Last year, I started the Substack publication All That Wine together with Susannah Gold to dive deeper into the beautiful world of wine. We did a couple of livestreams with producers last year; the articles about them will be published soon. I just published the first newsletter article of the year over on All That Wine, and I am publishing it here as well. I am adding an AI-generated audio file here so you can listen to a debate-like version of the article as well.
Hello 2026
A new year, a new beginning.
We are excited to explore wine together more in 2026.
We are soon in the last days of the holiday season; it always goes by so fast that you feel you would like to hold on to Christmas a bit longer.
I had a wonderful time at home in Sweden during the Christmas holidays, going to lunches and dinners with family and friends. I did not drink much wine, as the Christmas food in Sweden does not generally centre much on wine. It is more about beer, snaps (a type of shot you drink with food), and julmust (a soft drink sold especially during the Christmas period).
I did drink alcohol free beer at a couple of lunches, as I am still under immunotherapy treatment and need to be careful. This made me reflect on how there does not seem to be any stigma about the alcohol-free version, as in the wine world. Sometimes you drink alcohol free beer, while in other situations you drink ‘normal’ beer. It is not either or. It just depends on the situation. So it should not really be an issue in the wine industry. Sometimes you might need or want to drink NOLO (no- or low-alcohol) wine, and other times you drink ‘normal’ wine.
Lighter and NOLO wines are the new way forward
In the recent article Sustainable Labels Resist Slumping Sales by Kathleen Wilcox in Wine Searcher, she talks about how “better for you” wines are on the way up. This, even though there has been a “1.1 per cent decline in sales of wine on and off premise year over year”, according to market research carried out by NielsenIQ. “Better for you” wines are those with an alcohol by volume (ABV) below 10%. People are more careful to look at the calorie levels and sugar content in wine.
I would argue that wines are often lighter and more drinkable when they have lower alcohol content. In the rural past, wines were often lighter, and farmers in Mediterranean countries usually drank wine for lunch to get calories and energy. To work in the fields. In Northern Puglia, for example, farmers and rural day workers often consumed a lighter Nero di Troia rosé wine that was not too strong.
Ok, today most people lead pretty sedentary lives and do not work in the fields. Still, drinking lighter wines is a positive thing. More structured and aged wines are better suited to special occasions and to more complex foods. Right?
If we look at the sales of NOLO wines in this context, Wilcox reports that NOLO wines so far account for only 0,5% of the wine market.
These are mainly US data, so we have to take this into account when reading the data and the article. Trends can be similar on other continents, but are often different.
Are these kinds of wines a threat to ‘normal’ wine? I don’t think so.
I would not worry too much about NOLO wines taking over the market; wine will continue to claim its place.
The wine industry seems to spot a problem in everything right now and sees it as a reason for the sales decline. It might have more to do with global economic and political factors. We are in an era of global uncertainty. The wine industry is also slow to change or incorporate innovative measures. However, I am not an expert on the financial side.
I have a positive mindset, though. I think it is often a question of mindset. This is something I have seen countless times while working with clients in the wine sector to help them elevate their content marketing and storytelling. If you are rooted in old beliefs and reluctant to change, it will not work, and you will not get the desired results. It is a long-term game.
Looking at NOLO wines in Italy, the law permitting the production of alcohol-free wine entered into force as late as one year ago, on the 1st of January 2025.
On the 29th of December 2025, the Ministry of Economy and Masaf (Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry) in Italy finally approved a decree that clearly outlines and regulates the taxation and excise duties for producing NOLO wines.
Let’s move on to other big news from 2025
On 10 December 2025, Italian cooking was awarded UNESCO cultural heritage status. More precisely, Italian cooking is now on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Italian cuisine is defined as a “cultural and social blend of culinary traditions.” It is a way for people to take care of themselves and others, rediscover their historical and cultural roots, and bring communities together and share their history with the world around them. (See Unesco recognises Italian cuisine as global intangible cultural heritage, Sole24Ore)
Does this not sound quite familiar? Can’t wine be considered to have the same cultural and historical parameters? Would it not be good for the wine industry to consider these factors?
- Wine in Italy is a social and cultural blend of agriculture and tradition. It might not have the multitude of traditions and recipes associated with a specific local area, as in Italian cooking; however, each region, and even each smaller area, has its own native grapes. Production methods and styles tend to be quite general and overlap on a higher level of trends. Still, there are specific winemaking traditions in local areas. For example, Recioto in Valpolicella in Veneto, Moscato di Saracena in Calabria (after the drying of the grapes – Guarnaccia, Malvasia bianca, Moscatello, and Duraca, the must is brought to a boiling point to be concentrated), etc.
- Native grapes, regional and local territorial characters, terroir, and winemaking traditions are a way to rediscover one’s cultural roots.
- I believe that community is the key factor here, because, just as with food, you experience wine to the fullest by sharing it with others. When you share a glass of wine, you also share a piece of history with the world around you; it is a way to connect with others.
Wine does not have to – it should not – be a question of numbers like in scores; it should not be communicated by fixed tasting notes that tell you beforehand what you will feel and taste. (If you want to read tasting notes, that is, of course, ok and everyone’s own choice) Furthermore, you should not be required to learn a certain amount about wine before feeling you have the “right” to drink it.
It should be about experiencing a wine with others, or alone if you prefer.
It should be about drinking what you like, not what others say you should like.
It should be about feeling good and letting your mind travel wherever it takes you when you taste a glass of wine.
There should be no pretentious rules for how a consumer in general should drink wine.
What are your thoughts?
Let’s be a bit daring this year
- Try different types of wines and grapes, and go outside your comfort zone
- Experience wine in different surroundings
- Experience wine in attempting to connect with its culture and tradition
- Experience wine on your own terms
