Gastronomy and Wine Portal

Napa Valley winemakers began using owls to control rodents in an effort to get away with pesticides.

According to the Good News Network, California winemakers are increasingly using barn owls (birds from the order owls) in their vineyards.

In accordance with the nonprofit organization Napa Green, the trend towards chemical-free grape cultivation across the state is reflected in a threefold increase in organic vineyard acreage since 2005. But avoiding chemicals attracts rodents. One of the most effective pest controls in the world is the barn owl, which lives on all continents except Antarctica, the bird is capable of eating about 3400 rodents annually.

Matt Johnson, a professor who studied pest control in vineyards, reports that of 75 California winemakers, four-fifths build nests on their hectares, thereby attracting owls. “There are over 300 barn owl nests in the Napa Valley,” comments Johnson.

Local ornithologist John C. Robinson says a barn owl nest can be built in an area where a winemaker sees a problem with small mammals and a bird will come to the rescue.

Scientists are now urging other winemakers to think about this solution: firstly, it is an opportunity to let the species flourish, and secondly, it is the cheapest way to control pests.

Napa Valley winemakers began using owls to control rodents in an effort to get away with pesticides. According to the Good News Network, California winemakers are increasingly using barn owls (birds from the order owls) in their vineyards. In accordance with the nonprofit organization Napa Green, the trend towards chemical-free grape cultivation across the state […]

Starting from November 5, 2021, and until February 3, 2022, XY Partners, in partnership with Tekwill and Startup Moldova, will organize the first accelerator in the wine industry. The acceleration program is created exclusively for teams interested in developing technology products and services in the wine industry.

Benefits of participating in the program:

• Throughout the program, the selected startups will pilot and implement their idea in collaboration with the leading Moldovan wineries.
• Founders state the main challenges for their startup and are then paired with relevant experts from the business and wine industries to solve those challenges and grow their business.
• The program curriculum was designed to meet the knowledge needs of a wine startup; The program includes deep dives and workshops focused on wine retailing, digital marketing in wine promotion as well as in business topics such as customer acquisition and minimum viable product development.
• Creating relationships with potential partners or customers for your business.

The program will last three months and will take place in an online format, which will encourage the participation in the program of people from any corner of the world.

Only 30 participants will be selected to participate in the program, guided by experts from over 12 wineries in Moldova. Participants will also benefit from mentoring sessions with over 15 international experts in the wine industry and over 20 entrepreneurship workshops.

Participation in the program is free.

If you have an innovative idea in the wine sector, complete the application form by November 1^st, 2021.

For more details, check the following facebook page. XY Accelerator’s Digital Partner is Gustos Life.

Wine Accelerator is implemented by XY and supported by USAID and The Government of Sweden, under the scope of Tekwill and Startup Moldova projects.

Starting from November 5, 2021, and until February 3, 2022, XY Partners, in partnership with Tekwill and Startup Moldova, will organize the first accelerator in the wine industry. The acceleration program is created exclusively for teams interested in developing technology products and services in the wine industry.

New members of International Wineries for Climate Action will work on the issue of climate crisis.

International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) has recruited 12 new members from all over the world to its team. New entrants will work on the climate crisis and commit to take immediate action to reduce carbon emissions.

International Wineries for Climate Action was founded in 2019 by Familia Torres (Spain) and Jackson Family Wines (USA). It is a collaborative working group for sustainable wineries focused on a science-based approach to reducing the carbon footprint of the wine industry. Each member of the IWCA takes responsibility for building a cleaner and more sustainable wine community for future generations.

Château Troplong Mondot

The IWCA, registered as a non-profit organization, currently has over 20 members from seven countries on five continents, and is governed by a seven-member supervisory board.

The IWCA is open to wineries from any country who recognize that climate change is the greatest threat to the wine industry and who are motivated by urgency to accelerate strategies and innovative solutions to combat climate change.

