Category: Wine

Penfolds’ “Wine of the World” Label

Penfolds has just launched its most radical project to date, the inaugural, four-bottle “California Collection” which are blends from both South Australia and California wine together – a concept that is certainly revolutionary in the fine wine world.

Penfolds, South Australia’s premier winemaker, has again pushed the envelope by releasing the inaugural “Wine of the World” label.

The four wines in this new series are from the 2018 vintage. The top two wines in the collection, ‘Quantum Bin 98 Cabernet Sauvignon’ and ‘Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon’ are both blends of Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, with the Quantum Bin 98 mixed with 13% South Australian Shiraz and the Bin 149 blended with 14% South Australian Cabernet Sauvignon.

The other two wines in the collection are Californian. ‘Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz’ is a blend of fruit from Napa Valley, Sonoma, and Paso Robles, and ‘Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon’ is from Napa Valley. 

The wines were released globally a few weeks ago and are priced at $50 US – $700 US.  

It was also hinted that more wines under Penfolds label will be coming from Bordeaux and Champagne in the future.

 While the idea of doing a cross-continental blend does not seem like a possibility for most winemakers, Penfolds can now say that they have certainly pioneered this concept.

https://www.penfolds.com/

#penfolds #penfoldswine #penfoldscollection #californiacollection #australianwine #californiawine #wine #winenews #instawine #winelovers #redwine #vintagewine #finewine #winecollectors #wineoftheworld #winetrends

The Top 10 Countries That Drank The Most Wine In 2020

Paris-based International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) has just revealed stats of the top ten countries that drank the most wine in 2020.

Global Consumption has fallen to its lowest point since 2002. OIV reports that that overall wine consumption had fallen three percent to 234 million hectolitres in 2020 – around 6.2 billion gallons. In terms of market value, OIV puts the total exports of wine-producing countries at an estimated 29.6 billion euros ($35.6 billion), a figure that would represent a fall of nearly seven percent.

OIV maintains that these numbers are an estimate.

“With the exception of Prosecco, sparkling wine is the category of wines that suffered the most in 2020,” the organization states.

So, which countries drank the most wine in 2020?

Here are the top 10 by consumption according to OIV.

  1. 1.US – 33mhl
  2. France– 24.7mhl
  3. Italy– 24.5mhl
  4. Germany– 19.8mhl
  5. UK– 13.3mhl
  6. China– 12.4mhl
  7. Russia– 10.3mhl
  8. Spain– 9.6mhl
  9. Argentina– 9.4mhl
  10. Australia– 5.7mhl

#wine #winelovers #winetasting #instawine #redwine #whitewine #sparklingwine #oiv #winenews #wineconsumption #winemarketing

Great Italian Wines [Master Class] Understanding Indigenous Grape Varieties – Montepulciano & Aglianico

I attended the online Masterclass Series “Great Italian Wines – Understanding Indigenous Grape Varieties” –  Montepulciano & Aglianico on Thursday, April 15th,  Part 3 in the series, and here is what I found out.

Montepulciano
Vines in Montepulciano have been cultivated since the late 1700s. Currently, Montepulciano is the second most widely planted varietal in Italy, just after Sangiovese, and is planted mainly in central Italy, predominantly in Abruzzo, as well as the regions of Marche, Molise. and Puglia.

The most famous Montepulciano wines come from Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC. It is a high-yielding grape that thrives in the area of Abruzzo. Winemaking traditions in Abruzzo date back to the 6th century BC. Montepulciano is produced in each of Abruzzo’s provinces – L’Aquila (Capital), Chieti, Pescara, and Teramo – and over half of the 32,000 hectares of vines are planted to this varietal. This variety has a blue-purple skin colour; is late-ripening and thick-skinned yet produces wines with softer tannins and lower acidity.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo was designated a DOC in 1968 and requires at least 85% of the wine to be made with Montepulciano varietal and no more than 15% of Sangiovese.

Important to note – This is Montepulciano “The Indigenous Variety” NOT Vino Nobile di Montepulciano MONTEPULCIANO

Aglianico
Aglianico is considered to be the “Barolo of the South”, with the finest examples found in Basilicata and Campania. Basilicata is a region located in the instep of the “boot of Italy” which borders Campania, Puglia, and Calabria between the Adriatic, Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts.

Aglianico del Vulture DOC was established in 1971; 2,400 hectares are cultivated on volcanic soils from Mount Vulture.  Aglianico is the only permitted grape within this DOC. The best examples of Aglianico del Vulture DOC wines are grown between 350 to 500 metres above sea level.

The Aglianico varietal has a dark blue-black colour and is thick-skinned; is a late-ripening variety that can be harvested into November and is also low-yielding. This varietal also requires abundant sunshine and dry weather; thrives on steep slopes, high altitudes, and volcanic soils. These wines tend to be full-bodied, have good structure, firm tannins, and are age-worthy.

