Are you also toasting to the New Year with 0.0?

Cheers with a 0.0% sparkling wine: is that what your first toast of 2026 will be like, or can't you even dream of it? While it's common to hear that toasting without alcohol brings bad luck during celebrations like New Year's, one of the most superstitious, the fact is that wines and sparkling wines with 0% alcohol are becoming increasingly popular. rare elderlyAlthough their expansion still arouses suspicion, partly because their flavor is not always perceived favorably, there are more and more wineries offering them and consumers willing to try them.

The rise of 0.0% and low-alcohol wines, which fall under the category of NoLO beverages (of No and low alcohol), is indisputable. The market research company IWSR explains to ARA that Spain is the world's seventh largest market for non-alcoholic wine, with an average annual growth rate of 3% in the 2019-2024 period and a 3% share of the global market. In the case of sparkling wines, the star of the Christmas holidays, the average annual growth rate of non-alcoholic wines in Spain has soared to 18% in the same period, but this double-digit figure is partly explained by the fact that sparkling wines start from a much smaller base: Spain represents less than 0.5% of the world total and occupies 2%

Why is consumption growing?

Consumption is led by countries like the US, Germany, the UK, France, and Australia. In Spain, there is also interest in them, according to a recent report from the University of León, which concluded that 78% of consumers would be willing to try non-alcoholic wines. However, whether 0.0% alcohol has become popular enough here to be the new staple of holiday celebrations is another matter. According to Irem Eren (DipWSET), an international consultancy specializing in non-alcoholic beverages, this holiday season, 0.0% sparkling wine "won't be the majority choice yet, but it's no longer an exception." Eren explains that in more developed markets, "0.0% sparkling wine is already integrated into celebrations, and Spain is entering the same trend, albeit with a slight delay."

Elisa Ucar, director of the EDA Drinks & Wine Campus at the Basque Culinary Center, maintains that non-alcoholic wine is consumed more on ordinary days than during holidays, but admits that its growth "is much faster than the projections" that have been made. At The Blue Dolphin, an online store specializing in non-alcoholic beverages that originated in Catalonia, sales of wine and beer have become equal, according to co-founder Andrea Mellado. November and December are "the peak sales period for non-alcoholic wine and sparkling wines," she adds, and she is convinced that they are finding a place on the Christmas table: she points out that now is the time to be with the people you love, and offering a non-alcoholic option is "a way to show that you care" about those who don't drink.

Mellado emphasizes that these are "inclusive drinks" because they ensure "everyone is on equal footing," adding that even if alcohol is consumed, alternating it with non-alcoholic options helps mitigate holiday excesses. For Eren, these drinks address three needs during the holidays. They cater to all demographics—pregnant women, athletes, workers, or those who want to moderate or abstain for health reasons—they reduce driving risks without forgoing toasts, and they allow for the preservation of "the ritual, the aesthetics, and the flavor," which "new technologies now make possible": the challenge lies in preserving aromas, structure, and identity.

Furthermore, among non-alcoholic wines, those with bubbles have the advantage that the carbonation helps to give them structure, one of the shortcomings of non-alcoholic wine when the alcohol is removed, which is usually compensated for with sugar, the use of which is being gradually reduced. In addition, since wines in the non-alcoholic segment are not part of designations of origin, they are subject to innovation, such as that announced by the Basque project Zuka – born from the Hika winery family – which plans to market in mid-February three wines and a sparkling wine made from Txakoli grape varieties, in which the alcohol content reaches 1.3%.

According to Daniel Mettyear, head of research at IWSR for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, "alcohol-free wine in Spain remains small in both absolute volume and market share, but by 2025 there has been a radical shift in interest and investment." Currently, the driving force behind its growth, according to Eren, is the consumer who drinks alcohol but occasionally substitutes it with 0.0% alternatives. Long gone are the days when drinking 0.0% was seen as a sacrifice, and the interest in reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption is not just among young people. "It extends from the..." baby boomers "even to Generation Z," he guarantees.

Wineries are multiplying

The first wineries in Spain to produce 0.0% alcohol wines were Natureo, from the Catalan winery Familia Torres, and Win, from Matarromera in Valladolid. Natureo already has six varieties, and Torres' spirits division has just launched a 0.5% vermouth (Casals Zero). While a significant portion of Natureo's sales are in international markets, the winery states that "the domestic market is showing sustained growth," and its new dealcoholization plant will be operational by early 2027, allowing for year-round production and doubling its production capacity.

Over time, Freixenet and Codorníu joined the ranks of wineries aiming for 0.0% alcohol, but the options have multiplied since the pandemic. Now in Catalonia, Raimat (Codorníu), Castell d'Or, Vallformosa, and Celler Masroig offer it—their sales director, Rafael Pino, says their Macabeu Zero is selling well in restaurants and shops looking for alternatives to the usual brands. There's even a 0.0% version of an iconic wine like the sparkling Blanc Pescador (Perelada group), and wineries that are highlighting their capacity for innovation, such as Superbloom (linked to Oller del Mas) with its reduced sugar content. Sommelier David Seijas also has Gallina de Punk, his own 0.0% line.

Elsewhere in Spain, Bodegas Murviedro, a Valencian winery that launched five sparkling wines this year, offers 0.0% ABV sparkling wines, as do Martín Códax and Paco & Lola. In other countries, there are even very high-end brands, such as the American Society De la Rassi, with sparkling wines made from grapes from La Mancha or France for around €50 a bottle, or the French French Bloom—in which the LVMH group of Moët Champagne has a stake—which has some wines priced at over €100. In addition, there are Catalan wineries offering very low-alcohol options, such as Terra Remota, Bodega de Capçanes, and Vallformosa.

Eran predicts that in 2026 there will be "clear growth" in 0.0% wines and sparkling wines, with "more options, higher quality, and greater cultural acceptance." Furthermore, despite the reservations that 0.0% wine arouses among traditional wine producers—because it's also called wine, its quality can be improved, it's heavily technologically processed, or because of the fear that it will cause them to lose sales—it is also being closely monitored. For example, Philippe Eberlé, the general manager of the high-end distributor Primeras Marcas (part of the Juvé & Camps group), recently stated that he doesn't plan to distribute 0.0% wine, but even so, he admits that "perhaps it's a gateway" for young people to try wine. The coming years will be key to seeing if 0.0% wine ultimately becomes popular.