Revolution in no-low wines. At the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, there will be an award dedicated to non-alcoholic wines

Feb 11 2024, 13:36 | by Marzio Taccetti

De-alcoholized or low-alcohol wines are increasingly carving out a space in the world of wine, so much so that one of the most important global competitions has established a trophy to reward this category

The 2024 edition of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB) will feature a special trophy created to identify and reward the best low-alcohol or non-alcoholic wine. This decision comes in conjunction with the rapid rise of the new segment in the beverage industry.

A New International Revelation

The new trophy will be awarded during the Red and White Wines Session held in Guanajuato, Mexico, from June 7 to 9, with the winner announced on June 19. The award, part of the "International Revelation" category, will join the existing ones (Red Wines, White Wines, Woody and Organic Wines).

The no-low category is not a new presence in the competition, as it was introduced for the first time in the 2020 edition and judged by a specially created jury. "We have already included low-alcohol and non-alcoholic wines in previous editions of the CMB," explains Thomas Costenoble, Director of he CMB. "But with the increasing participation of more no-low producers, we decided to dedicate a special trophy to them. Specialized tasters will also be selected to judge this category of wines blindly."

A New Market Trend

In its thirty-first edition, the CMB is one of the most renowned international competitions that awards the best wines and identifies market trends. The inclusion of the no-low category and the establishment of this new trophy further highlight the rapid growth of this category in the wine industry. No-low wines have emerged on the international stage as a symptom of changing tastes, finding strong resonance among young people and those who have embraced a healthier philosophy.

The latest data from the International Wine and Spirits Research (IWSR) show that the consumption of no and low-alcohol beverages in 10 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States) grew by +5% in volume in 2023, resulting in a market worth over 13 billion dollars. Furthermore, there is an expected additional growth of +6% in the no/low-alcohol category between 2023 and 2027.