But for some regions in Europe it means traditions older than the Roman empire, related to wine growing, can disappear. On steep sunny rocky slopes where little else will grow well, and it’s often really deeply embedded in almost everything in such a region: restaurants, tourism, landscape… 80% inhabitants are somehow linked to the winery. Then it’s not anonymous capitalist sounding “industry” but just some guy in a small village whose father’s father’s father … once started an Inn with winegrowing on the side and when all 4 of such businesses in a village go bankrupt the entire village can become an abandoned wasteland in just a few years.
Modern wine-farming isn’t all romantic traditions either though. It has been mechanized and intensified over the last few decades as well, with some notable disadvantages to the landscapes that have been formed by vineyards over centuries.
I understand the existential threat, that a shrinking market poses to some wine-farmers. But I don’t think wine is going to disappear completely. And maybe there’s also a chance for a healthy transformation.
The problem is, that we’re gonna let merciless market dynamics decide, who can stay and who cannot, and usually that doesn’t go in favour of the small players.
Grape juice is extremely sweet, so it’s not a good substitute.
Alcohol free wine is wine with the alcohol removed, which tastes very different and isn’t usually sweet.
Sure you can harvest the grapes early, if you want your drink to taste sour as fuck.
I don’t know if you’ve ever tasted alcohol-free wine, but it’s really something different from grape juice.
And where are the disadvantages?
I agree there are few advantages to alcohol.
But for some regions in Europe it means traditions older than the Roman empire, related to wine growing, can disappear. On steep sunny rocky slopes where little else will grow well, and it’s often really deeply embedded in almost everything in such a region: restaurants, tourism, landscape… 80% inhabitants are somehow linked to the winery. Then it’s not anonymous capitalist sounding “industry” but just some guy in a small village whose father’s father’s father … once started an Inn with winegrowing on the side and when all 4 of such businesses in a village go bankrupt the entire village can become an abandoned wasteland in just a few years.
Modern wine-farming isn’t all romantic traditions either though. It has been mechanized and intensified over the last few decades as well, with some notable disadvantages to the landscapes that have been formed by vineyards over centuries.
I understand the existential threat, that a shrinking market poses to some wine-farmers. But I don’t think wine is going to disappear completely. And maybe there’s also a chance for a healthy transformation.
The problem is, that we’re gonna let merciless market dynamics decide, who can stay and who cannot, and usually that doesn’t go in favour of the small players.
The alcohol industry will keep bitching about it the entire time.
They can pivot to alcohol-free beer and wine, which are great by now.
Isn’t alcohol free wine just… grape juice?
Grape juice is extremely sweet, so it’s not a good substitute.
Alcohol free wine is wine with the alcohol removed, which tastes very different and isn’t usually sweet.
So, they just remove the sugar from the juice…
I mean, I made a ton of wine in the past… The only thing that happens is sugar gets converted to booze, and the booze preserves the juice.
Its really not all that different.
I suppose easier would be harvesting the grapes early, before they load up sugar, and juice that, and call it “alcohol free wine” lol
Sure you can harvest the grapes early, if you want your drink to taste sour as fuck.
I don’t know if you’ve ever tasted alcohol-free wine, but it’s really something different from grape juice.
Beer, yea mostly. Wine I feel is a bit hit or miss. The whites and rosé tend to be fine, the reds mostly taste like weird grape juice, though.