But just before the Gouais vines met their unfortunate fate, a staff member surfing the World Wide Web (this was the ’90s, after all) stumbled upon the research of Carole Meredith, a grape geneticist and viticulture professor at the University of California, Davis, who was studying the grape. The variety, as she and her team uncovered had a far more fascinating lineage than previously believed. The humble Gouais Blanc was, in fact, the “mother” grape for at least 81 different varieties, including Chardonnay and Gamay.  

In reading about Meredith’s research, Chambers and his team learned that his vineyard contained one of the only commercial plantings of the grape on the planet. The vineyard team contacted Meredith about their vines and she urged them not to destroy the Gouais Blanc. This series of events helped to usher a revival of the varietal. 

An International Effort to Revive Gouais Blanc 

That Gouais Blanc’s historical significance was discovered at all is due in large part to international teamwork.  

Late 20^th-century grape genetics were rudimentary compared to today. In the early 1990s, there were no DNA markers available in grapes, says Meredith, referring to the genetic “fingerprinting” that’s common today. So, she formed an international consortium with 20 other researchers across 10 countries to develop a database of markers. “We knew they would become an invaluable tool to develop a better understanding of grapevine biology,” she says. The consortium collected data on over 300 grape cultivars—some of which were nearly extinct, like Gouais—in order to learn the grapes’ parent relationships and genetic makeup. 

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By the late ’90s, the researchers’ collaboration had begun to pay off. They started to see patterns in the varieties’ lineage and were surprised to discover how many grapes shared a common set of parents, in particular Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc.  

“We, like most other grape genetics researchers, had never heard of Gouais Blanc and had included it in our study because it was one of several hundred varieties historically associated with northeastern France,” Meredith says.  

While believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, Gouais plantings were widespread across northeastern France throughout the Middle Ages. The vines were grown on “the mediocre sites, the better sites being reserved for more noble varieties such as Pinot,” reads the 1999 paper Meredith and five other researchers co-authored. Gouais was “a variety considered so mediocre that it was banned (unsuccessfully) at various times in at least two regions and is no longer planted in France,” the paper stated. Even the name Gouais, which derives from the old French adjective “gou,” is a term of disparagement.  

Affectionately nicknamed the “Casanova of Cultivars,” Gouais is the “mother” of Chardonnay and Gamay, most famously, but also to well-known vinifera varieties like Aligoté, Blaufränkisch, Melon de Bourgogne (the grape used for Muscadet), Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Furmint (the variety used in Hungary’s famed Tokaji wines), as well as over 70 more. 

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Gouais’s undesirability could have been due to the grape’s high-yields, susceptibility to botrytis, high acidity and low sugar content, which often resulted in a low-alcohol wine of neutral character. But for such a downtrodden variety, it sure got around. There are over 50 different aliases for Gouais; it’s known as Weisser Heunisch in Germany and Gwäss, in Switzerland, to name a couple. It once populated almost every corner of Europe, from Portugal to Hungary.  

Gouais Blanc Travels to the Southern Hemisphere 

At the turn of the 20th century, Gouais escaped Europe’s borders and traveled to Australia. The vines landed in Rutherglen, a region famed for its fortified wines. Winemaker Stephen Chambers, Bill Chambers’s son and the sixth generation of his family to make wine, believes that his vineyard obtained the Gouais vines from Rutherglen Viticultural Station, a research institute that experimented with recently imported varieties for suitability. “As part of the program they would have wanted a commercial quantity planted,” Chambers says.  

Once Meredith learned of the Aussie plantings in the late ’90s, she asked Bill Chambers to send sample cuttings to California for DNA fingerprinting, which would further the researchers’ studies on the variety.  

Bill Chambers died in December 2023, but, more than 25 years later, the over 120-year-old Gouais Blanc vines are still going strong in Rutherglen. Utilizing mostly original equipment in the 166-year-old winery, Stephen Chambers, who has been at the winemaking helm since 2001, makes both a still and sparkling wine from Gouais. Occasionally, he’ll produce a wine called “The Family,” which blends Gouais with genetically related Riesling and Gewürztraminer. 

As the climate in northeast Victoria warms, Gouais, once known for its neutral aromas and high acid, is making more flavorful wines. 

When Chambers started working with Gouais in the early 2000s, “it was a very late white which tended to retain its acid and was quite austere as a variety,” he says. “Now it has developed some aromatics and ripens closer to the other white varieties we have in the vineyard, albeit at a lower sugar level; even an occasional acid addition is required.” 

A New-World Companion 

The sole commercial Gouais Blanc producer in wine’s “New World” for over a century, Chambers now finds itself in the company of another Gouais producer, Björnson Vineyard, in the Eola-Amity Hills region of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. In 2019, it became the first American producer to grow the variety. 

Björnson Vineyards owner Mark Björnson decided to plant the grape out of curiosity after he read about its history but couldn’t find it in the U.S. “I thought it would be interesting to plant some and produce wine,” he says.  

There’s been a learning curve with the grape. Björnson noticed that Gouais ripens later than Pinot Noir and always has a large crop load. Located in a cooler region than Rutherglen, he sees the prominent acidity inherent to Gouais. “It reminds me of a Muscadet,” he says, referring to the Loire wine made from Melon de Bourgogne, one of Gouais’s offspring. “[It has] floral notes on the nose with bright lemon flavor and a long finish. It goes very well with raw oysters.” 

The winery sold just 60 cases of its first Gouais, released in 2022, which was fermented in concrete egg then finished in neutral oak. It will soon release 75 cases of the 2023 vintage, which is fermented in stainless steel, sometime this year. 

Swiss Champions 

While Americans and Australians may get to taste singular domestic examples of this ancestral variety, back in Europe the variety remains mostly a museum curiosity.  

While a smattering of German producers and one Italian, make minuscule quantities of wine from the variety, almost everywhere except Switzerland has forgotten it. That Gouais still grows in the country—no one knows how much, as it might be a row or block scattered around here or there—is thanks to preservation initiatives like  that are targeting the country’s many historic grape varieties. VinEsch that are targeting the country’s many historic grape varieties. 

José Vouillamoz—a Swiss botanist, grape geneticist, co-author of the book Wine Grapes and mentee of Carole Meredith—is leading those efforts. He has been instrumental in raising awareness of Gouais, which was once a major varietal player in Switzerland before phylloxera decimated Europe’s vines in the mid-19th century. 

In 2009, Vouillamoz, with his winemaker friend Josef-Marie Chanton, organized a “World Summit of Gouais” at a ski resort in the Valais region. In an effort to increase awareness of the variety, they hoped to gather all the known producers of the variety in the world. While half a dozen prominent journalists attended the summit, only five producers were present. Chambers couldn’t make it due to the distance, and only one non-Swiss winery accepted the invitation, the German producer Weingut Georg Breuer. While miniscule in scale, the gathering did reinforce Breuer’s convictions to continue growing Gouais, as well as Chanton’s.  

The co-founder of VinEsch with Vouillamoz, Chanton, who is based in Valais, is one of Switzerland’s main Gouais producers. Production size is still tiny (there were just 1,030 bottles produced in the last vintage), but Chanton’s Gouais boasts “nice aromatics and very high acidity,” Vouillamoz says. 

