Advancements in Dealcoholisation: Supporting the NOLO Wine Sector

3 junio 2026

The global wine industry is adapting to a notable shift in consumer preferences, with rising demand for no- and low-alcohol (NOLO) alternatives. While this market segment presents new opportunities, producing NOLO wine that maintains the sensory complexity of traditional wine remains a technical hurdle. Removing ethanol frequently impacts the volatile top-note aromas and mouthfeel characteristics that define a wine’s varietal identity.

In 2023, the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), Flavourtech and nine other industry partners were granted Australian government funding from the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) program to further investigate NOLO wine products. With the assistance of this funding, The Advancement of Australian Lifestyle Wines Project was formed with the aim of improving the quality, competitiveness and sustainability of Australian NOLO wines.

As part of this project, and to address the challenges of producing high quality NOLO wine, the AWRI established a specialised trial-scale research facility at the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus. The facility allows both researchers and commercial wine producers to conduct trials and evaluate processing methods on small volumes of wine (as low as 150 Litres), significantly lowering the economic barriers to entering the NOLO wine market.

When equipping this hub, selecting an appropriate dealcoholisation method was critical to ensuring that research outcomes reflected the highest possible product quality. To achieve this, the AWRI installed a Spinning Cone Column (SCC) equipped with an on-skid Resin Adsorption Column (RAC). This system was chosen due to its ability to minimise thermal stress on the wine matrix, matching the AWRI’s stringent standards for sensory preservation. This set-up offers winemakers a clearer understanding of how to achieve precise dealcoholisation without compromising the structural integrity of the original wine.

In contrast to traditional distillation technologies, the SCC operates under a vacuum, allowing processing to occur at lower temperatures. Inside the column, a system of rotating and stationary cones uses centrifugal force to spread the liquid into thin films, ensuring a brief product residence time of under 30 seconds. This process allows for precise alcohol adjustment while protecting the base wine from heat damage.

The RAC is a specialised separation system designed to isolate and protect the wine’s delicate aroma compounds recovered during the dealcoholisation process. By capturing the natural wine aroma completely before alcohol removal, the system allows producers to safely reintroduce these vital sensory components back into the final product. When integrated with the SCC, RAC technology enables winemakers to meet strict international standards of less than 0.05% ABV while keeping the wine’s original varietal character intact.

“Consumers looking for NOLO wine still want a wine experience that delivers aroma, flavour and mouthfeel. Alcohol plays an important role in that. By studying how these sensory properties change throughout the dealcoholisation process and identifying techniques that minimise sensory losses, we can produce NOLO wines that more closely resemble their full-strength counterparts,” says Dr Wes Pearson, Senior Research Scientist at AWRI.

By integrating specialised processing equipment into its research infrastructure, the AWRI provides the wine sector with data-driven insights into NOLO wine production. This collaboration between the independent research of AWRI and specialised engineering expertise of Flavourtech offers winemakers a clearer understanding of how to produce the highest quality NOLO wines for an ever-growing market.