International briefs

Once scorned, Grenache enjoys an international revival

The revival started in Spain where Garnacha, as Grenache is known there, was the country’s most-planted grape until a reverence for Tempranillo dislodged it from the top spot. Because Garnacha is particularly tolerant of drought, and its hard wood means it has not suffered from the vine trunk diseases that have decimated plantings of many other vine varieties. In a recent article published in the Financial Times, renowned wine critic Jancis Robinson said the variety is regarded by winemakers the world over as “a sort of holy grail”.

Hundred-day Sicily harvest promises “excellent vintage”

Sicily’s hundred-day harvest concluded at the end of October on Mount Etna following months of “favourable” weather contributing to healthy grapes and ultimately an “excellent vintage”. According to Harpers, the entire growing cycle is said to have benefitted from good weather, which began with a rainy autumn, followed by a winter with less rainfall and a cold spring. The high temperatures and dryness of the Sicilian summer inhibited the spread of vine diseases and affected, only in some areas, the drop in production by about 5-10 per cent.

Champagne winegrower sees his electric bill skyrocket

“When we saw the painful bill, we thought it just couldn’t be possible”, sighed winegrower Christophe Pernet at the helm of Jean Pernet Champagnes, which has 15ha under vine in Le Mesnil-surOger, Marne. Until now, his three-year electricity contract, which expired on 31 October, cost him 18,000 euros a year. His supplier offered to renew the contract to the tune of €86,000, a fivefold increase. “If you scale that down to our output, the increase is more than 50 euro cents per bottle for electricity alone,” Pernet told Vitisphere. He eventually settled for a better rate of €55,000/year from a competitor supplier – only a threefold increase on his previous contract.

Old vines could futureproof wine against climate change

Rising temperatures mean grapes have been maturing faster than before, leading to higher alcohol content and weaker colours and aromas that can jeopardise wines’ character. Reuters reported that the publicly-funded Vine and Wine Research Institute, known by its Spanish acronym ICVV, is studying the genomes of the most commonly used grape varieties in the region of La Rioja, where wine has been made since the Middle Ages. It has determined that vines aged 35 years and older appear to cope better with climate change because they are more genetically diverse.

Mendoza declares emergency after late season frost

Mendoza’s government in Argentina declared an agricultural state of emergency following two nights of devastating frost in early November which impacted over 10,000ha of vineyards as well as other crops. Temperatures in some areas plummeted to -4.5°C with the region of San Carlos in the southern Uco Valley most affected. Some vineyards reported almost total losses. “In our Los Indios vineyard in El Cepillo in San Carlos we have 90% frost damage,” agronomist for Doña Paula, Martín Kaiser, told the Drinks Business.

Russia-Ukraine war drives up glass prices

Wine Business reported that the ongoing war in Ukraine has had an unexpected impact on the global wine trade –it’s driven up the price and availability of wine bottles and glassware. Pier Sfriso, owner of Sfriso Winery in Treviso, Italy, was told in April that bottle prices were about to rise by 15-20%. At the end of August he was notified that prices would rise another 22%. “A lot of suppliers are telling us take it or leave it,” he said. “If you ask for 15,000 bottles, they say they can supply 3,000 and will deliver when they can.” Sfriso added that there are fewer types of bottles to choose from, with prestige sparkling bottles more difficult to find.