The Ancestral Search Continues  

Over two decades after the genetic importance of Gouais was discovered, scientists are still uncovering significant details about the grape’s history.  

In 2018, geonomics researcher Anthony Borneman and a team of seven other scientists at the Australian Wine and Research Institute (AWRI) embarked on a search for Gouais’s own parentage. Again, the peasant variety proved full of surprises. 

Pinot Noir, it seems, is both parent and partner to Gouais Blanc. “We sequenced the genome of Chardonnay and compared this to the Pinot and Gouais,” Borneman says. “Rather than the usual pattern you would expect for a parent-offspring trio, the data suggested that some inbreeding had occurred in the Chardonnay family tree.” 

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As more discoveries are made about the ancient variety, some grape geneticists herald Gouais as one of the vinifera varieties well-suited to weather the effects of climate change and even to aid in breeding new, hardier varieties. 

“Gouais Blanc has been through many different climates since the Middle Ages; it most likely existed even before,” says Vouillamoz. “This makes it a candidate variety to be the best genetically equipped to cope with climate change. It is also important to maintain it for future breeding. Since Pinot and Gouais Blanc once gave birth to Chardonnay, deliberate crossings of Pinot with Gouais Blanc would allow breeding of siblings, and maybe one of them will be even better than Chardonnay.” 

The Casanova of Cultivars, it seems, isn’t going anywhere. 

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By the early aughts, she had opened her own wine-importing business, Jenny & Francois, to preach the gospel of these wild, environmentally-conscious bottles.

Twenty years later, she’s largely responsible for igniting the natural wine movement in the United States. Her portfolio reads like a who’s who of organic and biodynamic producers, representing cult-favorites including Gut Oggau in Austria, Domaine Binner in Alsace and Hiyu Wine Farm in Hood River, Oregon.

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But a new law from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has entirely upended Lefcourt’s and many other sustainably-minded wine pros’ business models—and may make it even harder for consumers to determine which bottles and producers share their values. A series of new directives from the agency are shifting the definition of organic wine in the U.S., leaving many longstanding organic winemakers, importers and distributors scrambling to meet stringent new standards.

While these rules were set to protect and better define the term “organic,” many find the requirements confusing, chaotic and overly strict. International vintners are in limbo, unsure if they can continue operating in the U.S. market. Lefcourt feels as if she’s being pushed out of the category she helped form. “It’s devastating,” she says.

Understanding the New USDA Rule

In January of 2023, the USDA announced that it would implement a new range of directives around importing organic products, known as the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) rule. The focus is on safeguarding the organic supply chain from tip to toe, ensuring accountability and traceability and enforcing organic labeling at every checkpoint.

“USDA’s SOE rule was necessary to better protect organic businesses and consumers,” says a USDA spokesperson. “The rule gives us tools to oversee the supply chain more fully to keep fraud out of the market.”

These new regulations are rigorous. Producers are now required to fill out additional paperwork that many feel is overly arduous, including sending an electronic organic import certificate with every shipment. Every single handler—distributor, broker, packager and beyond—of organic goods must now be certified as USDA organic. That means it’s not just the folks who grow the grapes and turn them into wine that need to be certified organic; it’s the people who bring the bottles into the country and land them at your favorite wine bars.

“We don’t touch the juice. We don’t rebottle it and we’re not farmers,” says Lefcourt. “Why are we required to get certified? It’s incomprehensible.”

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To become certified, importers must self-audit and adopt rigorous traceability practices (tracking the movement, sale, custody and handling of an organic product), submit an application and fees, wait for review, undergo a site inspection, then wait for approval. “We must maintain current records from our certified products and suppliers, identify organic products on shipping orders and bill of ladings in a certain way, maintain fraud protection protocols… the list goes on,” says Jordan Sager, co-president of Winesellers Ltd.

Certification can cost between several hundred to thousands of dollars, depending on the size and complexity of the operation. Additionally, there are annual renewal fees, assessment fees based on annual sales and the cost of annual inspections. (The USDA Organic Certification Cost-Share program offers reimbursement of up to 75%.)

Companies had until March 19 to complete the process, though the USDA representative noted “[we] understand that not all companies will have completed the certification process before the deadline. Therefore, we consider an operation’s progress against that goal before taking enforcement action.”

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What’s Behind These New Rules?

On one hand, the USDA’s attention towards organic produce, a category increasingly wrought with greenwashing, is a bright spot for the industry. It’s an official co-sign on the work of organic producers.

“The new regulations have been received favorably by our winery partners that embrace organic practices: it validates their organic claims,” says Scott Ehrlich, VP of Marketing for Wilson-Daniels. His importing profile includes GAJA, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and biodynamic Loire Valley pioneers Clau de Nell. “For customers that are aware of the new regulations, it provides confidence that organic claims on imported wines have been validated by recognized accrediting organizations; otherwise, the wines would not be allowed to enter the country.”

Natural, organic and biodynamic wines are more popular than ever. “People are willing to pay a premium when it comes to organic produce and food products,” says Matt Dennie, COO at Rumor. But as organic agriculture reaches the mainstream, deceptive advertising has become rampant.

It’s particularly easy to dupe consumers in wine, a category that requires a deep knowledge to navigate confidently. For the average drinker, it’s tough enough to decode the region, varieties and sub-appellations on a bottle, let alone figure out whether the grapes are grown organically or if a bottle is full of additives and mega purple, the sugary grape concentrate that wineries around the world use to enhance the color of their wine.

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In 2020 and 2021, wines with less sugar or lower calories started advertising that they were “cleaner” or “better-for-you”—a paradoxical claim for alcohol, which, health experts warn, is not good for anyone under any circumstances. As a response, in 2022, the Alcohol and Tobacco Trade and Tax Bureau (TTB) published an announcement stating that “clean” can be used as a taste descriptor, but not a health claim.

The new USDA initiatives are similarly aimed at increasing transparency and curbing the number of producers who claim organic practices, but don’t walk the walk. To be labeled organic, international producers must meet USDA organic regulations. USDA-certified organic wines can contain virtually no additives or sulfites (the European Union allows up to 100 parts per million of sulfites).

Frédéric Brouca, who produces expressive organic wines out of Faugères, France, thinks the rules will make organic rules clearer for drinkers. “I generally think the USDA certification is better for consumers and more in line with the principles of organic farming,” he says. Lefcourt agrees on the benefits of a certification. “I am all for protecting the consumer through stringent rules around organic certifications,” she says. “It’s very important, for clarity’s sake and to avoid fraud.”

Understanding the Upset

So, what’s causing the backlash? While the thinking behind the USDA’s new rules are in the right place—protecting the providence of organically-made wines—they didn’t stick the proverbial landing. The roll-out was fast and left small producers and importers annoyed, jilted and scrambling to understand what’s required of them.

“There was so much confusion early on as to who had to become certified and who qualified for exemptions,” says Sager. He, and many other packaged good importers, thought he was exempt. “We found out through industry chatter and guidance from trade associations that all importers must be certified. Distributors are exempt, unless they also import organic goods directly from producers they represent locally. This had many of us scrambling at the 11th hour to get certified.”

