Alcohol-free wine often starts as a wine from which the alcohol is subsequently removed. This changes more than just the alcohol content: volatile aroma compounds can also be removed in the process. A research project at Geisenheim University is addressing this issue. It asks whether deliberately fermented grape pomace can restore some of the missing aromas.
AROMAnoALK will be presented at BrauBeviale in Nuremberg on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, at 2pm. Lisa Zimmermann will present the project at the Geisenheim University stand in Hall 7, Stand 7-510. At first glance, the approach sounds simple: a residue from winemaking is treated using microorganisms to obtain aromas for dealcoholised wine and drinks made from it. Whether the final result delivers on taste remains an open research question – not an outcome that has already been demonstrated.
From pressing residue to potential raw material
Pomace is the name given to the solid material left after grapes have been pressed: mainly skins and seeds, and sometimes stems, depending on how the grapes are processed. What remains is by no means aromatically neutral. The skins contain plant compounds that microorganisms can convert or modify during fermentation. The project aims to harness these processes in a targeted way, rather than treating pomace merely as a side stream of wine production.
AROMAnoALK is investigating the extraction of aromas from fermented pomace to improve the quality of dealcoholised wines. According to the Research Association of the German Food Industry, the project runs from 2024 to 2027 and involves specialists in microbiology, biochemistry and oenology at Geisenheim University. That timeframe also makes clear that the trade fair presentation offers an insight into ongoing research, not a final report.
What the research still needs to establish
Transferring the approach to the winery depends on several steps. Which pomace is suitable – from which grape variety and which processing method? Which microorganisms produce the desired aroma compounds, and under what conditions? How can those compounds be extracted from the fermented material, dosed and incorporated into a finished drink in a stable form? And will the desired effect persist when the processes are scaled up?
The project information available so far does not answer these detailed questions. It specifies neither the microorganisms used nor particular experimental parameters or sensory results. Sensory testing is especially important: an aroma compound measurable in the laboratory will not necessarily come across as balanced in a drink. The composition of the pomace is also likely to play a role. Grape variety, ripeness, pressing and processing all influence the nature of the starting material.
From the laboratory to commercial production
Even if an approach works at research scale, that does not establish its suitability for use at a wine estate or in a larger operation. In day-to-day practice, consistent raw material quality, controllable fermentation, food safety, workload and costs all matter. There is also the question of how an extracted aroma behaves in different alcohol-free wines. A Riesling cannot be equated with every dealcoholised wine; the quality of the original wine and the method used to remove the alcohol also shape the product.
The project is interesting because it brings together two challenges: handling a winemaking by-product and seeking new possibilities for alcohol-free wines. The trade fair presentation may clarify which experimental steps are already being tested and how the researchers assess their samples. Until robust results are published, pomace remains primarily a potential source of aroma – not evidence of an improvement already achieved in the quality of alcohol-free wines.
Original reviewed by the editors · 5 November 2026
