Dimethyl dicarbonate (Velcorin)
What it is
Dosed in-line just before bottling, dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC; often traded as Velcorin) shuts down sensitive yeasts and bacteria. At a correct authorised dose it should not mark the wine’s taste.
It is not a dealcoholisation method: it does not remove ethanol. It comes in *afterwards*, when residual strength is already low and the wine needs a reliable microbial close at bottle.
Low-ABV stability
Lowering ethanol removes part of alcohol’s “built-in” antimicrobial effect. Makers of alcohol-free / 0.0% wines pay more attention to hygiene, filtration, SO₂ and, in many cellars, bottling tools such as DMDC or pasteurisation. This entry explains the additive’s role in that context; it is not a safety data sheet or a dosing recipe. It also does not replace a HACCP plan or the supplier’s technical sheet.
In noalc’s narrative, DMDC sits as a low-ABV stability tool alongside hygiene and SO₂, not as a marketing “hero ingredient”. Cellars that already pasteurise or sterile-filter may use a different stack; the point is that low ethanol changes the risk picture at bottling.
Label / EU note
Use must follow the limits and conditions of applicable EU food / oenological rules. Wine labels speak in category and strength; they rarely “sell” DMDC to shoppers. For compliance questions, check the current legal frame and technical advice. noalc does not replace that.