The clarity of the new requirements has been a major issue, mainly because none of the USDA’s resources are specific to the wine industry. There are four categories of USDA organic products: crops, livestock, wild crops and processed products. The last category includes “items that have been handled and packaged (i.e. chopped carrots) or combined, processed and packaged,” like soup, salad or mac and cheese—and wine.

There are 80 pages of documents detailing the new rules on the USDA website. Wine is not mentioned at all. (It doesn’t help that the TTB’s guidelines on wine importing have not been updated since 2010.) It’s a headache to navigate, and “these rules have become impossible,” says Lefcourt. “They’re slowing down my importing and my business because I can’t find the correct information. It’s incredibly confusing, costly and time consuming—it feels like a big money grab.”

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Zev Rovine, who handles a large portfolio of organic and natural producers, has found getting certified was nothing but sending in paperwork and a big check. “I don’t really see anything in the regulations that are designed around transparency or quality control,” he says.

“Over the last five years, we’ve had the French tariffs, lack of containers, the shipping crisis caused by wars, the current state of the economy and the rising price of electricity,” Lefcourt continues. “There are less sommeliers and restaurants are struggling. Then the government adds this enormous, costly burden? It’s unfair.”

Producers are as frustrated as importers. Many have spent time and money meeting the organic requirements in the E.U. Now they have a new list of rules to follow.

To put it into context, consider the wines of Parés Baltà, a leading organic and biodynamic producer based out of Penedes, Spain. The 300-year-old winery has been certified organic since 2002, and certified biodynamic with Demeter since 2012. Their efforts are evident—cover crops bloom between the vines and are pollinated by bees that live in on-site beehives. Sheep dot the vineyards and help fertilize the soil. The operation employs chamomile to regulate nitrogen in the compost and ferment stinging nettles to help crops grow.

None of that is good enough for the USDA. Under these new missives, owner Joan Cuisine must meet new regulations and ask his U.S. importer to do the same.

Mara Ghirardi, the export manager of L’Antica Quercia, an organic winery in Treviso, Italy, has already ensured the winery is fully organic certified. “But our U.S. importers and distributors are not,” he says. “We don’t want to remove our organic labels, so we need our American importers to adapt, and quickly.”

She wishes that the certification process was broken into a few steps to enable a smoother passage to the new regulations. “I think most wine producers are ready for this change, but asking the entire distribution chain to certify all at once is a demanding task,” says Ghirardi. “It requires time.”

What Does This Mean for Your Favorite Organic Bottle?

Many of your favorite organic bottles will be unavailable or in limbo for the foreseeable future, as importers hustle to get their wines re-certified. Lefcourt tried to get as much wine into the country before the rules went into effect, but a month later, she’s still finding the pages difficult to navigate and unclear. But her first newly-certified organic wine, a Chianti, is moving. “I’m hoping it’s correct.”

Parés Baltà is getting ready to send out a test shipment. The company usually has a continuous stream of wine headed to the U.S., but Cuisine is treading carefully; making sure these cases land safely. “It’s time consuming, and requires a lot of bureaucracy,” he says.

Other producers are opting to entirely remove the term organic from the label. Vine Street, a New York-based importer, made the choice to remove any organic terminology from imported wine labels for a year. Lefcourt has also removed the word from many bottles as she learns to navigate the new rules.

Holly Berrigan, who runs MYSA Natural Wine, has chatted with several of her organic producers. They just won’t bother with the certification. “For their size, the cost and paperwork requirements don’t make any sense,” she says.

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Every step of the importation process requires organic certifications, from the invoices and packing lists to the print labels, a costly and time-consuming endeavor for small wineries that already struggle to meet daily tasks. For companies like Dennie’s Rumor, with just one SKU (in his case, an organic rosé), meeting USDA organic requirements isn’t difficult. But for importers who handle hundreds, it’s even more “paperwork on top of a process that is already paperwork heavy,” says Dennie. “It’s unfair to put the burden on international winemakers to become organically certified in this additional American way. It feels punitive. These are family-run businesses—farmers—trying to make great organic products.”

This has led many industry experts to worry this will trigger a backwards shift for the organic wine category. “We have this increased interest in organic wines, but the government is making it more difficult for people to advertise that their products are organic,” says Dennie.

Others echo this sentiment and fear that the rules could even expand the potential for greenwashing by making it more appealing for real organic producers to turn toward other, less meaningful terms. “It’s a huge risk that implementing all of this at once could damage the organic market sector, which should be promoted,” Ghirardi says.

And Berrigan wonders “if the vilification of the word ‘organic’—or the fact that you can get litigated for it is going to push people towards terms like ‘sustainable’ and ‘natural,’ simply because they’re not regulated,” she says.

For Lefcourt, who has spent her entire career campaigning for organic certifications, these new rules present a moral quandary she’s still trying to wrap her head around.

“It’s my life’s work,” she says. “I’ve spent years trying to convince producers to get certified by their government—I thought it was important to be transparent. Now, I’m calling producers asking them to take the certification off the label.”

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The mandate, signed into law last year, is based on decades of scientific research. It goes far further in communicating alcohol-related health risks than any other country has done so far—and is roiling the worldwide alcohol industry. 

“We believe consumers would be best served by a health warning label that is consistent throughout the European Union and accurately reflects scientific data on alcohol and health,” says Dr. Amanda Berger, vice president of science and health at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). She points out this new warning label fails to differentiate between moderate and excessive alcohol consumption.

But combined with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recent statement that “when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health” it begs the question: what, exactly, is the correlation between alcohol consumption and cancer? And do these kinds of label warnings actually impact consumer behavior?

Does Alcohol Cause Cancer?

Alcohol has been shown to cause at least seven types of cancer, including the most common types: bowel cancer and female breast cancer. As ethanol (alcohol) breaks down in the body, biological mechanisms induce oxidative stress, which researchers hypothesize interferes with DNA repair mechanisms and may contribute to what some call a “carcinogenic cascade.” Though there are still questions as to why and how exactly it all works, this means that any beverage containing alcohol, regardless of its price and quality, poses a risk of causing cancer. Scientists are ringing alarm bells over this growing body of research.

In late November, the WHO and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released a statement saying that “alcohol causes a substantial burden of cancer.” The two groups cited a study that found that more than 740,000 cancer cases diagnosed in 2020—4.1% of new diagnoses—worldwide were estimated to be caused by alcohol. Nearly a quarter of these global alcohol-related cancer cases were in Europe, which, according to WHO European Region “boasts the highest proportion of drinkers and the highest intake of alcohol in the world.” 

Studies have causally linked oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, colorectum, liver and female breast cancers to alcohol consumption. Because it has been identified as carcinogenic for these cancer sites (among other health issues), the organizations concluded that “no safe amount of alcohol consumption for cancers can be established,” adding that, “the risk starts at low levels and increases substantially the more alcohol is consumed.” 

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Dr. Sylvia Crowder, a member of the Health Outcomes & Behavior Program at Tampa’s Moffitt Cancer Center adds that about 6% of all cancers and 4% of cancer deaths are alcohol related. “We do know that there are real, direct links between alcohol consumption and cancer, regardless of whether it’s red or white wine, beer or spirits,” she says. 

