With European summer well and truly upon us, many people will no doubt be relaxing with a refreshingly chilled glass of wine. But in France, not everyone will be getting light-headed. Non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits are a fast-growing market, a surprising trend in a country famous for its wine-growing tradition. FRANCE 24 reports from a Parisian wine cellar with a difference.
Located in Paris's northern 19th arrondissement (district), an up-and-coming area of the French capital, Le Paon Qui Boit ("The Drinking Peacock") was the first bricks-and-mortar boutique specialising in non-alcoholic drinks to open in France. The store is the brainchild of Augustin Laborde, a 35-year-old with a background in law who stopped drinking shortly before France's 2020 Covid lockdown and spotted an opportunity after seeing that many of his friends were also cutting back. He realised that non-alcoholic options were difficult to find in bars, restaurants or supermarkets. "I don't really like buying online as I like going to shops, reading labels, comparing, asking questions," he explained. "And that's when I realised that there was no shop that was really dedicated to the world [of non-alcoholic drinks]. And yet I could see that there was demand, or in any case, my friends were talking about it."
Le Paon opened in April 2022. Run by both Laborde and manager Maud Catté, also 35, it offers a total of 460 different options: everything from alcohol-free wine and beer, to faux gin, to healthy low-sugar alternatives such as the fermented tea called kombucha.
"We're absolutely not against alcohol," said Laborde, adding that Catté still drinks (she describes herself as a "flexi-drinker"). "It's just that we want there to be another possibility." He insisted on the inclusivity factor: "Whether you’re pregnant, Muslim, unwell or whatever, everyone is finally included with these drinks, which is not the case with alcohol."
But what about the French bon vivant mentality of enjoying the finer things in life, such as a nice glass of wine? "We are still bons vivants, even without alcohol," said Laborde. "Non-alcoholic doesn't mean sad or dull drinks. We enjoy life, it's just that there's this small change of going from alcohol to alcohol-free."
Millennials and pensioners, but few students
Laborde observed that most of the shop's clients are in their 30s, many of them members of the Millennial generation. They have "no doubt experimented with alcohol, including its excesses, and come to realise that they cannot continue at the same pace". He noted that the boutique also attracts "quite a few pensioners, who can no longer drink as much as they used to". Despite the shop offering student discounts, he admitted that Le Paon does not yet attract as many 20-somethings as it would like to, with purchasing power likely an issue for strapped students.
Despite Paris being quieter during the summer holidays, on a recent Wednesday afternoon Le Paon attracted a steady stream of customers. The friendly duo of Laborde and Catté were on hand to offer advice. Thibault, whose purchases included a drink made from fermented bread with a flavour similar to Gueuze, a Belgian beer, explained that he had given up alcohol a month ago for health reasons. Julie (not her real name), 42, who doesn't drink because she's breastfeeding, bought a bottle of non-alcoholic white wine after sampling a glass. As for 36-year-old Hélène, basket in hand, she said she was there to stock up on sugar-free drinks.
Wine, minus the alcohol
Laborde explained that there are two main methods for making non-alcoholic wine. The first uses unfermented grape juice, often with an infusion of oak. The second, more widely used technique, known as vacuum distillation, involves making wine the traditional way and then removing the alcohol: the wine is heated, and the ethanol evaporates.
All of Le Paon's non-alcoholic wines are made from French grapes. The vast majority of the bottles do not have corks. Interestingly, nutritional information is listed on the back of the bottle, unlike with traditional wine, although Laborde pointed out that this is going to change by the end of the year.
When it comes to food and drink, the French have always had a reputation for high standards. Do these non-alcoholic tipples pass the taste test?
Laborde made it clear that with non-alcoholic wine, "one cannot expect the same thing" as with a traditional bottle. "There's no long finish (aftertaste). You really need to be quite open-minded; it's a new drink," he explained. That said, FRANCE 24 had no trouble polishing off a glass of the same non-alcoholic white that Julie bought. The Sauvignon blanc/Viognier blend was pleasant to drink, with a sweet, fruity flavour. Replicating the taste of full-bodied reds is a much bigger challenge, said Catté, explaining that most non-alcoholic reds are lighter varieties.
This seems to be less of an issue with spirits. FRANCE 24 was able to taste several non-alcoholic concoctions that were bursting with flavour, including a sugar-free aniseed drink that tasted just like real pastis, a popular apéritif in the south of France.
Fewer calories and no hangover
According to a 2021 survey, some 41 percent of French people say they want to adopt a healthy lifestyle. "Non-alcoholic drinks have a third of the calories of those with alcohol," Laborde pointed out. Plus, "you avoid a hangover. It's really about treating yourself, being good to yourself and discovering new things." For Laborde, these advantages explain why most of the boutique's clients are "flexi-drinkers" like Catté: people who still drink, but who have cut down on their alcohol intake.
Non-alcoholic drinks are certainly enjoying a boom. According to data from IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, a global alcoholic beverage market data specialist, the no- or low-alcohol category in 10 key markets is projected to grow in volume at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7% between 2022 and 2026. Volumes in France are expected to see a CAGR of 9% over the same period, with the French market for alcohol-free beer slated for an impressive CAGR of 14%.
'It's not just a fad, it's a real trend'
Laborde is indeed convinced the French market for non-alcoholic drinks is here to stay, despite it lagging behind neighbouring countries such as Germany and the UK. "For us, it's not just a fad, it's a real trend," he insisted. He is confident that "in five years' time, you will no doubt have alcohol-free beer on tap in bars". While admitting that French restaurants have been slow to embrace the trend (only high-end establishments have shown interest so far), he expects this to change, too.
As for supermarkets in France, only a handful of non-alcoholic wines are available for now, and they can be difficult to spot. But alcohol-free beers are unmissable on the shelves this summer, with big brands like Heineken and Kronenbourg having got in on the action. And in the wake of the success of Le Paon, several similar boutiques have sprung up in Paris.
Is the non-alcoholic trend a mini French revolution? For Laborde, "it's clearly an evolution". In the meantime, the team at Le Paon are hoping to open a second boutique before the end of the year.
