🔥 Wildfires ahead

There's a reason over 4 million people start their day with Morning Brew - the daily email that delivers the latest news. Business news doesn't have to be boring...make your mornings more enjoyable, for free.

SUBSCRIBE TO MORNING BREW FOR FREE

📌 WINE JOB BOARD - find or list your perfect wine job (for free, worldwide)

📌 EMAIL - contact for business inquiries

📌 ADVERTISING - for advertising inquiries contact us via the email above

Happy Sunday! Hope you’ve had a wonderful week! In this week’s DECORKED digest, you will read about inflation in the drinks industry, wine disaster insurance, what’s next for Champagne, and much more. Keep reading!

📣 ANNOUNCEMENT - big referral giveaway is here!

We have partnered with BIBICh Winery from Dalmatia, Croatia to reward you for your loyalty!

We are giving away 50 bottles of R5 (Reserva 5) - a white blend of 5 amazing local and international varietals to give you a glimpse into Central Dalmatian terroir, wine, and much more.

R5 is a big, different, and wild cuvée. With five different grapes intertwining, various aromas and tastes layer, creating a serious and powerful white wine. Fine texture, nutty notes, and a smooth structure are R5’s best attributes.

The only thing you have to do is refer your 15 wine-loving friends and be ready to receive this amazing bottle of wine.

NOTE: The giveaway is EU based only. The first 50 readers to refer to 15 new readers will be rewarded.

For the referral link scroll to the bottom of the email! Good luck!

INTERESTING THIS WEEK

👑 World’s greatest wine lists announced at a ceremony in Stockholm READ HERE

📈 Global alcoholic drinks market to reach US$2,001 billion by 2031 READ HERE

🫀 Alcohol in moderation ‘could lower stress-related risk of heart disease’ READ HERE

🔝 English wine week: sparkling still on top READ HERE

🔓 Wine retail prices lure consumers back READ HERE

🇫🇷 Mildew threat for Bordeaux READ HERE

📌 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!

📌 MORNING BREW - There's a reason over 4 million people start their day with Morning Brew - the daily email that delivers the latest news. Business news doesn't have to be boring...make your mornings more enjoyable, for free. SUBSCRIBE HERE

THE COST OF INSURING AGAINST WINE DISASTERS

Amidst escalating disasters, the wine industry is shelling out more for protection - a cost burden eventually trickling down to consumers. Vineyard fires might capture our attention, but remember, crop insurance is just one facet of the wider coverage network. Added to this, the recent pandemic and global shipping crisis are inflating insurance costs for not just wineries, but also importers and shippers. While these escalating costs are prompting greater insurance investment, it's worth remembering that insurance can't mend all the industry's woes.

READ MORE

LATEST INFLATION FIGURES SHOW DRINKS PRICES STILL RISING

Current inflation data suggests that the beverage industry continues to stoke inflation, with both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages playing their parts. Despite a robust consumer price index (CPI) of 8.7%, prices for non-alcoholic drinks saw a rise in May 2023, albeit lesser than May 2022, while alcohol prices remained unpredictable. This slight relief in the annual rate is due to a moderate 0.9% monthly increase from April to May 2023, less than the previous year's 1.5% jump for the same period. Kate Nicholls from UK Hospitality emphasized the persistent high inflation and its impact on live event pricing, urging for action on escalating energy costs.

READ MORE

HOW 3 NBA STARS' BRANDS ARE CHANGING THE WINE INDUSTRY FOR THE BETTER

NBA icons CJ McCollum, Carmelo Anthony, and Channing Frye are leveraging their brands to foster community growth and diversify the wine industry. They firmly believe that fresh perspectives and demographics will uplift the industry. Their global wine estate brand, VII(N) The Seventh Estate, launched in 2022, exemplifies this commitment. McCollum and Combs stress the importance of wine education and industry knowledge. Similarly, Frye established Chosen Family Wines in 2020, aiming to bring the world of wines to a new demographic.

READ MORE

WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR CHAMPAGNE’S SECONDARY MARKET?

The Champagne secondary market has enjoyed robust growth in recent years, yet a note of caution permeates the air. According to iDealwine's 2023 Barometer report, Champagne had a remarkable year, claiming the fourth-largest region in terms of value and marking a 55% rise from the previous year. Despite these successes, predicting future trends remains challenging, and winemakers suggest we may be entering a period of market consolidation. This shift isn't exclusive to Champagne; it's mirrored in other regions as well. Factors like potential global recession, rising living costs, and supply chain disruptions due to the Ukrainian conflict and lingering pandemic impacts are influencing the industry. This is evident in the recently launched en primeur campaign, marked by rather high prices.

READ MORE

WILDFIRE SEASON’S APPROACH WORRIES THE INDUSTRY

As temperatures rise, so does the anxiety in the wine grape community, given predictions of 2023 being another intense wildfire year, with an estimated half a million to a million acres likely to be affected. In Northern California, peak wildfire season typically appears from late July to September, while Southern and Central California face the highest risk a bit later, from September to November. The significant impact of wildfires on the $50 billion agriculture industry, including threats to farms, ranches, and wineries, is deeply concerning to the state's growers, as articulated by the California Farm Bureau President. The task ahead? Prepare and brace for what's to come.

READ MORE

WINE REGION OF THE WEEK: PIEDMONT, ITALY

Nestled in Italy's northwest, Piedmont stands as one of the world's premier wine regions. It boasts the highest number of DOCG wines in Italy, including renowned names like Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera d'Asti. While it's celebrated for its robust, tannic, and floral red wines, particularly those made from Nebbiolo, the region's crowning achievement over the past decade is the sweet, white, sparkling Moscato d'Asti.

Piedmont serves as a viticultural crossroads, absorbing influences from neighboring regions and sharing expertise with global winemaking centers, thanks to its global prominence. Often compared to Burgundy due to its abundance of small, family-owned wineries and an almost obsessive focus on quality, Piedmont makes magic with Nebbiolo just as Burgundy does with Pinot Noir. Moreover, Barbera, a dark-skinned grape from the Monferrato hills, is the region's most planted variety, serving as Piedmont's stalwart grape. While the region showcases its star grapes, it continues to explore new varieties in its viticultural repertoire.

READ MORE

GRAPE OF THE WEEK: BARBERA

Barbera, a grape native to northern Italy, is most recognized for its crucial role in Piedmont's Barbera d'Alba and Barbera d'Asti wines. This grape creates fresh, light-bodied red wines characterized by low tannins. As of the early 21st century, it was Italy's third most cultivated red wine grape, following Sangiovese and Montepulciano. Barbera wines, when young, exhibit a vivid red cherry profile, and they distinguish themselves from their often more prominent counterpart, Nebbiolo, through softer tannins and a certain roundness. With barrel maturation and a few years of bottle aging, this flavor evolves into a deeper, sour-cherry note.

Thanks to its high acidity and good color, Barbera is often cultivated in warmer regions beyond its native sub-alpine Piedmont. Its adaptability has proven beneficial, although Barbera grown in hot climates can risk losing its balance, becoming overly ripe. Despite these challenges, Barbera consistently produces unique, aromatic, and versatile red wines that carry the charm of Nebbiolo without any of its drawbacks.

READ MORE

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

🍇 Grape vines produce enough grapes for harvest in their third year.

🍷 NV stands for non-vintage, which means the wine is a blend of grapes from different years.

🔎 Red wine has more antioxidants than white wine.

🇮🇹 Sangiovese is Italy's most widely planted grape.

🌏 There are 10,000 known grape varieties throughout the world.

If someone forwarded this email to you, click HERE to subscribe.