Team WAFA have spent the last few days in France, at the two biggest gatherings of alcohol-free producers in the world: Degré Zéro and Wine Paris.

While there, Chris and Chrissie talked with over 140 producers, and tasted five times that number of products. As well as being a handy (if exhausting!) warm-up for the judging next month, it was a brilliant way to gain an overview of some of the current trends in the industry.

So here’s what they found.

Merlot Merlot Everywhere

As demand for everyday Bordeaux red wine has fallen, so have the prices for its most-planted grape, Merlot. And alcohol-free producers are making the most of the opportunity. We tried it dozens of times, and in every possible format: red, white and rosé, still and sparkling. Our top picks? White and rosé.

Shift to RTDs

This is a trend we saw in embryonic form at last year’s competition, but it seems to be gathering pace. Producers of spirits and (particularly) aperitivos are adding both cans (to entice first-time buyers) and 75cl pre-mixed bottles for gifting and socialising. It makes sense to us.

Beers are shining

The overall numbers of beers at the tasting events was relatively small – perhaps surprisingly so – but they punched above their weight. Made in a variety of ways, and with everything from classic IPAs and pales to shandy, stout, fruit beer and even Trappist beer, the standard was uniformly excellent. An inspiration to other categories.

Creativity is still strong

Drinks in alcohol-free can go from groundbreaking to ‘accepted mainstream’ in not much more than a year. But there are still boundaries to push. We found producers mashing up influences from different drinks categories or different parts of the world into a single, unique product. They don’t all work, but it’s undeniably fascinating - and there are some real finds!

Accreditation matters

A growing number of producers are making an effort with the way they source and make their products - and they want us to know about it. We saw a lot more drinks that were organic, biodynamic, halal and BCorp than before - putting their accreditation front and centre.

Wines with style

Perhaps the most heartening wine trend we found was the appearance of wines that absolutely nail a classic style. We tasted terrific examples of aged Australian Semillon, Sauternes, Cahors (!) and Mosel Riesling. In many cases, extra age was often a key element to the wine’s depth and personality. They come at a price, but they’re worth it. We’ll surely see more of this going forward. 

Paris is Global

In the time we were in Paris we ran into WAFA judges from all over the world: UK, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, Germany and Spain. Degré Zéro alone had 1100 visitors in just one day. No question: for four days a year, the French capital is a serious melting pot of expertise in non-alc.