South African Wine Harvest 2021 declared to be “Exceptional Quality” 

The South African wine industry is celebrating an exceptional harvest this year thanks to cool temperatures, unusually high rainfall and a late harvest.

In terms of volume, the 2021 wine grape crop is estimated at 1,461,599 tonnes, according to the latest estimate of industry body SAWIS (South African Wine Industry Information & Systems) on 19 May 2021 – that makes it 8.9% larger than previous years.

Balancing 2020 and 2021

The 2021 harvest kicked off around two weeks later than normal due to unusually cool weather conditions throughout the season, which persisted throughout harvest time and resulted in some wine grape producers harvesting their last grapes in May.

Water resources were also replenished in most regions following the recent drought, which contributed to good vine growth, bunch numbers and berry sizes.

“Wine lovers can really look forward to remarkable wines from the 2021 crop,”​ said Conrad Schutte, consultation service manager of Vinpro. “The cooler weather enabled producers to harvest their grapes at exactly the right time, and viticulturists and winemakers are especially excited about good colour extraction, low pH levels and high natural acidity in cases where vineyards were managed effectively, which all point to exceptional quality wines.”​…. https://bit.ly/2SEJH0z ..continues 

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“Tastry” uses Chemistry + AI to Analyze Wine and Generate Flavor Profiles

A California startup that taught a computer to “taste” wine is using technology to help winemakers improve their wines and attract new customers.

Founder Katerina Axelsson says Tastry uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze “tens of thousands of wines a year,” generating vast reams of data to help winemakers and retailers target their products more effectively.

Ms Axelsson formed her idea as a chemistry student working at a winery, where she noticed “idiosyncrasies” in how wine was evaluated. A 100,000-gallon tank of wine would be divided in two and sold to two different brands, where it would end up in different bottles, sold at different prices and receive different scores from critics, she states

She began analyzing wine samples, identifying thousands of compounds. Using AI, she could see how these compounds interacted with each other, creating the wine’s flavor profile. She then took that profile and used machine learning to compare its flavor, aroma, texture and color with other wines in the database.

The method allowed Axelsson to develop a wine recommendation app, which was launched on screens in the wine aisles of retailers in 2019. Through a quiz, consumers could input their flavor preferences, and the software would recommend a suitable wine with 80-90% accuracy at the first attempt, she says, rising to 95% with additional input form the user. Tastry’s system now powers its BottleBird wine recommendation app.

Tastry has also begun working directly with winemakers in the United States. Brands pay to have their bottle analyzed “and in exchange they would have access to what we call an insights dashboard, where they can identify how their wine is perceived in their market of opportunity, on a store, local or regional level,” says Axelsson.

One client is O’Neill Vintners and Distillers, one of the largest wine producers in California. To produce some blends, it combines wine from “upwards of 30 different tanks” to create the desired flavor profile, according to Marty Spate, vice president of winemaking and winegrowing.

The company is using Tastry’s AI to “streamline” the blending process by suggesting which tanks to use. “[Tastry is] not a replacement for the modern winemaking team,” he says, however, “that data can be pretty powerful.”

But in an industry steeped in artisan tradition, there are some critics of its algorithmic approach.  “It’s like having a computer analyze a piece of art,” says Ronan Sayburn, master sommelier and head of wine at 67 Pall Mall, a private members club for wine lovers in London.

“I don’t know how keen people would be on following what a computer tells them to drink, based on what they had previously,” he says. “I think part of the appeal of wine is forming your own opinions.”

Sayburn concedes technology can be useful to the amateur, for recommending serving temperature, aeration time and food pairings. “But when it comes to something which is a very emotive subject, I think there’s got to be human contact,” he argues.

Axelsson agrees that Tastry is not a substitute for a sommelier. But she says the scalability of her product makes it possible to analyze more wines per year than a human could ever taste.

Her company will start offering services in Europe later this year in collaboration with an online retailer, and is already thinking beyond wine, having conducted tests for beers, spirits, coffee and fragrances.

In the meantime, she’s happy to spend time winning over the naysayers.

“It takes time to educate any industry about AI and its benefits,” she says. “But if the use case is there and the value proposition is there, I think it’s just a matter of time before people really embrace it.”

Source :CNN Business London

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Les Dames d’Escoffier and Crafting for a Cure Foster a Unique Fundraising Wine and Gift Basket Auction

Crafting For a Cure is pleased to introduce, “Uncorked a wine and gift basket silent auction taking place from June 15th to June 24th, 2021 in support of 2 critically important causes.

“We are delighted to partner with Crafting For a Cure and to contribute to the success of Uncorked,” said Liz Palmer, President, Les Dames d’Escoffier (Ontario) 

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/ontario-non-profit-partnership-fosters-a-unique-fundraising-wine-and-gift-basket-auction-890461509.html

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New Cava Classifications for 2021  

Designations of Origin evolve over time and incorporate modifications that have an impact on the way their wines are classified. This is the case of the DO Cava, which has recently announced changes and the approval of new regulations.

