Hardys launches its booze-free Chardonnay

Hardys, the UK’s best-selling wine brand, has launched its first booze-free wine in response to the growth in sales of no- and low-alcohol products.

Brand-owner Accolade Wines said it had listened to the market and created the alcohol-free Chardonnay that would offer consumers an “authentic and sophisticated” wine experience that “delivered on taste and quality”.

The new wine is created using the same grapes as its regular Chardonnay, but is subsequently de-alcoholised using a process of vacuum distillation, which removes the highly volatile compounds and the alcohol as the wine is passed through a distillation column.

The move comes off the back of a 19.9% rise in the no- and low-category, according to Nielsen (52 week ending 27 January 2019) with Accolade’s marketing director David White noting the category represents a growing £17m profit opportunity for the trade.

“Hardys Alcohol Free is perfect to help capitalise on this trend. It offers important wine cues, such as grape style and flavour notes, and strong consumer confidence in the Hardys brand will help to drive purchase on occasions when consumers might be seeking an alternative to alcohol,” he said.

The brand has seen a 2.9% rise in sales in the last year, Accolade said.

The sku has already been listed by retailers Tesco, Morrisons and Ocado (RRP: £5 – £7), and supplier Matthew Clark from the beginning of April.