$2m for NSW dealcoholisation facility

The NSW Government is investing $2 million in the state’s first dealcoholisation facility – at Freeman Vineyards in Young.

“Until now, producers have had to send their wine interstate for alcohol removal,” Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said.

“Keeping that capability in regional NSW will reduce transport costs, improve efficiency and strengthen our local manufacturing sector.”

Ms Cooke said that demand for premium low- and no-alcohol wines continues to grow both domestically and internationally, making the project a significant investment in the future of the NSW wine industry.

“Consumer preferences are evolving and our local producers are evolving with them,” she said.

“This funding will deliver long-term benefits not only for Young, but for wineries across the state looking to access this technology closer to home.”

Winery founder Dr Brian Freeman and his daughter Marcelle Freeman said the project would be a game changer for the industry in NSW.

“We are really excited,” she said.

“You can make much better quality wine if you don’t have to transport it far, so we can make much better-quality non-alcoholic wine if we don’t have to transport it far,” Ms Marcelle said.

“We’re also putting in a bottling unit, so that can help local producers as well, if they want.”

The dealcoholisation project and bottling unit will mean producers from across the state can have their wine made, dealcoholised and bottled all in one place, supporting high-quality products without the cost and complexity of being interstate transport.

“It’s going to be another market that’s going to allow us to maintain more of our vineyards, and it’s also going to, in the future, allow for expansion,” Brian said.

“It’s said to be the young generation abstaining from alcohol totally, so there’s that aspect coming into it, as well as the older generation are drinking a lot less.”

“But it’s the Hilltops region that has a big advantage, and we’re producing really top quality grapes, so we can produce a very good quality product on our range of wines that we currently have, but we’ll be able to produce a really good non-alcoholic wine as well.”

Photo: Brian and Marcelle Freeman with MP Steph Cooke (middle).

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