She believes placing warning labels on alcoholic beverages can be a useful tool in increasing consumer awareness of the links between cancer and alcohol. “Just having a blunt statement would be beneficial,” she says. “At the end of the day, it’s about consumers making informed decisions. I think it really comes down to a person’s values.” 

What About These Warning Labels—Do They Even Work?

Though these labels could help make consumers more aware of the risks associated with drinking alcohol, whether the public will change their longstanding drinking habits remains to be seen. One peer-reviewed longitudinal study of more than 6,000 adult smokers found that years after the European Union began requiring tobacco packages to carry health warnings with a picture, text and information on services to stop smoking that covered 65% of the packages, “cognitive and behavioral reactions did not show clear increases.” Put simply, many smokers ignored them.

However, among women who were more highly educated and less addicted, “the effectiveness of warning labels tended to be higher.” Other studies have found similar results regarding changed behaviors among smokers with lower levels of dependence. A 2019 article in the peer-reviewed journal Health Education Research established that with these labels in place “smokers with lower levels of dependence were much less likely to purchase cigarettes.”

And studies on other substances that are generally considered less addictive than nicotine have found that these kinds of labels do influence consumer purchases. 

It may seem like overkill to many Americans. Still, eight Latin American countries, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico, require mandatory nutritional labels that warn consumers of products high in excess sugar, sodium or saturated fat. Studies seem to be showing that these warnings are making a difference in the foods people buy. A paper published in the highly rated, peer-reviewed journal The Lancet demonstrated that “warning labels have consistently influenced most peoples’ purchase decisions in Chile and have proven to effectively reduce sales of products high in calories, sugars, sodium and saturated fats.” Another randomized controlled trial of more than 8,000 Colombians, published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One, concluded that these nutrient warnings “most discouraged participants from wanting to consume ‘high in’ products.”

Though it’s too early to tell whether these results will extend to alcohol purchases, an online experimental study of more than 6,000 regular beer and wine drinkers found that health-warning labels communicating the increased risk of cancers associated with alcohol consumption “reduced the selection of alcoholic versus non-alcoholic drinks” and text and image warnings were the most effective in doing so.

Will the U.S. Follow Suit?

Berger affirms that the spirits industry is aligned with public health initiatives to reduce alcohol abuse and that encourages adults who choose to drink to do so responsibly. “When it comes to health warnings, DISCUS supports appropriate labeling, which has been required in the United States since 1988,” she says.  

She acknowledges that studies have found that drinking is associated with an increased risk of certain types of cancer, but believes U.S. labeling guidelines that the federal government has established reflect the latest scientific research. “When federal regulators last reviewed proposals to change the required warning label, they found that the current warning is sufficient,” says Berger. “While the current warning has served to remind consumers that consuming alcohol may cause health problems, we defer to the government’s authority to determine warning statements and will adhere to any decision to change the statement.” 

Berger and DISCUS representatives have pushed back against the upcoming Irish labels, claiming they are “inaccurate” and “misleading.” She encourages people to enjoy alcoholic beverages in moderation according to the current USDA guidelines. Those recommendations state that adults of legal drinking age should limit intake to two alcoholic drinks or less in a day for men and one drink or less in a day for women. “We urge all adults who choose to consume alcohol to follow the recommendations of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” Berger adds. 

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According to the 2022, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than 61.2 million Americans ages 12 and up reported binge drinking (four or more drinks for a woman, five or more for men, within about two hours) and 16.1 million reported heavy alcohol use (eight or more drinks per week for women, 15 or more for men) in the previous month.

So, should the U.S. join Ireland in issuing cancer warnings on alcoholic beverages? If it does, it would be a long road of legislation, likely yielding a decision years into the future. Until then, moderation, knowledge–and maybe supplementing more non-alcoholic and low-alcohol alternatives—may be the keys to a healthier lifestyle.  

Crowder, for one, is encouraged to see an uptick in more mindful drinking. “We’re seeing trends now that Gen Z is refraining from drinking alcohol,” she says. “Kombucha and probiotic sodas are good alternatives if you want to have a social outing without alcohol.” 

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The Next Generation

The new generation of Italian winemakers and wine drinkers was out in full force, who breathed fresh air and a palpable electricity into an already lively scene. Gabriella Favara, a prime representative of this youthful wave as she gears up to take the reins of her family’s historic Sicilian winery Donnafugata, was struck by the fair’s youthful energy.

“I think this edition of Vinitaly had even more young protagonists than previous versions, in terms of new generations who are now moving up to lead their family businesses, but also in terms of young wine lovers who are just beginning to approach our world,” she says. “And this combination is really magic: It gives us an opportunity to work in sync, continuously streamlining communication and allows us to tell the story of the products of our unique territories and provoke curiosity.”

That storytelling is critical, Favara stresses, because it means that “young people are able to have a 360-degree experience—from the vineyard to the glass.”

International Appeal

The breadth and depth of representation at Vinitaly also confirmed a suspicion many people in the industry have voiced: Vinitaly is becoming the world’s singularly major international wine event. The shift comes as the once-dominant ProWein enters a waning phase, and the relatively new Wine Paris remains in a building phase. Vinitaly, meanwhile, has established itself as the annual point of reference and cornerstone of international wine commerce and exchange, with 3,700 foreign operators participating this year.

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“For us, [Vinitaly] was rich with opportunities and encounters, especially with international buyers—a fantastic event, thanks also to a refresh we gave to our Lazio pavilion,” says Giovanna Trisorio of Cincinnato, a cooperative of wineries in the Lazio region. “It was important to have this positive feedback after a not particularly exciting ProWein and with other fairs in general having low attendance this year.” Indeed, excitement is already high for next year’s iteration of Vinitaly, which will be held from April 6 to 9 in 2025, again in Verona. It’s not only because of the wine.

“I think that Vinitaly is more than just a fair: it’s a sort of turbine for work, friendship and exchanges in a magical city,” Trisorio emphasizes.

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The practice has long been a part of our nation’s societal drinking fabric, dating back to at least the time of the indigenous Pueblo people in the American Southwest 800 years ago. Famously, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson made beer for at-home consumption. Later, it was a popular under-the-radar hobby during Prohibition and remained so for decades.  

By the time homebrewing was legalized in the 1970s, the country’s beer renaissance had begun. The founders of breweries like Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., New Belgium Brewing Co. and countless others of that era were all hobby brewers first. As the number of American breweries grew throughout the 1980s and 1990s, many professional breweries looked to homebrewers and their creativity for inspiration. Regional clubs popped up where homebrewers could meet up, share tips and ingredients, learn about new equipment and build a sense of camaraderie in a largely solo hobby.  

But today, homebrewing is at a crossroads. Over the past seven years, the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) has seen its dues-paying membership drop from 46,000 to 30,000 individuals. It’s an indication of shifting trends that have sent ripples of worry through stalwarts of the hobby. Just like the wine and spirits industry, homebrewing is struggling to appeal to new audiences. 

