Meals With Non-Alcoholic Wines Have Become Increasing Trendy in Europe
French Bloom
In 2019, Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger, the Director of the Michelen Guide, was attending a dinner in California, but could not join the other guests in drinking wine with the meal because she was pregnant with twins. A short time later, she was attending another event in Paris where she bumped into her long-time fashion model friend, Constance Jablonski.
“At both events, I was seeking a non-alcoholic drink option that would allow me to join in the festive, social gathering, but also taste good. It turns out that Constance was looking for the same, and we were both frustrated that there was nothing available on the market that fit our criteria. It was then that the idea of developing an elegant alcohol-free sparkling wine, was born,” Maggie told me, in a recent Zoom interview.
But in order to create such a wine, they needed an expert winemaker and that is where Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger, CEO of Champagne Frerejean Freres, and Maggie’s husband, came into the picture.
“The challenge with making a premium alcohol-free sparkling wine is that when you remove the alcohol, you lose the background and body of the wine, as well as 60% of the aromas,” Rodolphe reported, in the same Zoom interview.
However, after many trial batches, Rodolphe, Maggie and Constance, were finally able to craft an AF sparkling wine that smelled and tasted delicious, and also possessed the body, bubbles, and length of a premium glass of champagne. Thus French Bloom was born.
“The secret to make a great AF sparkling wine is to make sure the fruit is ripe enough to provide bright flavors and that the alcohol removal process is very gentle. We are very transparent with our process,” stated Rodolphe.
He added that in order to achieve complexity and balance, “we have learned to add some reserve wine back in to the base blend.”
All French Bloom AF wines are made with 100% organic grapes with no sugar. They are also gluten-free, vegan-certified, sulfite-free, and have low calories with no carbohydrates or sugar.
French Bloom Founders: Rodolphe and Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger & Constance Jablonski
Guillaume Perimony
French Bloom Adds New ‘Extra Brut Blanc De Blanc’ to Portfolio
French Bloom was first launched in October of 2021 with two offerings: Le Blanc Alcohol Free French Sparkling ($39) and Le Rosé Alcohol Free French Sparkling ($44).
Both wines received very positive reviews with consumers and critics alike, with the Le Blanc being named as the World’s Best AF Sparkling Wine at the 2023 World Sparkling Awards and listed in Forbes as one of the five best tasting AF wines. Since that time, it has won best AF sparkling wine in the world two more times for both Le Blanc and Le Rosé, at the World Sparkling Wine Awards.
Then in March of 2024, French Bloom launched their first vintage AF sparkling wine. Called La Cuvée Vintage 2022 ($119), the wine is aged in neutral oak barrels and stainless steel tanks for eight months, before undergoing blending and the de-alcoholization process. The result is an AF wine that takes on the more complex flavors of a vintage champagne, with notes of hazelnut and candied fruits.
“We designed the new French Bloom Extra Brut for connoisseurs and gastronomy. Many sommeliers are seeking a non-alcoholic blanc de blanc style wine to pair with food.”
Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger, Co-Founder of French Bloom
This year, in 2025, the founders have expanded their portfolio to include a new AF wine: French Bloom Extra Brut AF Sparkling Wine ($59). I had a chance to taste this recently and found it to be vibrant and refreshing with notes of lemon and minerality – ideal for food pairing or sipping at a celebration.
Portfolio of French Bloom AF Wines with New Extra Brut Featured
French Bloom
“We decided to design this wine for connoisseurs and gastronomy,” explained Maggie. “We are working with many sommeliers and Michelin star restaurants, and they were seeking a non-alcoholic blanc de blanc style wine to pair with food.”
She explained that sales of their AF wines are performing very well at restaurants. “There’s a lot that is happening with food and alcohol-free wine pairings. In working with sommeliers in France, we have learned that about 50% of diners choose alcohol-free beverages at lunch and one in five diners are now selecting the alcohol-free wine pairing with their meal.”
When asked which dishes pair best with the four different wines in their portfolio, Maggie recommended:
Appetizers:: pair Le Blanc or Le Rose with fruit, vegetable and/or light cheese platters
Starter Course:: pair Extra Brut Blanc de Blanc Cuvee with lighter seafood or vegetarian dishes, such as raw scallops, shrimp, kumquat and citrus.
Main Course: pair La Cuvee Vintage with main courses, such as grilled lamb, Kobe Beef, grilled mushrooms, and poultry dishes.
Dessert: pair Le Blanc or Le Rose with strawberries, macarons, chocolate yule logs, or petit fours.
French Bloom and other alcohol-free sparkling wines are also being used to create mocktails in restaurants and bar settings.
Pairing Alcohol-Free Sparkling Wines With Food Has Become Increasingly Trendy
French Bloom
French Bloom Achieves Rapid Market Expansion
Given the fact that French Bloom was only launched four years ago, it has seen tremendous sales growth around the globe.
“We are now in over 50 countries, including many countries that have strong Champagne markets, such as France,” stated Maggie. “Originally we thought this would be a small niche market only for pregnant women and the sober curious, but due to the rise of ‘zebra-striping’ we are seeing growth around the globe.”
The term, ‘zebra-striping’ is relatively new and refers to a new moderation practice of alternating between alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks. In this way, consumers can maintain more control and be less inebriated during social events or during a meal. It also helps with better hydration and lessens the chance of hangovers.
She added that they are now selling over 500,000 bottles per year, with a 50% growth rate year on year. “We focus on selling our wines in 5-star hotels, fine dining restaurants, and online. Twenty percent of our sales are now direct to consumer (DTC) online.”
Since the company is privately held, actual revenue numbers are not available. Undeniably, growth has been so positive that the publicly traded LVMH has taken a 30% stake in the company. However, the founders still maintain majority control.
The term, ‘zebra-striping’ is relatively new and refers to a new moderation practice of alternating between alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks.
Current sales trends in the AF wine market support this strong growth, with NielsenIQ reporting that U.S. sales of non-alcoholic wine grew 27.2% in 2024, on top of a 30% increase the previous year. Grand View Research estimates that the global AF market will reach $3.78 billion by 2030, with a compounded annual growth rate of 7.9% from 2024 to 2030.
So what’s next for French Bloom? According to Maggie and Rodolphe, it appears that further expansion and new products are on the horizon.
“We are in the process of acquiring an estate in the Limoux sparkling wine region in the south of France. As you know, Dom Perignon originally went to Limoux to learn how to make sparkling wine,” stated Rodolphe.
Though they can’t divulge too many details about the estate and new vineyard plantings at this time, Rodolphe did contribute, “We are working on a new alcohol-free sparkling wine cuvee, and focusing on enhancing our winemaking techniques even further so we can release the voice of the terroir.”
Playing Boule With French Bloom Alcohol-Free Sparkling Wine
French Bloom
Dining and Cooking