Cul Sec

Cul Sec's beverages are produced in the Voedselstation, a collectively founded food production facility that the producer's website describes as a 'factory without a boss' for circular food producers. The line is made by Fruitslagers, which collaborates with a network of agricultural businesses spread across the Netherlands to restore landscapes on different soil types. Emile Corre is a founder of Cul Sec.^[1]

Cul Sec positions itself as an alcohol-free alternative to wine, built as a maceration of wild herbs, wine grapes, and fermentations. According to the producer's website, the range works with organic wine farmers and herb growers to reach mineral, funky, barn-like, and volcanic flavor tones. The producer frames its output as a natural wine alternative, drawing on biological grapes and flavors from a food forest.^[1]

The Cul Sec lineup comprises four beverages, all in 750ML format and each below 0.5% ABV. Balade Minérale is a Blanc-style, Rouge en Voiture a Rouge-style, L'étable Fumé an Orange-style, and Souris sous la Rhubarbe a Rosé-style wine alternative.^[1]

Cul Sec builds its blends as a maceration of wild herbs, wine grapes, and fermentations. The Cuvée 2025 range balances ripe oxidized and unripe wine grapes, yielding fresh acids and tannins.^[1]

Maceration & fermentation. The core technique across the range is a maceration of wild herbs and wine grapes combined with fermentations. In the Cuvée 2025 range, ripe oxidized and unripe wine grapes are balanced to build fresh acids and tannins.

Grape base -- organic wine grapes. Cul Sec uses organic wine grapes as a core ingredient, described also as biological grapes, worked with organic wine farmers. The producer's website ties this base to flavors from a food forest.^[1]

Foraged botanicals -- wild herbs. Wild herbs sourced through foraging are used as ingredients across Cul Sec's wine alternatives, worked alongside herb growers.^[1]

Across the range, Cul Sec aims for mineral, funky, barn-like, and volcanic flavor tones, achieved by working with organic wine farmers and herb growers. The Cuvée 2025 range is characterized by a balance of ripe oxidized and unripe wine grapes, carrying fresh acids and tannins.^[1]