For about a decade, people around the world have challenged themselves to "Dry January," a campaign to stop drinking alcohol for one month. But for one local Summerland winery, making non-alcoholic wines is a priority all year round.
Last year, sales of non-alcoholic beer, wine, and spirits accounted for 0.47% of total alcohol sales in the U.S., according to Neilson IQ. That may be a small amount but compared to 0.22% market share in 2018, it is clear the non-alcoholic options are on the rise.
For Summerland Winery manager, Josh Garver, Dry January became more than just a beginning-of-the-year challenge.
"To me, it's just the idea of being present with yourself, with the people you love, and your surroundings," Garver said.
Working in the wine industry has allowed Garver to bring non-alcoholic wine offerings into the spotlight alongside traditional wines.
"I worked hard with winemaking to crate some dealcoholized wines so these beauties are fermented to be wine and then the alcohol is removed," he explained.
This process of making non-alcoholic wines allows the flavor profiles to stay intact, creating a drink that closely resembles traditional wines but without the booze.
Summerland sources all fruit for its wines from Santa Barbara County and seems to know its clients well.
"Because of the fascination in our beautiful town, this has been one of our best sellers — our rosé — but we also have a very California-traditional chardonnay, and a red blend for all of our red lovers," Garver said.
So whether you participate in Dry January or are sober all year, your options for delicious products are growing.
