Non-Alcoholic Beverages: What 2026 Could Mean for the Industry
Trends

February 19, 2026

Non-Alcoholic Beverages: What 2026 Could Mean for the Industry

By Monica Rolbiecki-Severson

By Alexis (Karis) Dowling

If you work with beverage brands, you’ve likely been exposed to the doom and gloom in the drinks industry this past year. 2025 gave countless headlines in the news about the decline of alcohol consumption in the United States, volumes of beer, wine and liquor taking a hit, and even acres of California vineyards being ripped out due to lower demand.

Looking ahead to the future of wine, beer and spirits for 2026, we can’t help but think about one of the industry’s bright spots: Non-Alcoholic drinks. Not just for “Dry January” anymore, Non-Alcoholic wines continue to proliferate the industry and gain popularity, while increasing their quality. Last year, we included the topic in our 2025 wine trends forecast as an area to watch, and boy was it. As reported by NielsenIQ, “with $925M in off-premise sales and +22% growth year-over-year, this category is no longer just an alternative—it’s a lifestyle choice.”

Let’s take a look at the state of the industry in 2025 and what we might have to look forward to this year:

$925M

in off-premise sales of non-alcoholic drinks

+22%

growth year-over-year of non-alcoholic drinks

Quality Is Finally Starting to Catch Up

Recently, I enjoyed a glass of non-alcoholic prosecco, and it got me thinking about how far non-alcoholic beverage innovation has come in the last several years, and in some ways, how far we still have to go.

If you want to see the potential of non-alcoholic beverage innovation and quality, beer might be the best example. Personally, I am a huge fan of non-alcoholic beer. The quality has skyrocketed over the last five years or so, thanks in large part to Athletic Brewing. They demonstrated a gap in the market and pushed the category forward with innovative new ways to make non-alcoholic beer. (If you haven’t listened to Athletic Brewing Company founder Bill Shufelt’s interview on the How I Built This podcast, I highly recommend it). These days, I am constantly impressed by the quality of the N/A beers I try – there are SO many to choose from, and I can barely taste the difference between them and their alcoholic counterparts.

Non-Alcoholic Wine Still Has a Ways to Go

As for non-alcoholic wine, the category has made strides in the last few years but still has a ways to go. While it lags behind N/A beer in terms of innovation, it’s for good reason. Wine has a higher alcohol content (12-14% ABV) than beer (4-6% ABV), “meaning its complete removal has a dramatic impact on the liquid’s texture and overall balance,” says SevenFifty Daily. Speaking of that non-alcoholic prosecco, while I happily drank the whole glass, I couldn’t help but think about how it tasted closer to an apple juice than a sparkling Italian wine.

But there’s a lot of reason to have hope for N/A wine. Several brands have launched new and  innovative non-alcoholic wines, such as Josh’s Non-Alcoholic Sparkling and Cupcake Vineyards’ Alcohol-Removed Sauvignon Blanc. Cupcake’s new non-alcoholic offering was a natural extension for the brand, which launched a lower-alcohol line, Cupcake Lighthearted, several years prior. It’s clear that major brands see potential in the category, and are investing in its growth and innovation – which is good news for consumers looking for high-quality N/A wine.

N/A Spirits and Mocktails Are Surging

According to Shanken News Daily, Non-Alcoholic spirits have had “strong gains in the year-to-date through August 2, with non-alcohol spirits volume more than doubling and value up by 67% in NielsenIQ channels.” With all of this growth, we’ve seen more and more brands create innovative non-alcoholic liquor alternatives that mimic traditional spirits. One example is Italian brand Amaretto ADRIATICO, which released its non-alcoholic amaretto liquor, ADRIATICO Zero, in the United States this past fall. For bartenders looking to create mocktail versions of their favorite cocktails, having high-quality N/A spirits available is key.

Beyond strictly spirits, mocktails continue to grow in popularity, and flavor innovation from brands such as Torani (a Double Forte client) makes it easier to make cocktails without the buzz. I recently created a gin and tonic-like mocktail using Torani’s new Flavor of the Year – Forest Pine – and was shocked at how much it tasted like a real cocktail. Paired with the rise of premium N/A spirits, these increasingly convincing mocktails shows just how quickly the non-alcoholic category is evolving and that consumer are ready for sophisticated, alcohol-free options.

A Category to Watch Closely this Year

Reading all these data points about the Non-Alcoholic beverage industry helps demonstrate its growth. But where you really feel it is at bars, restaurants and retail stores. In 2025, many more bar or restaurant now have a dedicated non-alcoholic section on their menu with mocktail offerings, N/A Beers, and if you’re lucky, N/A wines to try. The category is no longer a trend – it’s an important and fast-growing part of the beverage industry and those ignoring it are leaving money on the table.

Beyond Dry January, or the sober curious, Non-Alcoholic beverages appeals to wellness-minded consumers and those looking to moderate consumption. As more major brands invest in the category and new, innovative brands release N/A offerings, the industry’s quality and variety of offerings will only accelerate in 2026.

Launching a new non-alcoholic beverage this year?

Double Forte is here to help. Cheers!

Let's talk