London Wine Fair (LWF) continued its evolution beyond a traditional wine exhibition this week, with this year’s event juggling not only wine and spirits, but beer and cider via a new partnership with BREW//LDN.
Another area that has come to prominence in recent years is the fast-evolving no, low and mid-strength category, which touched down at the Olympia through the Mindful Drinking Experience pavilion.
Curated by Club Soda, the focus area brought together more than 20 no, low and mid-strength brands alongside the 50 gold medal winners from the World Alcohol-Free Awards. Rather than focusing purely on moderation, the pavilion instead chose to emphasise flavour, provenance, texture and food pairing and a way of showcasing the category’s increasing sophistication.
“No, low and mid-strength drinks continue to increase their footprint at the show every single year,” Club Soda co-founder, Laura Willoughby, told Drinks Retailing.
“Alongside our own pavilion, there were alcohol-free wines represented across the wider fair by distributors and vineyards who now see these drinks as an important part of their portfolio. What was especially exciting this year was seeing drinks selected not because they are alcohol-free, but because they are genuinely exceptional with food. It felt like a real celebration of what talented drinks makers can achieve.”
Fruit cuvées, ferments and wine alternatives all featured heavily throughout, shining a light on the breadth of modern alcohol-free drinking and its increasingly culinary direction. Producers including Jörg Geiger, Arensbak and Nino reflected a growing focus on drinks offering structure, acidity, tannin and complexity – qualities increasingly valued by chefs and sommeliers looking beyond traditional wine pairings.
Tea also emerged as a key talking point during the show. Tea sommelier and author Mariëlla Erkens led a packed session exploring tea’s parallels with wine through terroir, provenance and food matching, while Club Soda highlighted tea’s growing role within contemporary alcohol-free blending and menu development.
The continued evolution of alcohol-free and mid-strength wine formed another major theme. Wines such as Oddbird, ZENO Alcohol-Liberated Wine and Moderato showcased how quickly standards are advancing within the category, with many now being produced using quality base wines and advanced aroma recovery techniques that are helping producers move closer towards the texture and complexity associated with traditional wine.
The addition of a debut Mid-Strength Pavilion also brought another layer to the conversation. Brands such as 6 Percent Wine, Wednesday’s Domaine and Soléance led the way with lower-abv products designed to appeal to consumers who want to moderate without sacrificing occasion and experience.
Elsewhere, education remained central to the pavilion’s programme. Club Soda hosted a series of sessions on the Signature Serve Stage, including an event that paired alcohol-free serves with caviar bumps and dishes from Counter 71.
