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🍾 Crystal takes a hit

🍾 Crystal takes a hit

In this week’s DECORKED digest you will read all about tasting room design, information about a huge wine auction, news from the Chinese wine market, and much more. Keep reading!

October 30, 2023

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Happy Monday! We hope you have a great week ahead. In this edition of DECORKED, we prepared a lot of interesting things for you - from design tips, wine auctions, news from China, and harvest updates, to recommendations and new trends. Keep reading!

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INTERESTING THIS WEEK

👻 Eerie elixirs: From top investment-grade wines to hauntingly fun finds for Halloween READ HERE

ℹ️ Details of Wine Paris and Vinexpo Paris revealed READ HERE

🍾 Billecart-Salmon invests in Loire Valley estate READ HERE

🍷 Have you been drinking red wine all wrong? READ HERE

📈 The unlikely rise of premium pinot grigio READ HERE

🍇 A vineyard wired for wine READ HERE

Collection of partnerships and collaborations.

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

ROEDERER WARNS UK URBAN WINERY RENEGADE OVER ‘CRYSTAL’ WINE

Renegade, an urban winery from London, received a warning from lawyers representing Champagne house Louis Roederer, the owner of the 'Cristal' brand, regarding the use of the name 'Crystal' for one of its wines. The lawyers alleged that this infringed on Roederer's trademark rights and also accused Renegade of 'passing off,' which could have damaged Cristal's reputation. Renegade argued that their use of the name was not meant to imitate or confuse with Cristal and that their wine was named after a real person, Crystal, who agreed to be featured on the label. Despite expressing a willingness to resolve the matter amicably, Renegade was asked to stop using the 'Crystal' name or face potential legal action.

DIGGING INTO TASTING ROOM DESIGN ESSENTIALS

The recent HD Expo + Conference in Las Vegas hosted discussions on trending hospitality design elements, including thoughtful brand integration, versatile seating configurations, and transportive sensory experiences. These trends are particularly relevant for tasting rooms seeking to enhance their appeal and create a captivating ambiance for customers. Advising wineries on remodeling budgets, experts suggest early consultations with contractors to estimate construction costs. While emphasizing the importance of tasteful design, they underscore the crucial role of excellent service and high-quality offerings, as customer experience depends on a combination of these elements. Maintaining a balance between design aesthetics, exceptional service, and top-notch products is essential for a winery's success. Recognizing the need for cost-efficient solutions, it's crucial for both hospitality designers and clients to acknowledge potential compromises in quality and durability when opting for lower-cost options.

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PINOT NOIR HARVEST 2023: THE RACE TO RIPEN

Similar to the rest of this year's harvest, the Pinot Noir harvest in 2023 stands out as unique and ongoing. While some regions have already completed picking the grape, others are relying on favorable weather to prevent botrytis from taking hold after unexpected rainfall. Managing tank space has been a challenge during this harvest, particularly with Pinot, known for its early ripening. The delayed start has compressed the crush, leading to logistical complications. Erica Stancliff, the winemaker at Trombetta Vineyards, expressed relief at concluding her Pinot harvest last week before the recent rains. However, other vineyards are still grappling with concerns about delayed ripening due to the cool spring affecting the acid balance. Notably, Lake and Mendocino counties did not experience the same weather patterns as Napa and Sonoma, leading to variations in harvest timing. Despite these challenges, many vineyards across the state still have grapes on the vine, suggesting a promising vintage.

CHINA WINE BARS HIT THE VINEYARD

Chinese wine bar owners are increasingly getting involved in the winemaking process, creating their own private labels in response to a growing interest in local wines. They are motivated by the emergence of experimental winemakers and the availability of smaller-scale wineries, making it more feasible to produce their own-label wines. This shift reflects a changing consumer preference from well-known international brands to niche and unique wine experiences. The concept of private wine labels allows these establishments to offer exclusive products and share their winemaking journey on social media. Notable figures like Wang Shenghan are actively participating in this movement, developing their own wine blends and documenting their experiences. This trend highlights the commitment of wine bar owners to provide distinctive and engaging experiences for their customers, potentially inspiring more wine enthusiasts to participate in similar ventures.

