DAN'S WINE BLOG- A SMATTERING OF NEWS

2024-03-22

This week we are “all over the shop” with little snippets of news which you may have missed in your busy, busy life, especially those of you who are elbow deep in vintage at the moment.

Ok lets kick of with the fact that the recent Vinexpo Paris had a record number of attendees- 41,000 from 137 countries- so whilst wine sales may be slumping at the moment, interest in wine sure isn’t.The Australian Government is seeking to include Organic wine in its upcoming trade negotiations with both the EU and Japan. As more and more wine drinkers seek out organic wines, formal recognition of Australia’s standards would certainly help boost opportunities for the forward thinking soles who have gone organic.

Next week, Aldi UK will be launching its first wines in paper bottles. The bottles are made from 95% recycled paperboard with a food grade pouch inside, which contains the wine. The bottles are 5 times lighter than normal glass bottles and are fully recyclable. Additionally they save the massive carbon footprint of making a glass bottle. They will be launching with two South African Wines- the Cambala Sauvignon Blanc & Cambala Shiraz.

It is envisaged that over time the use of paper bottles will broaden and therefore cut Aldi’s carbon footprint quite significantly.

Image courtesy Frugalpac

The Italian wine growing region of Franciacorta in Lombardy, which is known for its premium sparkling wine (Like Prosecco +++) has just divided itself into 134 subzones!!This is mind blowing considering that the region only consists of around 2,000 hectares of vineyards. To put it into context, the world famous Chianti Classico has eleven subzones!!

Given that most drinkers aren’t aware of the difference between Franciacorta and Prosecco- which produces over 30 times more wine, it is boggling to think that people will care or comprehend the nuance of 134 different subregions- most of which are probably no bigger than an average Aussie vineyard. Wow this could be case of irrelevance or perhaps they are shooting themselves in the foot.

Wine is a hard sell in India as the country is run by old Whisky men who cause many challenges and some grief for both the domestic wine producers and wine importers. Thus it is good news when India’s largest wine company, Mumbai based Sula Vineyards has reported a growth in profits based on an increase in demand for its premium brands.

Whilst we think of the middle east as being basically an alcohol free zone due to religion, alcohol consumption is legal in Qatar. It is tightly regulated and drinking in public is strictly prohibited, however specially licensed hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs can sell alcohol. In addition non-Muslin residents are permitted to buy alcohol for home consumption through a permit system run by the state- controlled alcohol distributor.

UK Canned wine producer The Uncommon (great name) have just secured over 1 million pounds in backing to upscale its production of English wine. So the Poms will soon be able to buy a wider range of local wines in cans.

Well that’s it for this week, have a great week, remembering to #chooseaustralianwine and when possible enjoy #emergingvarieties.

CheersDan T