Royal Swinkels launches BarLoca and becomes the first brewer with its own alcohol-free wine
20-08-2026Lieshout - Royal Swinkels is introducing BarLoca, its first range of alcohol-free wines, marking its entry into a new category within the alcohol-free beverages market. BarLoca is available as Bianco (white) and Rosso (red), both 0.0% ABV, and is made from wine sourced in Southern Italy. Using Royal Swinkels’ technological expertise, the wine is dealcoholized in Lieshout to create an alcohol-free wine. In doing so, the company builds on nearly five decades of expertise in alcohol-free beverages and leverages the technology it developed for alcohol-free beer. With the introduction of BarLoca, Royal Swinkels becomes the first brewer to introduce its own alcohol-free wine category.
“Alcohol-free beer now represents more than ten percent of our total brewing volume, and that share continues to grow,” says Peer Swinkels, CEO of Royal Swinkels. “We have been leading the way in alcohol-free beverages for decades. In 1978, we introduced the first true 0.0% beer. The knowledge and technology we have developed since then have enabled us to take alcohol-free wine to the next level as well. With BarLoca, we are taking that next step. We are not winemakers, but we believe that our nearly fifty years of experience in alcohol-free beverages can contribute to the further development of this category.”
Consumers are becoming increasingly mindful about when they choose to drink alcohol and when they do not, without compromising on taste or quality. The wine industry is responding to this shift as well. According to the ProWein Business Report 2026, based on a survey of 1,002 wine professionals across more than thirty countries, 54% of producers expect alcohol-free wines to perform strongly in 2026 and 2027. As a result, the category ranks among the most promising growth segments in wine, second only to white wine and well ahead of red wine.
From alcohol-free beer to alcohol-free wine
The introduction of BarLoca builds on Royal Swinkels’ long-standing history in alcohol-free beverages. What started as a small export line has grown into a significant part of the business, supported by decades of investment in technology and process expertise at the brewery in Lieshout. That expertise is now being applied to alcohol-free wine.
“BarLoca is the result of a journey we have been working on for a long time, with one goal in mind: to create a 0.0% wine that simply tastes good,” says Flemming Morth, Head of New Drinks at Royal Swinkels. “We quickly discovered that if you start with a wine that is not suited to our advanced technology, you end up with something that tastes more like grape juice than wine. With the Italian wines we selected, much more of the original character remained. The profile, flavour, aromas, and in the case of the Rosso even some tannins.”
Availability
BarLoca is being launched in a stylish 250 ml single-serve can. The Bianco contains 40 calories per can, while the Rosso contains 58 calories per can.
In the Netherlands, BarLoca is available through the BarLoca webshop (www.barloca.com) and will be available at Gall & Gall from October onwards. From September 2026, BarLoca will also be available in Belgium and Germany. The United Kingdom will follow in 2027, where canned wine and smaller packaging formats have already gained broad consumer acceptance.