5. IT WILL NEVER TASTE THE SAME AS ALCOHOL
WRONG, BUT… If the beverage giants have embarked on a race for frantic innovation to offer no-low versions that are as good as their alcoholic classics, sommelier Benoît d’Onofrio nevertheless believes that “dealcoholization processes for wine are not still up to par.” For the alcohol-free menu at Perchoir Ménilmontant, he therefore preferred to develop decoctions, macerations and infusions, drawing on the taste and olfactory memories of his wine tastings and drawing inspiration from the winemakers’ winemaking techniques. The idea is being emulated even at the most prominent tables: welcome water with orange blossom and violet at Rosy, Amandine Chaignot’s restaurant at Carita, fermented beet lemonade at Ombres by Alain Ducasse , food and vegetable infusion pairings with plants from the garden of starred chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre at L’Air du Temps, in Belgium…
6. IT’S A MARGINAL TREND
TRUE, BUT… At La Grande Épicerie de Paris, where the references for non-alcoholic drinks have doubled since 2021, buyer Marine Menager notes a very strong increase in the offer driven by “the Dry January trend”. On the shelves? Hits like Gimber, a ginger concentrate to mix with Perrier, which is now available in a Brut version (with citrus notes brought by thyme-lemon and yuzu) and Sweet Lilly (with fruit notes from the Passion fruit, pineapple, turmeric and spicy ginger). Also in the top sellers, French Bloom, a very chic organic sparkling launched by model Constance Jablonski. Festive nectars, designed for worldly and uninhibited sobriety.
