Nozeco sets its sights on still wine

The alcohol-free fizz label is going after the still wine market in time for the Christmas rush. Could its new releases indicate a change of direction for the brand?

Popular alcohol-free sparkling wine brand Nozeco released a still Merlot and a rosé through Morrisons last week in an expansion of its O% wine range. Retailing at £5 per bottle, the two new additions joined the brand’s existing still Chardonnay in stores, indicating a possible new direction for the brand.

Speaking exclusively to the drinks business, Mathieu Bechtel, UK marketing area manager for Les Grands Chais de France, would not be drawn on whether or not sparkling would remain Nozeco’s core focus, but he said: “Our sparkling offering continues to be a focus for the business due to it’s double digit growth, and we will continue to evolve the range to reflect changing consumer trends and match with appropriate formats.”

According to Bechtel, Nozeco’s secret weapon is its R&D department, which is “a leader in the space of non-alcoholic development”, giving Nozeco’s still 0% wines the edge over competitors.

“We have taken time to perfect our still offering, which has gone through the same rigorous process that our market leading sparkling brand has already completed,” he said. “Our new still range has been consumer tested and our packaging offers a USP versus the current competitive set.”

Made by French producer Les Grands Chais de France in Landiras, near Bordeaux, Nozeco already has a firm grip on the 0% ABV market in the UK, where it currently enjoys a 26% market share (Circana Jan 2024), followed by McGuigan Zero and Eisberg wines.

Actually launched as Nosecco in 2017, it was forced to change its name following complaints by the Prosecco consortium (DOC). Consequently, the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) rejected a trade mark application for the French alcohol-free brand.

Having relaunched as Nozecco in 2021, its Classic Sparkling wine fast became a favourite with pregnant celebrities, with the likes of reality TV star Charlotte Dawson and the cast of The Only Way is Essex often posting to their millions of social media followers about imbibing the drink while expecting.

New options

According to Andrew Cooper, wine sourcer for Morrisons, the new releases are “all about exploring new options in this important category”.

Speaking about the new still wines, Nozeco said that developing the range had been a natural progression.

“This new addition to the range is in response to the rising demand for more varieties from Nozeco,” said Bechtel. “We took advantage of the years of know-how in wine dealcoholisation to create the range.”

Nozeco Still Merlot is described by the producer as being “round and velvety” and having “intense flavours of red fruits dominated by plum”. Nozeco Still Rosé, meanwhile, has “notes of strawberry and a floral aroma”.

Les Grands Chais de France is privately owned by the Helfrich family and has 68 wine properties across France, where a state-of-the-art de-alcoholisation plant has been installed.

For more best-selling 0% wines in the UK check out this round-up of Top 10 alcohol-free wine brands.