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- 🍇 French Government Saving the Farmers
🍇 French Government Saving the Farmers
In this weeks Decorked digest, you will read about French government saving the farmers, naming of the worlds best sommelier, LVMH acquiring a popular chateaux and much more.
Happy Valentine’s day! We had an exciting week so far. Several interesting news and upsetting developments in our imaginary tavern. What the hell is an imaginary tavern you might ask - read further and get to know!
INTERESTING VIDEOS THIS WEEK
👀 What happens when you drop a whole bottle in hot red wax? WATCH HERE
👀 Imagine a water fountain - but pouring wine?! WATCH HERE
👀 Ordering wine through a small window in a wall? WATCH HERE
We curate, filter, and select only the most interesting and important news for you.
FRENCH GOVERNMENT SAID TO FUND UP TO 160 MILLION EUROS TO DRAIN EXCESS STOCKS
France’s Ministry of Agriculture has announced several measures designed to help ease a ‘crisis in the wine sector’ this week. An initial part of the plan is to offer financial support to winemakers wishing to drain excess stocks via a new distillation scheme. This emergency measure has been used at certain times in the past.
WORLD’S BEST SOMMELIER NAMED
On Sunday, Latvia’s Raimonds Tomsons was named winner of the ASI (Association de la Sommellerie Internationale) Best Sommelier of the World contest held at La Defense Arena, near Paris. Tomsons is the wine director of Barents, a Riga-based importer, and also co-founded WineTeach, an online wine education platform. Upon being announced as the winner he said: “I can’t believe it.” He will now join the hall of fame of ASI Champions.
MOËT HENNESSY ACQUIRES LUXURY ROSÉ PRODUCER CHÂTEAU MINUTY
Moët Hennessy, the wine and spirits division of luxury goods giant LVMH, has acquired a majority stake of Provence rosé producer Château Minuty, adding to a premium rosé portfolio that already includes Château d’Esclans. The Minuty estate, located in the Saint-Tropez peninsula, produces a collection of “top-of-the-range” wines, Moët Hennessy said in a press release announcing the acquisition. The estate was created under Napoleon III and has been listed as Grand Cru Classé Côtes-de-Provence since 1955. Under the terms of the acquisition, the Matton family will retain a vested interest in the running of the estate, while current executives and family members will continue to manage the company.
FRENCH WINE AND SPIRITS EXPORTS HIT NEW RECORD HIGH
The value of wine and spirits exports from France hit a new high last year, despite overall volumes dipping 3.8% – a fall attributed to the wine industry’s battle with debilitating frosts during the 2021 vintage. The value of French wine and spirits exports rose 11% in 2022, a rise largely informed by rising prices, Reuters reports. The wine and spirits sector is France’s second-largest export after aerospace, and accounted for some 17.2 billion euros in value in 2022 – a rise of 10.8% on the previous year according to the Federation of French Wine and Spirits Exporters (FEVS).
TWO RARE 1966 DOM PERIGNON MAGNUMS COME TO MARKET
Berkshire auction house Dreweatts is to sell two very rare 1966 magnums of Dom Perignon from a private collection. The two rare magnums are presented in their original gift boxes and are being separately (estimate: £600-800 + fees), having been stored in excellent cellar conditions for many years, the auction house said.
WINE REGION OF THE WEEK: RIOJA, SPAIN
Rioja, situated in Northern Spain, is best known for berry-scented, barrel-aged red wines made from Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes. It is arguably Spain’s top wine region and the most famous. The vineyards follow the shores of the Ebro River for roughly 100 kilometers between the towns of Haro and Alfaro.
In addition to Tempranillo and Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) are also used in red Rioja wines. A few wineries also use small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon. White grapes on the other hand are not widely planted.
Copyright ZevRovineSelections & Josipa Marinov
GRAPE OF THE WEEK: BABIĆ
Babić is a native red Croatian grape that is mainly cultivated in central and northern Dalmatia and some Dalmatian islands, but the best expressions come from Šibenik-Knin County. The variety was traditionally used as a blending grape, but it has shown excellent potential as an age-worthy varietal wine.
The terroir dramatically influences the quality of Babić wines. Fertile soils around Šibenik tend to produce light, medium-bodied wines with flavor and aroma reminiscent of red berries. The best expressions of Babić come from Primošten and Rogoznica, situated in the southernmost part of Šibenik-Knin County, where the grapes are mostly cultivated on poor, karst limestone soils surrounded by stone walls.
The wines coming from this region are full-bodied and powerful, with good acidity and some mineral backbone. The aroma is reminiscent of dark fruit and sour cherries, sometimes accompanied by herbaceous or spice notes. These rich and well-balanced wines pair well with game or other dark meat, stews, braised or grilled dishes, and cheese.
DID YOU KNOW THAT?
🧨 Champagne bottles are made from thicker glass to resist the pressure from carbonation. Otherwise, they could go BOOM.
🚫 There is absolutely zero fat found in wine.
🍷 A standard size 750ml wine bottle contains 6 glasses worth of wine.
👴🏼 Majority of wine is not meant to be aged.
💦 Spitting is acceptable at wine tastings.
This next bit is for entertainment only. Please read at your discretion - or not. Factually correct or not - we don’t care, or do - find out for yourself.
INTRODUCING THE TAVERN, OF OUR DREAMS
Introducing THE TAVERN, an imaginary place of our dreams. Being that we spent all our life revolving around wine, food, and hospitality this has become something we often dream about. Make no mistake, these are not your standard dreams, this is a whole world going around in some other, parallel universe.
Imagine having your business duplicated, with all its positive and negative sides - in your dreams. Imagine having to wake up and go to work, but while dreaming. This, as crazy as it sounds - happens. We decided to use this section of DECORKED to tell you about amazing situations, people, guests, and happenings going on at “the tavern” and around it.