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- Potion number zero: how is the market of non-alcoholic wine and beer developing in the Russian Federation
Potion number zero: how is the market of non-alcoholic wine and beer developing in the Russian Federation
The market of non-alcoholic wine and beer in Russia is experiencing a real boom. The popularity of such drinks has increased significantly. Non-alcoholic beer adds up to 21% of retail sales per year, and demand on marketplaces has increased 2.6 times. The situation with wines is more complicated: only imports can be found in stores, and this affects domestic winemakers. To develop the production of non-alcoholic wines in Russia, GOST R and special licenses for producers may be introduced. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
What is happening with the demand for non-alcoholic beer and wine
The production of non-alcoholic beer in Russia last year showed positive dynamics due to the growing interest in this market segment, the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture told Izvestia. In 2025, the volume of beer production with a strength of up to 0.5% amounted to almost 20.8 million decaliters (dal), which is 28.1% more than in 2024 (16.2 million dal). Since the beginning of 2026, about 2.6 million dal has been produced, which is approximately at the level of the same period last year.
According to the CRPT (operator of the Honest Sign state labeling system), in the first quarter of 2026, the production of non-alcoholic beer increased by 6.6% over the year, to 61.4 million liters. At the same time, domestic products account for 93.4% of the total supply. Imports, in turn, increased by 81.3% and amounted to 4.3 million liters. Non-alcoholic wine is not yet included in the labeling system.
Manufacturers report an increase in sales, but the share of these categories in the total remains small: for beer — no more than 3%, for wine — about 1%, which underlines the niche nature of these products.
According to preliminary data from the Wine Retail information center, the estimate of the share of non-alcoholic wine sales this year is as follows: up to 2% of the total wine sales in the range of supermarket and hypermarket retail formats.
— Non-alcoholic wine has a clear rise in sales, and this rise is also recorded within a very narrow niche. By the way, it's even narrower than beer," said Oleg Nikolaev, a member of the General Council of Delovaya Rossiya, co—founder of the Sevastopol Wine Growers and Winemakers Association.
What is the current volume of the alcohol-free market
The average price of non-alcoholic beer in 2025 was 3% lower than in the whole category. One can of non-alcoholic beer cost about 130 rubles. In 2026, the cost was 1% more.
Non-alcoholic beer sales in retail are growing. According to the OK network, they increased by 21.1% in January –October 2025. Baltika's sales of such beverages in Russia increased by 17% in monetary terms from 2022 to 2025. In 2025, the share of non-alcoholic beer in the company's total sales was approaching 3%. If we assume that Baltika's total revenue in 2025 was, for example, 100 billion rubles, then sales of non-alcoholic beer could reach about 3 billion rubles.
In 2025, the share of this type of beverage in Bochkarev Breweries reached 2.7%, and in monetary terms, the segment grew by 17-18%.
The dynamics on marketplaces is also impressive: sales of non—alcoholic beer on Ozon increased 2.6 times, and on Wildberries - by 58%.
The volume of investments and the pace of new product launches indicate one thing: the industry considers the non-alcoholic segment as a strategic area for business growth and diversification. The largest Russian beer producers — Baltika, InBev Efes and Bochkarev Breweries — have significantly increased investments in the development of non-alcoholic beverages over the past year and a half.
In particular, Baltika has invested more than 500 million rubles in the modernization of production facilities and the updating of formulations of non-alcoholic varieties. AB InBev Efes has allocated about 400 million rubles for the development of this segment, launching two new product lines and increasing production volumes by 15% per year. And the Bochkarev Breweries invested about 250 million rubles in the expansion of production lines.
The length of the investment cycle for new non–alcoholic products is 1.5-3 years: from formulation development to market entry and payback. In 2025-2026, more than 10 new non-alcoholic brands from the largest players appeared on the market. According to various expert estimates, the combined investments of market leaders in this segment have exceeded 1.5 billion rubles in two years.
Why the Russian Federation does not allow the production of non-alcoholic wine
At the moment, the alcohol production process in Russia is facing serious legislative and economic barriers, says Alexander Stavtsev, Vice president of the Russian Association of Retail Market Experts and head of the WineRetail information center. The key issue now remains the issue of clear and understandable regulations for the turnover of separated alcohol in order to avoid accusations of illegal activities.
