Dry January: A Shift Toward Alcohol-Free Wines and the ‘Dry-ish’ Trend

January 29, 2025January 31, 2025 Natalie MacLean Leave a comment

The start of 2025 brings a shift in drinking habits, with a new movement called “Dry January.” It’s gaining popularity with those seeking reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption while still enjoying the occasional glass or two.

Joining us today is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com. Welcome, Natalie!

Great to be back with you, Mona! I’m thrilled to chat about wines that have great taste without the alcoholic heft.

Tell us about the scale of this movement.

The numbers are revealing – 46% of Generation Z embraced Dry January in 2024, while around 20% of Millennials and Generation X participated. 94% of those who buy alcohol-free wines also buy traditional wines. The worldwide market is projected to hit $45 billion Canadian this year.

Let’s start with your first wine. What do you have for us?

St. Regis Brut Sparkling Wine
France

The St. Regis Brut Sparkling Wine is a zesty, delicious alcohol-free bubbly from France. It has lovely aromas of green apple and toasted almond.

It’s perfect on it’s own as an aperitif or as a companion to lighter fare. It’ll even make carrot sticks taste good. It’s available from Amazon and other online retailers.

Dealcoholized wines are ideal for lunch meetings when you don’t have time for an afternoon nap afterwards, or when you’re the designated driver or some of your guests are.

I see you have another wine from St. Regis.

St. Regis Chardonnay
France

St. Regis Secco
Spain

St. Regis Sauvignon Blanc
France

Yes, I also have the St. Regis Chardonnay is a delicious, full-bodied alcohol-free wine. It has seductive aromas of white peach and pear.

It’s so balanced it could teach a yoga class. It would be terrific with roast chicken. It’s also available from Amazon and other online retailers.

What do you have for us next?

Giesen 0% Pinot Grigio
New Zealand

Giesen 0% Riesling
New Zealand

Giesen 0% Premium Red
New Zealand

The Giesen Pinot Grigio will make your taste buds dance. It’s a tasty alcohol-free wine from New Zealand. It’s bursting with aromas of lime zest and lemon sunshine.

The Giesen Pinot Grigio is so juicy and mouth-watering it’ll pair well with seafood and keeping your New Year’s resolutions. It’s available from psalcoholfree.com.

I always recommend having some dealcoholized wines on hand as there are also health and religious reasons that people prefer them. Personally, I do enjoy them and they’re a great way to pace myself during an evening when I alternate between them and regular wines, something they now call zebra stripe drinking.

To wrap up, you have a rosé for us. Tell us about it.

Giesen 0% Rosé
New Zealand

The Giesen Rosé will bring back summer in a glass even on a cold January day. It’s bursting with notes of fresh field strawberries.

I’d pair it with vegetarian dishes and grilled chicken.

Many wineries, like Giesen, have traditionally made alcoholic wines and are now expanding their portfolio to including non-alcoholic offerings in recogniztion of market trends and demand.

Natalie, these suggestions are fantastic! Any final words of wisdom for our viewers?

Here’s to new beginnings and better choices, without sacrificing taste or pleasure!

Where can we find these wines?

On Instagram, you can find me posting wine reviews and tips at:

@NatalieMacLeanWine

Online, my website is nataliemaclean.com.

Posted with permission of CTV.

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