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🔮 The Future is Already Here

🔮 The Future is Already Here

In this week’s DECORKED digest you will read all about the newest industry trends, troubles in France, ‘rose taint’, wine & love, a fraud in Italy, and much more. Keep reading!

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Happy Sunday! We hope you had a great week. In this week’s DECORKED digest, you will read all about the newest industry trends, troubles in France, ‘rose taint’, wine & love, a fraud in Italy, and much more. Keep reading!

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INTERESTING THIS WEEK

🌨 Despite historic rains, the West’s “snow drought” spells trouble for wineries READ HERE

🥛TikTok is mixing wine with milk, but it might not be a bad thing READ HERE

📱 Viral video shows opening a 100-year-old wine, Internet in disbelief READ HERE

🍶America's first good homemade Sake READ HERE

❤️ This Valentine’s Day, say it with wine READ HERE

🍷 Can Saint-Emilion stop the rot? READ HERE

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📌 AMBLE WINE PARTNERSHIP - Explore the world of wine with Amble Wine's comprehensive World Wine Map Workbooks and challenging Wine Quiz Workbook, masterfully crafted by wine scholar Lea Gatinois. As our valued reader, enjoy a 5% discount on these premium, eco-friendly resources using code DECORKED at checkout (or click HERE). Expand your wine expertise today!

📌 SIP APP - Experience the future of wine collection management with Sip! This revolutionary app, designed by an indie developer and a passionate wine connoisseur, digitizes your wine cellar, allowing you to catalog, search, and manage your prized collection with unparalleled ease. DOWNLOAD NOW for FREE (available in the Apple Appstore)

We curate, filter, and select only the most exciting and important news for you.

WHY WINE BUSINESSES ARE INVESTING IN INFLUENCER PARTNERSHIPS

The growing effectiveness of social media marketing has led wine businesses to increasingly incorporate influencers into their strategies, recognizing their ability to reach targeted audiences and drive purchasing decisions. Despite initial skepticism, influencers have proven essential to brand marketing, with significant investment and expansion in influencer campaigns reported across industries. Their authentic storytelling and impartial credibility bolster brand messages, resonating with diverse demographics, from Gen Z to baby boomers. Metrics like reach, engagement, and conversion rates measure their campaign success, highlighting the importance of genuine content creation. However, brands should avoid overtaking control over influencer content to maintain authenticity. Ultimately, influencer collaborations offer long-term marketing benefits, including increased brand reach and the generation of evergreen content, highlighting their essential role in modern marketing strategies within different industries.

TROUBLED TIMES FOR FRENCH WINE

Tensions are escalating within the French wine industry, marked by widespread protests in January 2024 as winegrowers express frustration through road blockades, manure dumping, and fires at different locations. This unrest follows earlier incidents, such as producers in the south of France sabotaging Spanish wine imports and Bordeaux vignerons facing financial strain due to overproduction. A government-backed deal aims to alleviate Bordeaux's surplus by pulling up 10% of vineyards, supported by a €57 million funding package. The European Union's prediction of declining wine consumption in key markets provokes the oversupply issue, prompting pledges of financial aid for vineyard removal and wine conversion projects. Factors contributing to the crisis include long-standing declines in French wine consumption, post-pandemic economic challenges, and shifting consumer preferences, notably among Gen Z drinkers favoring white and rosé wines over red. This evolving landscape signals emerging market trends likely to shape the industry's future.

ARE PERSONALISED CLOSURES THE LATEST SIGNIFIER OF LUXURY?

Beverage producers are increasingly recognizing the significance of corks and screwcaps as valuable spaces for conveying marketing messages. According to Crealis, a global closures firm, customized closures will be a key focus for brands in 2024, aiming to showcase their distinctiveness in the market. Personalized closures have rapidly emerged as a potent tool for luxury wine and spirits producers to express exclusivity and target consumers across diverse settings. Carlos de Jesus, Amorim's director of marketing and communications, emphasizes the closure's importance as a prime communication platform with consumers. The prevalent trend is evident in the fact that a lot of customers opt for personalised closures, prompting companies to offer customised options for highly exclusive bottles. These options include various innovations such as glow-in-the-dark foils, textured screw caps, "peel-and-reveal" foils, and more, reflecting the dynamic evolution within the industry.

