BevZero uses the most innovative equipment and operational efficiencies to ensure its customers receive the highest quality dealcoholization services.
As the global leader in alcohol and flavor management for over 30 years, BevZero has always prioritized quality. Quality, defined as the best service, using cutting edge technology and a team of experts to dealcoholize wine, cider, spirits and other alcoholic beverages reducing by a small amount or all the way down to 0.5% – 0.02% abv if desired, while preserving 100% of the natural aromas and flavors.
To ensure this quality BevZero uses only Very Low Temperature Vacuum Distillation technologies to remove alcohol. This method enables the highly selective and virtually total capture of completely undamaged fragile aroma/flavor compounds, and then alcohol as necessary, from any liquid. This is achieved by a combination of low temperatures, brief residence times, and very thin, turbulent films.
BevZero offers the following dealcoholization services:
Non-Alcoholic beverages: For non-alcoholic products BevZero can remove alcohol down to <0.5% – <0.02% abv as desired: BevZero’s global team of experts has helped launch dozens of non-alcoholic wines including assistance in the identification of the best wine, complete removal of alcohol and complete product development services as desired.
Lower alcohol (lifestyle) beverages: BevZero is proud to have been instrumental in the development and launch of the first lifestyle wines launched in the USA and UK and continues to work closely with wine producers launching new product in the growing category of lifestyle wines globally.
Alcohol Adjustment: BevZero can remove a portion of the alcohol, reducing the abv slightly as desired for product style preferences. With BevZero’s unique technology, only 10% of the total wine blend needs to be processed for each degree of alcohol reduction, and 90% of that wine is recovered during processing. Also unique to BevZero, wine does not need to be filtered and can contain a high percentage of solids.
BevZero also distributes dealcoholization equipment. For more information view our Dealcoholization Equipment page.
Check out the information below to learn more about the vacuum distillation technology that BevZero uses.
Learn more about dealcoholization with these tools:
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Dealcoholization Technologies:
Technology is vital for enabling the wine and spirits industry to continuously innovate. The wine and spirits industry is very traditional in its thinking. However, there are ways technology can play a significant role, from automation in farming and production, to bottling operations and distribution. It is especially important to consider technology to keep up with the current market trends, such as RTD’s, infused products, functional beverages, additives, and even the trend toward healthier, lower calorie and non-alcoholic products. Here at BevZero we use and distribute multiple technologies.
Our main focus, and the heart of our company and expertise is dealcoholization, where we offer both service and equipment. The dealcoholizaton services range from stylized alcohol adjustments to complete alcohol removal down to <0.5% – 0.02% abv from wine, cider, and spirits. The technology we prefer and find most effective is low temperature vacuum distillation. It allows for the gentle extraction of volatile chemicals (in this case, alcohol and/or aromas), using a combination of low temperatures and brief residence times to produce the desired result and thus better preserve the product integrity. Because delivering the highest quality services and equipment to our customers is important to us, we believe it’s critical to continuously refine our technologies and processes while staying ahead in this competitive industry.
There are various processes available when reducing alcohol levels in wine at different stages in its production, including viticulture, pre-fermentation, fermentation, and post fermentation practices. At BevZero, we believe that to make a quality low- and no- alcohol wine, it is best to start with a fully fermented product. Flavors and aromas that are developed during fermentation can’t be obtained in any other way, so starting with a high-quality wine and removing the alcohol as gently and efficiently as possible will help to ensure a complex and balanced finished product.
The removal of alcohol produces structural changes in the wine, because when one of the main elements (alcohol) is removed, other elements are concentrated, such as total acidity and tannins. Careful selection of both wine and dealcoholization technology are important to help maintain quality and minimize any negative impacts of the alcohol removal. The quality of the grapes and the winemaking practices have a large effect on the quality of any wine, the higher the quality the higher the end result. Utilizing a dealcoholization process, such as vacuum distillation like we do here at BevZero, which can remove alcohol through low temperatures, short run times, and a single pass process while maintaining the aroma and flavor volatiles, will provide the highest quality results.
Unfortunately, there are no standard regulatory definitions on what terms constitute what alcohol content. The term alcohol-free in the USA means 0.0% abv, but in the UK it means <0.05% abv, and for the EU its <0.5% abv. The term non-alcoholic, in the USA is <0.5% abv, whereas in Australia it is 0.0% abv. But in general, it can be expected that some trace of alcohol remains although small, and most products add the alcohol content to their labels.
It’s the alcohol that adds calories to wine. Because dealcoholized wine has most of its alcohol content removed, it contains fewer calories than regular wine.
Vacuum distillation is a distillation performed under reduced pressure, allowing the separation of alcohol and water based on differences in the boiling points. Boiling points are much lower than typical due to the reduced pressure. This method involves heating the wine to a max temperature of 48C, which allows for the alcohol to evaporate and can then be captured separately from the remaining dealcoholized wine and returned at the end of the process. At this very low temperature alcohol can be removed gently with little impact to the wines volatile aromas.
The biggest advantage of vacuum distillation that it is much gentler than many traditional dealcoholization technologies. With its low temperature and short residence time, vacuum distillation can remove alcohol down to <0.5% – 0.02% ABV while capturing the aromas and flavors of the original product, with less damage or stress. Additionally, no water is added in the process which makes it more sustainable than other methods.
