👑 New drinks launched for the King's Coronation

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Happy Sunday! In this week’s issue, you will read all about coronation drink launches, new trends, the importance of vintages, and much more. Keep reading! Please take a minute to answer the poll on which day you’d like to receive DECORKED. Thank you.

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INTERESTING THIS WEEK

🍾 Independent Champagne producers: Top trends & names to look out for READ HERE

👑 How have drinking tastes changed since previous Coronations? READ HERE

🇧🇷 Brazilian wine giants linked to 'conditions analogous to slavery' READ HERE

🍸 Emma Watson launches wine-inspired Renais gin READ HERE

🥇 A tale of another pioneering American wine family READ HERE

🔨 Underground cellar goes six feet under READ HERE

CORONATION DRINKS LAUNCHES: SPARKLING WINE TO $25,000 WHISKY

King Charles III’s coronation in Westminster Abbey on 6 May will make him the country’s 15th monarch to have reigned in the lifetime of Taylor’s Port, said the company, which was founded back in 1692. Alongside memorabilia ranging from biscuit tins to tea towels, the coronation was always likely to inspire a plethora of limited-edition drinks. Some might be more appropriate for quaffing at bunting-lined street parties and others appear more like collector’s editions to savor over time, but all have been created to mark a royal occasion not seen for decades.

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WINE EXPERTS LIKE TO TALK ABOUT GREAT VINTAGES, BUT DOES THE YEAR REALLY MATTER?

Most of us know a wine expert who likes to talk at length about the great vintages they have consumed and speak in reverential tones about the amazing bottles they have tasted. But does the vintage, the year in which the grapes were harvested, really make any difference? As with every agricultural crop, some years are better than others for growing grapes. Summers can be wet and cold, or warm and sunny. The latter tends to produce better wines. However, the good news is that nowadays viticulture and wine-making have improved greatly so there are very few really bad vintages. With everyday wines, you are unlikely to notice the difference between one year and another.

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INSTITUTE OF MASTERS OF WINE ANNOUNCES AN EXTENSIVE PROGRAM OF SEMINARS AND TASTINGS AT THE 10TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) has unveiled the full programme of events at the organisation’s 10th annual symposium, a taste for the future, with the flagship event boasting an impressive line-up of tastings, debates and internationally renowned speakers ranging from Jancis Robinson MW to legendary actor and winery owner John Malkovich. With the full schedule of sessions confirmed, the Institute has announced that the symposium has now completely sold out, with 500 wine professionals registered to attend, four months ahead of the event’s kick off on 29 June – 2 July 2023 in Wiesbaden, Germany.

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MORE THAN HALF OF GEN Z AND MILLENNIAL DRINKERS ARE INTERESTED IN TIKTOK’S ‘DAMP DRINKING’ TREND

There’s a TikTok trend that has been growing in popularity, and this one has health benefits: “damp drinking.” “Damp drinking” has been gaining attention over the last several months as the latest iteration of the moderation movement. Tiktoker Hana Elson is credited with coining the term “damp lifestyle”, which she says is about learning the specific practices behind moderation. Younger drinkers were most likely to be aware of the idea, which is not surprising given its TikTok origins. Only 15% of all U.S. adults said they had heard at least something about the term “damp drinking” — i.e., making an effort to drink less and drink in moderation, but not give up alcohol entirely. That share rises to roughly 3 in 10 among TikTok users (27%), as well as among millennials (31%) and Gen Z adults (35%) who drink alcohol.

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WINE TYPICITY AND CHANGING TASTES

When talking about grape varieties – specifically in the realm of tasting, and particularly blind tasting – it's only a matter of time until the notion of typicity comes up. However, numerous factors, including climate change, regionally synonymous grape varieties being planted elsewhere (Sangiovese in California, Nebbiolo in Australia, etc.), and the rise in certain winemaking styles (carbonic maceration, more natural/low-intervention methods), has caused the notion of typicity to become slightly hazy.

