In the depths of winter, at dusk, only the lights of shop windows seem able to warm up the Rue Ramponeau, in the 20th arrondissement of Paris. One of them frames a neat row of bottles, a constant feature of the eastern Paris substrate. Slender glass bottles stand out by their labels alone, in a flash of bold colors. In fact, an imperceptible difference at a glance separates them: some contain no alcohol.
Benoît d'Onofrio, known as sobrelier, opened his Sobrellerie in October 2024, declining the neologism. A place to eat and drink, notably around his fermented beverage confections, which he had previously reserved for the menus of culinary residences.
Moving into the small room towards the stainless steel kitchen, a series of jars stand side by side like penguins on an ice floe. A scotch announces: Squash - persimmon - chicory - rice - sweet clover. "Funny, one started fermenting faster than its neighbor, even though it's the exact same batch," observes Benoît, his childlike eyes level with the surface.
Benoît starts his fermentations without mother (unlike kombucha), grains (unlike kefir) or added sugar. Only the micro-organisms present on organic fruit and vegetables are put into action, according to the variations of the season or the conditions of the day. Immediately, the smell of pumpkin seeds fills every corner of the room from the oven, just about the only source of electricity used in production.
at the other end of the prism, the juicy non-alcoholic market, increasingly taken over by major brands, relies for the most part on costly industrial processes to deal with the dealcoholization of wines, beers and spirits.
Extraction, racking, pressing
To avoid producing alcohol in his beverages, Benoît keeps a close eye on the natural sugars that can initiate this transformation. The challenge is to dilute their ardor without losing taste. Benoît crushes by hand to gently extract aromas and matter, macerates, racking, pressing and gravity-filtering. So many borrowings from the world of wine, his frame of reference. From now on, discussions with his winegrower and winemaker customers will focus on technical subtleties. "I'm confronted with similar problems, with deviances such as volatile acidity or oxidation".
Nevertheless, the liquid rosé and then the second coppery one he pours into the stemmed glasses in front of him are not presented as alcohol-free wines. "I refuse to value a drink for what it doesn't have. That's the game of the de-alcoholized market, but my aim is not to make people think they're drinking wine. These beverages belong by the plate for what they are. Moreover, the sommelier is not historically bound to spirits, but to all beverages, from water to coffee."
Wandering aromas
on the back of the vintage bottles laid out on the table, the labels bring together a dozen or so ingredients, as if drawn at random from a hat (from muscat grapes to roasted bread to watermelon). The only purpose of detail is transparency: "Two markets are facing each other: the wine industry, which is struggling economically, and another that is banging on about alcohol, but is not obliged to detail the composition of its products, nor the quality of the raw materials,nor the bubbles.nor the quality of the raw materials, nor the artificial bubbles, nor the extravagant real sugar contents", says the sobrelier, convinced that there is room for everyone and no barbed wire.
He dips his nose into the first glass, and is moved: "Three months later, the beet has taken center stage, underscoring the evolving nature of the beverages. The cuvée has a vinous density and lingers with a vegetal bitterness perfumed with thyme and citrus.
next to it, the second beverage has a line of acidity running through it in a plump sip. It suggests warm spices, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, even though none of these ingredients were used in this recipe based on apple, melon and herbs, all sourced from the same market-garden farm. Through fermentation, the elements melt aromatically or wander. "For example, the tarragon used can easily evoke licorice," he explains.
"The richness of a drink is not based on alcohol or sugar. It's the fermentation that matters, its ability to create an aromatic whole, a subtle acidity, a perception of deep salinity." And to take it further than grapes or other basic botanicals, a familiar concept in well-born bottles.
Benoît d'Onofrio's three recommendations for living fermented beverages:
- Atelier Particulier de Fermentation, Elsa Steullet
- 11h11 Fermentations
- Ô de Fleurs, Stéphanie Cohen
These news might interest you
Pâtiss'Art announces its first edition with Nina Métayer as godmother
Normandy goes pastry. From October 26 to 28, 2024, the first Pâtiss'Art show will be held in Deauville. For the occasion, the godmother will be none other than Nina Métayer.Should we trust the medals on the bottles?
On a supermarket shelf, similar-looking bottles of wine are lined up at slightly contrasting prices. Without a salesperson, in a time-constrained food shopping area, a sticker placed like a jewel cuts through the act of purchasing. Gold, silver or bronze medals flash more brightly than a label that's not always easy to decipher. Award-winning wine, featured wine An award-winning wine is one that has been presented by the winery at one of the 127 competitions that award these precious badges (in 2024, according to the DGCCRF). The famous Concours Général Agricole, founded in 1870, the world's best Chardonnay or Sauvignon competitions, the Brittany or Mâcon wine competitions, the Millésime Bio challenge... There's an embarrassment of riches to choose from, with no limit on participation, but not without a heavy hand in the wallet. For each cuvée entered, you'll need to pay between 10 and 150 euros, depending on the competition, not including postage and packaging costs and the purchase of macaroons in the event of victory. Attractive spin-offs A potentially interesting calculation, given the commercial visibility these awards bring. In the year following the award, sales of the vintage tend to increase by between 20% and 40%. A boon for the estate, event organizers and supermarkets alike. All the more so as the medals are pouring in. In 2025, at the Concours Général Agricole, of the 12129 wines entered, 3361 were awarded medals, almost half of them gold. French legislation prohibits the awarding of more than a third of the samples presented. A quota with which most competitions flirt. Amateur jury Who awards these accolades? A volunteer jury, at their own expense. Mostly amateurs. The great need for people leaves little room for rigor or traceability. In 2025, at the Concours Général Agricole, over 7,000 people were needed to taste charcuterie, cheeses, jams and wines. At this year's Chardonnay du Monde competition, more than 300 jurors took part, with a limit of 20 samples per person. The most famous estates, which don't need to boost their sales, tend to neglect these competitions. Artisanal wineries, on the other hand, may shy away from these competitions as a matter of distinction, since the shiny stickers are associated with supermarkets. A place where it takes the place of good professional advice. A wine merchant, for example, capable of selling the uniqueness of a cuvée he has followed over the years.Food products, kitchen equipment, tableware, service solutions...
See the full list of partners who place their trust in Gault&Millau
All our partners