Augustin Laborde, owner of Le Paon Qui Boit, at his shop in Paris on August 26.
Matthew Aignone for NPR
hide captions
switch captions
Matthew Aignone for NPR
Augustin Laborde, owner of Le Paon Qui Boit, at his shop in Paris on August 26.
Matthew Aignone for NPR
PARIS – Augustin Laborde gave up alcohol during the early stages of the pandemic two years ago. But when things finally unfolded, he says meeting friends in bars quickly became an unpleasant experience.
“My only options are basically sugared soda or juice,” he says.
So Laborde, a lawyer with a passion for side projects, started doing some internet research.
As it turns out, there’s a whole range of non-alcoholic beverages on the market; They are not on the menu.
That’s when a light bulb comes on.
In April, Laborde opened Le Paon Qui Boit, which means Drinking Peacock, which promotes itself as Paris’s first non-alcoholic liquor and liquor store. The store boasts more than 300 low- and alcohol-free bottles of beer, wine, gins and whiskey.
A customer picks up a non-alcoholic drink at Le Paon Qui Boit in Paris on August 26.
Matthew Aignone for NPR
hide captions
switch captions
Matthew Aignone for NPR
A customer picks up a non-alcoholic drink at Le Paon Qui Boit in Paris on August 26.
Matthew Aignone for NPR
“I really appreciate the element of inclusion in these products,” says Laborde. “Almost everyone can drink them – we’re not separated by drinkers and non-drinkers.”
On a recent day, Laborde offered a tasting of a particular product line: wine.
Laborde said: “People are surprised to see the higher prices, maybe 10 to 15 euros a bottle, compared to 4 to 8 euros for a bottle of wine in Paris.
It all involves the non-alcoholic process of making alcohol, which takes an extra step. After going through a traditional fermentation process, Laborde says the alcohol in the wine is evaporated using a special filtration process.
Augustin Laborde pours a glass of non-alcoholic wine at Le Paon Qui Boit in Paris on August 26.
Matthew Aignone for NPR
hide captions
switch captions
Matthew Aignone for NPR
Augustin Laborde pours a glass of non-alcoholic wine at Le Paon Qui Boit in Paris on August 26.
Matthew Aignone for NPR
He also expects flavors to become more refined, as techniques improve and the non-experimental market grows.
“This is certainly not a fad,” said Dan Mettyear, who works with the IWSR Beverage Market Analysis consulting group. According to Mettyear, global non-alcoholic alcohol consumption has increased by 24% in the last year alone.
“It all has to do with the major healthcare trends we’ve seen around the world,” he said.
There are even vineyards dedicated entirely to the production of non-alcoholic wines. One of all Le Petit Bereta small French brand with headquarters in Béziers, in the Occitanie region of southern France, specializing in the production of low-sugar, unfermented white, red and rosé wines and sparkling wines.
But Mettyear said it probably wouldn’t be too shocking that growth in France was slower than in the US and much of Europe.
“Especially for something like a traditional wine market, it’s a bit harder to sell,” he said. “A lot of people already have solid ideas about what wine is and how it should taste.”
Customers looking for drinks at Le Paon Qui Boit in Paris on August 26.
Matthew Aignone for NPR
hide captions
switch captions
Matthew Aignone for NPR
Customers looking for drinks at Le Paon Qui Boit in Paris on August 26.
Matthew Aignone for NPR
People like the staff at Le Baron Rouge, a wine bar in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, to be as traditional as possible.
Opened in 1979, this tiny establishment is known for serving alcohol from giant wooden casks.
Sommelier Olivier Collin was doing an annual barrel wash when NPR asked him if he had heard of an uptrend.
He shook his head disapprovingly.
“I don’t understand why you would want to try wine without alcohol!” he says.
“Vegan meat too. I’m a vegetarian but I don’t understand why we need to eat something equal to meat or to wine or beer! What’s wrong with fruit juices?”
But with some persuasion, he agreed to taste it bottles of wine purchased from the Laborde store – including sauvignon blanc and champagne free of harmful substances.
Collin and his staff sniffed the sauvignon curiously.
“It smells like cat urine…which means it smells like a real sauvignon,” says Collin with a chuckle.
He took one for the first time.
“It’s beautiful!” he said, surprised.
In terms of taste, Collin has a mixture of apples, pears and onions.
“It’s fruity and refreshing,” he says.
But then Collin took a second sip – and wasn’t as impressed.
“Too sweet … and certainly not like wine,” he said.
The taste of a wine can change as much after opening the bottle, but Collin says he’s a bit shocked by how often this sauvignon tastes. Based on the taste – and Collin’s overall repulsion – it’s unlikely you’ll see any alcohol-free wine at Le Baron Rouge any time soon.
0.0% wine at Le Paon Qui Boit in Paris on August 26.
Matthew Aignone for NPR
hide captions
switch captions
Matthew Aignone for NPR
0.0% wine at Le Paon Qui Boit in Paris on August 26.
Matthew Aignone for NPR
But curious taste buds at an outdoor event organized by Le Paon Qui Boit disagreed with Collin’s approach.
Charles Vaubin said he was trying to cut back on his alcohol intake while his wife was pregnant.
“At France, [wine] is about culture. … It’s about food and it’s fun to add this aspect to a non-alcoholic product. “
In other words, he says, wine traditionalists should realize that they all have the same goal – to prove that France is producing some of the best wines in the world, with or without alcohol.
Le Paon Qui Boit in Paris on August 26.
Matthew Aignone for NPR
hide captions
switch captions
Matthew Aignone for NPR
Le Paon Qui Boit in Paris on August 26.
Matthew Aignone for NPR
