Project description
Novel approach for wine dealcoholisation
Alcohol consumption in Europe is responsible for approximately 195 000 deaths annually caused by liver cirrhosis, cancer, road and other accidents. Wine producers have been experimenting with the production of low or non-alcoholic wine. However, existing approaches to wine dealcoholisation, such as reverse osmosis and vacuum distillation, have negative effects on the attributes and quality of wine. In addition, they are costly and applicable only to industrial-level production. The aim of the EU-funded WineALaCarte project is to identify a clear route to market for an appliance created by Alacarte Ventures that reduces the alcohol content of wine, preserving its taste, aroma, and original properties. The product is the first of its kind and is small, fast, and easy enough to provide an on demand service in restaurants, hotels and bars.
Objective
Europe remains the heaviest drinking region in the world, with alcohol responsible for approximately 195,000 deaths each
year in the EU as a result of cancer, liver, cirrhosis, road traffic and other accidents.
Wine producers have been experimenting with low and non-alcoholic wine, but certain challenges are holding such products
back from wide uptake by consumers:
- Quality: Current approaches of wine dealcoholisation such as Reverse Osmosis and Vacuum Distillation negatively affect
the key attributes of the wine and its quality.
- Cost and Energy: Such approaches are expensive and require a large setup, making it only applicable for producers in an
industrial setting, and in huge quantities.
- Actors further down the value chain, such as restaurants and bars, have direct access to consumers yet are limited to what
producers and distributors provide.
Our start-up, Alacarte Ventures, has created an appliance that reduces the alcohol content of wine while keeping its taste,
smell and original properties intact. It is the first product of its kind, and is small, fast and easy enough to use for restaurants,
bars and hotels to provide an on-demand service for their guests.
Our low and non-alcoholic wine will help prevent health problems caused or worsened by alcohol, as well as lower the
calories to fit a consumer’s preferred diet. Producers are excited about our product, as well, as it allows consumers to enjoy
reduced alcohol wine with the quality that the winemaker intended and done so at the point of sale using what they already
distribute.
We have already achieved validation from globally recognised sommeliers with a combined range of experience at several
restaurants of Michelin fame, such as El Bulli and El Celler de Can Roca.
Just 2% market share of our Total Addressable Market can lead to over 25m € in revenue. Counting investment, we estimate
cumulative ROI of over 27m € by 2025, resulting in an IRR of 41%.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyother engineering and technologiesfood technology
- engineering and technologychemical engineeringseparation technologiesdesalinationreverse osmosis
- engineering and technologychemical engineeringseparation technologiesdistillation
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryalcohols
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinehepatology
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
17538 FONTANALS DE CERDANYA
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.