Alcohol-free / 0.0%
What it is
Alcohol-free and 0,0 % are shelf mentions for reduced-alcohol grapevine products, written for shoppers. Under Regulation (EU) 2026/471 (changes to Art. 119 of Reg. 1308/2013):
- Alcohol-free: actual alcoholic strength ≤ 0.5 % vol.
- 0,0 %: accompanies “alcohol-free” when strength ≤ 0.05 % vol.
- Reduced alcohol: above 0.5 % and at least 30 % below the category minimum before dealcoholisation.
Those naming rules apply in full from 19 September 2027, with stock run-off provisions. Detail: EU law 2026.
Versus “dealcoholised”
Dealcoholised names the 2021/2117 product category; “alcohol-free” / “0,0 %” are the 2026/471 shelf vocabulary. A wine can be dealcoholised and labelled alcohol-free if it meets the threshold; “0,0 %” is stricter. None of these mentions turns a 0.0 % wine into a PDO wine: full dealcoholisation stays outside the protected name.
Link to process
Behind the claim sits dealcoholisation by vacuum or membrane (Methods), plus aroma and texture work. The label number does not say which platform was used.
Worked example: a wine measured at ~0.03 % vol. may support “0,0 %” alongside “alcohol-free” if it meets the threshold; another at 0.4 % vol. may be “alcohol-free” without being “0,0 %”. “Reduced alcohol” is a different band, with the extra 30 % cut requirement.
Note
This summarises the frame already cited in the site’s law article. Not legal advice; cellars should check with the Regulatory Council and official texts.