Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has opened a new $15 million in-house facility dedicated to ‘low and no’ alcohol wine production in the Barossa Valley.
The new facility features state-of-the-art dealcoholisation technology, complemented by world-first patent pending processes for treating the aromatic component of wine that locks in flavour.
It houses customised, exclusive equipment alongside proprietary processes that delicately process the wine’s extracted essence as part of the dealcoholisation process, allowing winemakers to protect the components responsible for the wine’s flavour and fragrance.
The system has been designed to overcome challenges with existing processes for removing alcohol from wine that change its chemistry and impact richness, body and ‘mouthfeel’.
Treasury Wine Estates chief supply and sustainability officer Kerrin Petty said: “This world-leading facility cements our position as a global pioneer in winemaking. This state-of-the-art technology and proprietary process for de-alcoholisation is our latest step in building a hub of innovation, technology and sustainability in the Barossa Valley, where we’ve been crafting wine to delight consumers for more than a century.”
The facility is producing the next generation of low and no alcohol wines for brands in TWE’s global portfolio including Squealing Pig and Pepperjack, which will complement other low and no alcohol offerings in the Matua, 19 Crimes, Lindeman’s, and Wolf Blass brands.
Joining these established global brands is the new-to-market Sorbet, which blends traditional varietals like Prosecco, Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, and Shiraz with fruit and berry flavours such as passionfruit, mango and lemon, and a lower ABV of 8%.