The origins of Cava lie in the wine-growing region of Penedés.  Cava can also be produced in other towns and regions, which are themselves divided into sub-zones. There are four main areas of the DO, which include the Valle del Ebro with the sub-zones Alto Ebro and Valle del Cierzo; and the Comtats de Barcelona with the sub-zones Serra de Mar, Valls d’Anoia-Foix, Conca del Gaià, Serra de Prades, and Pla de Ponent. Further regions are Viñedos de Almendralejo and Valencia.

The DO Cava has announced that it will introduce new regulations that will raise the requirements to reinforce the quality seal and will affect not only the terminology linked to the ageing months of its wines but also the geographical designations within the Designation of Origin.

Cava wines are differentiated by their residual sugar content -which divides them into Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Dry, Semi-Dry and Sweet categories, as well as by their aging time, which divides them into Cava de Guarda and Cava de Guarda Superior (including Cava Reserva, Cava Gran Reserva and Cava de Paraje Calificado).

In addition, they must display the vintage year on the label and those DO Cava wineries that press and make all their wines on their own property will be able to use the Integral Winemaker label.

The greatest novelty is the segmentation and zoning that allows territorial identification, so that the consumer can clearly detect in which area of the DO the wine was made, whether in Comtats de Barcelona, Valle del Ebro, Viñedos de Almendralejo or Zona de Levante. The possibility of specifying each sub-zone is also envisaged.

The latter is a very significant change, as it recognizes and allows the particularities of each of its territories to be valued.

In addition to the new classification, DO Cava has announced the implementation of a new traceability system to provide consumers with the best possible quality guarantees. This also involved the development of a new, more modern digital platform.

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RESULTS ARE IN for the 2021 International Wines and Spirits Competition (NH)

The IWSC has just released the results of the 2021 Northern Hemisphere wines, and here are some of the winners.

This year there were 3,460 wines that were awarded medals.

Gold Medal Wines

Only 148 wines qualifying for a gold medal this year.

Fifteen of the wines were sweet wines and sixteen were fortified wines (with eight being port wines and eight were Sherries).

Canada this year received seven gold medalists in the sweet wine category. All seven were ice wines from the Niagara Peninsula, Ontario. The highest-rated wine was the Andrew Peller Estates, Niagara Peninsula VQA, 2019 Riesling, 10.5% ABV.

Greece also had two gold medalists – 2001 and the 2013 bottlings from Estate Argyros on Santorini. Other standout sweet wines included the Szent Tamás Furmint 2018 from Balassa Bor Tokaj in Hungary and the 2017 Trockenbeerenauslese Riesling from Weingut Rabl in Austria.

Sparkling Wine

There were 32 gold medalists in the sparkling wine category with France dominating this category with 14 winners. The top-ranked Champagne was the 2008 Piper Heidsieck, Brut. Right behind it was the 2008 Piper Heidsieck, Rosé Brut. Other standouts include the 2012 Chateau Palmer Brut and the 2008 Orpale Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc from Champagne de Saint Gall.

Italy had seven sparkling wine winners: Franciacorta, 2014 Brut from Lo Sparviere and, surprisingly, a 2020 Concerto Lambrusco Dry from Medici Ermete. There were four Prosecco bottlings: 2019, Duca di Dolle Societa’ Agricola, 100% Extra Dry; Tenuta di Collalbrigo, Non-Vintage, Extra Dry NV; Conte Collalto, Octavian Sui Leviticus Zero Dosage Brut Naturale and the 2020 San Salvatore Brut Millesimato Prosecco DOCG from Collalto.

UK had nine winners in the sparkling wine category, with the highest-rated British sparkler being Nyetimber, 2013 Blanc de Blanc.

Dry Still Wines

There was a total of 73 dry still wines that won gold medals. The top four countries that dominated this category were: Spain (7), France (12), Italy (28) and US (7). Together these four countries accounted for 54 of the 73 medalists.

The top-ranked French wine was the Famille Carabello-Baum, 2018 Corton Grand Cru, Pinot Noir. The top ranked Italian wine was the Lagarbiana 2016 Barolo from G.D. Vajra.

The top-ranked Spanish wine was the Vina Arnaiz, 2016 Pata Negra Reserva, Ribera Del Duero.

US Winners

Naked Wines, an online subscription wine vendor won three gold medals for its 2018 Exposed Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Petite Sirah and the 2019 Pinot Noir. Among premium wine producers, Francis Ford Coppola Winery won a gold medal for its 2017 Director’s Cut Zinfandel and the 2018 Archimedes Cabernet Sauvignon.

There are a lot more winners to explore … you can find the complete list at the IWSC’s website  https://bit.ly/3hHNRiK

#wine #instawine #winetasting #winenews #wineawards #IWSC #IWSCjudging #IWSCresults #winelovers #redwine #whitewine #sparklingwine #champagne