Napa 2023 could be the “Vintage of a Lifetime’

2023 is looking to be “one of the greats” according to the latest California Vintners Report.

Harvest began late throughout California, running anywhere from two weeks to a full month behind normal timing. Many varieties reached maturity simultaneously, leading to a compressed harvest. Some vintners expected to continue picking grapes into late November.

Did you know that California produces about 80% of the nation’s wine, making it the world’s fourth-largest wine producing region? More than 80% of California wine is made in a Certified Sustainable California Winery and over half of the state’s roughly 615,000 vineyard acres are certified to one of California’s sustainability programs (Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing, Fish Friendly Farming, LODI RULES, Napa Green and SIP Certified).

Winemaker and Winery Owner Comments on California’s Growing Season and Harvest

“The winter was unusually cold and wet, and we even got a rare 10 inches of snow,” said Christian Ahlmann, vice president at Six Sigma Ranch in Lower Lake, Lake County. “The soil moisture was restored while the vines were dormant, and they loved every minute of it when they woke up in spring.”

Despite the later start to harvest, Ahlmann said he was confident that the grapes would reach full maturity before the start of the rainy season. Best of all, he added, quality looks excellent — especially for Tempranillo and Syrah. “We feel great about vintage 2023,” he said.

For Renée Ary, vice president of winemaking at Duckhorn Vineyards, patience was key this year with grapes from Napa and Sonoma. “This is one of the coolest and latest vintages I’ve seen in the last two decades,” she said. “The rain was much needed and helped replenish the reservoirs and nourish the vines.”

The precipitation also brought extra canopy growth and led to 5% to 15% higher yields for most varieties. “The viticulture teams were diligent in thinning and doing crop adjustments where necessary,” she said. “This was key to achieving a balanced crop and promoting ripening in a very late year.”

This year’s Sauvignon Blanc shows bright and clean character, Ary noted, and Merlot is displaying early flavor development, balanced sugars and bright acids. Hearty tannins and complex flavors are hallmarks of this year’s Cabernet Sauvignon. “Our 2023 reds reflect the cooler vintage,” she said. “The wines are elegant and pure, with balanced alcohols and precise flavors.”

Alpha Omega in St. Helena experienced a similarly wet winter and spring, with cool to moderate temperatures.

“We did drop some fruit and got a bit more aggressive with leafing to expose the fruit to the sun to help counter the cool temperatures and promote ripening and green-character degradation,” said winemaker Matt Brain.

Fruit is showing deep color, complex flavors and aromas and good acidity levels, according to Brain. Yields varied from average-to-heavy in some areas. “I love the complexity of the vintage,” he said. “I think that the sub-AVAs will be quite distinct this year, truly revealing the appellation and soil type.”

At Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, grapes also matured at a slow and steady pace.

“You could almost hear a sigh of relief coming from the soil from the abundant rain this winter,” said Lisa Amaroli, director of winemaking. “The vines grew vigorous canopies, which took some management to tame, but it also set us up for a long growing season. We were able to cut back irrigation by 50% or more and not water some blocks at all.”

Harvest began on Sept. 21, which was the latest start for Benziger since 2011. Amaroli estimated that 60% of the expected volume came in during a condensed two-week window.
Fruit is showing great flavors, Amaroli said, along with concentration and balanced acids at lower sugar levels. “From Sauvignon Blanc to Cabernet Sauvignon and everything in between, all the fruit has been excellent,” she said. “One of the shining stars of the vintage for us is Merlot, which has been fruity, juicy and richly concentrated.”

As for the wines, she said, “We have seen elegance and boldness, but there is something beyond that this year. I’d call it grace.”

Steve Lohr, president and CEO at J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines in San Jose, noted that the growing season was similarly cool, wet and late for all his company’s vineyards, from Napa Valley to Monterey County to Paso Robles. J. Lohr picked its first 2023 grapes on Oct. 2.

