What will we remember September 2022 for in the world of wine? There are numerous wine news for September, in Italy and around the world. Leaving aside the forecasts for the vintage, for which it is necessary to wait, the reflections on the outcomes of climate change in the sector and the news related to viticulture in California continue, while a major controversy has been raised over the scores of the wines. Here are all 12 news items not to be missed.
The wine news you need to know for September 2022: there are 12, and one more interesting than the other.
1. VINEYARDS IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
Already in last month's column , we reported how in the world of wine there is excitement to change the rules of the specifications, in the face of climate change. In particular, the possibility of irrigation was discussed.
Once upon a time it would have been considered not only experimental but even on the fringes of the possible, yet today we are talking about a wine industry in regions just below the Arctic Circle , due to increasingly hotter summers, with the adoption of hybrid vines disease resistant and able to withstand harsh winters.
We are talking about southern Sweden, Denmark, Canada and some territories of Norway. This BBC article by Clarissa Wei reflects on this starting from a specific story.
2. CALIFORNIA
At a time when the California crisis is being discussed, in Italy especially thanks to Francesco Costa's recent book , Napa Valley is dealing with a disappointing summer from a tourist point of view.
For those who are passionate about Napa, you can also read about it here .
And here too, with a point that we talked about in July's wine news , that is, that phenomenon that we could define as "Napa getting corporate".
3. INTERVIEW WITH GRAVNER
Not to be missed is Meg Maker's illustrated interview with the famous Friulian winemaker Joško Gravner , who accords a philosophy that is both sophisticated and simple at the same time to precise choices in the vineyard and in the cellar, in favor of an approach that is as natural as possible, which due to the absence of compromises sounds completely unconventional.
“The unique and important thing is that to make wine, you should always look for what was in the past — but not for nostalgia” but rather to draw inspiration from it, for technologies and for a philosophy that can be adopted with awareness of contemporaneity [the translation is ours] .
And again: “There are two approaches in winemaking. First: understanding the demand and following the market. And second: just making the wine. I prefer the second path, producing the wines I like.”
4. WINE SCORES
There are strong gray areas in the context of wine ratings, which are evidently still very important in guiding people to purchase. It is the so-called, sad and widespread, "pay to play". This is a big case because it concerns the reviews, and the scores of the wines, driven.
This month there has been a lot of talk about it, in online newspapers and on Twitter, starting with Jason Wilson's complaint resulting from an episode of double review of wines already reviewed by him.
Intravino's comment, which traces the story, can be read here .
5. WINE IN UKRAINE
An update on the wine situation in Ukraine is provided by Jancis Robinson , in her very useful column “Letters from Kyiv”.
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6. DEATHS AT WORK
The issue of deaths at work is naturally striking and also of interest to those who work in the cellars .
There isn't much talk about it but in September there were at least two reports along these lines, in Italy and in New Zealand , where Kim Goldwater died in an accident with a tractor.
7. DAMAGES IN THE VINEYARD
Concern about the hail in Valpolicella, which puts Amarone production at risk.
Maxi raid of grapes from wild boars on the Euganean Hills. Il Mattino di Padova writes about it.
The news was also picked up by the foreign press .
8. SIZE OF COMPANIES IN ITALY
The first results of ISTAT's 2021 agricultural census have been released, research delayed by the pandemic emergency. The wine numbers reports data linked to the average size of Italian wineries, which stand at 2 and a half hectares of vineyards (in Friuli Venezia Giulia the average is 5.5 hectares, in Liguria 0.6).
In particular, according to the recent update in Italy there are 636 thousand hectares of vines, cultivated by 255 thousand companies (one third less than 2010), which have an average surface area of 2.5 hectares (50% more than 2010).
In Italy, we are therefore witnessing the consolidation of the surface area in the hands of a smaller number of companies, despite the great diversity from region to region.
9. WINE IN SOUTH KOREA
Louise Hurren reports that the South Korean wine market is showing impressive growth.
Behavioral changes that have evolved during the global pandemic, such as drinking at home, ordering and studying wine online, are becoming increasingly widespread. And not only do we drink more but we also drink particular wines, such as natural, orange, biodynamic and low-alcohol wines.
The growing popularity of wine among younger drinkers indicates further growth opportunities for producers.
10. CHIANTI CLASSICO ON THE COVER
The October cover of Wine Spectator , the most widespread wine magazine in the world, is dedicated to Chianti Classico, as told by Bruce Sanderson: it is rare for this to happen to a wine and a territory as Wine News underlines.
11. BLIND AMBITION
A documentary tells the story of four Zimbabwean refugees, who escape their country, become sommeliers and compete in an international tasting competition.
It's called Blind ambition and you can read about it, for example, in this interview .
12. EU ACTIONS
The European action framework on alcohol 2022–2025 has been released, to reduce the harm caused by alcohol: it is the outcome of the work of the 72nd session of the World Health Organization - WHO Regional Committee for Europe.
Read it here .
Obviously the reactions are always alarmed. It's a legitimate role-play but at times it resembles a dialogue between the deaf.
