A nonalcoholic beverage - wine or beer - is legally defined in the United States, as having less than 0.5% alcohol. As any beverage can have a trace of alcohol - even orange juice has a small percentage - it is important to note this distinction as technically there is no such thing as an alcohol-free beer or wine.

For beer, there are several options for producing a nonalcoholic brew, including using lower fermentable brewing materials or passing the finished beer over a membrane to achieve ethanol being removed. For wine, a process called reverse osmosis is the most common technique.