Category: Articles

The Boletín Oficial del Estado BOE) Certifies Strict New Zoning and Segmentation of the D.O. Cava

BOE has published a new regulation regarding the ambitious zoning and segmentation project led by the D.O. Cava, that will appear on labels starting in January 2022. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has approved the new regulations drawn up by the D.O. Cava, marking the start of an important phase of implementation that will involve all winegrowers and winemakers of the Designation of Origin.

Javier Pagés, President of the Regulatory Board underlines the importance of the regulations, which are the result of a new plan approved by the Board’s plenary session: “We are committed to maximum traceability and quality. It is the most demanding regulation in the world for quality D.O. sparkling wines made using the strict traditional method. All of this places the D.O. Cava at the forefront of quality sparkling wine designations of origin.”

Cavas aged for more than nine months will now be called Cava de Guarda, while those aged for more than 18 months will be called Cava de Guarda Superior. Cavas Reserva will be aged from 15 to 18 months. The ambitious new regulations also require that the production of Cavas de Guarda Superior, the long-aging category that includes Cavas Reserva (minimum 18 months of aging), Gran Reserva (minimum 30 months of aging) and Cavas de Paraje Calificado (from a special plot/minimum of 36 months of aging), will be 100% organic by 2025.

The Cavas de Guarda Superior will be made with grapes from vineyards registered in the Regulatory Board’s specific Register of Guarda Superior, which must meet the following requirements: vines at least 10 years old, organic vines (5 years of transition), vines with specific qualitative yields of a maximum of 4.9 tons/acre, separate production (separate traceability from the vineyard to the bottle), production starting in January, proof of the vintage on the label, and organic product (5 years of transition).

The zoning of the D.O. Cava has been established on two levels, marked by specific climatic, orographic, historical and cultural attributes that justify the new plan and lend these wines their unique identity. The following zones have been defined: Comtats de Barcelona, which encompasses the Cavas of the region of Catalonia (with sub-zones Valls d’Anoia-Foix; Serra de Mar; Conca del Gaia; Serra de Prades and Pla de Ponent), Ebro Valley (with sub-zones Alto Ebro and Valle del Cierzo), Viñedos de Almendralejo, and Levante.

#cava #wine #vino #winelover #sparklingwine #spain #spanishwine #winenews #instawine #winewednesday #whitewine #winetime #winetasting

 

 

 

North America’s Best 50 Bars list launches this summer

The World’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, will launch its North America list this summer!

The awards will be held in New York City June 7, 2022. Mark Sansom, content editor for 50 Best, is confident that the new list will become a key part of the global bar industry.

“The bar scene and extensive talent across this region set the tone for the rest of the world, and we are confident that this new list will be a vital addition to the international bar landscape as bar-goers plan their next cocktail-led adventures,” said Sansom.

“We are especially delighted to bring our inaugural North America’s 50 Best Bars awards ceremony to the city of New York, a vibrant cocktail heartland that has long established itself as a ubiquitous force in the bar universe, having provided The World’s Best Bar in our global list on three occasions.”

The inaugural North America’s 50 Best Bars awards ceremony and unveiling of the list provides a unique opportunity to unite bartenders, bar owners, cocktail aficionados and drinks media from all over the region at a captivating celebration, shining a light on the best in hospitality, while also promoting the strength and diversity of the region’s bar scene as a whole to a global audience.

The inaugural ranking for North America’s 50 Best Bars will reflect the best bar experiences based on the votes of more than 250 gender-balanced voters, made up of anonymous North American bar industry experts which includes bartenders, bar owners, drinks media and cocktail connoisseurs from USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

For more details https://bit.ly/NA50BBLaunch22

#NorthAmericas50BestBars #Worlds50BestBars #50BestBars #AwardsCeremony #BarNews #NewYorkCity #Bar #Cocktails #Cocktail #Bartender #Mixology #perrier @perrier

Cult Wines Americas – New “Innovative” Investment Platform [Part 2]

Cult Wines, the global fine wine collection management and investment company launched a new innovative investment platform in Q4 2021. They have shaken up their client offerings by introducing four new tiers of investment, allowing investors to build their personalized wine collection starting from $10,000 USD/$12,500 CDN. This new investment platform will now allow anyone from novice investors to experienced investors to build a customized collection of investment-grade wine.

