Decanter January 2020

The art of wine Winter workers Nyetimber, West Sussex, England In the winter months, Nyetimber ushers in a group of seasonal employees to keep the grasses of its vineyards trim. Following a successful trial in 2011, the producer partners with a local farmer, borrowing 250 sheep to graze six of its sites. The sheep get to explore new territory, the additional manure benefits the vines, and the short grass means that less fuel is used for mowing – a fruitful working relationship all round. Photograph: Charmaine Grieger…

Sonoma wineries deal with fire aftermath Mass evacuations in northern Sonoma County affected winemakers, alongside other residents, as firefighters battled to protect lives and property by containing the Kincade fire at the end of October 2019. Soda Rock Winery described the ‘tremendous heartbreak’ of losing its winery building in Alexander Valley, northeast of Healdsburg. Less than 7% of Sonoma County was scorched by the fire and two out of 50 Alexander Valley wineries were destroyed, according to a press statement from Jordan Winery. While the immediate concern was for the safety of people and communities, the threat to tourism looms large over a wine region that relies heavily on its visitors. Understandably, many Sonoma wineries have been keen to put the post-fire situation in context for the public. ‘We’re working hard to tell everybody that things…

Thieves stole about £65,000 worth of wine from the Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest, which is owned by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The culprits raided the cellar at 3:38am on 11 November and made off with approximately 80 ‘high value’ wines. No particular bottles were specified, but the hotel’s wine list includes world-famous names, from Romanée-Conti to Screaming Eagle. Iron Age Celts drank wine in Germany’s Baden-Württemberg region long before the Romans arrived, according to a study published in scientific journal PLOS One. On the site of Heuneburg, a fifth-century hill fort, researchers found 24 vessels that contained tartaric acid, signalling the presence of wine. Imported from the Mediterranean, the wine was enjoyed by both rich and poor Celts, said the study. Packets of ‘Proseccoflavoured’ Pringles were…

News Month in wine All the important issues affecting you across the globe, compiled by Laura Seal Sonoma wineries deal with fire aftermath Mass evacuations in northern Sonoma County affected winemakers, alongside other residents, as firefighters battled to protect lives and property by containing the Kincade fire at the end of October 2019. Soda Rock Winery described the ‘tremendous heartbreak’ of losing its winery building in Alexander Valley, northeast of Healdsburg. Less than 7% of Sonoma County was scorched by the fire and two out of 50 Alexander Valley wineries were destroyed, according to a press statement from Jordan Winery. While the immediate concern was for the safety of people and communities, the threat to tourism looms large over a wine region that relies heavily on its visitors. Understandably, many…

Time to act How does Decanter concern itself with the environmentally conscious wine consumer? I see very little in your articles to suggest any concern at all. Admittedly there was a recent report about the March 2019 Porto Climate Change conference (July 2019 issue), but the speakers there considered mainly the effects of climate change on the global wine sector. That is now old hat, very old. I have been writing and speaking about it since the 1990s. What matters is what the industry can do to help mitigate climate change, due primarily to rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere. And here the sector’s record is abysmally poor! Analyses flag two major issues where the environmental impact of wine is far from small. The first is the continued use of round, tapered…

In brief Stay up to date with the latest wine news on Decanter.com, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter @Decanter ■ Thieves stole about £65,000 worth of wine from the Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest, which is owned by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The culprits raided the cellar at 3:38am on 11 November and made off with approximately 80 ‘high value’ wines. No particular bottles were specified, but the hotel’s wine list includes world-famous names, from Romanée-Conti to Screaming Eagle. ■ Iron Age Celts drank wine in Germany’s Baden-Württemberg region long before the Romans arrived, according to a study published in scientific journal PLOS One. On the site of Heuneburg, a fifth-century hill fort, researchers found 24 vessels that contained tartaric acid, signalling the presence of…