Category: Wine

Wines of Ukraine launch UK Head Office

Wines of Ukraine has recently established a UK head office to help further grow its reputation on the international stage.

The organization, formed in 2021, is made up of 15 members, comprising craft wineries with an overwhelming majority of pre-war sales rooted in the domestic market. The organization has had a strong presence at this year’s London Wine Fair and Prowein.

With the proposed UK import operation now beginning to take shape, Wines of Ukraine will host its inaugural tasting for the UK trade and media on Monday, October 9th at 67 Pall Mall in London

At its first UK tasting, there will be 11 wineries from six wine regions, that will show 60+ wines, covering different styles, including sparkling wines, unfiltered orange wines and sweet wines, reds, whites, and rosés.

Tania Olevska, marketing and PR director of Wines of Ukraine UK, states: “Our producers are excited to meet and present their bottles to wine professionals in the UK this autumn.  Now is the right time to bring the wines of Ukraine to the UK, when we have a high quality and a good range of styles – all of which are confirmed by high ratings at international wine competitions and great feedback from both professionals and consumers.”

The full-scale war unleashed by Russia has significantly affected the state of Ukraine’s wine industry with some wineries being occupied, and others being damaged and looted. Some of the vineyards are mined and not cultivated, and the local market has shrunk. However, in 2022, Ukrainian wines began to be discovered worldwide and today they are represented in the UK, USA, Japan, Poland, Baltic, and Nordic countries, amongst others.

Svitlana Tsybak, co-founder of Wines of Ukraine, added: “The mission of our team is to promote Ukrainian wines worldwide, present Ukraine as a winemaking country, and tell everywhere and everyone that Ukraine has its place in the winemaking world.

“For the last two decades, Ukrainian wine has experienced a renaissance, and now it is time to show our wines in the UK.  This is one of the most important markets for us, not least because the country supports Ukraine, which we very much appreciate.”

To register for the event click here:  https://shorturl.at/ADE04

Wineries that will be showcased, include:

Beykush Winery, Mykolaiv

Stakhovsky Wines, Zakarpattya

Chateau Chizay, Zakarpattya

Biologist Craft Winery, Kyiv

Vynkhol Oksamytne /TM Villa Tinta, Odesa (Bessarabia subregion)

Kolonist Wine, Odesa (Bessarabia subregion)

Frumushika Nova, Odesa (Bessarabia subregion)

Shabo, Odesa

Tiras Winery /TM My Wine by Eduard Gorodetsky, Odesa

Graevo, Zaporizhzhia

Father’s Wine VB, Ternopil

Austria establishes an official Vineyard Classification System

The recently adopted “Wine Law Collective Decree” has established the legal basis for the official classification of Austria’s single vineyards. The Ordinance defines two tiers: “Erste Lage” (premier cru) and “Große Lage” (grand cru). Classification is carried out according to a strict list of criteria. The first vineyard classifications can be expected in 2025, at the earliest.

Various private initiatives in Austria, for classifying single vineyards, known as “Rieds” have been in place in Austria for many years. These initiatives identify those of its members’ vineyards that have gained a name for producing first-class wines. Following an intense preliminary phase, the Wine Law Collective Decree 2023 has established the legal basis for an official, nationwide classification system. It outlines two tiers of classification. The “Erste Lage” (premier cru) is the first level that a vineyard can attain. Once a minimum of five years has elapsed, the vineyard is able to be defined as a “Große Lage” (grand cru).

“The Collective Decree 2023 has defined the legal basis for enabling Austrian Rieds to be classed officially according to a standardized system,” explains Chris Yorke, CEO of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (Austrian Wine). “The decision whether to classify Rieds is up to each wine-growing region because the significance of single vineyards differs from region to region,” Yorke adds.