Sip - Collect and Enjoy wine

WINE AND THE SWEET SMELL OF GRANDMA

Have you ever encountered a red wine with a scent reminiscent of "grandma's perfume"? If so, you might have encountered what's known as "rose taint," a phenomenon that could become more prevalent due to climate change. Additionally, if you're fond of very ripe and robust Cabernets, it's advisable to stock up now, as climate change may ironically make them more challenging to produce. Essentially, certain compounds responsible for the unique aromas of roses and other flowers can be produced when vineyards experience early-season warmth followed by frost. This scenario, increasingly common due to global warming, leads to grapevines awakening early and then being damaged by frost, resulting in dried leaves that impart the undesirable scent to the wine. Even a small amount of frost-killed leaves in a batch of grapes can have this effect. Unfortunately, these dead leaves are difficult to remove as they become tiny and embedded within grape clusters. Effective irrigation practices are crucial, particularly before and during heatwaves, to mitigate the impact of climate change on grape quality and yield.

WINE IS A LOVE LANGUAGE

In February, the atmosphere is filled with love and renewal, marked by red and pink hues as the spring approaches. Wine and great food are oftencelebrated as expressions of love and well-being, with an emphasis on pairing wine properly to enhance the dining experience. Wine serves as a love language, as does sharing exceptional food with loved ones. Wine should not only complement your well-being and meals but also stand on its own merits. Indulging in excellent wine means ensuring it's paired with the appropriate food at the right moment, creating a holistic sensory experience. Embrace the new year as an opportunity for lifelong renewal and seize the chance to indulge in exquisite wines as part of your resolutions. Your loved ones will undoubtedly appreciate it as much as you will.

ARE THE WINE CELLARS OF THE FUTURE VIRTUAL?

Alfonso de Gaetano, the founder of Crurated, argues that young wine collectors are seeking more convenient access to exceptional wines, and he plans to cater to this demand, particularly through virtual means. The digital wine members’ club, Crurated, is capitalizing on a trend driven by a new wave of wine enthusiasts by introducing a virtual wine cellar for collectors. Using VR technology, Crurated members can now access their private wine cellars on the Crurated website using a VR headset. The platform offers features like a virtual unboxing experience and multiplayer mode, allowing members to share their collections with friends. The platform aims to cater to the preferences of the younger generation of wine enthusiasts, who prioritize aspects like wine quality, direct provenance from producers, easy access to their collections, and flexible shipping options. The Crurated Metaverse, built on Unreal Engine 5 and incorporating NFT certification for each bottle, is set to launch in the spring, with ongoing development in blockchain, metaverse, and AI technologies to enhance the virtual wine collecting experience.

ASSETS SEIZED IN ‘ORGANIC WINE FRAUD’ PROBE

Italian authorities, in collaboration with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), have seized assets worth over €520,000 as part of an investigation into suspected fraudulent activity involving EU funds allocated for transitioning to organic grape cultivation. The case centers on a wine producer allegedly misusing subsidies intended for organic farming, claiming conversion while using prohibited chemicals. The EPPO stressed the presumption of innocence for the suspects. Italy's organic vineyard area has grown significantly, with nearly one-fifth of vineyards now organic, representing a 138% increase since 2012.

WINE REGION OF THE WEEK: CASABLANCA VALLEY, CHILE

Casablanca Valley is a wine-growing region of Chile, located 100 kilometers (60 miles) north-west of the country's capital, Santiago. The east-west-oriented valley is roughly 30km (20 miles) long, stretching to the eastern border of the Valparaiso province. Pinot Noir, which is responsive to the cooler climates found in this coastal area, is grown with some success in Casablanca Valley. However, it is best known for its crisp white wines, most notably made from the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The difference between Casablanca's climate and that of Chile's more southern regions led the prestigious Casa Lapostolle to choose the valley as the exclusive source of grapes for its Cuvée Alexandre Chardonnay. The region is now growing a wide range of white grapes, notably aromatics such as Viognier, Gewurztraminer and Riesling.

GRAPE OF THE WEEK: GEWÜRZTRAMINER

Gewurztraminer (or Gewürztraminer in German-speaking regions) is a pink-skinned grape variety that produces some of the world's most distinctive aromatic white wines. Gewurztraminer wines are often associated with aromas ranging from blossom to lychee and orange peel, with a relatively full body, low acidity and ranging from dry to sweet. Most commonly associated with the Alsace region of northeastern France, the grape is also found in wine regions worldwide. The primary aromatic descriptors used to define Gewurztraminer are typically lychee, rose petal, Turkish delight, tropical fruit and perfume. On the palate it is marked by its full texture, low acidity, stonefruit (mango, peach and apricot) and spicy (ginger and cinnamon) flavors.

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