Glossary

Vacuum distillation

What it is

Pressure is lowered and the wine is warmed just enough for ethanol to leave as vapour. Aromas tend to leave with it: they must be captured and returned. That is vacuum distillation (vacuum evaporation): the method family. Equipment brands on the hub (spinning cone, GoLo, ClearAlc, Equalizer) are platforms for this method, not separate methods. Solos is an aroma module on a vacuum train; it does not remove alcohol.

Generic sheets and 0.0% wine

It is the route most often named in generic sheets (“vacuum distillation”) when the producer does not name the platform. Understanding the family stops treating SCC as “the only vacuum” and stops treating Solos as a dealcoholiser. The shared sensory risk is aroma stripping; the technical contrast is with membranes (RO / osmotic distillation), where there is no vacuum boil.

If a Spanish producer sheet says only “vacuum distillation” (e.g. without naming GoLo or another brand), this entry is the right glossary anchor; named platforms live under `/en/technologies/…`. That split also keeps the glossary from duplicating each platform’s full technology article.

Label / EU note

Regulation 2021/2117 authorises vacuum evaporation / distillation as a dealcoholisation process. Labels may use only the generic wording; they need not name GoLo, SCC or another brand. Category and claims: dealcoholised, alcohol-free / 0.0%.

See also