The “Four Tiers” Cru Classe, Premier Cru, Grand Cru, and Cult Cru provide various levels of investment, starting with core features at $10,000 up to $700,000 USD/ $12,500 up to $850,000 CDN for the Cult Cru Membership. Some of the benefits of the higher tiers include priority access to wine releases, exclusive events and experiences, from access to private vintage releases, food and wine pairing experiences with famous chefs, and bespoke trips to prestigious partner estates.

Cru Classe – from $10k USD/$12,500 CDN
Entry category offers investors core features.
This Investment includes:

  • Full storage and insurance
  • Buying and selling with 0% fees
  • Portfolio created based on investor’s risk appetite and investment horizon
  • Direct ownership
  • Live prices/values with account support through client portal
  • Automatic portfolio rebalancing

Premier Cru – from $35k USD/45k CDN
The flagship offering at Cult Wines provides investors access to full customization and personalization of their wine portfolio through a dedicated Relationship Manager.
Investment includes everything from Cru Classe plus:

  • Active management of your portfolio through your dedicated portfolio manager
  • Regular consultations with a personal Relationship Manager
  • Customization of investor’s portfolio based on their objectives
  • Access to wine tastings (US only), events, education, and trips
  • Buy/Sell recommendations
  • Annual warehouse open day

Grand Cru – from $150k USD/$175k CDN
Investment includes perks of Premier Cru, a dedicated Relationship Manager, plus:

  • Priority access to wine releases
  • Privilege pass to all Cult Wines events
  • Invitations to sought after masterclasses, winemaker dinners (US only)
  • Vineyard tours upon request

Cult Cru – from $700k USD/$850k CDN
The Cult Cru tier will give you the most comprehensive package.
Investment includes everything from Grand Cru plus:

  • Curated vineyard experiences
  • Cult Connoisseur’s Club

Innovative Approach

This is interesting to note – Cult Wines also provides digital tools for its investors so they can manage their own portfolios. One key tool is based on Vintel (a web app), a proprietary technology, that will automatically analyze, allocate wines, and actively manage portfolios. The client portal also allows investors to track their portfolio and receive buy and sell recommendations from the company’s investment committee.

“We looked at what we had done previously and explored optimising user experience and how we build, balance and allocate portfolios using proprietary tools and modelling to seek the highest yields possible for our clients,” stated Corey Parkinson, Global Head of Product. “Every aspect of the platform, from digital onboarding, automated portfolio generation and our client portal have been re-imagined using a best practice tech stack and data science approach. These tools enable our team to maximise their insights and experience to deliver an unparalleled customer experience.”

“Historically, the wine investment category has been perceived as only for the wealthy, or those with considerable wine knowledge. We know that is not the case and are enabling more people to invest effectively while maintaining the client service, impeccable standards, and returns for which we are known,” Atul Tiwari, CEO, The Cult Wines Americas “Equally important is the investment we have made in developing technology that gives our team of experts unrivalled tools to complement their market expertise.”

Cult Wine Investments website: www.wineinvestment.com

#wine #finewine #wineinvestment #alternativeinvestment #winenews #winelovers #winecollectors #champagne #bordeaux #burgundy #finewinelovers #wineindustry #winebusiness #winetrade #winetrends #vin #frenchwine #winemarket #winenews #wineeconomics #vintagewine #wineinvestors #cultwines #cultwinesamericas #cultwinesUSA #cultwinescanada #cultcru #bourgogne #mycultcollection #winewednesday #ww

New Sweetness Scale for Alsace wine labels

A standardized sweetness guide will be required on all Alsace wine labels starting with wines produced from the 2021 harvest.

