Dealcoholized wine or NA wine (Non-Alcoholic) is wine that has reduced alcohol content or no alcohol content at all. This means that dealcoholized wine contains either no alcohol or less than half of one percent of alcohol, since 0.5% and under is considered dealcoholized. For context, regular wine can contain between 11%-14% abv. The obvious benefit of dealcoholized wine is that you’re consuming very little alcohol, which can cause damage to the internal organs and to the brain [1] when overused.
Dealcoholized Wine vs. Non-alcoholic Wine
Dealcoholized wine has had its alcoholic content removed after fermentation, whereas non alcoholic wine often does not contain alcohol or has very limited alcohol, to begin with. This is because NA wines are fermented to a lesser degree than regular wine, which ensures that the grapes do not produce unlimited alcohol content from the beginning of the process. That’s how non-alcoholic wine is made. Overall, non alcoholic wine is usually sweeter than dealcoholized wine. Both non-alcoholic red wine and white wines are widely sold.
How to Make Non-Alcoholic Wine
Here’s how to dealcoholize wine: To start the alcohol free wine process, regular fermented wine is either filtered (reverse osmosis) or put through a spinning process (spinning core technology) that removes the alcohol along with the water content. Another method, called vacuum distillation, is where the wine is heated to a high temperature so that the alcohol evaporates. After either one of these three processes, the amount of alcohol and water that was removed is replaced either with just water or a combination of water and unfermented grape juice. These processes remove alcohol, but the result is not, as is widely believed, just a sweet drink comparable to grape juice.
You can also dealcoholize wine at home by boiling it over the stove. The alcohol will evaporate, leaving you with dealcoholized wine. This method will change the taste and smell of the wine and is not entirely accurate because it’s impossible to measure the amount of alcohol left in the wine without professional equipment. Nevertheless, boiling wine over the stove may decrease the alcoholic content drastically, making it a better option than drinking regular wine.
Why Drink Dealcoholized or Non-alcoholic Wine?
There are many reasons why one would choose to start drinking non alcoholic wine. The non alcoholic wine benefits include reduced risk of cancer, improved sleep, lower blood pressure, better moods, a healthier liver, and more. Another obvious benefit is that people who struggle with an addiction to alcohol can still enjoy wine without the alcohol content. Getting drunk regularly can cause many issues, including antisocial behavior, hangovers (as well as nausea, tiredness, dehydration, and headaches), risk of losing your job, tumultuous relationships, increased risk of road accidents, and getting in trouble with the law. You can drink as much non alcoholic wine as you want- without getting drunk.
Is Non-alcoholic Wine Good for You?
So, is dealcoholized wine bad for you? Is it good for you? Overwhelmingly, the research has shown that non-alcoholic wine is actually a lot better than its alcoholic counterpart. As of now, there hasn’t been enough research to prove either way, but this is what the limited research has shown:
Some studies have shown that drinking small amounts of normal red wine regularly is linked to fewer deaths due to cardiovascular disease. These studies also came to the conclusion that if one increases the recommended one or two units of alcohol a day, it could lead to harmful effects, known as the ‘J-curve.’ It is unclear if it’s the alcohol itself that plays any part in the strengthening of the heart, and other health benefits like lowered blood pressure, improved response to insulin, and oxidative stress, or if it’s the wine itself. However, most scientists believe that non-alcoholic red wine also has these potential health benefits, as even non-alcoholic red wine contains antioxidant properties.
Alcohol also contains around seven calories per gram- the same as fat- and some carbs. The difference is that the calories consumed through alcohol have no nutritional value, whereas the calories from food do contain nutrition. Drinking non-alcoholic wine can therefore help you control your weight gain. As per Healthline [2],1 cup of regular red wine (about 5 ounces or 148ml) contains 125 calories and 3.84 grams of carbs, whereas the same amount of dealcoholized wine has just nine calories and 1.6 grams of carbs.
Alcohol relaxes the body and causes you to fall asleep, but studies have shown that drunken sleep is of poor quality, particularly during REM sleep. This stage of sleep is vital for memory consolidation and for preventing tiredness and drowsiness the next day. Drinking alcohol-free wine prevents this, allowing you to be more alert and focused the next day.
Does Non Alcoholic Wine Taste the Same?
The process of dealcoholizing wine is sophisticated, designed to remove the alcohol but retain the polyphenols that give the wine taste and aroma. The result is usually wine that tastes and smells similar to regular wine. With non alcoholic wines, it’s a bit more complicated since the fermentation process was controlled so that the sugars in the grapes do not fully ferment, resulting in drastically less alcohol content. Some say that the result of non alcoholic wine cannot fairly be called ‘wine’ since it never went through the fermentation process, which converts grapes into wine. For this reason, some non alcoholic wines are labeled ‘non alcoholic’ without the word ‘wine’ or simply ‘wine alternative.’ The resultant taste is also reportedly less wine-like and sweeter, similar to grape juice.
Dealcoholized Wine: The Proven Better Choice
Alcohol-free wine has many advantages over regular wine, making it a great alternative. Even if you can swap only a few of your cups daily for alcohol-free wine, there are still tremendous physical and emotional benefits. An extra benefit is avoiding the unpleasant alcoholic body odor and breath smell that accompanies frequent drinkers.
It can also be used to help in the recovery process from alcohol addiction. If you or a loved one are struggling with alcohol addiction, Avenues Recovery is here to support you in your recovery with our many detox and treatment programs.
Contact us 24/7 to find out more. You deserve better than a life of addiction, and we’re here to help you get there.
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