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Radici del Sud 2023 – That’s a wrap – Part I

Radici del Sud 2023

I was part of the International Jury – Group 1, which was chaired by Luca Matarazzo (20italie.com), and includes Anais Cancino (Wineteller, Mexico), Liz Palmer (wine journalist, author and influencer, Canada), Torge Thies (TRCT MEDIEN GmbH, Germany), and Anthony Rose (Decanter, freelance wine journalist and author, UK).

Our group just finished two intense days of blind tasting sparkling, rose, white and red wines of southern Italy at the beautiful medieval castle Sannicandro di Bari. I’m happy to report that there were a lot of exciting wines this year.

Radici Del Sud is a two-day multi-event dedicated to wines in southern Italy which includes the wine competition, and B2B meetings between buyers and international importers [10-11 June].

Part II to follow

Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance announce appointment of Robyn Sebastiani as Executive Director

Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance (SVVGA) Board President Tom Rouse announced on Friday the appointment of Robyn Sebastiani as SVVGA Executive Director.

“Robyn’s experience, passion, and deep understanding of our mission made her stand out as the perfect choice to guide SVVGA into a new era of growth and success. We firmly believe that with her dynamic leadership style and collaborative approach, she will build an even stronger commitment to serving our members and the greater wine community of Sonoma Valley,” Rouse states.

67 Pall Mall to open wine club in Bordeaux

67 Pall Mall, a private members club for professionals and collectors has officially secured the rights to a building in central Bordeaux, with the aim of opening up in 2025. They signed a lease on a property in the Triangle d’Or, 21 Cours de l’Intendance.

Grant Ashton, Founder and CEO of 67 Pall Mall said, ‘Bordeaux is at the very heart of the world of wine and the new club provides an amazing location for members and visitors to enjoy a fantastic range of Bordeaux’s wines. The club will offer a breadth of unique local wines alongside well-known favourites for both members and non-members to enjoy.’

The club will offer the most extensive wine list in the region which will feature 5,000 by the bottle, of which 2,000 bottles will be selected from local chateaux, 1,000 from the rest of France, and 2,000 wines from the rest of the world. They will also have a selection of 500+ wines by-the-glass.

There will also be a public “Bar à Vin” on the main floor, and the first and second floors will be for members only, with access to a clubroom, bar and several private dining rooms. The fourth floor will offer a rooftop terrace with a sweeping view across the historic city.

Chablis Launches Interactive Story Game

“Unlock Chablis” merges a historic wine region with modern digital technology. “Nowadays, so much of the world is focused on the digital, and the wine world is no exception. The Unlock Chablis game allows us to communicate our key messages to wine professionals in an entertaining, modern way; yet still remain educational,” says Paul Espitalié, Chablis Commission of BIVB president.

“Digital-heavy contexts allow us to increase the accessibility of Chablis wines, and gives us innovative ways to talk and learn about these, removing any barriers.”

The visually stunning interactive game involves 4 chapters in which participants will have in-depth knowledge about:

History and background of Chablis and the unique quality of Burgundy;
Wine making – from fermentation to bottle; and
Different types of Chablis and their food pairing.

“The idea originally came about as the world moved out of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which everyone – including the wine industry – saw an increased digital presence: whether this was online events, new ways of connecting with each other, or for research and educational purposes,” says Espitalié.

Unlock Chablis has been designed with wine professionals, taking them “on a journey to discover the history, terroirs, and versatility of Chablis wines in a fun and relaxing way”, in turn allowing them to learn more efficiently.

The multiplayer function of the game also allows groups of players to bond together while learning about the exciting world of Chablis.

Website: unlock.chablis-wines.com

Coravin Launches Single-Serve Vinitas System

Coravin, a global wine technology company, revolutionized the way wine is consumed 10 years ago with the launch of its preservation system that pours wine without removing the cork.

Coravin is now disrupting the category again with the launch of its next industry-changing device, Coravin Vinitas™, designed to help businesses share preserved tastings of wine with “try before you buy” while boosting interest in wine education.

Coravin Vinitas™ is a revolutionary small-footprint device that transfers wine into smaller consumables with up to 12 months of preservation.

“Until now, there has not been a scalable automated product that creates single-serve formats and maintains the quality of the wine inside for months, as opposed to weeks,” said Greg Lambrecht, Coravin founder and inventor. “With Coravin Vinitas™, companies, hospitality services, and trade can sample and fractionalize any bottle, any time, on-site, ensuring the highest quality experience for businesses and consumers, no more needlessly shipping full-size bottles where only a taste is needed.”

“During the early days of the pandemic, we spotted a gap in the market for this type of self-use fractionalization device that would allow our customers to send samples, preserved for months, to their trade customers and consumers,” said Chris Ladd, Coravin CEO. “Since then, we have continued to see the wine industry struggle to connect with a younger consumer audience who have far more options to choose from than previous generations. Coravin Vinitas™ addresses this need and is primed to change the way the world consumes wine.”

Coravin spent more than eighteen months building and testing the Coravin Vinitas™ with wineries, retailers, and wine schools around the world including Napa Valley Wine Academy, Langton’s, Ceretto, Château Montelena, ONX, Alkina, Stéphane Derenoncourt of Domaine de l’A, Château Haut Bailly, Tooth & Nail Wine Co., Benom, Clos Solene, Claudio Martins Wine Advisor, Justin Leone, and more.

To learn more CoravinVinitas.com.