While most French wines are labeled by origin, wines from Alsace are indicated by grape variety and location information, including if the wine is from one of the 51 grand crus. Now wine buyers and trade can also consult the bottle for a visual sweetness scale or one of the following appropriate terms.

The New Alsace Wine Sweetness Scale

The new sweetness scale is straightforward.  The scale is in both English and French. Dry (sec) sugar content of the wine does not exceed 4 g/l

  1. Medium-Dry/demi-sec: sugar content of the wine is between 4 g/l and 12 g/l
  2. Mellow/moelleux: sugar content of the wine is between 12 g/l and 45 g/l
  3. Sweet/doux: sugar content of the wine exceeds 45 g/l

This change was prompted by the Alsace wine industry and centers on sweetness guidelines already in place in the European Union.

“In Alsace, we produce many different styles of wine, from dry wines to sweet wines to sparkling wines,” says Foulques Aulagnon, export marketing manager, for CIVA (Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d’Alsace) which is also known as the Alsace Wine Board. “This new standardized sweetness guide doesn’t affect how we produce our wines, but gives greater clarity on the style of what’s in the bottle.” Crémant d’Alsace, traditional method sparkling wine from the appellation, already has sweetness guide regulations and isn’t impacted by this new round of rules.

In addition to labels, the new system applies to advertising, marketing materials, invoices, and other containers. This is designed to be helpful to trade partners such as educators, retailers, and sommeliers.

According to CIVA data, export sales of Alsace wines grew by 22.4% in 2021. With more buyers outside of France, this move provides further understanding to new customers that may not be as familiar with what Alsace has to offer.

* According to EU regulations, “Dry” represents sugar content does not exceed 4 g/l (or 9 g/l if the total acidity in grams of tartaric acid per liter is not more than 2 g/l lower than the residual sugar content). “Medium-Dry” represents sugar content of the wine is above 4 g/l but does not exceed 12 g/l (or 18 g/l if the total acidity in grams of tartaric acid per liter is not more than 10 g/l lower than the residual sugar content).

#alsacegrandcru #alsace #riesling #whitewine #wine #wineharvest #winelover #alsacewine #grandcru #vinalsace #alsacegram #pinotgris #gewurztraminer #vin #vinblanc #wein #winenews

South Africa’s Wine Exports Bounce Back After Two Years

The South African wine industry is making a comeback after facing serious challenges the past two years.

There was a distinct silver lining when wine exports recovered to a healthy“volume of 388 million litres, which amounted to R10.2-billion” according to a statement by Wines of South Africa.

There was a strong demand from UK, US and China, these three countries helped South African wine exports increase by 12.1% in value to R10.2bn in 2021.

Top Export Markets

The UK remains South Africa’s largest export market. Volume sales to UK increased 12% to 92.5 million litres; value sales up 20% to R2.5bn.

Germany was the second largest export market, with volumes at compared to the previous year.

Shipments to the US increased 134% by volume and 39% by value to reach R887m.

The Netherlands was the fourth largest export market (by value), followed by other African countries, with exports increasing 50%. Canada and France were also very strong.

The fastest growth came from China, with exports increasing 189% by volume and 59% by value to R458 million. China is now South Africa’s eighth largest export market.

The South African alcoholic drinks industry suffered a very challenging few years as the government imposed a series of domestic sales bans and export bans during the pandemic.

“It is good for our recovery efforts, as the alcohol industry has suffered almost five alcohol bans which amount to about 26 weeks of non-trading,” said National Liquor Traders Council spokesperson Lucky Ntimane. “So the announcement is a welcome relief, but people need to understand that this is also not a licence for non-compliance. It does not mean that Covid-19 is gone or disappeared.”

The popular trade show Cape Wine is set to take place in October, which could give the industry an added boost. It was initially scheduled for September 2021, but it had to be postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak.

#southafricawine #wosa #southafrica #winewinewine #winelover #winelovers #instawine #instagramwine #winetime #wineculture #cheers #wineinsta #wineinstagram #winenews #wineeconomics #winetravel #wine #redwine #whitewine #rosewine