That worry culminated earlier this year when the Brewers Association, the group that oversees the AHA, announced the hiatus of its annual conference Homebrew Con—a gathering where homebrewing enthusiasts attend educational seminars, pour their very best and most outlandish recipes and partake in a raucous club night. Instead, this year in October, a smaller experience will be available for members as part of the Great American Beer Festival, which is also run by the Brewers Association. No definitive plans have yet been announced for 2025.  

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Declines in homebrewing may have to do with shifts in the beer industry itself. The need to make beer at home is arguably less appealing since the number of professional breweries in the country is nearly 10,000. The chance to drink small-batch, professionally made beer has never been easier. To be clear, many longtime and dedicated homebrewers aren’t exactly throwing in the towel. But how can current homebrewers and organizations get a new generation involved in the hobby?  

“That’s the million-dollar question,” says Marshall Schott, a homebrewer who runs the popular website and podcast Brülosophy. “It might be going back to the local level, focusing on smaller clubs, rather than a national organization to lead things.”  

Typically, bringing new homebrewers into the fold happened through the 2,000 registered homebrew clubs around the country, which offer a chance to not only learn about home fermentation but to connect with neighbors. (The AHA has a searchable online database of these clubs.) Meanwhile, events like National Homebrew Day, held on the first Saturday of each May, offer an opportunity for hobbyists to fire up their brewing kettles and invite friends and neighbors over to learn.  

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But as of late, these events have been more insular than inclusive. “Oftentimes, the old guards of homebrewing push people out of homebrewing and clubs because they think they own the definition of homebrewing,” says Annie Johnson, a longtime research and development brewer who was named American Homebrewer of the Year in 2013. “Clubs need to be more progressive in their outreach to recruit members. It takes a concerted effort. I really feel the social aspect will draw in more of the younger generation and open the hobby to all things fermented.” 

Johnson, Schott and others say local clubs and organizations need to reach beyond the stereotype of the typical homebrewer—middle-aged white men—and find ways to appeal to a wider audience.  “Clubs can and should be as diverse as beer styles and focus on the goal of making the best beer possible,” says Johnson. “You’re only going to achieve that with diversity—of thought, processes and experience—and that is not mutually exclusive to fat old white guys.” 

The interest is there; tapping into it will be the challenge. The future of homebrewing needs curious, creative and dedicated types who enjoy beer. There’s a lot of those people in the world, and the continued success of the hobby will hinge on making space for them at the table.  

“People walk past my garage on brew days, and they think I’m cooking meth” says Schott. “After I assure them I’m not, they ask questions and see it’s approachable. It doesn’t have to be precious. It should be fun.”

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The post Homebrewing Isn’t the Popular Hobby It Once Was. What Went Wrong? appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

But a pandemic hit. Then fires—larger than those that struck in the last 36 years combined—spread through the valley. For many winemakers, all was lost.

This event was far from unique. Extreme fires ravaged California in 2020. Australia suffered devastating blazes in 2019 and 2020. The Okanagan Valley burned in 2021 and 2023. Across the world, it’s resulted in lives lost and acres upon acres of land scorched. Winemakers have been forced to make tough decisions. When smoke hits a vineyard, volatile phenols bond with the skins of the grape and penetrate the fruit with persistent smoky flavors—sanguine and slightly charred in the best of cases, overtly ashtray in the worst. The resulting wine is often unsalvageable.

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As fires continue to threaten the world’s wine regions, researchers are working on ways to mitigate and remediate smoke taint. Oregon State University is testing barrier coatings that can be sprayed over vineyards to guard grapes against smoke. The University of British Columbia is experimenting with chemical markers to understand the extent of smoke damage. U.C. Davis is investigating predictive modeling.

As the climate continues to change and uncontrollable wildfires persist, can these potential solutions save the wine industry?

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New Innovations

OSU researchers are testing a spray that provides a protective barrier from wildfire smoke—damage that resulted in more than $3 billion in losses in 2020 alone. Made from cellulose nanofiber, the spray can block many phenols (including guaiacol and syringol) and capture others, even after absorption. The product is expected to be available in the next several years, though there are a few hurdles to clear first, like finding a formulation that guards against all, not just some, of the more than a dozen flavor-impacting compounds in smoke.

This new technology offers hope, but U.C. Davis’s Anita Oberholster believes a “silver bullet” solution is far away. She points out that most smoke taint research is under five years old. “We only really started getting funding for this work after the 2020 wildfire,” she says.

In 2021, she applied 12 FDA-approved products on grapes to test their ability to reduce smoke damage. Only two had potential: kaolin, a clay-based product used to shade grapes from sunburns, and a powdery mildew spray.

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Neither are fail-safe—they’re a pain to apply. If you spray the products through the vineyards, coverage is spotty. “So, are you going to hand-dip every single bunch?” she says. “Maybe in high-end vineyards, but the labor and the cost would be prohibitive for most vintners.”

Expense and logistical issues aside, the use of these complex polymer sprays raises other questions for the vinification process. “There are issues of if these coatings will affect the winemaking process,” says Adam Casto, head winemaker at Ehlers Estate in Napa Valley. “I’ve farmed both organically and biodynamically and I’m not really into putting things on the grapes I’m unfamiliar with.”

He thinks it will take years for this new technology to get traction. “To gain the cultural penetration that would be required for this to be a large-scale deployment would take half a generation,” he says. “Think about it: Anytime there’s a shift in fermentation tank styles, yeast approaches, sulfur management protocols or any other developments, it takes a good 10, 15 years to be broadly absorbed and accepted.”

Playing Guessing Games

Why is smoke such a complicated topic? It’s unpredictable—its path is dictated by nature and even in a vineyard, location, elevation, climate and grape varieties can affect how much smoke phenols are absorbed.

“Just because smoke hits and the fruit smells and tastes of smoke, it doesn’t mean that smoke has impacted your fruit in a devastating manner,” says Casto. Luck is a large factor, but varietal choice and winemaking style can also influence the effects of smoke.

Different varietals respond to volatile smoke phenols in their own ways. Since smoke permeates the skin of the grape, thicker-skinned grapes like Chardonnay and Syrah are less susceptible to damage, while Pinot Noir’s delicate skins do little to protect the fruit. Minimizing extraction or cold maceration (a.k.a. cold soaking) can reduce some smoke flavors, though these processes limit the style of wines you can produce. The addition of oak, either through chips or barrel-aging, can mask some of the more unpleasant effects of smoke taint.

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“You can have two wines with the exact same smoke marker profile and they will seem different,” says Oberholster. A touch of smoke isn’t always bad, she adds. “These phenols are the same compounds that get released when you toast a barrel. At low levels, they’re actually a good thing—they’re pleasant, nutty, sweet, spicy and oaky. It’s at high levels that they become obnoxious.”

Oberholster is researching the difference in grape varieties and winemaking styles so she can set a standard for the upper limit of smoke infliction—in other words, when winemakers should call it. She’s also interested in predictive sensory modeling, which looks at the atmosphere, what plants and trees are burning, wind speed and movement and duration of exposure to understand the gravity of smoke damage.

