Episode Notes
Vancouver’s Biggest Non-Alc Wine, Beer, Spirit & Cocktail Tasting!
Free Spirit Vancouver.
The low and non-alcoholic sector has exploded into a $13-billion-dollar global industry, recording staggering year-over-year growth, with Canadians among its top international consumers.
According to NielsenIQ, the overall market grew by more than 35 per cent in 2023, and 120 per cent over the past three years. It’s already scooped up 10 per cent market share in Spain and Germany. Industry research shows that Millennials and Gen-Z consumers are increasingly looking for booze-free alternatives, a trend driven by factors like cost, diet, legal cannabis consumption, and a positive awareness of mental health.
Supply is growing to meet this demand in the form of de-alcoholized spirits, mixes, wines and beer that, compared to products of the past, actually taste good. Better distillation and brewing techniques, sophisticated food science, and elegant bottling are creating a new world of beverages: light on calories, high on taste, with no or low alcohol, and zero hangovers. Canadian Geographic March 2024
No/Lo spirits, wine, cider, beer have been “trending” for many years now. The search for wine and beer replacements have always been there. A number of producers began to find results after they made their wine and beer, then stripped the alcohol out and substituted the taste with other elements. Fruit, tea, spices etc. Suddenly, some of the replacements tasted even better than the originals.
Kurtis Kolt, sommelier and wine educator, wine judge, co-founder of Top Drop Vancouver, has organized a second Free Spirit Vancouver.
Kurtis Kolt
The first was January of this year when he hosted 10 vendors pouring, collectively, just under 20 brands.
That, my friends, is called “Trending”. With a capitol T.
Please check out the link below to see the producers list and to follow along with Kurtis Kolt’s interview.
Be sharp, he motors through a lot of labels and tastes.
Merry no/lo Holidays
https://www.kurtiskolt.com/p/free-spirit-a-sauv-blanc-duo-featuring
STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON
Fort Berens – new releases
Hester Creek – new releases and a new label.
Haywire – new releases