“The thing that’s remarkably different this year is the sugars,” he said. “They’re coming up, but they’ve been really slow. And the pH is lower than it has been in previous years across the board. It’s been a nicely balanced year, and the quality has been so high. It has been really wonderful to see. The flavors are just off the charts,” particularly for Pinot Noir and Syrah, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

While there would normally be some berry shriveling by this time of year, Lohr said, that did not happen thanks to the lack of heat spikes. Yields are 20% to 25% higher than the vineyard team’s initial estimates, and grapes arrived in pristine condition.

“I think the wines are going to be really rich and flavorful with maybe a little higher acid than normal,” he said. “This vintage may be similar to 1997 and 2005, where you have really high quality and higher-than-normal yields.”

In Lodi, the winter rains presented some challenges in the vineyards. The wet weather continued through April, which resulted in increased mildew pressure, large canopies and crowded fruit zones.

“Those who were able to keep their vineyards clean, manage irrigation properly, control crop load and thin away poor fruit are being rewarded with superb fruit quality that is jumping out of the glass,” said Aaron Lange, vice president of vineyard operations at LangeTwins Family Winery and Vineyards in Acampo. “We owe a huge thanks to the vineyard managers, pest control advisors, tractor drivers and labor crews.”

Lodi’s harvest kicked off late and ran long into the fall. Lange continued picking until Nov. 13 — a record for the winery. Despite the delay, Lange was confident that all varieties would fully mature before the season ended. He is also expecting one of the best vintages ever.

“I am very optimistic about the wines from the Lodi and Clarksburg appellations — probably more bullish and excited than any other year in recent history,” he said. “The 2023 vintage has been a stark reminder of the grit required to be a winegrape grower.”

Hanna Linder, viticulture manager at Wente Vineyards in Livermore, also expressed confidence that all the winery’s Livermore Valley and Arroyo Seco fruit would achieve peak ripeness before the season’s end. The real challenge, she said, was physically getting all of the fruit off the vines in a condensed harvest period with higher-than-average yields.
“I think it should be a really great year for red varietals,” Linder said. “We have seen some great color and acid balanced with really awesome flavors. I am excited to see how the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from Livermore turn out as well as the Pinot Noir from Monterey.”

Scheid Family Wines in Greenfield, Monterey County, began harvesting sparkling wine grapes in late August — just a week past the average start date — but overall, the season ran around three weeks behind. As of Oct. 16, the winery had picked just 40% of its acreage, compared to 80% at the same time in 2022.

“Mother Nature has been on our side and temperatures have been ideal during the past month,” said Heidi Scheid, the winery’s executive vice president. “With a late start, there is always the concern that we will get rains before harvest is complete.” To mitigate the risk, the winery dropped fruit in some late-ripening varieties.

This was one of the coolest growing seasons in recent history, Scheid noted, characterized by heavy winter rains that replenished soil moisture, leached salts from the soil and increased vine vigor. “Both quality and yields look terrific this year,” she said, “and a lot of that is due to the abundant rainfall in the winter.”

Thanks to extended ripening time, she added, the fruit is showing great varietal intensity, balanced acidity, lower alcohol levels and deep color for red varieties. “We are expecting standout cooler-climate varieties, such as Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay,” she said. “This feels like it’s going to be one of those perfect years where we get good yields and spectacular fruit quality.”

At Tolosa Winery in San Luis Obispo on the Central Coast, harvest began more than a month later than the previous year. “We started later than the day we finished harvest in 2022 for Pinot and Chardonnay,” said winemaker Frederic Delivert.
The growing season brought 150% of the region’s average rainfall, he noted, followed by a cool spring that delayed and extended bud break until early April. While the impacts of the rain were mostly positive, Delivert said the moisture resulted in high mildew pressure and erosion issues in some vineyards, along with wet soils that delayed tractor work and mowing. Due to large canopies, vineyard teams dedicated extra time to leafing and removing side shoots from the plants.

