Grape juice passed as alcohol-free wine, ASA finds
A company marketing and selling 'alcohol-free' wine has been found to be selling grape juice and not wine, according to TimesLIVE. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ordered Alcohol Free Wine (Pty) Ltd to remove any advertising that suggested that it sold wine as its products did not undergo the processes required for it to be labelled as wine.
ASA was responding to a complaint against the company from Willem Mare who said that wine, whether it was alcohol-free or a cultivar, was made by complex interactions between the grapes, the terroir and the production process. He said the difference was that the fermentation process was skipped for non-alcoholic wines.
ASA consulted the South African Liquor Brand Owners Association, which said wine should comply with the definition in the Liquor Products Act of 1989. It therefore ruled that the company's claim to be selling alcohol-free wine was misleading.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
