Alcohol-free drinks · Explainer

What is the difference between alcohol-free and dealcoholised?

Dealcoholised refers to the process: there was alcohol in it and it has been removed again. Alcohol-free refers to the outcome. Under the European wine rules, a wine is called dealcoholised at no more than 0.5 percent by volume; in the Netherlands, beer may be called alcohol-free at no more than 0.1 percent by volume. A lot of alcohol-free beer has never been dealcoholised, but brewed in such a way that hardly any alcohol is produced.

In brief

The key figures

Dealcoholised wine (EU) at most 0.5 percent alcohol by volume
Partially dealcoholised wine above 0.5 percent by volume, below the minimum of the category
Alcohol-free beer (Netherlands) at most 0.1 per cent alcohol by volume
Low-alcohol beer more than 0.1 up to and including 1.2 per cent by volume
Alcoholic drink (Alcoholwet) more than half a percent by volume at 20 degrees Celsius
Alcohol statement mandatory above 1.2 percent by volume, Regulation 1169/2011
Wine with a protected designation only partial dealcoholisation permitted
Designation on the wine label next to the name of the wine category

What exactly does dealcoholised mean?

Dealcoholised means that the alcohol has been removed from the drink after fermentation. The European wine rules tie that designation to a limit of at most 0.5 percent alcohol by volume.

On a wine label the designation is mandatory next to the name of the category, so dealcoholised wine or dealcoholised sparkling wine. If more than 0.5 percent by volume remains, but less than the minimum that applies to the category, it is called partially dealcoholised. Dealcoholisation is permitted for wine, sparkling wine and semi-sparkling wine.

What does alcohol-free mean on a beer bottle?

In the Netherlands, alcohol-free beer is tied to at most 0.1 percent alcohol by volume, and low-alcohol runs from more than 0.1 up to and including 1.2 percent by volume.

If the label says 0.0 %, the alcohol content is rounded to zero. Nederlandse Brouwers compares that content with that of a ripe banana. For drinks other than beer, the limit above which the alcohol content must be on the label is 1.2 percent by volume; below that limit the producer does not have to state a percentage.

How can beer be alcohol-free without the alcohol having been removed?

Brewers can steer the fermentation so that hardly any alcohol is formed, with special yeast and a lower fermentation temperature.

Nederlandse Brouwers describes three routes. In the first, the process stops before the yeast has fully converted the sugars into alcohol. In the second, regular beer is brewed and the alcohol is then removed again with heat, which also evaporates aromas that are added back later. In the third, the beer is pressed through a membrane, which the trade association calls a costly and lengthy process.

Is alcohol-free the same as zero percent alcohol?

No, in most cases alcohol-free allows a small residue of alcohol.

The Alcohol Act calls a drink alcoholic as soon as it contains more than half a percent by volume of alcohol at twenty degrees Celsius. Everything below that falls outside that law. Within that range there are differences: a beer with 0.3 percent by volume may not be called alcohol-free in the Netherlands, because the limit for that is 0.1 percent by volume. A dealcoholized wine with 0.4 percent by volume does meet the wine rules.

From the shop in Bathmen

Which bottles retain a trace of alcohol?

In the shop in Bathmen there are 12 alcohol-free drinks with a trace of alcohol up to 0.5 percent by volume from 8 different brands from 4 countries. Prices range from € 1.35 to € 12.99. The alcohol percentage ranges from 0.05% to 0.5%.

Filter all alcohol-free drinks

Related questions

How do you store an opened bottle of alcohol-free?How long does alcohol-free beer keep?How is alcohol-free wine made?

Short answer

Short answers to related questions

May alcohol-free wine be called alcohol-free?
In the European wine rules, dealcoholised is the prescribed designation at at most 0.5 percent by volume. That term appears on the label next to the name of the wine category.
What is partially dealcoholised wine?
Wine from which part of the alcohol has been removed: more than 0.5 percent by volume, but less than the minimum that applies to that wine category.
Does alcohol-free beer fall under the Alcohol Act?
Nee. De Alcoholwet gaat over drank met meer dan een half volumeprocent alcohol bij twintig graden Celsius. Voor alcoholhoudende drank geldt NIX18.
Is the alcohol percentage always on the label?
Only above 1.2 percent by volume is the statement mandatory. Below that, the producer chooses whether to put 0.0 % or alcohol-free on the label.

Further

Read more

Everything about alcohol-free drinks at 't Bockjefilter alcohol-free drinks by country, taste and priceHow is alcohol-free wine made?What is alcohol-free gin?What is Dry January and how did it start?May you buy alcohol-free beer if you are under eighteen?All questions about alcohol-free drinks

The reasoning

Sources

  1. Regulation (EU) 2021/2117 (amendment of the wine rules, dealcoholisation), EUR-Lex, European Union (accessed 2026-09-07)
  2. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, EUR-Lex, European Union (accessed 2026-09-07)
  3. Alcohol-free and low-alcohol beer, Nederlandse Brouwers (accessed 2026-09-07)
  4. What do we mean by 'alcohol-free'?, Trimbos-instituut, Expertisecentrum Alcohol (accessed 2026-09-07)
  5. Alcoholwet, artikel 1 en artikel 20, Overheid.nl, wetten.overheid.nl (accessed 2026-09-07)
  6. How is alcohol-free beer made?, Nederlandse Brouwers (accessed 2026-09-07)

This page was written and checked by ’t Bockje Bathmen, wine and spirits shop at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Last updated on 7 September 2026.

Verkoop van alcohol onder de 18 jaar is verboden. NIX18.