New members of International Wineries for Climate Action are: A to Z Wineworks (Oregon, USA), Cakebread Cellars (California, USA), Château Troplong Mondot (Bordeaux, France), Constellation Brands (California, USA), Crimson Wine Group (California, USA), Gloria Ferrer (California, USA), Herència Altés (Spain), Hunt Country Vineyards (New York, USA), Medlock Ames (California, USA), Ridge Vineyards (California, USA), Sula Vineyards (Nashik, India ), Yalumba Family Winemakers (Barossa, South Australia).

Prepared by A. Bantysheva based on torres.es

Photo: decanter.com, tenzingws.com

New members of International Wineries for Climate Action will work on the issue of climate crisis.

The eighth edition of the “Fascinant Week-end” Vignobles & Découvertes will take place from October 14 to 17 in six French vineyards. For the first time, Bordeaux is hosting the event, with more than 130 activities offered to the general public in the vineyard.

The return of the “Fascinant Week-end” Vineyards & Discoveries is planned from October 14 to 17. Initiated by the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region in 2014, this public event then spread to other vineyards – Occitanie, Alsace, Champagne… In 2021, it is organized for the first time throughout France, with the ambition to become the major national wine tourism event. Six wine regions and 50 destinations labelled Vignobles & Découverte will therefore welcome the general public for 4 days, and for the first time, Bordeaux is joining the party!

The Vignobles & Découvertes en Gironde label have put every effort to offer visitors more than 130 activities, the full program of which is available on the Fascinant Week-end website. From a traditional tasting to food and wine pairings, through aperitifs, concerts, cinema, or escape games, the entertainment offer is very wide, including for families. Other highlights of the weekend are free tapas and film evenings from October 15 to 17, organized in six magical places in the Bordeaux vineyards:

Friday October 15 at 20h:
Le sens de la fête by Olivier Nakache et Eric Toledano at the Maison des vins de Bourg
Tu seras mon fils (You will be my son) by Gilles Legrand at the Château Roquefort
Saturday October 16 at 20h:
La Belle Époque by Nicolas Bedos at the Château Hostens-Picant
Antoinette dans les Cévennes (My Donkey, My Lover & I) by Michael Dudok de Wit at the Château Royal de Cazeneuve
Sunday October 17 at 16h:
Donne moi des ailes by Nicolas Vanier at the Château Citran
Adieu les cons (Bye Bye Morons) by Albert Dupontel at the Château du Taillan

Apart from Bordeaux, more than 600 different events await the public, in Occitanie, Provence, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Champagne and Alsace.

The eighth edition of the “Fascinant Week-end” Vignobles & Découvertes will take place from October 14 to 17 in six French vineyards. For the first time, Bordeaux is hosting the event, with more than 130 activities offered to the general public in the vineyard.

Communication Media Group Drinks+ became a media partner of the International Wine Tourism Conference (IWINETC), the most established global wine tourism conference and trade event for the wine and culinary tourism industry.

Wine tourism, despite the problems caused by the pandemic, is a growing category and especially in need of innovation. And in strengthening this direction, the organizers of IWINETC and the Wine Travel Awards (WTA), established by Communication Media Group Drinks+, see opportunities for overcoming the crisis.

Therefore, the partnership between these two parties is an important step on the path of support and promotion of enogastronomic tourism.

The 13^th edition of IWINETC will take place at the brand new 5* The Lodge Wine & Business Hotel 26 & 27 October 2021. The venue has fabulous views of the Douro and Porto from the banks of the UNESCO World Heritage area in Vila Nova de Gaia.

In partnership with the Porto & North of Portugal Tourism Board, IWINETC will incorporate one and a half days of plenary talks, panel discussions, case studies, and speeches, one-to-one business meetings, a comprehensive networking programme and several post tours programmes to the four wine regions defined in the newly launched Wine Tourism Routes namely Douro and Porto, Vinho Verde, Távora-Varosa and Trás-os-Montes.

The conference slogan for 2021 is “Bouncing Back”. IWINETC’s  1,5-day Conference programme will leave attendees inspired and motivated to apply their learnings to their place of work and/or businesses.

