When you scroll through the non-alcoholic wine available at Sans Drinks, you'll see that there is a vast array to choose from. Among them, the Natureo Wine range has proved popular with customers and garnered many five star reviews.
But did you know that this Spanish alcohol free wine is one of the most established brands on the market? In fact, as Sara tells me, the Natureo story begins 20 years ago.
Why did Familia Torres decide to add a non-alcoholic wine to the collection?
“About 20 years ago, we saw a trend of 'responsible drinking and an interest for low calorie wine and wine that is safe to drink during pregnancy. So we started to experiment with different de-alcoholisation techniques, resulting in choosing the ‘Spinning Cone Column’ (SCC) method as it retained the maximum of the original organoleptic characteristics.
After several years of extensive research, we launched our first 0.5% alcohol wine called Natureo White in 2007 (made of Moscatel) and later we added a Natureo Red wine (made of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah) and a Natureo Rosé (made with Syrah). Later in 2018, we added Sangre de Toro 0,0 Red (Mainly Syrah and Garnacha), Sangre de Toro 0,0 White (Muscat de Alejandría) and Sangre de Toro 0,0 Rosado (Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon)."
How is Natureo non-alcoholic wine made?
"We worked for more than 3 years on the project until we presented our first Natureo alcohol free wine, as it is not so easy to make a de-alcoholised wine. We started to experiment with different de-alcoholisation techniques, resulting in choosing in the end the SCC technique, which is a distillation column that works with steam (under vacuum).
It works at a low temperature of between 45/50 degrees, to gently extract the volatile chemicals. The columns are made of stainless steel. The conical fins are attached to the column wall and to a central rotating shaft.
Unlike a normal distillation, the vacuum condition causes the evaporation temperatures of the different substances to be lower (for example, alcohol evaporates at 50ºC instead of 78ºC) and this protects the natural characteristics of the wine from damage that could be caused by higher temperatures. This results in a more careful and delicate product, with no additives of any kind, and a better balance on the ‘nose’ and on the ‘palate’.
In the case of de-alcoholized wine, the equipment and how to use it is extremely important, because by reducing alcohol the aroma-balance is profoundly altered. Alcohol is part of the balance in a classic wine and if you remove it the wine tends to be very acidic. Ideally the best de-alcoholised wines are those where the 'initial' wine has been made already with the idea in mind that it will be de-alcoholised; with that you control the acidity and the residual sugar right from the beginning. It is important to say that SCC is a physical method to remove the alcohol so it is the most natural way to do it."
Natureo is being sold around the world – what do you want non-alcoholic wine drinkers to know about your brand?
"I think with the very diversified consumer profiles we have and see today, low/no alcohol wines will stay as a separate segment. The challenge has been and will be to make people realize that a de-alcoholized wine does not compete with a classic wine; it competes with the alternatives you have, when you can’t drink a classic wine.
So probably most Natureo lovers think – just like we - that wine is the perfect companion with food and don’t want to give up on that. And very important: food and wine – be it with or without alcohol – bring people together and make people enjoy life just a little more.”
What is special about Natureo wine?
Natureo is special because the process we use allows us to obtain a wine without any added artificial aromas or substances. The aromas of the wine are the aromas obtained from the original base wine, not an external or added one.
Guide to Natureo alcohol free wine
Natureo Premium De-alcoholised Rose
The taste: Made from both Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, this glossy, cherry-pink Rose features hints of red liquorice and forest fruits.
Worth noting: Vegan friendly and low in calories (18 calories per 100g).
What customers are saying: "I love this Rosé. It is not too sweet and tastes the most like the alcoholic versions I have previously enjoyed. I drink this now instead of alcoholic Rosé."
Natureo Garnacha Syrah
The taste: This is a robust red wine that features flavours of pomegranate, red current, and hints of vanilla as well as smooth tannins.
Worth noting: 32 calories per 100g.
What customers are saying: "I’m fairly new to de-alcoholised wines, but this is the best I’ve tasted so far."
Natureo Non-Alcoholic Muscat
The taste: Made from Muscat grapes, this is white wine is fresh on the palate with bold floral and fruity aromas.
Worth noting: 21 calories per 100g.
What customers are saying: "Even though this is labelled a Muscat it is not sweet. Definitely worth trying as it's quite dry."