Spinning cone technology is a vertical stainless-steel cylinder composed of alternating rotating cones that spread the wine out into a thin film, allowing rapid removal of the alcohol. To learn more, watch this video on spinning cone technology.
The two most effective and widely used technologies used in this sector are the SCC (Spinning Cone Column) and packed columns. BevZero offers both technologies to its customers.
The SCC is a vertical stainless-steel cylinder composed of alternating rotating cones that spread the wine out into a thin film, allowing rapid removal of the alcohol. The most volatile aroma compounds are extracted from the wine in a quick and gentle first pass, then the alcohol is removed in a second pass. The aroma components are then blended back into the wine.
Packed Columns, consisting of two or more vertical stainless-steel columns, are filled with packing material that provides a huge surface area, making distillation very efficient. This method is a continuous process and extracts the aromas and the dealcoholized wine in one single run. To learn more, view our ClearAlc Dealcolization Technologies web page.
Dealcoholization equipment can remove alcohol from almost all alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine, cider, and spirits.
When removing alcohol to a very low to no abv content, there is a significant impact on the sensory experience – loss of body, greater acidity, and loss of aromas. This impact of dealcoholization can be mitigated by re-introducing the original aromas of the wine in the dealcoholized product as well as the addition of natural ingredients to create a balanced fresh and pleasant dealcoholized wine.
With a slight alcohol removal, as with the alcohol adjustment service, there is no significant impact on the sensory experience of the wine.
BevZero’s Dealcoholization equipment can remove the alcoholic beverage’s alcohol, down to <0.05% – 0.02% abv.
Yes, dealcoholization equipment can be used to mass-produce dealcoholized beverages.
Our Alcohol Adjustment Service:
For the alcohol adjustment service, BevZero’s thin film vacuum distillation technologies can process all varieties of wines, including fermenting juices and wines with dissolved CO2. BevZero can process wines with high turbidity if there are no heavy lees, grape skins, or seeds, for alcohol adjustment or stuck fermentation services in the USA and South Africa facilities.
Our clients can assume that to reduce a blend by 1% alcohol, approximately 10% of the total volume needs to be shipped to BevZero. For a 1% alcohol adjustment, total blend losses are approximately 1% to 2% (10 to 20% of 10% of the total volume).
We typically calculate the amount of wine to be adjusted based upon the final desired alcohol level of our clients. After adjustment, the wine can be blended back into the total wine blend to bring the wine down to our client’s desired total alcohol level. For clients uncertain as to the final desired alcohol levels for their wine, we offer our complimentary Sweet Spot Services. Sweet Spot testing allows our client to sample their wine at several different alcohol levels enabling them to identify the preferred final alcohol level. Once our client determines the desired final level, we can identify the amount of wine needed using our calculations. If desired, we can ship wine back at any alcohol level requested, offering flexibility to both clients with minimal-sized blends and clients with large blends.
Our Dealcoholization Service for Non-Alcoholic Beverages
The total wine blend is required for a non-alcoholic product in order to remove alcohol almost completely. For a low alcohol product, we can calculate the amount of wine needed for alcohol removal. For Clients uncertain as to the final desired alcohol levels, we offer complimentary Sweet Spot Services the day of dealcoholization, or you can request samples at various alcohol levels from our Lab Services team for a fee. Total blend losses vary. For Non-alcoholic products, typical losses are 13 to 20%. For low alcohol products, approximately 5 to 10% depending on the final alcohol level. Note, it is important to consider the total volume of finished product needed for your project so that you can supply BevZero with the correct amount for dealcoholization. BevZero can help you with this calculation.
BevZero offers blending of formulas that have been developed at BevZero for an additional cost. Please contact us for more information and costing.
BevZero’s extensive winemaking, brewing, and food science expertise provides streamlined and effortless product development and supply solutions for non-alcoholic wine, beer, cider, spirits, and other innovative products whether for conventional markets or the emerging infused beverage markets. BevZero also offers white and private label non-alcoholic wine options.
General Dealcoholization Service Information:
In most cases the turnaround time is three days: BevZero receives wine on Day 1, processes wine on Day 2, and ships wine back to the customer on Day 3
Alcohol adjusted wine is shipped back with free SO2 adjusted to the client’s request and dissolved oxygen <1 ppm. We can also accommodate alternate shipping parameters to meet a winemaking team’s specific needs.
We use industry standard cleaning and sanitation procedures to ensure that wines return to our customers in perfect condition. Our experienced cellar staff uses inert gases during all wine transfers to ensure that wines are adequately protected. Our experienced enologists oversee and audit these processes on a daily basis. BevZero maintains various quality certifications at all its locations:
BevZero retains any alcohol removed from product during the dealcoholization process.
Each job is a custom job based upon our client’s alcohol reduction needs, quantities and specific requirements. Our services are priced per gallon/liter and are calculated to meet the jobs specified needs. Charges on large lots will be significantly lower than on small ones.
To schedule a job or simply gain additional information, contact one of our facilities for assistance with your adjustment needs.
For more information on other services available, view our Services page.
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