Definition of wine to be watered down as government scraps EU rule

Connor Parker
·4 min read

  • Wine sold in the UK will no longer have to be at least 8.5% alcohol under new plans

  • It is aimed at allowing alcohol-free wines to be as easily available as alcohol-free beer and cider

  • The change will scrap an old EU law the UK retained in 2020; the EU itself relaxed this rule in 2021

The definition of what a wine is is changing. (Getty)
The definition of what a wine is is changing. (Getty)

The government has announced a plan to change the definition of wine, scrapping old EU regulations and allowing producers to lower the alcohol content.

Current laws state wine must be at least 8.5% alcohol with most bottles on shelves between 11% to 13.5%.

The government says the minimum requirement will be brought down to 0% in England next year, effectively scrapping the rule.

The change will simplify making alcohol-free wine because current rules state wine must be made of fermented grape juice.

Current techniques for making alcohol-free wine involve taking the alcohol content out of it in a process called 'de-alcoholisation' after the grapes have been fermented.

Similar rules do not exist for alcohol-free beer or cider.

To sell a wine below 8.5% in the UK currently, the producer must market it as 'wine-based', a term the government said consumers believed meant the product had been mixed with other ingredients.

Recommended reading

The UK wine industry has been booming in recent years.

Kent-based winemaker Chapel Down reported in March that sales surged by more than 50% over 2022, selling a record 790,000 bottles from an "outstanding" harvest that allowed it to produce more than two million bottles of wine.

In 2021, the EU relaxed its rules on what is wine, but this did not apply to the UK because the UK had copied the previous 2020 laws when it left the bloc.

Cutting alcohol consumption

The government has cited two main reasons for making the change, with the first being trying to cut the nation's alcohol consumption.

A document posted on the government's website announcing the change said one in five English adults drink more than the UK chief medical officers' (CMOs') low-risk guidelines of 14 units per week, significantly increasing their risk of ill-health, poorer quality of life and premature death.

The government says it wants to increase the availability of low or no alcohol beverages.

The government is also relaxing rules around the bottles wine can be sold in. (Getty)
The government is also relaxing rules around the bottles wine can be sold in. (Getty)

But because of the minimum alcohol percentage laws on wine, the recent boom in no-alcohol beers and ciders has not been seen in wine.

The government said the simplification of the rules would remove the confusion of 'wine-based' terminology and make it easier for no or low-alcoholic wines to be brought to market.

Simplifying the market

On top of the health benefits it hopes to achieve, the government also says the new rules will help the UK's wine industry.

The simplification of the process for making no-alcohol wine by removing the need for fermented grape juice will leave the products cheaper to make.

The government is also scrapping rules requiring mushroom-shaped corks and foil wrappers on sparkling wine to reduce waste.

Cheaper and lower-alcohol wine will start appearing on shelves. (PA)
Cheaper and lower-alcohol wine will start appearing on shelves. (PA)

The types of bottles that wine can be sold in will also be relaxed allowing more variation in quantity sold.

The government will also allow lower-quality wines made of grape skins to be sold, ending an old EU ban.

When it first announced the plans back in May, the government claimed the reforms could add £180m to the industry.

Business and trade secretary Kemi Badenoch said: "Reforming and scrapping burdensome regulation will help grow the economy and provide businesses with much-needed freedoms to innovate, create and thrive."

At the same time, the UK is also planning to change the definition of 'no alcohol' from 0.05% to 0.5%.

Cautious welcome from industry

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association told the BBC its industry wanted to work with the government on the new rules.

Policy director Simon Stannard said the regulations would help the sector to meet the demand for low and non-alcoholic wines.

The rules will change the definition of wine in England. (PA)
The rules will change the definition of wine in England. (PA)

But he warned the new products must have proper descriptions explaining what they were to ensure consumers were buying the product they wanted.

He said: "We need to think about the potential for consumers being misled."

The wine and spirits trade magazine warned: "The reforms fail to acknowledge is that for the large majority of consumers, it would be misleading to use the term 'wine' without reference to 'de-alcoholisation' to market wines that have undergone post-production processes to lower alcohol."

They said this could lead to an influx of lower-quality wine to the UK to the detriment of consumers.