&Then

The brand is the creation of Benchmark Drinks MD Paul Schaafsma, a former Accolade Wines executive who identified a gap in the market for premium alcohol-free wine with the complexity and structure of full-strength wine. Benchmark Drinks, based in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, brings established trade relationships across the drinks industry, and &Then was positioned from its first weeks for mainstream retail distribution rather than a niche specialist channel.

&Then's alcohol-free range uses a spinning cone column to remove alcohol from the wine at low temperatures. The spinning cone column is a low-temperature method of separating alcohol from finished wine: the liquid passes through rotating cones under reduced pressure, which separates the alcohol without the heat exposure that can strip out delicate aromatics. This gentle process is well-suited to cool-climate South Australian fruit, where the subtler aromatic profiles of classic varietals benefit most from careful dealcoholisation.

The range is deliberately compact, concentrating on familiar, food-friendly varietals rather than experimental blends. &Then launched with two styles from the same South Australian cool-climate growing regions, giving sober-curious drinkers access to recognisable wine formats in dealcoholised form without asking them to navigate unfamiliar grape varieties. The restraint in range size reflects the brand's positioning: accessible familiarity in a mainstream retail setting, aimed at everyday wine drinkers rather than AF specialists.

&Then sits in the mid-range price bracket within the alcohol-free wine category. South Australia's cool-climate regions have long produced varietals for global export; &Then brings that regional track record into the alcohol-free category without manufacturing a craft narrative around it. Benchmark Drinks' experience in building wine labels from the ground up gives the brand a pragmatic commercial footing that distinguishes it from smaller, specialist-only AF wine producers working in the same market.