SALT CELLAR
A selection from Sans Drinks
JUST SAY NO WORDS STEVE LESZCZYNSKI
IF YOU WERE asked to name which sector of the drinks market was projected to show greater than 16 per cent growth between 2020 and 2024, what would your answer be? Craft beer? Natural wine? Perhaps even craft spirits? The answer is none of the above. According to the IWSR (International Wine and Spirits Record), the non-alcoholic and low-alcohol-volume sector will outperform all comers with a projected growth of up to 31 per cent by 2024. This growth reflects the pattern seen with gluten-free and meat-free products as consumers are now, more than ever, more conscious of healthier lifestyle choices. Before we go on, it’s important to clarify the difference between non-alcoholic drinks and alcohol-removed drinks. Non-alcoholic drinks speak for themselves but alcohol-removed drinks have been made the same way as alcoholised products, but then the alcohol is removed via reverse osmosis or vacuum distillation. As technology improves, so too will the quality of these products. Not all drinks labelled non-alcoholic are actually 100 per cent clear either. Many products sit at 0.5 per cent, which still enable them to be classified as non-alcoholic. 54
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The boom in the market has seen people like Irene Falcone set up her business Sans Drinks. Based in Sydney, she boasts more than 500 products in her store. The expansion of her online business propelled her to take the next step with the launch of Australia’s first non-alcohol bottle shop based in Sydney’s Freshwater. It’s fair to say it won’t be the only store of that nature we will see in the future. I was fortunate to taste some of Irene’s products recently and I walked away suitably impressed. The Thomson & Scott Noughty Organic Sparkling Chardonnay NV ($25), imported from Germany and made with chardonnay from Spain, is touted as the best sparkling in the Sans Drinks range. Throw it in a flute and there’s a good chance your friends wouldn’t know it’s alcohol free – except the dancing won’t get worse with the more you have. Tasting of golden apples with a dab of sweetness, it is clean and crisp with a dry finish and is a more than respectable option. The 1920 Wines Alcohol Removed Pinot Grigio 2021 ($14.95) comes from the Riverina in New South Wales. A wine that offers good refreshment, this will bring a new meaning to poolside drinks. Highlighted by green apple, green
SALT
10/03/2022 2:00:10 PM
