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- 🍷 Swallow the Truth
🍷 Swallow the Truth
In this week’s DECORKED digest, we look at why swallowing matters when tasting wine, what’s driving eco-conscious wine buying, how Provence is responding to climate pressure, and where rosé is being redefined around the world.
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Happy Monday! We hope you have a great week ahead. In this week’s DECORKED digest, we look at why swallowing matters when tasting wine, what’s driving eco-conscious wine buying, how Provence is responding to climate pressure, and where rosé is being redefined around the world. Keep reading!
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TO TRULY UNDERSTAND A WINE, YOU HAVE TO SWALLOW IT
To fully understand and appreciate a wine, especially one tied to place and terroir, tasting experts argue that swallowing is essential. It allows for the full perception of a wine’s texture, mouthfeel, and salivation response, which are key to understanding its terroir and structure. While volume tastings may necessitate spitting, a more thoughtful, sensory-driven approach to tasting emphasizes that tactile and gustatory dimensions provide far more insight than aroma alone. This method supports a shift toward fewer, deeper tastings that respect the complexity and purpose of wine as a consumable, expressive product.
WHY CONSUMERS REALLY CHOOSE ECO-FRIENDLY WINES
A new national study by the Wine Market Council reveals that U.S. consumers buy eco-friendly wines primarily to support farmers and producers, with health concerns driving younger buyers and environmental concerns motivating older ones. The survey of over 1,500 wine drinkers found strong interest in wines labeled with no artificial ingredients, recyclable packaging, and low sugar content. While sustainable and organic terms are well understood, concepts like "regenerative" remain less familiar, highlighting a need for clearer labeling and communication. The study also shows that many consumers are open to eco-friendly packaging, especially if tied to brands they already trust.
HOW PROVENCE IS DEALING WITH DROUGHT
As Provence struggles with hotter, drier conditions, wine producers are increasingly turning to regenerative farming to secure the future of viticulture in the region. By prioritizing soil health, reducing tillage, and implementing cover crops, estates are enhancing water retention and lowering vineyard stress without relying heavily on irrigation. Industry leaders are also experimenting with new grape varieties, water collection systems, and agroforestry to build climate resilience. With water access tightening and climate volatility rising, Provence’s winegrowers are adapting fast to safeguard both yields and long-term viability.
ADDRESSING LABOR STANDARDS IN WINE
The wine industry is being urged to take a more honest and proactive approach to labor rights, acknowledging that systemic exploitation still exists across the supply chain. While sustainability often focuses on the environment, social issues like fair pay, ethical recruitment, and safe working conditions are just as crucial (and often overlooked). Experts say progress depends on industry-wide collaboration, better communication, clear goals, and a willingness to ask tough questions. Certifications help, but they’re not a silver bullet. Real change starts with awareness, accountability, and support for those working to do better.
THE NEW ROSÉ MAP
While Provence and a handful of other regions have long defined rosé wine, producers around the world are now reshaping the category with distinctive styles and local character. From Uruguay to Slovenia, Greece to South Africa, and even England and Texas, emerging rosé regions are exploring bolder colors, diverse grape varieties, and low-intervention techniques that challenge expectations. These wines often favor savory complexity and structure over the pale, fruity archetype, and reflect a broader shift toward experimentation, regional identity, and quality-driven production.
THE QUIET RETURN OF PARISIAN WINE
Once a prominent winemaking region, Paris and its surrounding areas are experiencing a quiet viticultural revival, fueled by climate change, urban agriculture, and passionate newcomers. Centuries after urban sprawl and disease decimated local vineyards, producers are replanting vines in historic sites with the aim of crafting quality, terroir-driven wines. Despite bureaucratic hurdles and an unstructured sector, the momentum is growing - and with it, hopes of restoring Paris’s forgotten wine legacy.
WHAT DOES THE POPE DRINK?
Though rarely discussed, the Vatican plays a big role in the global wine scene, boasting the world’s highest per capita wine imports-driven not by papal consumption, but by a complex network of sacramental use, hospitality, and diplomatic functions. Nearly all the wine is Italian, with still and sparkling varieties used everywhere from museum cafés to official state receptions. Despite its small size, access to Vatican wine sales is highly competitive, and supplying the Holy See carries immense symbolic prestige.
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Learn something new every week.
Copyright @ Falstaff
WINE REGION OF THE WEEK: THRAKI, GREECE
Thraki, in northeastern Greece, is a small but historically significant wine region with ancient ties to viticulture and the cult of Dionysus. Though modern production is limited, its PGI zones, Avdira, Ismaros, and Evros, support native and international grape varieties. Maronia and Avdira are key areas, benefiting from a Mediterranean climate that supports quality grape growing.
Copyright @ Vinebud
GRAPE OF THE WEEK: MAVROUDI (MAVRUD)
Mavrud, known as Mavroudi in Greece, is a dark-skinned, late-ripening grape originally from Bulgaria’s West Thracian Valley. It yields deeply colored, tannic wines with high acidity, stewed-fruit flavors, and a distinct herbal, almost medicinal edge.
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