Category: Wine Tourism

Benvenuto Brunello 2021 Preview  – Tasting Sensational New Vintage Brunellos – A Tempting Invitation To Discover the Wines and the Captivating Region of Montalcino – by Filippo Magnani

After Benvenuto Brunello “OFF”, the first preview of the year which was in March, an additional edition of Benvenuto Brunello was organized for the press from the 16th and the 17th May dedicated to the Tuscan wine previews “Anteprime di Toscana”. Thanks to the diligence of the Consortium Brunello di Montalcino, the tastings took place in-person in the heart of Montalcino village in the beautiful Monastery of Sant’Agostino. Forty kilometers south of the city of Siena, Montalcino is a stunning hilltop town in the heart of Tuscany. With rolling hills and farmland of rare beauty, the village’s distinctive mount is encircled by forest. Vineyards and olive groves fill the countryside and many historical stone buildings are witness to centuries of cultivation in this area. Montalcino and the villages of Castelnuovo dell’Abate, Sant’Angelo, and Torrenieri are picturesque hamlets with an overall population of just over five thousand inhabitants. This territory is of particular historical character, having never lost touch with the cultural heritage and traditions.

It is important to note that this DOCG is among the wine-growing areas with the highest organic incidence in Italy.

Following safety protocols, the capacity of participants was extremely limited and ensured proper distance between persons. All journalists and writers were called to taste and evaluate the last vintages released on the market: Rosso di Montalcino 2019, Brunello di Montalcino 2016, and Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2015. We can say that this edition of Benvenuto Brunello will surely remain a memory in each of our minds, not only for the outstanding organization that the consortium put on stage but also for the combination of two remarkable vintages.

Both 2016 and 2015 had exceptional conditions in the vineyard and produced wines of absolute complexity and longevity.

 The vintage 2016 was outstanding in terms of balance. Rainfall throughout the winter into the beginning of the spring was consistently average. After the blooming, rains in July set the perfect conditions for a great vintage. Summer shifted from not so high temperature (max 32°) to very chilly nights (min 13°), diurnal moderate temperatures alternated to night precipitation, which offered the wines an amazing structure, complexity, and aroma. The maturation took longer, a fundamental factor both for the different layers of the aroma and the quality of the tannins (especially in the Sangiovese grape and for long lasting wines)

The 2015 vintage was characterized by a cool winter preceded by an irregular spring, which continued with a hot growing season during the summer with adequate rain. Harvest brought limited rainfall and good ventilation which favoured the last stages of ripening of the bunches up to harvest…..continues .. https://bit.ly/3zbCDJR.

I have missed my friends and colleagues during this Benvenuto Brunello but I really hope that was the preview of the restart, once again in-person hopefully we will be able to discover this beautiful wine paradise in the near future.

Always a big thank to my collegue and friend Liz Palmer !

#wine #winetasting #winenews #italy #tastingnotes #winewriter #winejournalist #winetourism #winetravels #benvenutobrunello #brunello #AnteprimediToscana #Montalcino #wine #winetasting #wineblog #wineblogger #winelover #winestagram #winecritic #wineevent #vino #winetime #wineoclock #winewinewine @brunellodimontalcino #montalcino #brunellodimontalcino #benvenutobrunello #italianwine #redwine #brunellowinestage  @filippomagnaniwine

Swedish wine growers establish a new industry association

Do you have Swedish wine on your wine list?  Well, now it’s time!

A group of Swedish professional wine growers recently formed a new industry association.

Starting from a small-scale hobby cultivation, in just a few decades it has emerged to a large scale professional association. This new industry association has been set up to maintain the opportunities and expectations of these winemakers. The new organization has been named “Sweden’s Industry Organisation for Oenology & Viticulture (SBOV)”.

Emma Serner, founder of Långmyre Vineri has been appointed as chairman of the industry organization.

“It will be exciting and fun to lead an organization where we will jointly bring the Swedish one. the winning industry into the future. Already today there are barely twenty producers who invested and positioned themselves with both quality and quantity to be considered important for Swedish business and the experience industry in the countryside” says Emma Serner

The Swedish wine industry is a young industry with great potential. Currently, grape cultivation involves around a hundred hectares – but it is estimated that there are ten thousand hectares suitable for grape cultivating. These hectares are in coastal locations in Halland, Skåne, Blekinge, Öland and Gotland as well as at Vänern and Vättern.

“Berries grow best in cool areas – they simply get richer fragrance and greater depth of taste. The Swedish, mild summer with many hours of sun is therefore very suitable for grapes” says Lotta Nordmark at Sweden’s University of Agriculture in Skånska Alnarp.

#wine #instawine #redwine #whitewine #winenews #sweden #swedishwine #winemarketing #winemaker #vinification #winetourism #winegrower #winelist

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 

#winefarm, #wine, #southafrica, #southafricanwine, #wine #redwine #whitewine, #winenews #wineharvest #stellenbosch #winetasting #capetown #winelovers #instawine

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.

#wine #winelover #spanishwine #spanishwinelover #winenews #winemarketing #redwine #whitewine #spain #cava #cavawine #sparklingwine

The National Wine Committee approves the “Canelli” DOCG

The National Committee of PDO and PGI Wines approved Friday’s session, Wednesday, May 12th, the proposal for the Disciplinary of the new DOCG “Canelli”, starting a regulatory process which, ending within the year, will make the first official harvest possible. of white Moscato for “Canelli” in 2022. DOCG, or “Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita” is Italy’s highest appellation level.

Although reports indicate little will change in terms of wine style – with the new region likely to maintain the production of sweet, white, aromatic bubbles – the new Canelli DOCG will likely soon sport a “Riserva” title, a qualification specifically prohibited under the Asti production guidelines.

The region is comprised of 18 parishes around Canelli, 25km south of Asti and 70km southeast of Turin.

Currently, there are over forty producers within the Asti DOCG appellation that claim their Moscato d’Asti DOCG as the Canelli sub-area, which amounts to half a million bottles. Lorenzo Barbero, president of the Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti Docg Consortium comments on the news as follows: “The new Denomination certainly represents a further opportunity for qualitative growth for producers in a historic area such as Canelli”.

“Twenty years after the birth of the Association, Canelli’s centuries-old winemaking tradition will finally have its definitive recognition” says Flavio Scagliola, member of the board of the Canelli Producers Association and Vice President of the Asti Spumante and Moscato Consortium d’Asti Docg.

#canelliproducers #canellidocg #canelli #italianwine #italianwinelover #italy #wine #instawine #winenews #DOCG