AUSTRALIAN GROWERS SHIFT GRAPE VARIETIES AS TASTES CHANGE

As Australian wine producers navigate the challenges posed by a surplus of red wine on the global market and evolving consumer preferences, they are strategically embracing the cultivation of diverse grape varieties. This shift not only reflects an effort to adapt to changing market dynamics but also underlines the industry's resilience in the face of trade complexities and shifting consumer demands. By exploring new grape varieties, producers are positioning themselves to cater to evolving tastes both domestically and internationally, fostering a more robust and sustainable wine industry in Australia. This proactive approach to diversification is not without its challenges, as the transition to cultivating alternative grape varieties involves potential risks and uncertainties. As these changes unfold, the Australian wine industry is poised to carve out a unique niche in the global market, offering a diverse array of wines that cater to a broad spectrum of consumer preferences and tastes.

LARGEST AND MOST EXPENSIVE WINE COLLECTION TO BE AUCTIONED

Sotheby’s is preparing to auction an extensive wine collection worth approximately $50 million, consisting of 25,000 bottles from the private cellar of Taiwanese billionaire Pierre Chen. Chen, the founder and chair of Yageo Corporation and a passionate art collector, has a vast wine collection that surpasses the consumption capacity of any individual. Despite initially focusing on Bordeaux wines in the 1970s, he has developed a strong preference for Burgundy wines, particularly those from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s La Tâche vineyard.

Chen's collection includes highly valuable lots of red burgundies, with two methuselahs from 1985, each estimated to be worth between $120,000 and $190,000. The auction, named The Epicurean's Atlas, will be conducted over a year, featuring five separate sales highlighting various regions and wine types. The auction will be hosted in Hong Kong, Paris, New York, and Beaune, offering wine enthusiasts and collectors an opportunity to acquire some of these exquisite and highly sought-after wines from Chen's remarkable collection.

TRENDS: NEXT-GENERATION AGRICULTURE

Farmers in North Bay are facing various challenges such as drought and weather uncertainties, leading them to embrace next-generation agricultural solutions. The Sonoma County Winegrowers have initiated a pilot program involving seven farms and vineyard growers to maintain soil health. Innovative sensor technology, including devices from SoilOptix, utilizes gamma rays to assess soil moisture and nutrient levels up to 2 feet underground. This real-time monitoring system allows for informed irrigation management, addressing the persistent drought conditions. This shift towards advanced agricultural techniques highlights the industry's commitment to sustainability and resilience in the face of environmental challenges.

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WINE REGION OF THE WEEK: JUZNOSLOVENSKA, SLOVAKIA

Juznoslovenska (Juznoslovenski/Southern Slovak) wine region lies to the north of the River Danube. It produces rich, full-bodied reds and whites, and smaller amounts of sparkling, sweet, and fortified wines. White grapes are more widely planted here. Veltlínske zelené (Grüner Veltliner) and Rizling Vlassky (Welschriesling), are the most widely grown varieties. The German varieties Muller-Thurgau and Riesling come next. However, this is the warmest part of the country, with a continental climate. It enjoys the highest average sunshine figures in the country. Rainfall is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year. The conditions do suit high-quality red wines. Frankovka modrá (Blaufränkisch) and Svätovavrinecké (Sankt Laurent) are the main red grape varieties, each with 9 percent of the vineyard area. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for about 4 percent of the vineyard area, roughly the same amount as André. The former requires a longer growing season than other varieties grown in Slovakia, but the Juznoslovenska climate caters to this. Vineyards are planted in the loess uplands. Soils are medium to heavy, with silt and sand subsoils with a layer of clay.

GRAPE OF THE WEEK: WELSCHRIESLING

Welschriesling is a white-wine grape variety grown throughout central and eastern Europe. It is mostly notorious for its neutrality, as it makes largely light, uninteresting white wines with high acidity. Welschriesling covers vineyard land in Hungary, Northern Italy, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, and Slovakia. However, Welschriesling comes into its own in the area of Neusiedlersee in southeast Austria, where it makes lusciously sweet and textured Trockenbeerenauslese wines. Welschriesling's success in Austria has led to experimentation around the world, and many late-harvest examples are now made. The origin of the variety is the center of much debate: despite its name, it is completely unrelated to the great German grape Riesling. "Welsch" means "foreign" in German, which likely rules out a Germanic origin, and another synonym, Riesling Italico, suggests that Italy might be the variety's home, although this has also been widely disputed. Many experts believe that Welschriesling's home is in fact Croatia, where it is known as Grasevina and is one of the country's most planted grape varieties.

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