🏰 Central Europe's Wine Renaissance

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Happy Monday! We hope you have a great week. In this week’s DECORKED digest, you will read all about Pet Nat, Brazil’s flooding, wine label regulations, how YouTube can help wine professionals, grape stems, and much more. Keep reading!

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INTERESTING THIS WEEK

📝 The world is drinking less wine, and decades-old vines are being torn up READ HERE 

🍾 Forget prosecco, Pet Nat is the affordable drink of the summer READ HERE

🍷 Tax policy provider hides a free bottle of fine wine in small print READ HERE

🏃‍♂️ London Marathon runner tastes 25 glasses of wine during race READ HERE 

📈 ProWine Singapore 2024 sets new record in visitor numbers READ HERE

🇺🇸 US wine's tricky path to recovery READ HERE

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WHY NOT TRY A WINE YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF?

The wine market is seeing a rise in demand for obscure and hard-to-pronounce varieties, with major retailers like Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, and Aldi offering their own ranges. These unique wines attract adventurous consumers, typically younger demographics willing to spend more on novel experiences. Retailers use these offerings to test new trends, with some previously unknown grape varieties gaining popularity, such as Austria's grüner veltliner and Romania's fetească regală. Greece has particularly benefited, with Greek varieties like assyrtiko, moschofilero, malagousia, and xinomavro becoming increasingly common in supermarkets.

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DID WINE MAKE BEETHOVEN DEAF?

Beethoven's hearing loss has long been debated, with various theories proposed, including exposure to loud music, lupus, and syphilis. However, recent research suggests lead poisoning as the cause, with hair analysis revealing lead levels 90 times higher than normal. While exposure to lead in the environment was common in Beethoven's time, the researchers believe his consumption of freshwater fish and "plumbed" wine contributed significantly. Lead was added to wine in ancient times to sweeten and preserve it, but it had detrimental effects on health, potentially contributing to Beethoven's deafness. Despite his affliction, Beethoven's ability to create extraordinary music remains a poignant reminder of his tragic circumstances.

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BRAZIL’S MAIN WINE REGION DEVASTATED BY FLOODING

Rio Grande do Sul, the wine hub of Brazil, is reeling from unprecedented flooding, affecting around 80% of the state. Over 165,000 people have been displaced, and the death toll stands at 107, with many still missing. The floods have ravaged vineyards, homes, and infrastructure, with landslides causing significant destruction. Vineyard owners like Eduardo Valduga and Heleno Facchin have suffered substantial losses, including vineyards that took years to cultivate. The full extent of damage to the vineyards remains unknown due to restricted access caused by ongoing flooding, hampering rescue efforts and recovery assessments.

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A (P)REVIEW OF WINE LABEL REGULATIONS

Wine labels play a crucial role in the industry, serving as the first point of contact for consumers and providing essential information about the wine. Regulated primarily by federal laws like the Internal Revenue Code and the Federal Alcohol Administration Act, wine labels must include basic details such as brand name, producer identity, wine type, container size, and government alcohol warning. There are also strict rules regarding prohibited content and formatting requirements. Recent discussions have highlighted potential modifications to labeling requirements, such as California's inclusion of wine in its container redemption service and the EU's mandate for nutritional information on labels. Despite evolving regulations, the aim remains to ensure clear and accurate communication with consumers, emphasizing the need for wine producers to stay informed about current and upcoming labeling standards.

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CENTRAL EUROPE'S WINE RENAISSANCE

Central Europe's wine scene is experiencing a revival after years of neglect, offering excitement for adventurous wine enthusiasts. The collapse of communism in the late 1980s and early 1990s brought both hope and challenges to the region, leading to a period of adjustment and transformation. Amidst this upheaval, ancient wine cultures were revitalized, blending unfamiliar grape varieties with recognizable winemaking techniques. As countries like Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, and Croatia joined the EU, new opportunities for funding and trade emerged, fueling the growth of their wine industries. Today, Central European wines are gaining popularity for their affordability and appeal to younger, adventurous drinkers and seasoned wine lovers seeking new experiences. The key to further growth lies in spreading awareness of Central Europe's unique wine offerings and its fascinating journey of resurgence.

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HOW STEMS CHANGE THE STYLE OF WINE

Blandine Cretin's 2016 research on astilbin's sweetness in grape stems has been expanded upon by Bordeaux University's Marie Le Scanff and Axel Marchal. Their recent study, published on Oeno-One, spans three vintages (2019-2021) and examines the impact of stem inclusion on wine quality in Burgundy, Beaujolais, and Bordeaux using Pinot noir, Gamay, and Merlot grapes. They found that adding stems had no significant effect on pH or alcohol content. However, they observed a consistent increase in astilbin content with stem inclusion, particularly in Merlot wines due to the higher astilbin concentration in Merlot stems compared to Pinot noir and Gamay.

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YOUTUBE IS THE WAY TO ATTRACT YOUNGER AUDIENCES TO WINE

Brendan Carter criticizes the use of "ethereal" in wine descriptions and finds traditional wine writing losing relevance, especially with younger audiences who are skeptical of written content. Carter, the co-founder of the low-intervention wine brand Unico Zelo, turned to YouTube to engage consumers, launching the Wine For the People channel. Despite initial challenges, the channel has grown significantly, illustrating the importance of reaching budget-conscious consumers and utilizing video platforms like YouTube to expand the wine market.

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WINE REGION OF THE WEEK: SHENANDOAH VALLEY, US

Shenandoah Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the Appalachian region of the eastern US, covering land along the western edge of Virginia and spilling into the easternmost portion of West Virginia. The wines from the region are made from vinifera varieties such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, with smaller quantities from hybrid grapes such as Chambourcin and Traminette. The AVA covers 2.4 million acres (970,000 hectares) surrounding the Shenandoah River. The growing season in the valley is distinctly warmer and drier than in neighboring areas, which do not receive the same natural protection from the nearby mountains. Most of the land in the Shenandoah Valley has been carved out by the river over thousands of years and is underpinned by limestone, which has formed into honeycombed caves of stalagmites and stalactites at various points. This stone is significantly present in the AVA's better soils and brings the benefits of both free drainage and balanced water retention.

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GRAPE OF THE WEEK: CHAMBOURCIN

Chambourcin is a purple-skinned, French-American hybrid grape more readily available in the United States and Australia than in its homeland, France. It is one of the world's most popular hybrid varieties and is noted for its distinctive dark coloring and herbaceous aroma. Chambourcin wines are often spicy, with black cherry and plum flavors, and a range of herbal characters. The variety is widely planted throughout the midwestern United States where the climate is not well suited to Vitis vinifera, particularly in Missouri, Indiana, and Michigan and it also has a good presence in the eastern states of Pennsylvania and Virginia. Chambourcin is adaptable to a range of viticultural mesoclimates. It has excellent resistance to mildew diseases, particularly downy mildew, and is therefore found planted in microclimates with high humidity levels.

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