DAN'S WINE BLOG- SOME EURO NEWS

Friday, July 14, 2023

?This week I’m reporting on some interesting Euro-news which you may find informative.

?EUROPE:?In typical fashion Europe is polarising into countries who welcome/encourage non-glass wine packaging, those who are neutral/indifferent and those who insist on glass only/mainly.

?Recent information shows that some countries (mainly the Scandinavians) are clamouring for wine to “step away from” glass bottles towards, cans, recycled plastic bottles (such as the brilliant Packamama flat bottle), paper based bottles, organic bio-degradable bottles, sachets and small casks (bag-in-box) – as Sweden is doing, where today over 25% of all wine is sold in small casks of usually 1.0 litre.

?Meanwhile, the Germanic countries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland are almost totally shunning these alternative forms of packaging, with the only alternative being offered in some parts is (as I have written before) re-usable bottles. They are setting up collection points for empty bottles which are then washed and re-used.

?This system used to operate here in Australia decades ago with milk, beer bottles and wine flagons. The critical factor is in ensuring that the bottles are properly cleaned/sterilized before re-use. A risk that was deemed unacceptable here in Australia a few decades ago. It would be interesting to scrutinize the “washing” procedures to see how safe/sanitary they actually are in practice.

?FRANCE:?I have written several times about the French ripping out grape vines due to the wine glut. Have you ever wondered what they do with the land afterwards? What they opt to grow instead of grapes? Well it turns out that in Bordeaux many of the ex-vineyards are being planted with olive trees – Hmm, I wonder if this means that in 10-15-years-time there will be a glut of olive oil, bringing its astronomical price down to more affordable levels.

?In a clever move, firefighters in the Languedoc region are amassing water reserves to fight the increasingly often (global warming?) summer bushfires which threaten agriculture in the region. Over the wet winter they began storing water in abandoned, surplus wine tanks. The water can then be pumped directly into fire trucks as needed during the fire season – Pretty clever!!

?BRITAIN:?Starting from a fairly small base Britain has expanded its vineyard plantings by 74% over the last five years to now have 3,930 hectares under vine. In 2022, the industry produced 12.2 million bottles of wine compared with 5.3 million in 2017 – and there are no signs of this growth abating. Currently production is 68.8% Sparkling (or Fizz, as the British are calling it) whereas at the turn of the century it was 90.3% Sparkling.

?The British wine industry now has a thriving trade in white wines, not only cold-climate enduring hybrids but also mainstream varieties such as Chardonnay and Riesling. Likewise with the red varieties with Pinot Noir leading the charge.

?At a time when parts of British agriculture are suffering (mainly due to the Brexit transit labour shortages), viticulture is now the fastest growing segment in British agriculture and is forecast to continue growing for at least the rest of this decade.

?Global warming isn’t bad for everybody!!

?UKRAINE:?The glass factory just outside Kyiv which was damaged and shut down early on during the illegal Russian invasion, has just been fired up again and is producing bottles, albeit in much smaller quantities than before. They have also instituted safety measures for the staff in case the plant is targeted again by the evil Russians. SLAVA UKRAINI!

?And on that cheery note I will say “hasta la vista” until next week. Have a great week, stay safe (Covid ain’t over yet) and always #chooseaustralianwine and when you can, enjoy #emergingvarieties . Cheers, Dan T.