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Bastille Day: French-made alcohol-free drinks take centre stage

14 juillet : le sans alcool made in France à l'honneur

Tonight, we will raise our glasses across France. At the fireworks, at the village dances, around great family tables. And this year, in many of those glasses, there will not be a drop of alcohol — without anyone losing an ounce of pleasure.

It's a great opportunity to say it: alcohol-free has become a French affair. In just a few years, our winemakers, distillers, cider makers and brewers have stopped treating 0% as a by-product and turned it into a genuine arena of expertise. The result is on our shelves, and it has nothing to envy anyone.

So for Bastille Day, we're not going to talk about what we don't drink. We're going to take you on a tour of a country — ours — through the houses that today make the finest alcohol-free drinks. And we're taking the opportunity to launch our big summer event: the Tour de France of alcohol-free, one region at a time.

French alcohol-free made in France — in brief: French dealcoholised wine has found its winemakers (Moderato, in Gascony), Provence has reinvented the aperitif with verjus (Osco), French distillation produces sugar-free spirits (JNPR), Normandy is perfecting 0% cider (Maison Sassy) and a new generation of organic brewers is finally brewing in France (Penrose in Angers, Edmond). Five families, the same level of exigence — and every reason to be proud of what's in the glass. All delivered within 72 hours across France, and now across Europe.

Why alcohol-free has become a source of French pride

The country that had the most to lose is the one that succeeded best

France didn't invent alcohol-free — the Belgians and Germans have been brewing 0% for far longer than us. But France had something else: its grape varieties, its terroirs, and a demand for flavour that lets nothing slip through. When our houses turned their hand to it, they didn't come to make up the numbers.

Three things changed everything. First, technique: vacuum dealcoholisation at low temperature removes the alcohol without cooking the wine or destroying its aromas. Then the seriousness of producers, who today start from a genuinely good product — a wine vinified for that purpose, a beer brewed with real hops — instead of cobbling together a juice. Finally, demand: when tens of thousands of people call for quality, the industry follows.

 

Moderato — the winemaker who helped alcohol-free wine grow up

From Gascony to the first dealcoholised premier grand cru of Sauternes

If one house were needed to sum up the leap forward in French alcohol-free wine, it would be Moderato. Founded in 2020 by Sébastien Thomas — from a family of winegrowers in the Cognac region — and Fabien Marchand-Cassagne, it follows a simple rule: a genuine wine first, careful dealcoholisation second. The grapes come from Gascony, the dealcoholisation is carried out under vacuum at low temperature in the Gers, at the Chai Sobre — a technical facility that the house helped bring into existence in France.

The range covers the whole summer: Le Rosé (Merlot-Gros Manseng, indulgent and rounded), Le White (Colombard de Gascogne), Le Red (Merlot-Tannat) and Le Pétillant, for toasting. And to measure the ground covered, there is the cuvée that set the whole wine world talking: in February 2026, Château Sigalas-Rabaud, premier grand cru classé of Sauternes, released a dealcoholised version — and it was Moderato who made it. When a cru of that standing gets involved, it's no longer a trend: it's recognition.

💡 The wine merchant's tip: to discover the house, start with the Merlot-Gros Manseng rosé, between 6 and 8°C. It silences the sceptics in a single sip. For a special occasion, the Sigalas-Rabaud cuvée, served very cold, is best enjoyed like a sweet wine — with foie gras or an apricot dessert.

The perfect pairing: the great Bastille Day table — grilled meats, garden tomatoes, goat's cheese. The rosé holds its own for the full length of the meal.

→ Discover the Moderato rosé or the Moderato × Sigalas-Rabaud cuvée

Osco — the Provençal verjus, an aperitif that imitates no one

French winemaking expertise applied to the aperitif

Provence doesn't only make rosé: it has invented one of the most original alcohol-free aperitifs around. Osco crafts its recipes from verjus — that juice of green grapes harvested early, sharp and taut — infused with plants from the South. It is neither a syrup nor a copy of an existing spirit: it is a new category, born from a genuine terroir. L'Original plays on elegant bitterness and garrigue herbs; Le Red Ardent, fruitier, unfurls its intense red fruits.

This is the aperitif you serve to those who find alcohol-free drinks too sweet: here, freshness and bitterness lead the way.

💡 The wine merchant's tip: one part Osco to two or three parts well-chilled sparkling water, plenty of ice, a slice of orange. Aperitif under the plane tree, no passport required.

The perfect pairing: tapenade, anchoïade, vegetables grilled in olive oil. The full flavours of the Deep South.

→ Discover Osco Le Red Ardent

JNPR — French distillation, without a drop of sugar

A complete cocktail bar, designed and made in France

When it comes to alcohol-free spirits, the temptation of sugar is everywhere. JNPR did the opposite: distilling dry alternatives in France, alcohol-free and sugar-free. Built around n°1 with juniper — herbaceous, fresh, with the structure of a genuine sipping gin — the house has assembled a true bar collection: BTTR n°1 (bitter orange, gentian, rhubarb, created with mixologist Flavio Angiolillo), VRMH in the style of vermouth, and further references for composing your own cocktails at home. Enough to build an entire bar, 100% French.

💡 The wine merchant's tip: BTTR n°1 lengthened with sparkling water and a slice of orange is the bitter summer evening aperitif in thirty seconds. We'll actually be devoting a full article to it at the end of the month — bitterness deserves its place.

