Associate Degree in the Viticulture and Production of Non-Alcoholic Wines
150 Lessons
Grow the Grapes. Understand the Wine. Master the Future of Non-Alcoholic Wine.
The European Wine Academy’s Associate Degree in the Viticulture and Production of Non-Alcoholic Wines is a comprehensive 150-lesson online programme for students who want to understand one of the most rapidly developing areas of the modern wine industry — from the vineyard through to the finished non-alcoholic or de-alcoholised wine.
This is not simply a course in removing alcohol from conventional wine. A central feature of the programme is the recognition that the quality of a non-alcoholic wine begins in the vineyard. Students therefore learn how grape variety, clone, rootstock, soil, climate, canopy management, crop load, water availability, harvest timing, acidity, sugar, aroma precursors and phenolic maturity can be managed specifically for the production of high-quality non-alcoholic wines.
Starting with the essential foundations of wine and viticulture, the programme progresses into specialist viticulture for non-alcoholic wine and finally into fermentation, de-alcoholisation, aroma recovery, wine reformulation, sensory evaluation, packaging, labelling and marketing.
Whether the final product begins as grape must, a partially fermented beverage, a conventional wine that is subsequently de-alcoholised, or an organically or biodynamically produced wine, students gain an understanding of the complete production chain.
Master the Science and Production of Non-Alcoholic Wine
The non-alcoholic wine sector is developing rapidly, but producing a convincing alcohol-free wine presents challenges that are very different from those encountered in conventional winemaking.
Alcohol contributes to body, texture, aroma release, balance and the perception of sweetness and acidity. When alcohol is absent or removed, these elements can change dramatically. A wine that was balanced before de-alcoholisation may therefore become thin, sharp, sweet or aromatically weak afterwards.
This makes the vineyard increasingly important.
The supplied course research highlights a fundamental principle: producers often need to manage grapes for moderate sugar, appropriate acidity, strong aromatic potential and appropriate phenolic ripeness, rather than simply seeking the high physiological ripeness commonly associated with premium conventional wines.
The course therefore asks a question that conventional winemaking programmes rarely address:
What kind of grape should we grow if we already know that the final wine will contain little or no alcohol?
Students then follow those grapes into the winery and investigate what happens when fermentation is prevented, limited or completed and alcohol is subsequently removed.
Why Choose This Non-Alcoholic Wine AD at EWA?
A Complete Vineyard-to-Bottle Approach
Most discussions of non-alcoholic wine concentrate on the technology used to remove alcohol. This programme goes much further, beginning with the production of the grape itself.
Students learn how vineyard decisions can influence the composition and quality of the eventual non-alcoholic wine.
Specialist Viticulture for NA Wine
The programme contains an extensive specialist viticulture component covering sugar accumulation, acidity, aroma precursors, phenolics, varieties, clones, rootstocks, climate, irrigation, canopy management, disease pressure, precision viticulture and harvest timing.
Learn the Technology Behind De-Alcoholisation
Study the principal technologies used to reduce or remove alcohol, including vacuum distillation, spinning-cone technology, reverse osmosis and membrane-based separation, together with the problems of aroma loss and subsequent recovery.
Understand Why NA Wine Tastes Different
The course examines the sensory consequences of removing alcohol, including changes to:
Study More Than One Route to NA Wine
The programme distinguishes between never-fermented grape products, partially fermented products, low-alcohol wines and wines that are subsequently de-alcoholised.
This is important because “non-alcoholic wine” is not a single production method.
Explore Different Wine Styles
Students investigate the production of non-alcoholic:
Understand the Commercial Reality
Technology alone does not create a successful product. The programme therefore examines labelling, regulation, packaging, shelf life, consumer expectations, marketing and the future development of the global NA wine market.
What You Will Learn
By the end of the Associate Degree, students will be able to: