Non Alcoholic Wines & Alternatives

Recent surveys in the hospitality industry shows more and more New Zealanders are flocking to Low and No alcohol options, when choosing wines. A recent Restaurant Association survey showed 21 percent of respondents said the availability of low and zero-alcohol beverages was a factor in choosing a restaurant.

Research by Curia last October showed 55 percent of people liked drinking low-alcohol beverages, up from 49 percent in 2021. Southern Cross research showed that 36 percent of respondents said they consumed no alcohol in 2020, this number increased to 38 percent in 2022 and again in 2024 to 41 percent. Restaurant Association spokesperson Marisa Bidois said it had been a steadily increasing trend in recent years. “It’s a global thing happening at the moment… it’s a health-conscious thing in a lot of cases, people are more concerned about their health.”

Charlotte Read, general manger of brand for NZ Winegrowers said New Zealand had started a seven-year “lighter wines” research programme in 2014. “The programme resulted in the development of proprietary production and marketing knowledge and the early launch of lighter, mid-strength and no alcohol wines, many of which are doing well in the ‘better for you’ wine segment in the USA, UK, Australia as well as domestically.” Source RNZ Feb 2025: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/542702/