with a 13% drop in alcohol consumption, alternatives are gaining ground

Marginal a few years ago, non-alcoholic drinks are finding a place in French evenings or aperitifs. In Gironde, or in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, producers and shops are flourishing and testify to a booming market.

In their glasses, bubbles, wine, but no alcohol. In France, alcohol-free products continue to gain ground. According to the observatory of drugs and addictive trends, consumption decreased by 13% between 2021 and 2023.

Health problems, well-being or pregnancy, the reasons for breaks or stopping alcohol, followed by 2 in 10 French people, are multiple. “Forty-year-olds have seen the effects that alcohol has on health and the new generations are saying to themselves that they don’t need that to have fun,” says a thirty-year-old, a non-alcoholic drink in her hand, during a party.

I'm six months pregnant, it's a good compromise so as not to detract from the festive side without having to drink alcohol.

In this boutique in Pau humorously named Papompette, the observation is similar: alcohol is no longer a prerequisite for having a good evening. “I took dealcoholized wines for New Year’s Eve. And then my husband is undergoing treatment which prevents him from drinking alcohol, smiles Christine, a local from Pau. I used to order online so I’m happy to have this store.”

In Biarritz, the Waaa boutique celebrated its inauguration on January 10, symbol of a promising market. “We have very varied profiles in terms of age and motivation. There are also a lot of curious people or people who pass through the door thinking that we sell alcohol and that often leads to nice moments,” explains Jean-Daniel Galisson, one of the four owners of the store.

In his store as in his personal life, the Biarrot clearly notes this shift taken by more and more people. “When I'm out at a party, I bring a non-alcoholic bottle and now people choose to drink it with me rather than having alcohol,” analyse Jean-Daniel Galisson.

Sold in France on average 20% more expensive than their alcoholic counterparts, non-alcoholic drinks are divided into two families. “There are dealcoholized drinks like wine or beer and, on the other hand, drinks made absolutely without alcohol from start to finish.specifies the owner of the Biarritz store.

It is particularly in this second family that the possibilities seem endless: drinks with lacto-fermented beetroot, ginger, demacerations of plants flavored with little-known spices or various peppers.

This research is what motivated Mylène Muchada to retrain. “I am an oenologist by trade, my parents were cooperators in Jurançon, but when I saw alcohol-free products coming, I said to myself that it would be interesting to use my profession to find nice products”, explains the owner of Papompette in Pau.

Among producers too, the trend is gaining ground, driven, among other things, by the 30% drop in red wine consumption in France in ten years. In Gironde, on the historic lands of Bordeaux wine and its grands crus, around twenty producers have embarked on the alcohol-free adventure.

In Listrac-Médoc, Julien and Nathalie Meyre have dedicated 10% of their vines to dealcoholized wine. “We are used to producing powerful, full-bodied wines, with a fruity and expressive nose and in reality, this is exactly what is needed to make dealcoholized wines”, specifies the Médoc producer.

Far from being the only one, a cooperative has decided to invest 2.5 million euros in new vats dedicated to the production of these different kinds of wines. “We will heat the wine to 35°C. The alcohol will evaporate through these columns and we will therefore obtain an alcohol-free wine which will reach our cellars in which it will be kept at low temperature. explains Philippe Cazaux, director of the Bordeaux Families cooperative.

In Listrac-Médoc, the bet already seems to be winning for the couple of winegrowers: their production this year amounts to 9,000 bottles, almost all of which were sold in a few months.

If during the month of January, “Dry January” gains new followers every year, the alcohol-free market is mainly banking on the future: those under 25 are the most numerous to have put aside alcoholic drinks .