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💣 Wine headaches explained

💣 Wine headaches explained

In this week’s DECORKED digest you will read all about new wine regulations, why we get wine headaches, Snoop Dogg’s red, bulk wines, and much more. Keep reading!

November 26, 2023

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Happy Sunday! We hope you’ve had a wonderful week! In this week’s issue, you will find all about new wine regulations, why we get wine headaches, Snoop Dogg’s red, bulk wines, and much more. Keep reading!

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INTERESTING THIS WEEK

🎸 The Rolling Stones made a new spirit to promote some very exciting news READ HERE

📺 Ireland to ban TV ads for alcohol before 9 pm from 2025 READ HERE

📖 New book by Anna Pakula: Wine and Spirituality READ HERE

🍇 How do you make a great Napa Valley wine? READ HERE

🎙 WSET launches new industry talk series READ HERE

🍷 Cali by Snoop red wine review READ HERE

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We curate, filter, and select only the most exciting and important news for you.

CALL TO STANDARDIZE WINE TEMPERATURES

Winemakers in the Rhône, particularly those in the Crozes-Hermitage appellation, are petitioning for regulated serving temperatures for red wines in restaurants. The petition urges adherence to a temperature range of 14-18 degrees Celsius (57-64 degrees Fahrenheit) to enhance the drinking experience and show respect for winemaking craftsmanship. The initiative, supported by around 50 chefs and sommeliers, emphasizes the importance of serving temperature in showcasing red wines' best qualities. The appellation also advocates for these guidelines to be followed when serving red wines at home.

HOW MANTÚA SHAPED JEREZ INTO A FINE DINING CITY

Chef Israel Ramos opened Mantúa, a white minimalist restaurant in Jerez de la Frontera in 2017, which earned a Michelin star in 2019. Despite the economic challenges in the region, Ramos aimed to showcase traditional Andalusian recipes in a new light, emphasizing the diversity of sherry in multi-course dinner pairings. The restaurant, named after a grape variety, focuses on reviving the importance of sherry wines and reimagining regional flavors with contemporary techniques. Mantúa attracts a diverse clientele, including locals and tourists, becoming a gastronomic destination in a town with a rich culinary legacy aspiring to Michelin recognition.

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NEW EU REGULATIONS FOR WINE INGREDIENTS AND NUTRITIONAL LABELING COME INTO EFFECT DECEMBER 8

Over two decades have passed since the adoption of ingredient and nutritional information labels for packaged food in the EU. Even before this regulation, many producers voluntarily listed ingredients to enhance consumer awareness. Now, for processed food products like wine, comprehensive nutritional details, including salt, sugar, carbohydrates, proteins, and total calories (in Kcal/100ml format), must be provided. Despite the requirement to display alcohol content, allergens, bottle size, and energy value on the label, winemakers have flexibility in presenting nutritional information and ingredients. They can also opt to store this data online, accessible through a QR code on the wine bottle. These changes mark the most significant modification to wine labeling in over a century.

WHY SOME OF US SUFFER HEADACHES AFTER DRINKING RED WINE

Some individuals experience headaches within 30 minutes to three hours after consuming one or two glasses of red wine. A recent study from the University of California suggests that a flavanol called "quercetin" in red wine may disrupt alcohol metabolism, potentially leading to headaches. Quercetin, recognized as a healthy antioxidant and available as a supplement, transforms into quercetin glucuronide in the bloodstream, hindering alcohol metabolism. Headaches, affecting around 16% of the global population daily, are commonly associated with alcoholic beverages, especially when consumed in large quantities. While flavanols like quercetin are present in wine, the study notes that the flavonol content in white wines is significantly lower than in red wines.