“These technologies exist in other fields,” says Casto. “It’s just applying them to viticulture. There are challenges—how to get high-speed internet to remote areas, signal availability and electricity—but those are far more tangible challenges than predicting fire patterns.”

DIY Remedies

Because there are still no clear solutions, winemakers have been investigating potential fixes on their own.

Fladwood has only had one year of experience with a smoke-affected vintage. When multiple fires emerged from the Cascade Range and Chehalem Mountain in 2020, California winemakers he spoke to warned him to give up hope. “That doesn’t sound like a winemaker,” he says. “Whether it’s smoke, rain, heat, birds, mildew, botrytis or frost, every year is marked with hurdles. Some are harder than others, but they’re all challenges.”

He tried everything—spraying the vines with water to wash off the sulfur and ash. They pulled leaves off the west side of the canopy, which would usually cause sunburns, to let rain clean the grapes. Instead of picking early to avoid smoke, he let his grapes ripen as normal. With so much unpredictability, he at least wanted the correct tannins and fruits in his wine.

As he racked the wines from fermenter to tank, layers of ash appeared in the bottom of the tank. “It was completely alien,” says Fladwood. He cooled, resettled the wine and added yeast, which has a propensity to absorb odiferous compounds, repeatedly until the ash disappeared. “It was like whack-a-mole: smoke would pop up and we’d hit it with yeast.”

That harvest was debilitating, filled with evacuation and overtime. But for small wineries, he sees no other solution. “We’re not owned by a billionaire,” says Fladwood. “We can’t just throw things out.”

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In the end, however, Fladwood was proud of the wines he made in 2020 and they ended up being a success. “None of the wine club members wanted to order this vintage,” he says. “But once they came and tried it, they were sold.”

Castro had another approach to the 2020 vintage. His crop was unsalvageable, so he used the opportunity to experiment, employing every method of smoke mitigation he could access. He tried ozone gas, washing the grapes, activated carbon fining, reverse osmosis treatments, molecularly imprinted polymers and food-grade fining resins.

He wasn’t impressed with the results. Some—specifically carbon fining and reverse osmosis—added a little relief, he says, “but it’s just hard to make 10,000 cases of killer wine with these hurdles.”

Chelsea Barrett, director of winemaking at Materra in Napa Valley, tried bentonite clay in the past, primarily for sunburns, but found it needed to be sprayed and completely dried well before it’s needed. If not, it can actually make smoke taint or sunburns worse. Her advice is to experiment with different techniques during the winemaking process. “The best tool that anyone has is a five-gallon bucket for micro-ferments—that way, you can really taste what you’re up against,” she says.

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Many of these methods, such as flash detente, are pricey and, aside from sprays, few are specific to removing smoke compounds. “They’re not laser focused,” explains Oberholster. “You can end up with a lower-quality wine by accidentally removing positive phenolics and tannins.”

This leaves winemakers to face big questions. Do you let the vintage (and the investment) go up in smoke? Do you damage your brand by releasing a potentially imperfect wine? Do you raise the prices of old wines as a cushion? Do you lower the price of a smoky wine? Do you follow Bordeaux’s lead and release a third label?

“There are a number of approaches, and all are complicated,” says Castro. “Ultimately, someone is going to be unhappy.”

Even more uncertain is how these compounds could impact wines as they age. Winemaker Rob Mondavi first dealt with smoke in the early 2000s. While he didn’t see much of an impact in the initial ferment, “eight months later, we started to pick up smoke taint,” he says. “We had forgotten that there were fires in Mendocino. We had to throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

The issue is especially pertinent in pricier bottles that are intended to age and evolve for years. “These are $200 bottles of wine—will they go the distance?” asks Mondavi. “Will the smoke emerge years down the line?”

In 2017’s Atlas Peak fire, they tried spraying the vineyards with water to try and rid the grapes of ash. “It had no impact,” says Mondavi. They tried flash detente, a process that heats grapes then drops the temperatures rapidly in a vacuum chamber. “I guess if you’re making a highly quaffable table wine, it’s not a problem to use flash detente. But with luxury-tier wines?”

So, he relies on crop insurance to help ease the financial burden of skipping entire vintages—he’d rather bow out of a bad year than release a fire-kissed wine and risk brand damage.

“I hate to say it, but the best way we can future-proof is with insurance—ensuring we don’t put out an inferior product,” says Mondavi. “It breaks the promise a winemaker makes to a consumer that they’re buying a quality product.”

Moving Out of the Vineyard

Outside of new vineyard technologies and changing winemaking techniques in the cellar, some winemakers are adapting to a future of wildfires by overhauling production from the start. Barrett is eyeing white varietals like Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño and Semillon and offering rosé as a fallback when heat waves hit.

“It makes sure I have options in years when things don’t go well,” says Barrett. That said, “there’s only so much rosé that people want to buy.”

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Castro has seen a trend of earlier picking. “It guarantees a bit of cash flow and ensures that grapes come off the vine before heat waves and the smoke that follows,” he says. It also falls in line with the current move towards lighter, fresher wines in Napa. “It’s a climactic and cultural shift; moving away from big, over-extracted Cabernets and towards harvesting at lower Brix to make lower-alcohol, brighter wines.”

Even with these moves, winemakers are still holding out that researchers will discover long-term solutions to growing wine grapes in a changing climate. “If we could find something that works really well, it would be a huge advantage and would save the industry a lot of money,” says Oberholster.

The post Where There’s Smoke, There’s Tainted Grapes: How Researchers Are Trying to Remedy Smoke Taint appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

At the center of the issue is a growing movement to encourage tequila producers to omit additives from the spirit, and to force those using additives to disclose that usage. These additives include sweetening syrups, caramel coloring, glycerin and oak extracts intended to make a tequila seem smoother, older or sweeter.

Grover and Scarlet Sanschagrin, the Guadalajara, Mexico-based founders of Tequila Matchmaker, are at the forefront of those advocating for tequila brands to disclose additive use. Earlier this year, their efforts yielded a run-in with Mexico authorities. According to local news reports, the Sanschagrins’ home—which housed lab equipment used to test for additives—was entered on Wednesday, March 27, under a search warrant. Hundreds of pieces of equipment were confiscated from the property, under the accusation it was being used for illegal distillation.

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This unfolded just two days after the Sanschagrins hosted a tasting seminar in New York City sponsored by Mijenta Tequila for journalists and other industry pros. I was one of the writers in the room, there to learn more about what tequila tastes like with and without additives.

The Sanschagrins declined to comment on the recent situation. “We are not talking about it at this time under our lawyers’ advice,” they said. “We hope it will be resolved soon.” Mexico’s Tequila Regulatory Council (Consejo Regulador del Tequila, or CRT) did not respond to a request for comment.

Behind the Standoff

Understanding this sequence of events requires an understanding of the current tequila landscape. In 2020, Tequila Matchmaker launched an Additive-Free Program (rebranded in 2023 as the Additive-Free Alliance). The program is voluntary; distilleries that opt in grant access to Matchmaker to inspect their operations, review production records and conduct analysis to confirm that a brand or distillery does not use additives in making tequila. Brands pay for the analysis and need to renew certification annually.

