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Happy Sunday! We hope you’ve had a great week. In this week’s issue, you can find all about the revival of Marsala wine, the science of flor yeast, Sonoma’s ‘Godfather’, digital vineyard mapping, and much more. Keep reading!

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INTERESTING THIS WEEK

📝 Is the definition of wine changing? The push for ‘low-alcohol’ wines suggests so READ HERE

⚓️ For the first time, sea-aged wines are available in The United States READ HERE 

⚰️ Haunted wine anyone? Try the world’s first coffin-aged wine READ HERE

🚌 Couple in Virginia launches retro wine tour in classic VW bus READ HERE

🍷 Is Brooklyn Beckham right about cooking with wine corks? READ HERE

🌋 Vineyard prices are soaring in Etna READ HERE

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📌 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)

THE WORLD'S MOST NOTORIOUS WINE COUNTERFEITER IS AT IT AGAIN

Rudy Kurniawan, a previously convicted wine counterfeiter, has returned to producing fake wines after serving a 10-year prison sentence and being deported from the US. Maureen Downey, an expert in wine fraud, uncovered that Kurniawan was paid to create counterfeit versions of prestigious wines for a private event in Singapore. Despite his criminal history, some attendees praised his skill. Downey expressed concerns about the potential reintroduction of counterfeit wines into the market using recycled bottles and emphasized the use of advanced technology by fraudsters, such as digital printers, to replicate anti-fraud measures. While the counterfeit wine market remains smaller compared to counterfeit spirits, both present challenges, particularly in the UK.

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A REVIVAL IS UNDERWAY FOR THE ITALIAN MARSALA AS A ‘SIPPING WINE’

During a recent visit to Cantine Florio in Sicily, Pantea Sarmadi, the trade marketing manager for wine at Disaronno International UK, emphasized the need for a reinvention of the Marsala category. Sarmadi highlighted efforts to promote Marsala as a versatile option for both sipping and food pairing, along with its potential in cocktails. With a focus on quality and information transparency, their collection of vintage Marsalas aims to restore the wine's reputation and educate sommeliers and consumers about its various types. The range is classified based on sweetness, color, and age, with different tiers like 'Classic,' 'Premium,' and 'Exclusive.' While targeting upscale restaurants and sommeliers, Cantine Florio also seeks to attract a younger audience by creating a new range of Marsalas tailored for mixology.

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SPONSORED: INTRODUCING SIP APP - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO TRACK YOUR CELLAR, FIND YOUR BOTTLES AND BRING YOUR COLLECTION TO LIFE

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.

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Sip is not just an app; it's a bespoke experience crafted for connoisseurs. Be a part of the wine revolution and download Sip today!

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THE SCIENCE OF FLOR YEAST

Flor yeast, known for its role in sherry and vin jaune production, profoundly influences the character of wines worldwide. While traditionally associated with the Sherry region, its impact extends beyond Spain, reaching regions such as Italy, France, and Hungary. The shared genetic group of flor yeast strains, including beticus, cheresiensis, rouxii, and montuliensis, reveals its significance in the winemaking process. By converting ethanol into acetaldehyde, flor yeast not only reduces alcohol content but also creates a unique anaerobic environment that preserves the wine's pale yellow hue even after extended maturation periods. The influence of flor on the wine's bouquet is distinctive, often characterized by the presence of green apple notes. Some winemakers regard flor maturation as an essential element of terroir expression in their wines, as it contributes to the texture and flavor profile, adding complexity and depth. Despite being less traditional in some regions, the natural mutation of regular Saccharomyces cerevisiae into flor with each new vintage demonstrates the adaptability of winemaking techniques to incorporate this impactful process.

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FIVE MAJOR DRINKS GROUPS SEE THEIR VALUE TAKE A HIT

The beverage industry's major players, including LVMH, Rémy Cointreau, Campari, Boston Beer, Becle, and C&C Group, have experienced a challenging period with declining figures and share values. Rémy Cointreau faced a significant drop in sales, primarily in its Rémy Martin Cognacs division, leading to a revision of its financial year guidance and a 10% share slump. Factors such as a fiercely competitive North American market and distributors' limited financing capacity contributed to the company holding a surplus of stock in the market, nearly double the usual amount. Despite this, analysts anticipate a rebound in Campari's growth next year, while agave price reductions may not substantially impact earnings for Becle until the second half of the following year.

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WHAT'S BETTER FOR THE VOICE, CHAMPAGNE OR WINE?