The perfect pairing: roasted almonds, olives, tapas. Everything that calls for a dry, structured glass.

→ Discover our alcohol-free spirits

Maison Sassy — Normandy in fine bubbles

A genuine table cider, simply alcohol-free

You think you know cider, and then you taste the one from Maison Sassy in its 0% version. Born in the Pays d'Auge with the idea of dusting off cider's image, the house produces a rare organic demi-sec without alcohol: clean Normandy apple, fine bubbles, real tangy tension. Not an apple lemonade — a cider to be served in a wine glass and that holds its own throughout a meal.

Faced with a Bastille Day barbecue, it does more than hold its own: the smoky indulgence of grilled food calls for its acidity like nothing else.

💡 The wine merchant's tip: serve very cold, in a wine glass rather than a bowl. This cider plays in the league of table wines — treat it accordingly.

The perfect pairing: grilled pork chops, homemade burgers, honey-roasted camembert.

→ Discover the Maison Sassy organic alcohol-free cider

Penrose & Edmond — beer finally brewed in France

The new French brewing wave, in organic

For a long time, a good alcohol-free beer inevitably came from elsewhere. That's no longer true — and two French houses prove it. Penrose, a cooperative microbrewery based in Angers, brews a remarkable organic Oatmeal Pale Ale: oats give it a smooth texture, the dry hopping (Cascade, Citra, Mosaic) a citrusy and resinous profile. A beer of character, with a short supply chain. Edmond, one of the first French brands to be 100% alcohol-free, completes the picture with a dry and elegant organic blonde Pale Ale, and an IPA enhanced with mango purée.

Let's be honest, because it's our trade: high-level 0.0% brewing remains partly a Belgian and German craft, and some French brands still brew abroad. But with players like Penrose, who genuinely brews in France and organically, the French industry is being built before our eyes — and we have a front-row seat.

💡 The wine merchant's tip: serve the Penrose Oatmeal Pale Ale at around 6–8°C, slightly less cold than a classic lager, to let the oats and hops express themselves fully.

The perfect pairing: the Penrose as an aperitif or with a savoury tart; Edmond's IPA with a burger or a spicy dish.

→ Discover the Penrose Oatmeal Pale Ale and Edmond's blonde

French alcohol-free in a few figures

Because a wine merchant must know what they're talking about, here is where the category stands — verified figures, sources at the bottom of the page.

Indicator Figure What it says
No/low market in France ≈ €300M A category that has scaled up
Growth since 2022 +30 % The strongest momentum in the drinks aisle
French people who reduced their alcohol consumption in 2025 36 % A genuine groundswell
… who intend to continue in 2026 39 % The trend is taking hold
Alcohol-free beer (2024, all retail channels) €238M, +5.4% in value The pioneering segment
Alcohol-free wine ≈ 1% of volumes, +21.5% in value Small volume, immense potential

One figure speaks to us particularly: according to the 3rd edition of the alcohol-free wine barometer (Moderato × Seeds, October 2025), one in two French people say they are interested in alcohol-free wine, and one in five already drink it. In other words, an immense pool of curious people ready to give it a try. Our job is to make sure their first sip is the right one.

We're launching the Tour de France of alcohol-free

This summer, we're hitting the road: one region, one article, producers to meet. Four stops to tour French alcohol-free, from vineyard to brewery:

  1. Bordeaux & South-West — the birthplace of alcohol-free wine (Clos de Boüard, Moderato, UBY, Unaju, Djin)
  2. Languedoc & Provence — the great South of verjus and sun-drenched grape varieties (Arjolle, Chavin, Osco, Kiss'Wing)
  3. Loire, Alsace & the East — the freshness of whites (Grenaudière, Sarment Zéro, Ribeauvillé, Domaine des Grottes)
  4. Normandy & the brewing wave — cider, spirits and French beers (Sassy, JNPR, De Sutter, Penrose, Edmond)

First stop this Thursday, in Bordeaux and the South-West — where it all began.

Also worth reading

Frequently asked questions

Are there really good French alcohol-free wines?

Yes, and increasingly so. Houses like Moderato, in Gascony, start from a genuine vinified wine made to be dealcoholised — not from a sugary juice. The most striking proof: Château Sigalas-Rabaud, the premier grand cru classé of Sauternes, released a dealcoholised cuvée in 2026 produced by Moderato.

What are the best French alcohol-free drink brands?

According to our tastings: Moderato for wine, Osco for verjus aperitif, JNPR for sugar-free spirits, Maison Sassy for cider, Penrose and Edmond for organic beer. Each excels in its own category — and all of them are in our cellar.

Are there alcohol-free beers brewed in France?

Yes. Penrose brews an organic Oatmeal Pale Ale in Angers, with a short supply chain; Edmond offers an organic blonde and an IPA. 0.0% brewing remains partly a Belgian and German craft, but the French industry is growing fast.

What to serve for an alcohol-free Bastille Day?

The winning trio: a French sparkling wine for the toast, a dealcoholised rosé for the table, a 0% cider for the barbecue. And for the evening aperitif, an Osco lengthened with sparkling water. Cocorico, without the morning-after regrets.

Where to buy French alcohol-free drinks?

All the houses mentioned are on our website, alongside over 500 references tasted by our wine merchants. Order today, delivered within 72 hours across France — and now across Europe.

Gueule de Joie — France's first alcohol-free wine shop since 2019. Over 500 references selected for flavour, available with 72-hour delivery across France.

Sources for the figures cited