“It’s about transparency,” said Grover Sanschagrin, speaking in New York City last month. It’s also about preventing “unrealistic expectations” about consistency or perception of “smoothness” in tequila. “Tequila is a natural product,” he added.

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More than 100 brands are confirmed in the database as additive-free. However, of all companies that apply for testing, about 80% fail the test, Sanschagrin said. According to Tequila Matchmaker, about 70% of tequilas on the market use additives, he added.

Meanwhile, the CRT takes a less stringent approach. Distilleries are expected to keep a written log that specifies whether additives are used or not, and supply that record to the CRT upon request. Compliance is on an “honor system,” Sanschagin explained, which he believes often does not yield transparency.

The two organizations co-existed, somewhat uneasily, until 2023, when the Additive-Free Alliance began issuing physical “Zero Additives” stamps, which many tequila brands added to their bottles. Within months, the CRT denounced the independent program, and demanded the stickers be removed. The CRT also recently announced an initiative to create a similar additive-free verification program of its own.

What This Means for Your Tequila

In brief, the events of recent weeks signal that the anti-additives drumbeat has grown louder. Consumers and retailers are requesting additive-free tequila, and more brands are going through certification.

At Brooklyn retailer Fiasco! Wine & Spirits, co-owner Ivy Mix notes that she deliberately seeks out additive-free tequila to stock in her store. “It’s a huge factor,” she said. “This is the course everyone’s trying to get on right now.” Her buying decisions are based on her own research and interactions with tequila producers and importers, not Tequila Matchmaker ratings, she noted.

In turn, recommendations like those from Fiasco’s staff ultimately impact what customers purchase; the same is true at Leyenda, the Brooklyn bar she also co-owns. For example, when a customer asks for a specific brand they regard as smooth, “we have to explain that smoothness is glycerin, among other things,” and suggest an alternative, additive-free bottle. “We use it as an educational moment,” she said.

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Of note, tequila isn’t the only spirits category that uses additives. For example, rum and Cognac often include sugar and/or caramel coloring, explained Nicolas Palazzi, owner of importer PM Spirits, but those categories have the advantage of not being required to print that information on labels. (This may change for all alcoholic beverages in the U.S., if a new regulation proposed in January becomes law.)

What has changed, he observes, is that influencers have become more vocal about the issue, amplifying messages like those of Tequila Matchmaker.

“They’re voicing their feelings pretty hard on social media,” he says. “This creates more awareness, which pushes retailers and buyers to likely pay more attention.” As a result, Palazzi predicts, the additive-free movement is likely to become even stronger in coming years.

The post Following a Mexican Police Raid, the Fight Over Additive-Free Tequila Heats Up appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

Wine clubs are a critical component of a winery’s revenue—contributing an average of nearly 50% of total direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales.* But, in recent years, clubs have been taking a hit: Fewer people are visiting wineries, so fewer people are signing up. We’ve all got our fingers crossed that visits will pick back up this summer. But what can you do, in the meantime, to keep club sales growing in the face of changing times and a challenging economy?

It comes down to a 3-pronged strategy: keeping current club members happy, converting occasional buyers into regular customers, and expanding membership to new audiences. Let’s take a look at some ways to spark new life into each of these areas:

Retention

You’ve already got these customers—make sure you hold onto them!

• Make it personal: Keeping your club engaged means more than just discounts. Make sure you’re offering reasons to be a member beyond wine alone. Customization is key—with the right customer data at your disposal, you can personalize their experience. Present exclusive offers, based on their unique tastes. Let them build the box they want. Bring tastings to members who don’t live in your region (and have them bring friends).
• Find out what really matters to members: The benefits you think are appealing to customers might not be the same ones they really care about. Survey members to discover what’s truly meaningful: why they remain a customer, what’s important to them and what might be missing. Then take action to address the concerns and do more of what’s working.

Conversion

They’ve tried your product. Now, let’s make it happen on a regular basis.

• Show that being a member has benefits: If a customer is already occasionally ordering from you, a club might just seem like more of the same. By creating tiered incentives to joining—a points program, for instance—it becomes clearer (and more enticing) why they should upgrade.
• Make it easy to join: Whether it’s a visitor to your winery or your website, a simplified registration process can remove those little barriers that stop audiences just short of signing up. Gather only the data you need, in as few screens as possible. There’s always time to learn more about them later. 

The post Ready to Boost Wine Sales? Join the Club. appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

Emerging markets such as Spain, Portugal and South America were especially well represented and enjoyed attention from specialty retailers and international buyers. Director Peter Schmitz highlighted this international representation as key to ProWein’s success, noting that “no other trade fair offers as wide a range as ProWein. All wine-growing regions are represented in Düsseldorf.” 

Here are things that I’ll remember most about this year’s event. 

Introducing ProSpirits 

This year’s ProWein introduced ProSpirits, a concept well-received by attendees. This new addition highlighted the latest trends and innovations in the spirits segment, with 420 exhibitors from 40 countries.

From vodka to agave spirits, the ProSpirits Forum offered masterclasses and tastings, including a TrendHour seminar with spirits guru Jürgen Deibel. 

Continued Demand in the No and Low-Alcohol Sector 

Enthusiasts of low and non-alcoholic beverages flocked to Hall 1 for the inaugural ProWein Zero, which was warmly embraced by vintners from Germany, France, Italy, Spain and other emerging markets.

The hall boasted a diverse array of offerings ranging from Nordic gastro-inspired non-alcoholic wines to Dr. Jaglas’s acclaimed non-alcoholic limoncello, lauded by the esteemed French restaurant guide Gault & Millau. 

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Artificial Intelligence Finds a Place in Wine  

Traditionally, wine has been recognized as a hands-on agricultural product, managed through interpersonal interactions throughout the production and service process. However, several breakout sessions on A.I. addressed how technology can reshape the landscape. 

Cathy Huyghe explored the potential for artificial intelligence, highlighting opportunities for automation and optimization, while Big Hammer Wines introduced an A.I. sommelier engine designed to provide personalized wine recommendations.

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Weincampus DLR Neustadt, in partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute Integrated Circuits, presented A.I.-generated tasting notes based on a wine’s chemical analysis. Moving away from wine, Katlenburger Winery introduced the first fully A.I.-developed RTD cocktails and package design. The general sentiment? As scary as A.I. might seem, maybe it does have a place in wine. 

Focus on White Wine Production 

Wineries worldwide continue to adjust their production strategies to accommodate the rising demand for white wines among consumers. A wide range of varietals and offerings, from crisp Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon to elegant Chardonnay and even Viognier, were widely available amongst the halls.  

In markets predominantly known for red wine production, such as Spain, the Rhône Valley and Argentina, white wine is clearly an area of focus. “White wine currently represents 5% of our total production,” states sales and marketing director Julio Lasmartres of Achaval Ferrer. “We anticipate this growing upward towards 20% over the next few years.” 

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However, regions abundant in white wine production are encountering their own set of challenges. Istria, a peninsula in the Adriatic Sea shared by Croatia, Slovenia and Italy, is renowned for its outstanding expressions of the white grape Malvazija Istarska, which comprises 55% of total production. However, producers are struggling to make the consumer case for premium examples, which are often linked with higher price tags. As a result, these wines are often a tough sell for the next generation of wine consumers.  

