What happened in March 2022 in the world of wine? Let's see what we will remember this month for from the point of view of wine news, in a moment certainly dominated by the war in Ukraine and characterized by the vigorous resumption of in-person events.
News from the world of wine for March 2022.
WAR IN UKRAINE: CONSEQUENCES IN THE VINEYARD
The Russian invasion in Ukraine will also have very serious consequences in the world of wine, despite the heroic Ukrainian resistance also being recorded in the vineyard . To name just one reason, skipped pruning.
A testimony can be read on Intravino .
There is also a lot of concern about Georgian wines , again due to the war.
WAR IN UKRAINE: MARKET CONSEQUENCES
In March there was also discussion about how the big wine and spirits brands are moving and will move regarding Russia's position. The situation appears to be in the process of being resolved.
Among others, The Drinks Business writes about it.
Specifically in Europe, exports of wines and spirits from the EU to the Russian Federation have been blocked .
The general context is that of a country that is certainly not the largest market for Western brands but which some considered emerging. A broader point is offered by the Financial Times .
ENVIRONMENT
The report from the IPCC , the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the main international body for assessing climate change, has been published. We read the opinions of numerous experts on the outcome of climate change in viticulture.
The world of wine is reacting, and we hope that there will be more and more initiatives in this direction.
For example: from 2025, new environmental parameters will be needed to re-enter the Cru bourgeois category. Increasing attention will also be paid to the weight of the bottles, a topic that sparks much discussion among professionals.
Above all, Jancis Robinson and, in Italy, Carlo Macchi write a lot on the topic of the weight of glass bottles .
Other experiments in France, where in Bordeaux 2,000 square meters of Merlot vineyard will be covered by photovoltaic panels . This is an important experiment, in the hands of numerous French research institutes, which will tell whether the panels are compatible with vineyard cultivation.
New initiatives are also emerging in the United States to raise attention on environmental standards: the Napa Green Vineyard program is born, the certification works on the following main areas: "conservation burning", i.e. a set of wood combustion techniques that drastically reduce emissions and the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere; the conservation of trees and forests; very limited pesticides; water efficiency; carbon capture and storage techniques.
TERROR
How does the internet influence the concept of terroir ?
A piece from the New York Times offers an interesting reading: if in reality, in recent decades the concept of community has progressively disappeared, and the pandemic has had an impact by preventing the holding of fairs and events in person, today it is above all the internet that gives space for the winemakers, with their stories and their experiments, who were able to ideally connect to particular, emerging and experimental producers spread all over the world. This connection would have favored the non-standardization of products and the creation of very territorial wines.
POST-COVID SMELL
Research gives us some answers about post-coronavirus smell.
Covid-19 anosmia, or the loss of smell, has been the subject of study by various universities including Columbia University. It has emerged that the problem is not neuronal but affects cells close to neurons: a first significant step forward in understanding this disease caused by the Coronavirus. There are also first trials on therapies aimed at reactivating the olfactory receptors.
The New York Times wrote about it, while the source can be found here .
NFT IN WINE
We've been talking about NFTs in wine for a while and we've written about it other times . On Wine Business International we read an updated point on the topic.
ORIENT
Escalation of fine wines also and above all thanks to the extraordinary demand from the East of the world: 40-50% of the wines sold by Christies's are to Asian buyers , not only Chinese but also from Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan .
Will Japan make its way into the production of sparkling wines ?
A NOISY REDUCTION
The topic of the downgrading of denomination of origin wines is of great fascination and interest: it affects the heart of wine, its qualitative parameters and the need to keep up in a sector that is more lively than ever.
Recently there has been talk about the history of Francesco Mariani 's Trebbiano Spoletino 2021, for the commission of the "revisable" DOC Montefalco and Spoleto, a theme that has animated the experts, especially after the producer decided to leave the denomination with all the its labels. There is debate as to whether this rating system is still up to date or needs to be revised.
WINE EVENTS, MARCH 2022
Chianina and Syrah in Cortona (11-13 March), an event which saw the participation of numerous scholars and personalities.
Mountain winemakers in Milan (13-14 March).
PrimAnteprima 2022 (19 March), inaugural day of the “Tuscany Previews” Week (20-25 March). The complete program can be read here .
LiveWine . International fair of artisanal wine (20-21 March) in Milan.
Vinifera in Trento (26-27 March).
Slow Wine in Bologna (27-29 March).
