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Happy Sunday! In this week’s issue, you will read all about the secret of bubbles, alcohol-free and natural wines, Chilean wines, 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

🔖 Decanter bookmarks: things to read, watch and listen to for wine lovers READ HERE

🇦🇺 Woman survives five days in the Australian bush on wine and sweets READ HERE

🔎 English wine: Bad harvests put London vineyard at risk of closure READ HERE

📰 Wine souvenirs clean up as popular tourist keepsakes READ HERE

🍷 Carolina Heritage introduces paper wine bottles READ HERE

📱 The Instagram path to wine success READ HERE

RESEARCHERS UNCOVER THE SECRET BEHIND SPARKLING WINE BUBBLES

Researchers from Brown University and the University of Toulouse have burst the bubble on why sparkling wine fizzes up in a straight line. The study, published in Physical Review Fluids, reveals that the researchers poured samples of carbonated beverages, ranging from sparkling water and beer to sparkling wines, both traditional methods examples, such as Champagne, and tank method ones, like Prosecco. Using a needle, they then pumped gas into the drinks, experimenting with bubble size and the addition of chemicals that decrease the liquid’s surface tension known as ‘surfactants’, observing the changes. The research also showed that bigger bubbles tend to rise more smoothly and form stabler chains – arguably going against the received wisdom that finer beads equal better sparkling wine.

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IS ALCOHOL-FREE WINE BETTER FOR YOU, BUT WORSE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?

From the rise of Dry January to the success of non-alcoholic cocktail books, like Food & Wine 2021 Gamechanger Julia Bainbridge’s Good Drinks, the zero-proof movement is a force to be reckoned with. Stores like Spirited Away and Boisson have opened dedicated to the category, and legacy brands like Freixenet, J. Lohr, and Wölffer Estate are getting in on the action. An October 2022 Nielsen report shows that non-alcoholic beverage sales rose by 23.2% over the previous year, while market research group Fact MR projects that the non-alcoholic wine market in particular is expected to continue a compound annual growth rate of 10% over the coming decade.

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THE EVOLUTION OF CHILE'S ICON WINE

Two decades ago, tasting one of Chile's top wines professionally meant you also got to taste France's top wines, as the Chilean wineries owned by Eduardo Chadwick felt the need to boost their credentials with competitive blind tastings against Bordeaux First Growths. But today, the winemaker of Seña, a Bordeaux blend, and Viñedo Chadwick, a Cabernet Sauvignon, instead prefers showing off comparisons to his own prior vintages. Influenced both by climate change and a desire to make a different style of wine, Francisco Baettig has changed both vineyard management and philosophy. The story of Chilean viticulture is similar to California. At first, wineries were planted in warm, ground-level, flat areas with fertile soil, so they could get big crops to satisfy thirsty domestic consumers. As wineries have sought greater quality, they have planted in cooler, higher-elevation areas.

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THE VINEPAIR PODCAST: WHY IS NATURAL WINE IN DECLINE?

While the term “natural wine” isn’t clearly defined, the topic of today’s discussion is funky, natty wines as opposed to those that are simply organic or biodynamic. We’re talking about the ex-filmmakers who buy up cheap grapes, crush them under their bare feet, and neglect the juice in an open vat, leaving it exposed to ferment away in a cluttered, musty garage. Some call the product interesting and refreshing, while many enthusiasts are left scratching their heads, wondering how a “flawed product” can amass such a legitimate following. Is this actually a question of good winemaking, or one of clever marketing and label design?

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GREEK WINE PRODUCTION DOWN 13.86% IN 2022/23

According to a report by the Vine and Wine Cooperative Union, Greek wine production decreased by 13.86% in 2022/23, with a total production volume of 2,126,844 hl. The report also noted that Greek wine production was down by 10.73% compared to the five-year average. The largest decline was recorded in wines without geographical indication (-21.07%), followed by wines with protected designation of origin (-20.22%). However, wines with protected geographical indication (11.44%) and various wines (2.26%) saw an increase in production.