“This year reminds me of 2019, which was also a late vintage, but a great one,” said Delivert. “Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are expressing their coastal trademark — not the plush-and-lush style but showing finesse and elegance with more earthy and mineral touches. This will be a year when everyone can find a good wine in the style that they like from the San Luis Obispo coast.”

For Miller Family Wine Co. in Santa Maria, which owns vineyards in Santa Barbara County and Paso Robles, harvest began about a month later than in 2022. “Everything seems to be moving more slowly than usual, but we’ve been able to get really clean fruit off,” said Nicholas Miller, executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer. “Our customers have been very happy with the quality.”

In Santa Barbara County, Miller added, “The rain washed away salts accumulated in the soil, allowing the vines to access previously tied-up nutrients.” It also delayed fruit development and pushed picking about a month behind schedule, leading to a compressed harvest. “The extended, mild season allowed for average berry size, significant color development and great flavor.”

The 10 most-consumed alcoholic drinks have been identified

Insider Monkey’s list of the 10 most-consumed alcoholic drinks have been identified in a new list that outlines which tipples we favour most.

The analysts at the investment advisors Insider Monkey drew from their deeper dive report of the ‘20 Most Consumed Alcohols in the World’. Here is a list of the top 10, for your review.

1. Beer
Global market size in 2022: US$793.74 billion

Beer is the most consumed alcohol in the world. In fact, after water and tea, beer is the most popular drink in the world. According to reports, in the 2022 brewing year, global beer production ended up increasing slightly year-on-year by 1.3% to 1.89 billion hectolitres. However, the market is yet to return to its pre-pandemic levels when production peaked at 1.91 billion hectolitres in 2019. The category has also evolved with consumer tastes as brewers look to satisfy the thirst of their audience. Plus, the overall demand for premium and low-calorie beers, the rising popularity of craft beer, and the continued expansion of distribution networks in emerging countries are all expected to continue driving growth in the global beer sector over the next few years.

2. Wine
Global market size in 2022: US$441.6 billion

The rising demand for premium and luxury wines has been reported alongside the growing popularity of wine tourism which have become key factors driving growth. According to the analysts, global wine consumption in 2022 was estimated to be at 232 million hectolitres, marking a decrease of 1% compared to the previous year. Year-on-year, wine consumption around the world has decreased at a regular rate and yet this can be mainly attributed to the decline in China’s consumption, which has lost an average 2 million hectolitres per year since 2018.

3. Liqueurs
Global market size in 2022: US$128.9 billion

Liqueurs, which are essentially distilled spirits that are sweetened with sugar or syrup, and often also contain fruit, herbs, and oils, can be sweet or bitter depending on the flavours used.

4. Baijiu
Global market size in 2022: US$95.21 billion

Baiju plays a prominent role in China’s drinking culture and has done so ever since the Ming Dynasty. It is most distilled from sorghum, although other grains – including rice, wheat, corn, and millet – are also available in blends throughout the country. Last year, consumers in China consumed US$91 billion worth of baijiu, yet it remains less well-known outside the nation.

5. Whisky
Global market size in 2022: US$64 billion

As millennials are increasingly beginning to experiment with different drinks and assisting in the rise of ‘cocktail culture’, the use of whisky as a premium ingredient has increased in bars. 2022 was hinted to be a great year for Scotch whisky and exports of Scotland’s native spirit hit US$7.5 billion last year, the highest figures ever. Whisky exports by volume also rose, with the number of 700ml bottles shipped overseas up by 21%, to 1.67 billion.

6. Vodka
Global market size in 2022: US$25.98 billion

Vodka continues to be the most consumed spirit in the US and has been since 1970. Around 78.1 million cases of the spirit were sold in America in 2021 and by 2022, 28.1 million 9L cases were sold globally.

7. Cider
Global market size in 2022: US$17.9 billion

Cider has risen in popularity significantly over the last decade and can also flex with the seasons. In the UK, Insider Monkey outlines how cider continues to be a popular alcoholic drinks category with an off-trade value sales growth in the UK of 5.2% over the past year. Some 47.8% of all British households now regularly buy cider – up from 45.5% last year.

