
Drinking… but drinking less. For some time now, the trend in the beverage world has been to reduce the alcohol content of drinks so that less alcohol is consumed in each sip. The first alcohol-free liquor store has already opened in Gràcia and it has long been fashionable in haute cuisine restaurants to de-alcoholize wines by means of a reverse osmosis process that reduces the alcohol content of the beverage, losing some of its properties along the way.
What had not yet been achieved in Spain was to lower a wine’s alcohol content in a natural way, and that is what the Cooperativa de Corbera d’Ebre has done with Nakens, the first 9º wine that does not achieve this alcohol content in a natural way and not through dealcoholization processes.
Nakens is, moreover, the first wine of these characteristics welcomed by a DO, the Terra Alta, which has embraced a wine project that goes with the new trends of drinking with less alcohol.
Nakens, the light wine
Nakens is a single varietal Parellada wine, a grape that already tends to have a low alcohol content and that here is exploited to the maximum. The grape enters with 8º of sugar concentration (normally it is from 10º) to end up having 9º of alcohol.
According to Judith, the Cooperative’s winemaker, this alcohol content is optimal for Terra Alta Parellada, as it allows wine to be made without over-ripening the grapes, resulting in a drink that, as it has not been dealcoholized, maintains all its aromas of white and green fruit while maintaining a balanced acidity, thus preserving all the qualities of a still wine.
Nakens’ idea is to offer a fresh and light wine, with a lower alcohol content, with a balance between freshness and flavor and which is a versatile option for different moments of consumption.Its price, €8.5, also helps.
The wine was presented on February 3 at Barcelona Wine Week and, as the Cooperative explains, a pallet had already been sold the following day, confirming the sector’s interest in drinking, but drinking a little less.