Judith Lewis will deliver a speech on Post-Pandemic Digital Recovery for the wine and culinary tourism industry. Following this, Peter Syme will look at the wine tourism industry at the post pandemic period, including the aspect of digital changes. Chris Torres will present market research which aims to better inform tour and activity providers on how to market their businesses in 2021/22, including which demographics and product types to focus on. Felicity Carter, one of the WTA jury members, will show how to stand out in a crowded market and get customer attention at all levels – destination, region, place, providers of wine tourism experiences and Adrian Bridge, awarded wine personality of the year, will be looking at the biggest investment in Europe in 2020 at €105M – WOW.

Commenting on IWINETC 2021, Anthony Swift, IWINETC Event Director, said: “We’re excited about this year’s IWINETC as it’s been 10 years since we last held the event in Porto and it will be interesting to see the huge development that has happened with respect to wine and culinary tourism in the Porto and the North of Portugal region. Working with Porto & North of Portugal Tourism Board, we’ll be putting together a comprehensive content schedule, full of sessions that have a genuine practical application for our delegates. The programme is a great opportunity for wine and culinary tourism professionals to enhance their time with us in Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia with targeted learning, business and networking opportunities that complement the whole event experience.”

You can find more information on the conference talk programme here.

The IWINETC registration for conference delegates can be found here.

Communication Media Group Drinks+ became a media partner of the International Wine Tourism Conference (IWINETC), the most established global wine tourism conference and trade event for the wine and culinary tourism industry.

Today at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, spirited whisky collectors from Asia and beyond competed to lay claim to a bottle of the world’s oldest single malt Scotch whisky – Decanter #1 of the Gordon & Macphail Generations 80-Years-Old, housing spirit from the Glenlivet Distillery originally laid down in 1940 in a bespoke oak cask by whisky creators Gordon & MacPhail.

Bidders from across Asia and Europe drove the final sale price to  US$193,000 (est. US$100,000-200,000), establishing an auction record for a bottle of the world’s oldest whisky. The winning bidder was a European private collector, new to Sotheby’s.

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Spirits Specialist, said: “From the moment news broke of the existence of a whisky matured in oak for eighty years, it generated a huge buzz of excitement. For those lucky enough to taste it, myself included, this is an exceptional whisky that not only lingers on the palate but also long after in the mind. As we have seen, exceedingly rare Single Malts are highly coveted, and when collectors are presented with something truly special, they are prepared to go the extra mile.”

To house this most precious of liquids, Gordon & MacPhail commissioned internationally acclaimed architect and designer, Sir David Adjaye OBE to design a unique decanter and oak case around the theme ‘Artistry in Oak’ – a fitting tribute to this landmark moment for the industry, the longest-matured ‘expression’ ever to be released featuring spirit from a Scottish distillery.

The lucky recipient of this special lot will also enjoy a whisky tasting experience for four in London, conducted by Gordon & MacPhail’s Director of Prestige, Stephen Rankin and attended by Sir David Adjaye, in addition to the framed original cask head of Cask 340 which cradled the spirit for eight decades, and a one-of-one signed lithograph of Sir David’s original, concept drawings.

As part of their release of 250 decanters (the remaining 249 decanters will be sold at retail), Gordon & MacPhail is supporting a local charity, Trees for Life whose mission is to rewild the Caledonian forest. Proceeds from the sale of Decanter #1 will be donated to resource the Trees for Life nursery which grows 100,000 rare, native trees, including oaks, from seed each year.

On February 3rd 1940, George Urquhart – from the second generation to own Gordon & MacPhail, founded in 1895 – had the foresight and vision to place into an oak cask a spirit to be enjoyed after his lifetime by future generations. Urquhart passionately believed that each cask needed to be left to reach its full potential, and only when the whisky was deemed ready should it be shared. On 5 February 2020, the decision was taken to bottle the cask’s bounty, which had been nurtured over eight decades by four generations of the Urquhart family.

Today at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, spirited whisky collectors from Asia and beyond competed to lay claim to a bottle of the world’s oldest single malt Scotch whisky – Decanter #1 of the Gordon & Macphail Generations 80-Years-Old.

Wine & Spirits Ukraine will welcome the professionals of the wine and alcoholic market on November 2-4 for the fourth time.

