The Low-Alcohol Drinks Revolution: Can Wine Keep Up?

The Low-Alcohol Drinks Revolution: Can Wine Keep Up?

Author: BBC Radio 4 January 30, 2026 Duration: 42:47
The Food Programme
ArtsFood

One thing that could make us all healthier is drinking less alcohol – and there’s now a huge market for alcohol‑free drinks. But one category that has long struggled to deliver great taste is non‑alcoholic wine. In this episode Jaega Wise looks to find out why it’s so difficult to make a wine without alcohol that still tastes good, and asks what difference these drinks can make to people trying to cut back.

Jaega begins the story of German producer Bernhard Jung, whose family pioneered vacuum distillation more than a century ago. She meets Fiona Graham and Alex Viol of Vino Zero along with wine expert Jane Rakison to taste some of today’s most promising alcohol‑free bottles, and speaks to David Hodgson of Zeno Wines about the challenges behind creating convincing 0% options. At Plumpton College, master’s student George Coles and programme manager James Clapham explain how future winemakers are experimenting with new approaches.

During the programme, Jaega also brings together Professor John Holmes of the University of Sheffield and Richard Piper from Alcohol Change UK to explore how no‑ and low‑alcohol drinks might influence our drinking habits. And with Tom Ward of Wise Bartender, she looks at the growing world of mid‑strength wine - a category some believe could be the next step in helping people drink differently.

Presented by Jaega Wise Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Natalie Donovan


The Food Programme from BBC Radio 4 digs into the stories behind what we eat. This podcast moves beyond recipes and restaurant reviews to explore the entire ecosystem of our meals. Each episode is a reported journey, examining the cultural, historical, economic, and personal forces that shape food production and consumption. You might hear about the surprising science of flavor, the future of farming in a changing climate, or the revival of a nearly forgotten culinary tradition. The series connects the dots between the field, the supply chain, and the dinner plate, offering a deeper understanding of the choices we make as consumers and citizens. Listen for insightful interviews with growers, chefs, scientists, and policymakers, all framed by thoughtful narration. It’s for anyone curious about the true cost and value of their food, providing context and conversation that changes how you think about your next bite. Tune in for a consistently engaging exploration of one of life’s fundamental pleasures and its complex global impact.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Official website RSS
The Food Programme
Podcast Episodes
Bradford: City of Food Culture [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:36
Bradford is this year’s UK City of Culture - but what does food have to do with it? Sheila Dillon visits the city to meet market traders, chefs and restaurateurs to find out how its industrial past has influenced the thr…
Communal Dining [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:50
Sheila Dillon joins diners eating together in Manchester and Copenhagen, and hears why some think we should be making more time in the UK for eating communally.During World War II, British Restaurants provided nutritious…
Closing London's 'Kitchen of the Universe' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:57
Two of the country's largest wholesale markets are on the brink of closure. The City of London Corporation has decided to shut the historic meat market at Smithfield and the fish market at Billingsgate, bringing to an en…
Regenerative farming and food. What does it mean? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:20
It's a term used by the smallest farmers and the world's biggest food businesses. But what does 'regenerative agriculture' mean?Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.
Second to Nan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:21
Sheila Dillon revisits the idea of our grannies’ cooking and how it shapes us, hearing from listeners who sent in their own stories. Why does learning to cook from your granny seem to be such a powerful experience? What…
Broken Policies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:38
It's 2025, and the same old questions are still being asked about food and health—how do we get people eating better, reduce obesity, improve health, and ease pressure on the NHS? Despite decades of policies and campaign…
Low and No [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:39
What's behind the rise and rise of low alcohol and alcohol free drinks? The sector grew by a quarter last year alone, fuelled by our changing relationship with alcohol. More than fifteen million people are thought to hav…
Food and Exercise: A Puzzle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:44
Want to lose weight? How much can you achieve through exercise? Dan Saladino investigates with the help of Mike Keen, a chef and Arctic explorer. Mike has had numerous adventures in Greenland, including kayaking thousand…
What's this emulsifier doing in my food? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:48
Emulsifiers are among the most common food additives found in ultra-processed foods (UPFs), a much-discussed category of foods commonly defined as those made using manufactured ingredients. They are often packaged and ha…
Food and AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:48
How will Artificial Intelligence (AI) transform the food industry? Experts say it's already having an effect - whether through self-service checkouts or the algorithms that determine which recipes you see online or the w…

«12345678910»