Wine Morsels ~ In the News

Having many irons in the fire sometimes holds up the frequency of my posts. While I wait for my ideas to materialize as written articles, I thought I’d try reporting what others have written that I found interesting.

So here goes … what’s new in the world of wine.

First non-alcoholic Blanc de Blancs

London’s luxury department stores, Harrod’s, will carry Bloom La Cuvée 2022 as of April 15. It’s the world’s first non-alcoholic premium sparkling wine, clocking in at £109. After the one-month exclusive contract with Harrod’s expires, Bloom La Cuvée 2022 will be available in other countries (for €109 in Europe and $119 in the U.S.A.)

The Bloom brand was founded by Rodolphe Frèrejean-Taittinger, a member of the Taittinger Champagne family, and his wife Maggie Frèrejean-Taittinger. Although French Bloom is not a Taittinger company product, Rodolphe’s experience in Champagne and Cognac (Maison Coutanseaux Aîné) provided the know-how for the appropriate base wine that would be suited to dealcoholisation.

Made with organically grown Chardonnay grapes from Languedoc, harvested two weeks early to guarantee high acidity, the base wine was matured for six months in new French barriques. After additional acidification, the alcohol was removed in three stages using low-temperature vacuum distillation. Maggie Frèrejean-Taittinger explains that without alcohol the wine is not stable enough for longer storage; but it still has the complex flavour of a mature vintage champagne. A total of 17,000 bottles were produced. (Original source: Harpers)

French Bloom has two other non-alcohol sparkling wines, Le Blanc and Le Rosé, available in Ontario (Canada) @treamiciwines.

Rooftop Vineyard

The new terminal at Amerigo Vespucci International Airport in Florence will have an eight-hectare vineyard on the roof! Thirty-eight rows of vines are to be planted on the pitched roof while the harvested grapes will be processed in the cellars to be constructed below. Phase one of the contruction is set to begin 2026 with completion scheduled for 2035.

New York architecture firm Rafael Viñoly designed this futuristic project aiming to combine “green roof” innovation with Tuscan winemaking traditions. The infrastructure must pay special attention to weight distribution, the drainage system and wind load resistance. As the microclimate on the roof differs significantly from that of a conventional vineyard, there are also challenges in terms of heat regulation.
(Original Source: Gambero Rosso)

Happy 60th Birthday, Screwcap!

In 1964, Amcor Capsules (headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland) introduced its Stelvin closures specifically for the Chasselas grape variety which was very susceptible to cork defects. The goal was to preserve the freshness, flavours and quality of the wine in a better way.

Thus the aluminium screw cap for wine bottles was born. At the time it was considered revolutionary and there were few adopters. Then along came New Zealand with its Sauvignon Blanc boom in the early 2000s and the screwcap became the standard wine closure by producers there. In New Zealand and Australia, nine out of ten wines are under screwcap. The technology is now used in 40 wine-producing countries.
(Original Source: Drinksbusiness)

Correction from wine enthusiast/journalist Dan Traucki: Actually Australian Winemakers were the first to adopt screwcaps. Yalumba Wines trialled it in 1969-1972 on their Riesling and then in 2000 The Clare Valley winemakers – fed up with tainted corks decided to ALL put their Riesling under screwcap, New Zealand Sav Blanc winemakers followed on from the Clare valley mob – and the rest, as they say is History.

Remake of Judgement of Paris … but now in London

A tasting called Judgement of London will take place on May 20 at the London Wine Fair. The event pays homage to the Judgement of Paris (1976), in which wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy were judged blind against Californian wines (which were hardly known at the time), and to everyone’s surprise the Californians won.

The Judgement of London will include a wide selection of iconic wines from Europe and around the world, compiled according to grape variety, style and texture (with an optimum drinking window of 5-15 years). The wines will be tasted in pairs by 20 judges under test conditions. Eight pairs of white wines will be tasted in the morning (one from Europe and one from the rest of the world) and eight pairs of red wines in the afternoon. The wines will be rated on a scale of 1-10, with half points allowed.

One of the judges will be Jancis Robinson MW, who describes the event as “a fitting tribute to Steven Spurrier”. Sarah Abbott MW acknowledges the wine industry has moved away from terminology of Old World vs New World, however Steven Spurrier’s claim that great wine comes from all over the world “is as relevant now as it was almost 50 years ago when this iconoclastic tasting took place.” (Original source: Harpers.co.uk)

Alsace Planting Syrah and Grenache

Renowned biodynamic winemaker Jean-Michel Deiss (Domaine Marcel Deiss) claims that the climate in Alsace is getting closer to that of Châteauneuf-du-Pape! Therefore, he is planting Syrah, Grenache, Terret, Counoise and Cinsault this spring and is also thinking about planting Mourvèdre. In an effort to mitigate and adapt to climate change while preserving the domaine’s identity, Deiss has chosen grape varieties to suit the warm microclimate of the Schloessleberg site near Rouffach with its Mediterranean vegetation and limestone soils. He laments that Pinot Noir has reached its limits there.

Deiss is planting one hectare of Syrah and Grenache mixed with Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir – an old practice known as complantation – the art of mixing grape varieties in a terroir that are harvested at the same time and vinified together. In Austria and Germany, such wines are known as Gemischter Satz. This is also emphasizes terroir over grape variety. Deiss explains that the diversity strengthens the immunity of the vines and provides insurance against climatic extremes such as frost, as the flowering times are different. (Original Source: La Revue du Vin de France)

Let me kow if you like this concept of reporting wine news … it could become a regular addition to my blog.

Cheers!

P.s. To see what I’m tasting and discovering in the world of wine, follow me on Instagram

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