Lower maximum yield per hectare and harvesting by hand required

The decree outlines the general conditions required for the classification of a vineyard. For example, the use of “Erste Lage” and “Große Lage” is only permitted on DAC wines from classified vineyards. Furthermore, the wine-growing region from where the wine originates must have defined the three DAC levels of Gebietswein (regional wine), Ortswein (villages wine) and Riedenwein (single-vineyard wine). The decree also states that “Erste Lage” and “Große Lage” can only be used when the wine has been harvested by hand and a lower maximum yield per hectare than the legal limit is met.

Detailed documentation is essential

If a wine-growing region wants to classify its leading vineyards, the Regional Wine Committee must submit an application to the National Wine Committee. A classification document containing detailed information needs to be completed for each Ried. This covers facts such as the historical significance of the vineyard, the homogeneity of its soil, geological characteristics, climate and orientation, and the volume and value of the wines that the Ried produces. A Ried also has to provide evidence of other factors demonstrating its potential for producing high-quality wines, e.g. national and international wine ratings. For a Ried to receive the designation of “Große Lage”, it must have been an “Erste Lage” for at least five years and further requirements for the use of the term “Große Lage” will have to be defined.

“Establishing an official vineyard classification system at a national level presents considerable challenges,” emphasizes Yorke. “This is why we will be supporting the wine-growing regions with the process step by step over the next few years and continuously sharing our experiences.” The first “Erste Lage” classifications are not expected before 2025.

Here is a short overview:

Legal basis for an official vineyard classification system

The Wine Law Collective Decree defines the legal basis

Two tiers:

  • “Erste Lage”
    “Große Lage” (at least 5 years after having been designated an “Erste Lage”)

Conditions for the use of the terms “Erste Lage” and “Große Lage” include:

  • DAC wines from classified Rieds (single vineyards)
  • lower maximum yield per hectare than the legal limit
  • harvesting by hand

The classification process:

  • Regional Wine Committees submit an application to the National Wine Committee on behalf of the Ried(s)
  • Classification document for each candidate Ried, including information about:
    • the historical significance of the vineyard
    • homogeneity of the soil, geological characteristics, climate and orientation
    • national and international ratings of the Ried’s wines
  • The first classifications are expected in 2025, at the earliest.

Wine prices in Napa jump to over $100 / bottle

The latest Direct to Consumer Wine Report shows the average price of a bottle of wine from Napa Valley jumped $17 last year, and at the same time tasting fees increased 35%.

According to the report, the average bottle of wine from Napa costs over $108, which is considerably more than Sonoma County, which saw an average of $57 per bottle. Over 71% of the West Coast wineries surveyed said they planned to raise bottle prices again this year.

These numbers come from the 2023 Direct to Consumer Wine Report, which was previously conducted by the Silicon Valley Bank wine division.

While visitors to Napa Valley are still lower than they were pre-pandemic, the price of a tasting at a Napa vineyard is significantly higher than in the country’s other wine regions. A standard tasting at a Napa winery now goes for $81, $22 more than it did in 2021. A reserve tasting averages $128.

Compare those numbers with $38 for a tasting in Sonoma and $28 in Paso Robles. And to put that in perspective, tasting fees didn’t even exist until the middle- to late-1990s. They hovered around $10 for several years, but as more and more people began going to wineries, those prices began to climb. As recently as 2012, the price of a tasting in Napa was $22.

Wine, overall, is in a bit of a slump. The industry is in its second consecutive year of negative growth, and the SVB report says, “Swift action is required to turn the tide.” The audience is also getting older. While consumers over the age of 60 have continued to grow, people under that age are less interested in buying wine today, this report found.

PGWA Creates Custom AVA Wine Maps Using Google Maps

The Petaluma Gap Wine Growers Alliance (PGWA) has been working with an illustrator to develop a more intricate digital and printable AVA map. While this project in progress, the Alliance wanted something temporary on the website and quickly created a custom and free AVA map using Google My Maps.

Here are the steps to follow in creating a map of a particular AVA:

Step 1 – Create A New Map – Access the Google My Maps website and sign in with your Google account. You’ll need to create an account if you don’t have one yet.  Once logged in, click the “+ Create a new map” button to initiate the map-building process.