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SOMMELIER ROUNDTABLE: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SUPERMARKET WINE?

Shopping for wine at the grocery store may seem a little backwards to enophiles used to carefully perusing racks of status wines and tiny-production bottlings at their favorite fine-wine shop. Sure, most supermarkets (not counting Costco here) won’t stock the first-growth Bordeaux or grower champagnes that you long for, but many have upped their game in the wine aisle, providing a global range of affordable wines that deliver on quality. To demonstrate that you can find wine gems while also picking up breakfast cereal and frozen foods, Wine Spectator turned to sommeliers from 11 U.S. Restaurants that hold the publication’s grand award—its highest honor for wine programs.

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HOW HOSTING THE CONCOURS MONDIAL DE BRUXELLES IS PLACING ISTRIAN WINES IN THE GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT

Despite its relatively small size, the Croatian region of Istria has emerged as a leading destination for wine enthusiasts looking to experience exquisite wines in a stunning setting. Over the past 25 years, the region has experienced a remarkable transformation in viticulture resulting in the creation of new and innovative wine styles that have already gained international recognition. Today, Istrian winemaking is a perfect balance of traditional knowledge and modern expertise, with a focus on indigenous grape varieties that captivate wine aficionados worldwide.

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WINE REGION OF THE WEEK: THE BEKAA VALLEY, LEBANON

The Bekaa Valley is the heartland of modern Lebanese wine. Almost 90 percent of Lebanon's wine is made here, as is a respectable proportion of its Arak, the anise-flavored spirit that remains the nation's favorite alcoholic drink.

The original Bekaa Valley vineyards were planted with Cinsaut, which was subsequently joined by other French vine varieties. Most of these remain in Lebanon’s vinicultural makeup today: red Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and white Ugni Blanc, Clairette, and Chardonnay.

The oldest winery in the area is Chateau Ksara, which was established by the Jesuit Christians of Taanayel (Tanail), an ancient monastic settlement just down the valley from Ksara. The first vineyard there was planted in 1857, with plants brought from France via the colonies in Algeria.

At that time Lebanon was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, whose Sharia law condemned the production or consumption of wine except for religious purposes. Thus the initial winery was very subdued, and it was not until the French took control of the country after WW1 (under the League of Nations' French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon) that Bekaa Valley wine production began to expand.

Text by: Wine-Searcher

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GRAPE OF THE WEEK: CARIGNAN

Carignan (Cariñena in Spain, Carignane in the USA) is a black-skinned wine grape variety, most likely native to Aragon. The variety is found in wines along the Mediterranean coast, particularly in northeastern Spain and in France's languedoc-roussillon region. It is used most commonly for blending with many of the region's other key varieties – most famously grenache, syrah, and mourvedre.

Carignan prefers warm, dry climates where the grape can express high tannins, acid, and color. This makes it an excellent addition to red wine blends that have plenty of aroma and flavor, but lack body and depth of color. Carignan is only rarely made as a varietal wine, but the best examples can show characteristics of dark and black fruits, pepper, licorice, and spicy and savory accents.

Carignan is usually grown as bush vines, many of which are very old and require hand-harvesting as the vines' stems are too tough for machines. It is a late-ripening variety that is known to produce high yields if not properly cropped. This was once considered an attractive attribute of the grape but, as this can make it difficult to achieve good flavor concentration, it also led to it falling out of favor.

Text by: Wine-Searcher

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DID YOU KNOW THAT?

🏛 In ancient Greece, wine was often mixed with seawater and used as a disinfectant for wounds.

🍷 The practice of swirling wine in a glass before drinking it is called "aeration", and can help release the wine's aromas.

🌒 The shape of a wine cork can also affect the way a wine ages and develops, with narrower corks allowing for less oxygen exchange and slower aging.

🇮🇹 The practice of using oak barrels to age wine began in ancient Rome, where wine was often transported in barrels made of oak wood.

🟠 Orange wine is made by fermenting white wine grapes with their skins, giving the wine a distinctive orange hue.

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