According to the press service of the Association of Winegrowers and Winemakers of Russia (ABVR), there are currently no regulatory documents for the production of non-alcoholic wine in Russia. Currently, by order of the AWBR, the draft GOST for the production of non-alcoholic wines is under development by the branch Technical Committee No. 162 (Rosstandart). The press service of Rosstandart informed Izvestia that the draft national standard GOST R "Non-alcoholic wine. Technical specifications" is being finalized taking into account the comments and suggestions of the members of the technical committee, as well as other industry organizations. The document will establish uniform technical requirements for products, including terminology consistent with FZ-468 "On Viticulture and Winemaking in the Russian Federation." It is also designed to take into account the provisions of the technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union.
"After completion, the project will be reviewed in TC 162 and, if a consensus is reached, it can be submitted to Rosstandart for approval," the department informed.
In turn, the working group of the expert council at Rosalokoltabakcontrol is preparing documentation that involves regulating the accounting of alcohol that appears as a by-product in the production of non-alcoholic wines, Elena Suslova-Novozhilova, deputy chairman of the Public Council of Rosalokoltabakcontrol, General director of the Committee of Producers of Alcoholic Beverages, told the publication. The document will fix the maximum volumes of its production and acceptable methods of use.
— In addition, the possibility of creating a separate type of license for winemakers is being considered, which will allow the legal production of water-alcohol solution as part of the wine de-alcoholization process. Such a license can be issued exclusively in addition to the main license for the production, storage, supply and retail sale of wine products," the source said.
The fact is that the production technology of non-alcoholic wine consists in removing alcohol from an already prepared drink. For example, if there is a wine with a strength of 12 degrees, then, conditionally, 120 ml of alcohol must be removed from each liter. In fact, it is a water-alcohol mixture that can be stronger than 60 degrees.
As soon as the winemaker begins to produce alcohol (in any quantity), the company is required to obtain a license for the production of alcoholic beverages. The cost of such a license from January 1, 2026 is 13 million rubles, which is already a significant financial burden. In addition, special storage conditions and additional costs are required. The authorized capital of the company must be at least 10 million. Even large Russian winemakers consider such investments impractical, especially considering that the original wine is already selling well. As a result, almost all non—alcoholic wine on the shelves of Russian stores is imported, mainly from Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Chile and Argentina.
According to Alexander Stavtsev, regulation needs to be changed for the development of domestic production: the producer does not have to pay for an alcohol license when producing non-alcoholic wine. There are several possible approaches now. One of them is to treat separated alcohol as waste that is disposed of (for example, by authorized RATK operators). However, this complicates the economy: the cost of a bottle actually doubles, and technological costs are added to it. Another way is to simplify the turnover of this alcohol.
As for the production of non-alcoholic beer, Vyacheslav Mamontov, Executive Director of the Association of Beer, Malt and Beverage Producers, believes that the preservation of advertising opportunities, taking into account current self-regulatory measures, the maintenance of a zero excise tax rate on non-alcoholic beer, and the minimum indexation of the excise tax rate on sugar-containing beverages, with the possible exception of non-alcoholic beverages, should be highlighted as measures to regulate the industry. beer from this category.
Social portrait of a non-alcoholic consumer
The social portrait of the consumer of non-alcoholic wine and beer in Russia is formed around several key groups. The majority of buyers (about 50%) are people aged 31-45 years with an average and above average income. They are the ones who most often choose soft drinks as an alternative to traditional alcohol, focusing on a healthy lifestyle and the desire not to fall out of the company where they drink alcohol.
The most active growth is shown by young people aged 18-30: although this group still accounts for only 10% of sales, it is the zoomers and young millennials who are setting the trend for quitting alcohol and experimenting with new tastes. For them, non—alcoholic beer becomes an alternative to sugary sodas, and non-alcoholic wine is a way to maintain a social ritual without harm to health.
Geographically, the demand for non—alcoholic wine and beer is highest today in large cities and megacities - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, as well as in the southern regions with their developed wine—making traditions. In these regions, consumers are more likely to encounter a wide range and a developed culture of alternative drinks consumption. At the same time, in small towns and rural areas, the proportion of such products remains low due to the limited assortment on the shelves and less consumer awareness. In general, sales of non-alcoholic beer and wine are growing fastest where income levels are higher and the trend towards healthy lifestyle is stronger.
— At the same time, non—alcoholic wine costs more in production than regular wine, because de-alcoholization is an additional step that follows along with the traditional process, and not instead of it. Therefore, his audience is appropriate — solvent and "conscious," summarizes Oleg Nikolaev, an industry representative.
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