Step 2 – Personalize Your Map – At the top left corner of the page, locate the “Untitled map” field. You can enter your organization’s name.

Step 3- Define Your Boundary – Download an SHP (shape) of your AVA boundary as defined by the federal government from the TTB website. Since Google Maps only supports KML files, you must convert the SHP using geographical information software (GIS). For instance, we used the open-source GIS application QGIS for this purpose. Import the converted KML file into Google Maps as your initial layer.

Step 4 – Map Wineries – Create an additional layer for wineries. Utilize the search function to locate wineries by name or address. Click the “Add to map” option in the toolbar. If a winery has claimed its business on Google, relevant information will appear in the drop-down menu. Choose or customize the marker icon, such as a wine glass or grape icon.

Step 5 – Plot the Vineyards – PGWA has employed latitude and longitude coordinates to locate vineyards. Since only a few vineyards were registered as businesses on Google, they manually inputted information, including vineyard photos, a list of cultivated grape varieties, and elevations. Non-grower members were identified on the map with less detailed information.

Step 6- Organize Your Layers – You can enhance your map by creating multiple layers. This helps in segregating distinct categories of data. Click the “Add layer” button in the left sidebar to establish a new layer. In our case, separate layers were used for wineries, vineyards, and members and non-members.

Step 7 – Share Your Map – The map can be shared using a unique link, making it accessible to specific individuals or made public or private.  Most importantly, you can embed code to easily incorporate the map into your website or blog.

This serves as a valuable tool for wine organizations and wine professionals in showcasing vineyards and tasting rooms within the geographical boundaries.

Source:  Wine Data Researcher

Domaine Lafage (Roussillon) first to start harvest in France

Jean-Marc Lafage, renowned winemaker from Roussillon’s Domaine Lafage, made history as the first producer to start harvesting in France this year. Lafage’s picking season commenced August 2nd in what has been a particularly dry year for the region. Despite the challenges posed by the drought, Jean-Marc remains optimistic about the quality of their harvest.

The first grapes to be harvested were Muscat à Petits Grains – these are used to create a lower-alcohol dry white blend called Miraflors. This blend also includes Macabeo and Colombard grapes, resulting in a wine with an ABV of approximately 10.2%. Lafage describes Miraflors as having a slight fizz, creating a light and refreshing style.

Regarding the growing conditions this year, Lafage notes that Roussillon experienced a severe drought. The region received only a third of its average rainfall over the past 20 years, with Domaine Lafage recording a total of just 200mm for 2023. However, Lafage states that their vineyards near the sea or high in the mountains fared relatively well.

In contrast, vineyards in areas between the coast and mountains, which traditionally produce fortified wines, faced significant challenges. Lafage anticipates losing up to 60% of the crop in these vineyards. But where regenerative viticulture techniques have been applied, such as permanent ground cover and no tilling of the soil, yields are expected to be higher.

Lafage highlights the success they have observed in vineyards practicing regenerative viticulture and utilizing biochar and cover crops. He states, “In these places, instead of losing 60% of the crop [due to desiccation], we are seeing maybe a 25-30% reduction [in yields], and we see fresh grapes and bigger berries.” The presence of a cover crop has resulted in berries that are nearly twice the size compared to other areas, weighing around 0.8-1 grams per berry compared to 0.5g elsewhere. Lafage attributes this difference to the ability of the cover crop and biochar to help the soil retain water.

In terms of quality, Lafage believes that in vineyards where the vines did not suffer excessive heat stress, they may harvest the best grapes they have ever had. Furthermore, these fully ripe berries have achieved lower sugar levels, resulting in an ABV of 12.5% to 13% yet retaining the same flavor as fruit that would typically be harvested at 14-15.5% ABV.

Lafage also notes that their vineyards in Roussillon have been fortunate to not experience mildew, unlike other parts of France such as Gascony and Bordeaux. The constant wind and arid conditions in the area have helped protect the vines.