Chilean wine brand Casillero del Diablo has extended into alcohol-free with the launch of a de-alcoholised sparkling variant.
Casillero del Diablo Zero is made from 100% early-harvested Chardonnay grapes from the Chilean Central Valley. It has rolled out via wholesale ahead of the festive trading period (rsp: £6/75cl).
Zero had been “gently de-alcoholised” to create a wine that “more than meets the quality and drinkability standards” shoppers expected from Casillero del Diablo, said brand owner Concha y Toro UK (CyT UK).
Each 125ml glass contained just 22 calories, the supplier added.
“We’re so pleased to launch this new Casillero del Diablo bottling, in the run-up to the festive season when many people will be looking for a quality non-alcoholic alternative,” said Claire Raine, brands controller at CyT UK.
CyT UK had decided to make its first alcohol-free wine in a prosecco style as sparkling non-alcoholic wines were presently “much more relevant” than their still non-alcoholic counterparts, said Sebastián Aguirre, global marketing director at Casillero del Diablo.
“Casillero del Diablo has sparkling wines in other countries apart from the UK, and for a long time we have wanted to enter this category,” Aguirre said. “Having a non-alcoholic product gives us a very good starting point.
“Maybe in the future we will come out with a [still] wine but for now we wanted to start with sparking, especially at this time of year when we see consumption rise around Christmas and the new year.”
It comes after Casillero del Diablo earlier this year introduced BeLight, a lower-alcohol, lower-calorie sub-brand.
Two 8.5% abv serves – BeLight Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé – rolled into Sainsbury’s this autumn, having initially launched in Tesco in August.
A brand with the scale of Casillero del Diablo – which is the third-largest wine brand in the UK off-trade, according to NIQ data – could help shift mid-strength and alcohol-free wine “out of the corner fixture” in supermarkets and into the mainstream, Raine predicted.
“We have the brand power to be able to get those full gondola ends or the great feature at front of store,” she said. “Now we’ve got a wider portfolio, it won’t just be about supporting hero SKUs, but also how we use that space to drive the zero and moderation categories.
“It is small now, but we feel that we’ve got the brand power to help boost the overall category.”
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