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‘EVERYONE IS FEELING ROBBED’: CHAOS, ALLEGED FRAUD AND $25 MILLION DEBT AT AN S.F. WINE STARTUP

Underground Cellar, the innovative wine reseller that suddenly ceased operations in late April after attracting customers with a game-like wine-collecting experience, owes roughly $25 million worth of wine and other debts to creditors, according to bankruptcy filings. On May 1, the San Francisco company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy with the District of Delaware, where it was incorporated, to end business operations and liquidate its assets. The bankruptcy documents list more than 37,000 unsecured claims, largely for purchased wine that customers haven’t received.

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THE BEST CHARACTER IN THIS WEEK’S ‘SUCCESSION’ IS THE WINE

The most entertaining character in this week’s episode of “Succession” wasn’t Greg or Gerri. It was biodynamic German wine. In “Tailgate Party,” Tom attempts to pawn off this polarizing red on his party guests, which, much like the event itself, does not end well. This was not our first encounter with the German bottling: It first appeared in Season 3, Episode 6, in a memorable and loaded scene. This week, the biodynamic wine took on an additional meaning.

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WINE REGION OF THE WEEK: KAKHETI, GEORGIA

Kakheti is the most important wine region in Georgia in quantitative, qualitative, and even historic terms. Almost three-quarters of the country's wine grapes are grown here, on land that has been used for viticulture for thousands of years.

Kakheti is home to some of the oldest human habitations in the entire Caucasus region, and archaeological findings have suggested that wine has been produced here for several thousand years. The region's strong relationship with wine and vine was captured in Georgia's famous hymn 'Thou Art a Vineyard', written in the 12th Century by King Demetrius I.

A historical Georgian province, Kakheti is not an official administrative province in the modern day. Viniculturally speaking, the area is unofficially divided into several sub-regions and even a number of microregions. This creates a huge variety of microclimates for viticulture with an equally large variety of grape varieties found throughout. The most significant of these center around the villages of Tsinandali, Telavi, Gurajaani, Kvareli, Sagarejo, and Sighnahi, which dot the banks of the Alazani River as it flows from the Caucasus Mountains to the Mingecevir reservoir in western Azerbaijan.

Kakheti has a transient continental climate with mild to subtropical temperatures as well as arid conditions to ample rainfall for viticulture. Predominately, viticultural areas have an arid climate with rainfall conserved to the winter months. Interestingly, in the particularly humid areas of Shida Kakheti, irrigation is required due to the high level of evapotranspiration. The nutrient-poor soils here are something of a trademark for viticulture as their discovery saw the early Georgian vignerons (as far back as 6000 BC) stumble across near-perfect terroir millennia before the concept of terroir was formalized and given a name.

Text by: Wine-Searcher

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GRAPE OF THE WEEK: SAPERAVI

Saperavi is a dark-skinned, pink-fleshed grape variety originally from the Georgian Republic. Being the Georgian-language word for "dye", Saperavi is a particularly appropriate name for this teinturier variety.

Saperavi vines are grown widely throughout the Caucasus (the crossover between the Asian and European continents), and further afield in various regions of the former Soviet Republic. Capable of bringing intense color and marked acidity to wines, Saperavi is an ideal ingredient for cheaper blended wines. In recent decades, it has also proved itself capable of producing age-worthy (often barrel-matured) varietal wines of high quality. In Georgia, Saperavi's best expression comes from its premier region Kakheti, near the eastern border with Azerbaijan.

A late-ripening variety, Saperavi thrives in the cooler climates of continental eastern Europe where it produces generous yields at high altitudes without compromising quality too drastically.

Text by: Wine-Searcher

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DID YOU KNOW THAT?

🌹 The practice of planting rose bushes at the end of vineyard rows is common in some regions, as they can act as an early warning system for diseases and pests that could harm the vines.

🏛 The practice of using sulfur dioxide in winemaking dates back to ancient Rome, where it was used as a preservative and disinfectant.

⚖️ A group of wine tasters is known as a "jury".

🍳 Some winemakers use egg whites or other substances to clarify the wine and remove impurities before bottling.

🍾 A bottle of champagne contains about 49 million bubbles.

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