Wines Tasted

Torre Dei Beati Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2018
Varietal: 100% Montepulciano (organic)

Deep, violet-ruby red in colour; elegant nose with complex blackberry fruit, hints of spice and mint; on the palate ripe red berries and earthy notes; well-structured with refined tannins through to a long finish. This is an elegant interpretation of Montepulciano.
—-
Score: 90 points

Grifalco Aglianico Del Vulture 2018
Varietal: 100% Aglianico

Ruby red in colour; the nose is generous and elegant; fresh and preserved red berries, enriched with balsamic note and mineral notes; the palate is bold and full-bodied with lovely red and black cherry and earthy flavours; structured tannins; good acidity lengthens the deep defined finish.
—-
Score: 91 points

@italchambers @trueitaliantaste @cavinonawine #trueitaliantaste #extraordinaryitaliantaste #iffoodcouldtalk #indigenousgrapevarieties #greatitalianwines #aglianico #BarolooftheSouth #Montepulciano #winetasting #instawine #winelovers #Italianwinelovers

Happy Malbec World Day – Here are Some Fun Facts to Help you Celebrate

Wines of Argentina has been paying tribute to Malbec on April 17th since 2011.

This date was chosen because on the same day in 1853 the first agricultural school in Argentina was founded, becoming a symbol of the transformation of Argentina’s wine industry.

Malbec in Argentina

  1. There are 112,823 acres of Malbec planted in Argentina;
  2. There were 129 million litres of Malbec exported by Argentina in 2020; and
  3. Argentinian Malbec is grown at some of the highest altitudes in the world. In Mendoza, the average height of vineyards is 900 meters above sea level, but some of the highest vineyards in the world are found in the north of Argentina, in Salta, Catamarca, and Tucumán – the Calchaquí Valleys – In Salta some vineyards are as high as 3,000 meters above sea level.

Fun Facts

  1. Did you know that Malbec was originally associated with South-West France?

A grape variety Magdeleine Noire des Charentes (which is also a parent to Merlot) was once the most commonly planted grape variety in South-West France. It was then known as Côt?

  1. Did you know that that Malbec was grown in Bordeaux until the harsh winter in 1956 which killed off most of the vineyards?
  2. Did you know that Malbec is a challenging grape to grow? It has a poor resistance to bad weather, frost and pests and requires substantial sunlight and heat to become fully mature. It is particularly prone to coulure and mildew?
  3. Did you know that Argentina reinvigorated Malbec?

Argentina is the biggest Malbec exporter in the world, but it is also the fifth biggest major wine producer in the world with 14.5mhl of wine produced in 2018 alone. Exporting 128,828,560 litres of Malbec in 2020, and exporting wine to 119 countries, Argentina has seen a 52% increase in production of wines made from the grape since 2010.

  1. Malbec is also produced around the world in the USA, Chile, South Africa and Australia.

#malbecworldday # malbec #winesofargentina #redwine #winelovers #instawine #MalbecArgentino #Malbecnosgusta #argentina

The Consejo Regulador DOCa of Rioja unveils strategic five-year plan

The Consejo Regulador DOCa of Rioja has unveiled a five-year strategic plan aimed at boosting the region’s sustainability credentials, driving wine tourism and increasing exports.

The aim is to boost total sales from 230 million litres in 2020 to 312 million litres by 2025, with export to account for 44% at 137 million litres, in addition to increased turnover of the Rioja brand by 23%, said the regional body.

White Rioja is set to grow to a total of 12% of volume and rosado to 5% of volume, a projection which aligns with current trends in the UK – still the most important export market for Rioja, the DOCa added.

Referred to as “a blueprint” for Rioja to establish itself as a global leader in wine production, the new strategy was developed following a year-long review carried out in collaboration with all key regional stakeholders, and in consultation with experts from each of the region’s 12 key export markets.

Central to the DOCa’s plans will be a focus on establishing Rioja as a leader in sustainability to help safeguard the future of the region, with key metrics having been developed to measure progress in this area, including the reduction of pesticide use by 50% and carbon footprint by 10%.

Another key pillar of the new strategy will be a focus on increasing wine tourism, with a target of reaching 1.3 million visitors by 2025, compared to the 343,000 visitors counted in 2020. The DOCa said it expected the number of wineries able to offer visitor experiences to rise to 250, just over a third of the region’s total.

Moreover, it said that digitalization would also play a prominent role in driving sales from the region with a target to quadruple online sales.

“The new strategic plan exemplifies Rioja’s pioneering character and aims to increase the value of the region and raise awareness of our wines, particularly in key export markets,” said President Fernando Salamero.

#RiojaWine #Rioja #WineLovers #Wine #winetasting #Vineyard #tempranillo #instawine #redwine #vinotinto #winetime #winestagram #spain #spanishwine #winery #enoturismo #vinos #vinho #winenews #winetourism