2023 WORLD WINE PRODUCTION EXPECTED TO BE SMALLEST IN 60 YEARS

The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) predicts that global wine production in 2023 will be the lowest in the past 60 years. According to Giorgio Delgrosso, the head of the statistical department at OIV, the initial estimates indicate a production range of 241.7 million hectoliters (mhl) to 246.6 mhl, with a mid-range estimate of 244.1 mhl. This reflects a 7% decrease from the already below-average volume of 2022. The data is based on information collected from twenty-nine countries, constituting 94% of the global production in 2022. Notably, China's information is not yet available. If these estimates hold, it would mark the smallest wine production since 1961 (214 mhl) and fall below the historically low production volume of 2017 (248 mhl). The OIV attributes this decline to significant drops in major wine-producing countries across both hemispheres.

BULK WINES GAINING RECOGNITION

In the past 15 years, the bulk wine market has undergone significant transformation, becoming a key driver of industry development across various sectors from production to end-user. Currently, bulk wine represents more than 34% of global wine sales by volume, though its value is notably lower at 7%. Buyers and importers, spanning different sectors, generally share common perspectives on key themes in the bulk shipping domain, with variations based on individual priorities. The value of bulk wine is undergoing changes influenced by factors such as cost-efficiency, sustainability, carbon footprint, and, notably, the critical issue of availability and replenishment at store and depot levels. The decision-making process for buyers is heavily influenced by cost efficiencies, crucial in an increasingly competitive market facing challenges like duty rates, exchange rates, a cost of living crisis, transport costs, and competition from other beverage categories as consumer preferences shift.

TRENDS: THE RISE OF FLASH DÉTENTE

Winemaking is a balance of tradition and innovation, with technologies like flash détente playing a key role. This technique, rapidly heating and cooling grapes, helps extract color and sweetness while minimizing unwanted compounds. Winemaker Barry Gnekow was instrumental in introducing flash détente to California's wine industry, and its use has expanded to areas like Lodi. The method enhances flavors, streamlines production, and allows for quicker processing of red grape juice, eliminating the need for lengthy traditional skin maceration. In the face of challenges like climate change and wildfires, Flash Wine Technologies provides winemakers with a crucial tool to adapt, though it is recognized that the technology has limits in preserving the unique essence of wine.

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WINE REGION OF THE WEEK: SOUTH AUSTRALIA

South Australia is one of Australia's six states in the central south of the vast island continent. It is the engine room of the Australian wine industry, responsible for around half of the country's total output each year. The southeastern corner of South Australia is significantly cooler and less arid than further north, which is simply too hot and dry for Vitis vinifera vines to perform. Here, the famous Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, Clare Valley, and McLaren Vale vineyards are to be found. South Australia's wine portfolio is heavily focused on powerful red wines, most of which are made from the region's signature grape variety, Shiraz. Another variety that thrives here is Cabernet Sauvignon, the best examples of which come from the Limestone Coast in the state's far south-eastern corner. White wine plays something of a supporting role in South Australia. A notable exception is the world-class Riesling that has emerged from the Clare Valley in the past few decades. Almost inevitably, Chardonnay is grown widely here, and higher-quality wines are being made in cooler areas such as the Adelaide Hills and the best sites in the Limestone Coast region.

GRAPE OF THE WEEK: RIESLING

Considered one of the world's greatest white wine varieties, aromatic and fresh Riesling is often caught between the purity of its German iterations to the complexity of its Alsatian counterparts. But, existing worldwide in a range of styles from dry to sweet, it frequently surpasses glib pronouncements at all levels. Although widely associated with the wines of the Mosel and Alsace, Riesling is planted all over the world and has established itself in the likes of Washington and Australia's Clare Valley. Riesling has also been stereotyped as just a sweet grape, used only to make sticky wines. But while botrytized Rieslings are among the finest sweet wines in the world, the majority of global Riesling wines are either dry or off-dry. Young dry Rieslings tend to be very light in color, sometimes pushing into light gold hints, depending on the region and winemaking. Sweeter styles tend to be considerably more yellow/golden in hue. Riesling's trademark acidity also means it is a prime candidate for extended time on the vine and the production of high-sugar, often botrytized, late-harvest sweet wines. Its acidity also means it is well suited to sparkling wine production although this is somewhat rare.

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