Dealcoholisation methods Membrane techniques
PlatformALTR Velvet Blade
A membrane still in development: the maker compares it to dialysis, not to reverse osmosis. Not cellar standard yet.
- 1 Pilot Napa, Materra Cunat: lab work moving into a pilot plant.
- 2 Target Public trials talk about 7–10% ABV, not 0.0.
- 3 Not yet No commercial wine credits it (September 2026).
| Driving force | Molecular affinity (maker’s description) |
|---|---|
| What leaves | Dosed ethanol, with no water added according to ALTR |
| What happens to water | No figure; pre-commercial |
| Heat | No heat and no high pressure, according to ALTR |
| Type | Platform Part of Membrane techniques |
|---|---|
| Developer | ALTR |
| Volume loss | Not published (pre-commercial) |
| Final ABV | Not published; public trials point to 7–10%, not 0.0 |
| Wines known to use it | Piloting at Materra Cunat Family Vineyards, Napa; trial with Clos du Val |
| Best for | Anyone watching new membrane tools for low-alcohol wine. |
What it is
Membranes have not stopped at classic reverse osmosis. ALTR, based in Phoenix, is building Velvet Blade, an ethanol-separation system the company calls “flavor-first” and double-edged. It sits in the membrane family, but it is not a published modification of reverse osmosis: cofounder Richard Schatzberger compares the approach to dialysis (molecular affinity, no heat, no high pressure). Until a technical paper or an open patent spells it out, that is the maker’s description, not a laboratory classification.
How it differs
ALTR says no water is added, unlike diafiltration, and that the membranes are made to hold aroma and structure while ethanol is dosed. The commercial story is “Spectrum Drinking”: choose the strength, not only hit zero. Clos du Val, in Napa, has talked about wines in the 7–10% ABV range, not a 0.0%.
Where it stands
By late 2025 the kit was moving from lab work into a pilot at Materra Cunat Family Vineyards in Napa. In 2026 ALTR closed a seed round and said the second half of the year was for a more plant-like volume. Backers include Suntory Global Spirits, Branca International (Fernet-Branca), Demeter, Jeriko, AZ Venture Capital and Bluestein Ventures. As of September 2026 there is no commercial wine on the market that credits Velvet Blade, and no third-party figures for volume loss or final ABV.
Wines that use it
None on sale yet. A platform to watch, not a cellar method, and it does not replace reverse osmosis or osmotic distillation on the current menu.
