Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger and Constance Jablonski were frustrated about options in the non-alcoholic sparkling wine category.
Frerejean-Taittinger, who was working for Michelin Guide and was pregnant with twins, and Jablonski, who was a fashion model, were looking for a non-alcoholic alternative that offered a comparable experience to drinking fine champagne. “We both realized that we could not find a non-alcoholic alternative to elegant, celebratory drinks that we loved,” Frerejean-Taittinger says. “We were both feeling excluded left with the choice of water or sometimes a juice.”
So, the two of them decided to develop their own non-alcoholic, sparkling wine, and in October 2021, they launched French Bloom. “More than two years of research and development and over 70 iterations were necessary to release our first collection of organic, sparkling wines without alcohol, sulfites or added sugars and to still offer a uniquely high level of sensory and organoleptic experience that is comparable to conventional sparkling wines,” she says. “We are proud to have created the super-premium category of non-alcoholic sparkling wines.”
They worked under the guidance of Carl Héline, former head of Champagne Krug USA and Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger, founder of Champagne Frerejean Freres, to achieve the nuance and aromatic complexity of French Bloom Le Blanc ($39) and French Bloom Le Rosé ($44). To achieve their goal, they work with certified organic growers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the south of France. “French Bloom’s wines are crafted using a traditional winemaking process, and they are aged in oak barrels to obtain a beautiful, aromatic complexity,” Frerejean-Taittinger says. “In the vinification process we are always trying to improve the quality of the wine to be dealcoholized while keeping as many aromas as possible.”
“After we remove the alcohol to get it to 0.0 percent, we then twist the recipe here,” she explains. “We add organic, natural ingredients to build that flavor architecture, like organic lemons, to revive the wine and develop character and mouthfeel.”
But no sugar is ever added, nor are any sulfites ever added. “The end result is a sparkling wine with a natural nose, nothing synthetic and lots of flavor with a very clean finish,” Frerejean-Taittinger says.
Since French Bloom’s debut in France, the sparkling wine brand has expanded to 28 countries. “After France, which remains a priority market, the United States is now at the top of sales, where the percentage of sober and flexi-drinkers is exploding,” she says. “The United Kingdom, Japan and the Middle East are also among the regions favored by our company to increase reach.”
Their growth, Frerejean-Taittinger says, is definitely related to the decline in alcohol consumption. “The world is changing, and each new generation sees a decrease in average alcohol consumption, raising the obvious question of what has changed?” she says. “The answer is that people’s attitudes toward alcohol and excessive drinking have shifted over time. This is explained by several factors, the first of which is the realization that health is the new wealth.”
French Bloom drinkers come from all walks of life, she says, and many of their fans are between the ages of 21 to 45 years old. “We estimate that close to 80 percent of our consumers do drink alcohol, often fine wine and champagne ,but they don’t necessarily want to drink alcohol every opportunity they have,” she says.
French Bloom is continuing its expansions, and more products will be released. “We are working on a prestige product that we are in the final stage of developing,” she says. “We are super excited to expand our horizons and to keep the momentum going.”
Read the article at Forbes.com HERE.