8. Rum
Global market size in 2022: US$17.4 billion

While rum sales are still dominated by major producers, many consumer preferences are said to be moving away from value options and towards an appreciation for craft and aged rums instead. Made from fermented sugar cane juice, rum also provides a key function in cocktail culture.

9. Gin
Global market size in 2022: US$15.3 billion

There are, reportedly, three main reasons for gin’s continued popularity – taste, versatility, and the variety now available. The UK is the largest exporter of gin in the world and, according to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) data, gin exports from Britain hit US$879 million last year, up from US$651 million in 2021.

10. Tequila
Global market size in 2022: US$14.7 billion

Tequila’s popularity has been on the rise for years, and in 2021 it surpassed whisky in retail sales. The analysts found that the growth in popularity of Tequila can primarily be attributed to several factors, including the expansion of the premium spirits sector as well as the introduction of new flavours, and a greater social media presence.

Opening of the 19th ed of EU Film Festival – Toronto

The opening of the EU Film Festival (EUFF) was held last night at Alliance Française, 24 Spadina Rd., Toronto. The well-heeled crowd included the 27 consuls, VIPs, sponsors and special guests. The wines served were a great selection from the EU membered states.

This year is 19th edition which runs from November 15 to December 1. There is a curated selection of 27 award-winning movies and hidden gems of all genres. The festival will showcase the rich diversity and creativity of European filmmaking, with post-film Q&As with directors, producers, and actors!

Here is the schedule for your viewing: https://euffto.com/schedule/

Hedonism Wines Launches Auction Platform

Hedonism Wines, my favorite London wine shop, and Mayfair’s leading fine wine merchant has launched an online auction platform, which is due to go live November 13th!

According to CEO Tatiana Fokina, the inaugural sale will comprise 100 lots, featuring a selection of the world’s most exclusive labels of both wine and spirits. As a further enticement, bidders will be charged zero commission on their purchases.

“This transparent approach ensures that bidders only pay for the lots they win, with no hidden fees,” said Tatiana Fokina.

“We are ecstatic to embark on this new chapter with our devoted clientele,” said Tatiana Fokina, CEO at Hedonism Wines. “This platform is not only a testament to our commitment to innovation within the industry but also our dedication to providing unparalleled value. By waiving commission fees and delivering on speed, we’re promising a seamless, customer-centric experience like no other.”

Hedonism also promises that “winners can expect their prized bottles to arrive at their doorsteps in just one to two days, marking one of the fastest delivery turnarounds in the industry.”

The initial offering is a collector’s dream: a magnum of Lafite Rothschild 1989, Dom Perignon 1990 and Meursault Goutte d’Or Comtes Lafon are among the luxury brands being auctioned, in addition to some rare bottles of bourbon.

Here is the link to the auction site:

https://hedonism.co.uk/auctions-at-Hedonism

Global Wine Production Lowest Level Since 1961

Global wine production has fallen this year to its lowest level since 1961 as vineyards were pummeled by extreme weather events, according to a statement issued this week by the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV).

Output reached 244.1 million hectoliters, down 7% from last year, the intergovernmental body said as it presented its first estimates.

“Once again, extreme climatic conditions — such as early frost, heavy rainfall, and drought — have significantly impacted the output of the world vineyard,” said the organization, which provides data to grape and wine producing and consuming countries.”

Australia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa and Brazil all saw output drop between 10 and 30%.

Italy lost the title of top world producer as its output fell 12%, allowing France to reclaim first place as its production held steady.

Spain held onto its position as the world’s third largest wine producer although its production fell by 14% and was down 19% from its five-year average.

The silver lining, if any, for the industry is that it may help alleviate the market imbalance.

In “a context where global consumption is declining and stocks are high in many regions of the world, the expected low production could bring equilibrium to the world market,” said the OIV.