All Europe on one site

At the Wine & Spirits Ukraine, manufacturers from Italy, Portugal, France, Georgia, Argentina, Moldova, Great Britain, Armenia, Denmark, Lithuania and Spain will present their stands – both already well-known and those who are entering the Ukrainian market for the first time. Bulgaria, once the #4 wine exporter in the world, will debut with its wines in Ukraine. And, of course, the main exposition will be devoted to wines, alcoholic beverages and beer from Ukraine – from well-known factories, family wineries and craft producers. The catalog of exhibitors can be found here.

A full program

Wine & Spirits Ukraine is a B2B event, among the visitors of the exhibition are sommeliers, restaurateurs, retailers, distributors and importers from all regions of Ukraine, as well as buyers from the USA, Japan, Canada, Portugal, Kenya, Lithuania, Slovakia, Denmark, Germany, UAE, Turkey, the Netherlands, India, Kazakhstan and other countries.

The 2021 exhibition program is especially intense. Guests will enjoy training seminars on previously little-known wine regions – Switzerland, which will be represented by the Vice President of Swiss Wine Martin Wiederker, and Bulgaria – by Galina Niforou, President of the Bulgarian Association of Wine and Export.

There will be a series of master classes with the best wines of Italy from Marco Sabellico, editor-in-chief of Gambero Rosso, also presentations from Italian, Georgian, Moldovan, French and other producers, who will not only present their wines, but also talk about the peculiarities of the terroir and wine production in their region.

Wine & Spirits Congress this year will shift the focus from production technology to wine trade trends and focus on retail and HoReCa. As a part of the Wine & Spirits Retail and Resto Forum, senior executives and off-trade experts, restaurateurs and sommeliers will share their experiences in the development of modern wine and spirits trade and will also be awarded for the best in-store representation and the best wine and spirits list.

Tour of the best wines of Italy

For the first time in Ukraine, the media holding Gambero Rosso will present the Tre Bicchieri World Tour – a tour of the best Italian wines, winners of the Tre Bicchieri (Three Glasses) of the Wine Guide of Italy – the highest award for Italian producers! To select the best of the best, experts taste over 44,000 wines throughout the year! And only 1% of them are awarded the honorary Three Glasses – in 2021, 476 wines received them!

Wine & Spirits Ukraine will welcome the professionals of the wine and alcoholic market on November 2-4 for the fourth time.

Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris will be the first major international event of 2022 and it marks the resumption of full-scale tastings. Highly awaited by the global wine and spirits industry for the variety of products on show and its business meetings, the event is now focusing on promoting attendance by key buyers, including those from outside the EU who are showing a strong interest in the exhibition.

Over three days, more than 2,800 exhibitors will convene in Paris to showcase their latest vintage, their flagship products and rare bottlings, all of them delicious pours to be shared with connoisseurs from around the globe. The desire by French wine marketing boards to join forces by being stakeholders in the event is stronger than ever and the event will group together all of France’s wine regions, alongside an impressive line-up of international wine regions. In total, representations from 23 countries will celebrate the reunion of the wine and spirits community in the heart of the French capital next February.

The event, which will cover four halls at the entrance to the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition centre (halls 3, 4, 5 and 6), will cater as much to the small winegrowers as to the major international brands. Household names such as François Lurton, Gérard Bertrand, E. Guigal, Maison M. Chapoutier, Domaine Paul Mas, Castel Frères, Maison Sichel, Bernard Magrez, Grands Chais de France and Gh Martel & Cie Champagne will be attending, alongside less prominent vineyards well worth discovering, such as the Aquitaine Independent Winegrowers and family-run properties like Vins Chevron Villette, Vignobles Vellas and Château Castigno, to name a few. Hall 5, set aside for international producers, will welcome wines of Luxembourg, Advantage Austria, Tenuta Lamborghini, Wines of Lebanon, Wines of Germany, Cesari, Carpineto, Consorzio Di Tutela Della Doc Prosecco, Consorzio Tutela del vino Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco, Gaja, J. Garcia Carrion, Viniportugal Wines Of Portugal, Hammeken Cellars and Flechas De Los Andes, for example.  

“Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris is above all an event that brings people together and creates a sense of community. People welcome their clients there from a wide range of backgrounds to give international exposure to local, innovative products, from the little treasures to the prominent growths. Paris will host a celebration in 2022 and we are very much looking forward to being reunited with everyone once again”, stresses Rodolphe Lameyse, CEO of Vinexposium.

Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris is returning to Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from 14 to 16 February 2022 for its third edition, marking the resumption of in-person events for the wine and spirits industry.

After Casino Royale in 2006 and Spectre in 2015, Château Angélus is featured again, playing its part in the new adventures of Britain’s most famous spy. No Time to die, the latest James Bond world Premiere had London trepidation with anticipation on September 28th.

This third appearance is part of a long-term relationship between James Bond producers and the de Boüard de Laforest family. They share the same high standards and excellence, embodied by family vitality and continuity.

The movie is already playing in U.K. cinemas this week, and the British site The Drinks Business promptly released a full rundown of James Bond actor Daniel Craig’s alcohol consumption in the 163-minute flick. Although a martini is 007’s best known drink sponsored by Bollinger and Heineken, a red Bordeaux gets starring role in “No Time to die”.

According to The Drinks Business (as, unlike our editorial team, they’ve already seen the film), early on in the movie, Bond arrives at Q’s house as he’s preparing dinner. “Featuring prominently on the table is a bottle of Château Angélus, which Bond eyes, then reaches for before pouring himself a large glass — ensuring the St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A … gets plenty of screentime, and more than any other drinks brand in the film,” the site states. “In contrast, Craig briefly swigs from a bottle of Heineken in a nightclub when meeting with the CIA’s Felix Leiter, while Bollinger is never actually drunk by Bond in the film, but does feature on a back bar.”

The Château Angélus first appeared as the brand in 2006’s Casino Royale and then returned again in 2015’s Spectre. In 2019, Angélus even released a 007 limited-edition bottling of hand-numbered magnums of their 2007 vintage housed in walnut wood and leather cases, made “in the spirit of cigar boxes or dashboards of iconic vintage cars dear to James Bond.”

After Casino Royale in 2006 and Spectre in 2015, Château Angélus is featured again, playing its part in the new adventures of Britain’s most famous spy. No Time to die, the latest James Bond world Premiere had London trepidation with anticipation on September 28th.

Created in 2017, the start-up Scanopy is booming. Specialising in agronomic cartography of vines, it helps professionals make the right decisions.

While talking to winegrowers from Quincy, François Gallet and Pierre-Christophe Mesnil, both engineers and childhood friends, had the idea of creating their start-up. Together, they have invented solutions using artificial intelligence that will save time for winegrowers and help them better manage their viticultural work. Growing larger, farms are now more and more difficult to manage.

A drone scans a plot by flying over it. From the information gathered, a diagnosis is made. It will highlight the appearance of disease outbreaks, locate missing plants or monitor tests of different treatments on the same plot. Web and mobile apps will allow then the winegrower to better target his interventions.

Three years were devoted to the design of these tools which was carried out in co-construction with the Sicavac (Interprofessional service for agronomic advice, vinification and analyses of the Centre) and technicians from the Chambers of Agriculture. The start-up then relied on a network of distributors of agricultural products to promote its solutions. After its beginnings in the Centre Val de Loire and Anjou, Scanopy now operates throughout the French vineyard.

“We are in a context where agriculture is being fundamentally shaken up on the one hand by global warming and on the other hand by globalization with increased competition for exports,” explains François Gallet, Managing Director. In addition, winegrowers will have to halve the use of phytosanitary products in the coming years. For all these reasons, it is important to master your production tool well.”

After a slowdown in 2020 because of the crisis, activity is off to a good start. The goal is to triple or even fivefold turnover in 2022 with two recruitments to add to the eight current employees.

All over France, more and more winegrowers are interested in the solutions offered by Scanopy. The start-up also plans to extend its solutions developed for vines to other tree crops (apple trees, olive trees, etc.).

Prepared by O. Hryhorieva based on francebleu.fr

Created in 2017, the start-up Scanopy is booming. Specialising in agronomic cartography of vines, it helps professionals make the right decisions.