Classical artist and opera singer Katherine Jenkins emphasized the significance of the quality of alcoholic beverages for singers in an interview with Drinks Business (db). Jenkins highlighted the preference for 'clean alcohol,' containing fewer ingredients to minimize harm to the voice, especially during her time at The Royal Academy of Music. Comparing various drink types, she suggested that beers, wines, and certain mixers are generally considered less clean than spirits. Jenkins also noted that Champagne is a more suitable option for vocal health than wine. Her experience during her musical education inspired her to create an ultra-premium gin, Cygnet 22, with high-quality ingredients, allowing her to enjoy a few drinks without the need for excessive dilution.

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MEET ‘THE GODFATHER’ OF SONOMA WINE COUNTRY

Phil Coturri, renowned in winemaking circles, maintains an uncompromising approach to grape cultivation, attracting top-tier clients to his Winery Sixteen 600 tasting room in Sonoma, adorned with Grateful Dead memorabilia. Raised in San Francisco's Visitacion Valley, his affinity for organic farming developed during the back-to-the-land movement. Emphasizing the importance of superior fruit for exceptional wine, Coturri manages biodynamic vineyards across various locations, remaining steadfast in his commitment to organic standards and refusing clients who seek shortcuts. While rooted in tradition, Coturri embraces modern technology in his vineyard practices, showcasing his dynamic winemaking approach. His journey, bridging a deep connection to grapes, nature, and the Grateful Dead, continues as a testament to his unwavering dedication to organic winemaking since the 1970s.

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TRENDS: DIGITAL VINEYARD MAPPING

The Vineyard Information System for Technology and Automation (VISTA) initiative aims to establish an open standard for digital mapping of commercial vineyards in the UK, and potentially globally. The project, supported by Defra, will utilize JoJo's Vineyard in Oxfordshire as the initial testing site. Employing drones, robots, and in-field sensors, VISTA will digitally map vineyards at both row and individual vine levels, facilitating the monitoring of various factors like climate, weather, crop health, soil moisture, fruit counts, and fruit quality. The VISTA map will serve as a digital platform for data processing, enabling the implementation of precision spraying systems and the generation of precise pre-harvest yield maps for growers.

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WINE REGION OF THE WEEK: COLUMBIA VALLEY, USA

The Columbia Valley AVA is centered around the Columbia River and its tributaries: the Walla Walla, Yakima, and Snake Rivers. The vast AVA also contains most of Washington's smaller regions, including Red Mountain, the Walla Walla Valley, and Horse Heaven Hills. It runs for over 300 miles (500km) from around Fort Spokane on the Columbia River, through its most northern sub-AVA, Lake Chelan, before winding roughly south, through the Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley and the Wahluke Slope and west along both northern Oregon and southern Washington. The diversity of soils in the Columbia Valley is a result of these floods and the consequent weathering of the landscape. Volcanic, alluvial, and windblown material can be found throughout the valley, and soil textures range from silt to gravel to sand. As Columbia Valley is a dry region, irrigation is often required and this restricts the location of its vineyards. On the plus side, where controlled irrigation is possible, this can make a big difference in yields and the quality of the grapes. Many fruit-driven wine styles are produced across this large region, including wines made from Chardonnay, Riesling, Syrah, and Merlot. But it is the rich, structured Cabernet Sauvignon wines that have made a name for the Columbia Valley: ‘Quilceda Creek’ Cabernet Sauvignon.

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GRAPE OF THE WEEK: MERLOT

Merlot is a red wine grape variety with strong historic ties to Bordeaux and the southwest of France. It is associated equally with easy-drinking red wines and the great labels of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. Currently, the most searched-for wine on the WS database that is made from the grape is Petrus, from Pomerol. The variety is the second most-planted red variety in the world, after Cabernet Sauvignon. The planting area is holding steady, and Tempranillo may soon catch it due to the expansion of the latter within Spain. Merlot is the most commonly planted variety in France, with 112,000 hectares (280,000 acres) recorded in the 2017 OIV report. The precise flavors that Merlot imparts to a wine are not easily defined. Plum and black cherry are among the most common fruit descriptors used, though Merlot is often used for producing wines of a particular texture, rather than a particular taste. The variety does best in cool soil and ferrous clay in particular. Water stress in well-drained soil is important for quality. Smooth, rounded, and "easy drinking" are common descriptions of Merlot wines. The main reason for this is that Merlot grapes are relatively large in relation to their pips and the thickness of the skins, in which tannins are found.

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