Chile creates a legal category for low-alcohol wine starting at 8.5%.

Chile has created a new legal category for low-alcohol wine, setting a minimum actual alcohol content of 8.5% and giving wineries a formal framework to produce and market products that sit below the country’s traditional wine standard.

The measure was established in a decree from Chile’s Ministry of Agriculture that was published in the Official Gazette on Sept. 11. The text, reported by FoodNewsLatam, adds the category of “low-alcohol wine” to the country’s rules for wine production, classification and commercialization. The regulation takes effect under the terms set by the decree and applies to products sold in Chile and to wines that producers may seek to position in export markets.

Under the new rule, low-alcohol wine must be made exclusively from grape must that has been partially or fully fermented. It cannot be made from table grapes, and it must be produced using authorized winemaking practices. The decree does not change the legal definition of traditional packaged wine, which keeps its minimum alcohol content at 11.5%.

That means the new category opens a threshold 3 points below the standard required for conventional bottled wine in Chile, while keeping the older category intact. In practice, the change creates a separate space for products with lower alcohol content instead of lowering the bar for all wine.

The distinction is important for Chile’s wine sector because it gives producers a clear legal identity for a type of product that had not been expressly recognized in the same way under existing rules. By doing that, the government is allowing wineries to differentiate these wines more clearly in labeling, classification and commercialization, both at home and abroad.

The decree focuses on legal and technical definitions rather than market targets. It does not include estimates for future sales, production volumes or the cost of adapting winery operations. It also does not alter the minimum standard for traditional wine categories that continue to dominate the market.

The Chilean government’s move comes as wine producers in several countries face changing consumer habits, including weaker demand for traditional wine in some segments and rising interest in products with lower alcohol content. In that context, the new rule gives Chilean wineries more room to innovate without rewriting the standards that apply to conventional wine.

Because the decree ties the category to partially or fully fermented grape must, the measure keeps the new product firmly within the wine-making chain rather than opening the door to beverages made from other raw materials. The exclusion of table grapes also preserves the link to the grape varieties and production methods normally associated with wine.

The requirement that only authorized oenological practices may be used means producers will still have to work within Chile’s established technical rules. That is likely to matter for both regulatory oversight and trade, since a defined production method can help reduce uncertainty for importers, distributors and customs authorities when a new category appears in the market.

Chile is one of the world’s major wine-exporting countries, so even a narrow technical change in domestic law can have implications beyond its borders. A legally recognized low-alcohol category can make it easier for wineries to present such products to foreign buyers with a clearer regulatory basis. It can also help separate these wines from both standard wine and more heavily modified products that may fall under other beverage definitions in different jurisdictions.

The published measure was officially issued on Sept. 11, and it appeared in reporting dated Sept. 14. The ministry’s action adds a new layer to Chile’s wine rules but leaves the traditional category untouched, preserving the 11.5% minimum for packaged wine while creating a parallel classification starting at 8.5%.

For producers, the immediate effect is legal certainty. Wineries that choose to make lower-alcohol wines now have a specific category recognized by Chilean regulation. For the market, the significance lies in differentiation: companies can develop and commercialize wines below the long-standing 11.5% threshold without forcing a change in the broader definition of wine already used by the industry.

The decree does not present the measure as a broad overhaul of Chile’s wine law. Instead, it is a targeted regulatory addition aimed at production, classification and commercialization. By setting conditions on raw material, fermentation and authorized practices, the government has defined the boundaries of the new category while leaving the rest of the wine framework in place.