Dr. Caroline Gilby MW’s Malvazija masterclass underscored the importance of complexity in these wines, particularly when paired with diverse cuisines. Her class emphasized the variety of styles throughout the region, highlighting their cellar-worthy potential. 

Taking a Trip

There’s was an emphasis on travel—specifically agrotourism—which brands hope will translate to long-lasting impressions and customer loyalty across age demographics. Giulia Cecchi of Famiglia Cecchi in Tuscany emphasized their dedication to crafting wine experiences, ranging from historical tours to vintage tastings and even astrology-themed nights under the stars, all complete with wine pairings. 

Also of note, Alessandro Medici of Medici Ermete framed his family’s historical production of Lambrusco in the Emilia-Romagna region as an introduction to the broader region. Through three immersive experiences, Medici Ermete guests are invited to explore everything from the vineyards to specialized chef-inspired food pairings. Other aspects of the region are also integrated, including the history of Ferrari, pasta and aged balsamic vinegar. The big takeaway? Wine is an integral part of a bigger tourism picture, and such positioning only bolsters wine’s essential role within that bigger picture. 

Next year’s ProWein in Düsseldorf, Germany is scheduled for March 16 to 18, 2025. Stay tuned for more details.  

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The post The Big Takeaways from ProWein 2024 appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

The cool climate of the American Northwest—specifically that of North Dakota, Idaho and Montana—has long been a dominant factor in the U.S.’s production of malting barley. But, like most of the West, these states have been confronting major drought conditions. Drought-stress on the annual grass has led to a steep decrease in yields—down a whopping 30% in 2021—and resulted in lower-quality grains.

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“Beer is mostly water, and then, after water, it’s mostly malt,” says Andrew Zinn, owner of Weaverville, North Carolina’s Leveller Brewing Co. When U.S. malt production drops—as it has in recent years—it creates major problems for brewers.

To counteract these increasingly common issues, land grant universities have been shifting their malting barley sights to regions that historically haven’t been able to successfully grow the critical crop. From North Carolina to Oregon, newly developed winter barley varieties could provide brewers with a stable supply of a pivotal component in beer production.

A Fermenting Crisis

“The problem is that in a year when you have a low amount of malt that’s produced in the U.S., it’s not a year that we drink less beer,” says Nicholas Santantonio, assistant professor of plant and environmental sciences at Virginia Tech. Santantonio leads the university’s small grains breeding program, which focuses on breeding for disease resistance.

Following 2021’s droughts, for instance, brewers had to purchase shipfuls of substandard malt from outside the country. “Because this industry is so concentrated in such a small area, you have these shifts in weather—these off years where things are really different or really bad—and that means that the system itself, the whole supply chain, has vulnerabilities in it.”

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While better than the historically low yields of 2021, in both 2022 and 2023, North America’s barley harvests still remained under the five-year average. And, like the low-quality malts that have been imported from overseas, many of last year’s crops were not up to snuff.

A significant portion of the barley harvested contained higher-than-desired protein levels, which can lead to a number of potential problems. The resulting beers often end up cloudy and, even more concerning, high protein can create excessive foam during the fermentation process, leading to dangerous boil overs and, potentially, third-degree burns for workers.

Diversifying the growing range of barley could help to mitigate these kinds of issues by increasing both the quality and quantity of the integral cereal grain.

Winter Barley Brews Potential From Coast-to-Coast

Malting barley is a cool-climate crop that has traditionally been planted in the spring and harvested in late summer. In its U.S. growing regions, this is when drought and disease pressures, such as powdery mildew and various rusts, are most likely to occur. But a burgeoning slew of winter barley varieties circumvents the stresses of these geographic and time constraints, working with the changing climate, rather than against it.

Avalon, which entered commercial production last year, was released as the first malting barley from Virginia Tech’s small grains breeding program. It was introduced by the university in 2020 after a decade of development. Derived from a cross of high-yielding feed barley, Thoroughbred, Avalon was specifically designed to thrive in America’s Southeast—an area that has long struggled to successfully grow the cereal grain.

“Barley doesn’t like high heat and doesn’t like humidity,” says Ashley McFarland, vice president and technical director of the American Malting Barley Association. “The humidity is really from more of a disease standpoint.” Planted in fall, Avalon largely avoids the warm weather stresses that once characterized Southeast spring barley. It boasts moderate resistance to leaf rust and powdery mildew, says Santantonio.

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Universities from Cornell to Oregon State have also been developing their own regionally-adapted winter varieties. Additionally, farmers in cold-climate areas like Minnesota, North Dakota and New Jersey have been integrating winter barley into crop rotations.

In Oregon, for example, Willamette Valley farmers and researchers—who have traditionally grown spring barley—are experimenting with winter barley. Eastward, Grand Rapids, Michigan—which is home to about 40 breweries—has likewise endured hotter, drier summers. Because of barley’s susceptibility to various molds, including pernicious vomitoxins, West Michigan farmers have been growing both spring and winter barley.

While rising temperatures may seem like a boon for growers of winter barley, there are, of course, some agricultural downsides. The crop performs best with snow as an insulator, says Kevin Slagh, head maltster for Emergent Malt, a small-batch malt producer in Zeeland, Michigan.

Local Production Promises Wide-Ranging Benefits

The rapid pace of these sorts of local environmental changes underscores the importance of climate-resilient crops specific to the conditions of a given region. “We kind of need to stack the deck to make sure we’ve got as many options in front of us as possible,” says Brent Manning, co-founder of Asheville’s Riverbend Malthouse. Manning says he knows farmers working with Southeast-specific Avalon as far away as New Jersey and Indiana. “I don’t think we have as long of a horizon to develop varieties as we once did.”

But the potential for winter barley goes well beyond serving as a hedge for erratic weather.

If barley stays in the ground after the summer growing season, it also serves as a cover crop, which can help to sequester carbon, retain water and improve the overall health and quality of the soil. “In theory, [it] will then help protect the soil from erosion and also will help tie up some of those nutrients that might have ran off in other circumstances,” says McFarland.

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Similarly, it could help brewers to save money—and emissions—on shipping. Beer is already heavy and pricey to transport. Incorporating locally-produced malting barley into the mix saves on those financial and carbon costs, while offering brewers new ingredients and flavors to add to their existing arsenal.

Naturally, the cereal grain deeply impacts the nuances of beer, not to mention aroma and mouthfeel. Zinn believes these locally-produced malting barleys could help beer-loving cities, like his home base of Asheville, refine their brewing ethos and help them to cement a regional identity.

In January, he released Leveller’s first Avalon-made beer and has been experimenting with the grain in a rye lager, farmhouse IPA and a Czech-style Pilsner. He thinks the Avalon malt particularly shines in the latter, performing similarly to previous malts while retaining the grassy and wildflower undertones of the regionally-appropriate malting barley.

Add up all the benefits—the interesting flavor profiles, advantages to local farmers and the overall climate impact—says Zinn, “moving barley close to home makes a lot of sense.”

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