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⚡️The Natural Question
In this week’s DECORKED digest, we explore why non-vintage blends are gaining ground, the myths holding rosé back, the ongoing debate around natural wine, and how wildfires are threatening Iberian vineyards.
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Happy Monday! We hope you have a great week ahead. In this week’s DECORKED digest, we explore why non-vintage blends are gaining ground, the myths holding rosé back, the ongoing debate around natural wine, and how wildfires are threatening Iberian vineyards. Keep reading!
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Read the most important and interesting news this week.
🍾 Meghan Markle's new wine 'biggest stock of product yet’, and how it's selling READ HERE
📈 English wine producers are optimistic for harvest READ HERE
🗺️ DOC Rioja 2025: Lower alcohol & harvest yields READ HERE
⛓️💥 Sonoma County puts wine tax on hold READ HERE
🔥 Fire threatens Napa County wineries READ HERE
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THE NEW LOGIC OF NON-VINTAGE
As climate change makes vintages more unpredictable, a growing number of producers are turning to multi-year blends once dismissed as downmarket. By combining wines from different harvests, they aim to create consistency, protect quality, and adapt to extreme weather events now reshaping vineyards from Napa to Veneto. While consumer perceptions still favor the single-vintage ideal, the rise of non-vintage still wines suggests a slow but meaningful shift in how the industry balances tradition with resilience.
BREAKING THE ROSÉ MYTHS
Forget the clichés: rosé isn’t just poolside pink. Winemakers are experimenting with oak, concrete, and ageing to craft bottles that rival reds and whites in depth and character. Styles now range from feather-light to boldly structured, proving rosé can pair with everything from shellfish to lamb. Even questions of color, age, and whether to drop in ice are reshaping how we see it. What was once a fleeting summer crush is cementing itself as a year-round, multifaceted wine.
THE NATURAL WINE DILEMMA
For more than a decade, “natural wine” has been one of the industry’s buzziest (and most confusing) labels. Is it organic? Sulfite-free? Simply low-intervention? The lack of a clear definition continues to fuel debate, leaving producers, buyers, and drinkers to navigate a term that sparks emotion more than clarity. Love it or loathe it, the conversation around natural wine reveals just how powerful, and problematic, an undefined category can be.
RAGING FIRES THREATEN SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE VINES
Devastating wildfires are sweeping through Galicia, the Douro, and Beira Interior, leaving vineyards scorched and producers uncertain about the 2025 harvest. Entire plots of old vines have been lost, while others face the long-term risks of heat stress and smoke taint. With record-breaking hectares already burned this year and air quality deteriorating across the Iberian Peninsula, the crisis underscores both the fragility of Southern Europe’s vineyards and the urgent need for stronger fire prevention and climate adaptation measures.
THE RISE OF THE SPRITZ CULTURE
Australia’s wine industry is leaning into change as drinkers turn away from heavy reds and embrace lighter styles and the rise of “spritz culture.” Pinot noir, grenache, rosé, prosecco, and refreshing whites are finding traction with younger consumers seeking versatility and ease. While traditional full-bodied reds remain popular among older generations, producers see opportunity in lighter expressions at home and in export markets across Asia.
SUMMER PAIRINGS TO SAVOR
From chilled reds with burgers to Lambrusco with prosciutto and melon, wine pros are celebrating summer with fresh, playful matches that show off wine’s versatility at the table. Their favorite combinations span everything from sparkling Riesling with tacos to rosé with ripe tomatoes, proving that the season’s best food and wine pairings are as much about joy and spontaneity as they are about tradition.
VOICES SHAPING WINE
A new generation of tastemakers is pushing the industry to rethink its priorities. From low- and no-alcohol creativity to deeper commitments to sustainability and inclusivity, these rising voices see progress but also call for structural change. Their outlook points toward a wine future built on resilience, curiosity, and connection.
Learn something new every week.
Copyright @ Vinerra
WINE REGION OF THE WEEK: NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA
New Brunswick’s small but growing cottage wine industry focuses on hybrid grapes like Vidal and Maréchal Foch, alongside fruit wines and ciders that fuel local tourism. While beer, led by Moosehead and a thriving craft scene, dominates the province’s drinks profile, vineyards along the Bay of Fundy are carving out a niche shaped by coastal influences and a continental climate.
Copyright @ Wine Searcher
GRAPE OF THE WEEK: VIDAL
Vidal is a cold-hardy hybrid of Trebbiano and Rayon d’Or, prized in Canada and the northeastern U.S. for its role in ice wine. With thick skins, high acidity, and floral-fruity character, it produces concentrated, luscious sweet wines, especially in Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula and New York’s Finger Lakes, though it can also make crisp dry styles, even if it lacks the ageing potential of Riesling.
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