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Slide 01
Wine & Spirits
- A Journey Through
- From ancient Georgian clay vessels to modern craft distilleries -- eight thousand years of fermented and distilled civilization.
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Slide 02
Contents
- 01 Ancient Origins
- 02 Wine Grape Varieties
- 03 Old World vs New World
- 04 Winemaking Process
- 05 French Wine Regions
- 06 Italian Wine
- 07 New World Wines
- 08 Wine Tasting
- 09 History of Distillation
- 10 Whisky
- 11 Brandy & Cognac
- 12 Gin & Vodka
- 13 Rum & Tequila
- 14 Sake & Asian Spirits
- 15 Cocktail Culture
- 16 Terroir
- 17 Wine & Health
- 18 Industry Economics
- 19 Climate Change
- 20 The Future of Wine
- 21 Further Reading
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Slide 03
Ancient Origins of Wine
- The story of wine begins in the South Caucasus, where chemical evidence of grape fermentation dates to approximately 6000 BCE. The earliest known winery was discovered at the Areni-1 cave complex in Armenia, dating to around 4100 BCE.
- Georgia (6000 BCE)
- Qvevri -- large clay vessels buried underground -- represent the world's oldest continuous winemaking tradition. Residue analysis at Gadachrili Gora confirms Neolithic wine production. Georgia's qvevri method was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Heritage list in 2013.
- Mesopotamia & Egypt
- Sumerian texts reference wine by 3000 BCE. Egyptian tomb paintings at Thebes depict grape harvesting, pressing, and storage. Pharaoh Scorpion I's tomb (c. 3150 BCE) contained 700 jars with wine residue. Wine was reserved for priests and royalty.
- Greece & Rome
- Greeks spread viticulture across the Mediterranean from 1600 BCE. Dionysus became the god of wine. Romans industrialized production, aging wines in amphorae and introducing wooden barrels. Pliny the Elder cataloged over 80 grape varieties in his Naturalis Historia (77 CE).
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Slide 04
The Noble Grapes & Beyond
- There are over 10,000 known grape varieties of Vitis vinifera, but a handful dominate global production. The concept of "noble grapes" -- varieties that produce world-class wine in multiple regions -- remains influential.
- Red Varieties
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
- Pinot Noir
- Syrah / Shiraz
- Tempranillo
- Sangiovese
- Nebbiolo
- Malbec
- Cabernet Sauvignon is the world's most widely planted grape, covering ~340,000 hectares globally (OIV, 2020). It is a cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, first documented in 17th-century Bordeaux.
- White Varieties
- Chardonnay
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Riesling
- Pinot Grigio
- Gewurztraminer
- Viognier
- Chenin Blanc
- Gruner Veltliner
- Chardonnay is remarkably versatile: the same grape produces lean, mineral Chablis and rich, buttery Napa Valley wines. The difference lies in climate and winemaking choices, particularly oak aging and malolactic fermentation.
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Slide 05
Old World vs. New World
- A fundamental division in wine culture, reflecting different philosophies of winemaking, labeling, and regulation.
- Old World
- Regions: France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Austria, Greece, Hungary
- Philosophy: Terroir-driven. Wine is labeled by region (Burgundy, Chianti), not grape. Strict appellation laws (AOC, DOC, VDP) regulate permitted grapes, yields, and methods.
- Style: Typically higher acidity, lower alcohol, more earthy/mineral. Emphasis on subtlety, complexity, and aging potential.
- Key fact: France's AOC system, established in 1935, became the model for wine regulation worldwide.
- New World
- Regions: USA, Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand
- Philosophy: Grape-driven. Wine is labeled by variety (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay). Fewer regulatory restrictions allow more experimentation.
- Style: Generally riper fruit, fuller body, higher alcohol. More oak influence, modern winemaking techniques.
- Key fact: The 1976 Judgment of Paris -- when Napa wines beat French grands crus in a blind tasting -- shattered Old World supremacy and reshaped the global market.
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Slide 06
From Vine to Glass
- The winemaking process (vinification) transforms grape juice into wine through fermentation, where yeast converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
- Harvest
- Timing is critical. Sugar (Brix), acidity, and phenolic ripeness must balance. Hand-harvesting preserves grape integrity; mechanical harvesting is faster but less selective. Night harvesting preserves freshness in warm climates.
- Crushing & Pressing
- Grapes are destemmed and crushed. For white wine, juice is separated quickly from skins. For red wine, skins remain for maceration, extracting color, tannins, and flavor over days to weeks.
- Fermentation
- Yeast (wild or cultured Saccharomyces cerevisiae) converts sugars to ethanol. Temperature control is essential: whites ferment at 12-18 C for freshness; reds at 25-30 C for extraction. Takes 1-4 weeks.
- Aging & Bottling
- Wine may age in stainless steel (preserving fruit), oak barrels (adding vanilla, spice, tannin), or concrete eggs. Malolactic fermentation softens acidity. Fining, filtering, and sulfite addition precede bottling.
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Slide 07
France: The Benchmark
- France produces roughly 46 million hectoliters annually and its classification systems, grape varieties, and regional styles have defined global wine culture for centuries.
- Bordeaux
- The world's most famous wine region. Left Bank (Medoc, Graves) dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon; Right Bank (Saint-Emilion, Pomerol) by Merlot. The 1855 Classification ranked 61 chateaux, with Chateau Lafite, Latour, Margaux, and Haut-Brion as First Growths. Chateau Mouton Rothschild was promoted in 1973.
- Burgundy
- Pinot Noir and Chardonnay reign supreme. The climat system -- individual vineyard parcels classified since the Middle Ages -- was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. A single vineyard, Romanee-Conti (1.81 ha), produces wine selling for $15,000-$25,000 per bottle.
- Champagne
- Sparkling wine production via methode champenoise (secondary fermentation in bottle). Only wine from this region can legally be called Champagne (EU law). Key grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier. Dom Perignon, a Benedictine monk, refined (but did not invent) the technique c. 1690.
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Slide 08
Italy: 20 Regions, Infinite Variety
- Italy rivals France as the world's largest wine producer (49.1 million hectoliters in 2022) and boasts over 500 authorized grape varieties -- more than any other country.
- Piedmont
- Home to Barolo and Barbaresco, both made from Nebbiolo. Barolo, the "King of Wines," requires minimum 38 months aging (18 in oak). The Langhe hills are a UNESCO site. Also produces Barbera, Dolcetto, and Moscato d'Asti.
- Tuscany
- Chianti (Sangiovese-based), Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano represent tradition. The "Super Tuscan" movement (1970s) broke DOC rules by blending Cabernet with Sangiovese -- Sassicaia (1968) was the pioneer, initially sold as table wine.
- Veneto
- Produces Prosecco (Glera grape), Amarone della Valpolicella (dried-grape technique called appassimento), and Soave. Prosecco exports surpassed 500 million bottles in 2019, making it the world's best-selling sparkling wine by volume.
- Southern Italy & Islands
- Sicily's Mount Etna vineyards (volcanic soils, Nerello Mascalese) are experiencing a renaissance. Campania preserves ancient varieties like Aglianico and Fiano. Sardinia's Cannonau (Grenache) is linked to the island's famed longevity.
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Slide 09
New World Powerhouses
- United States
- Napa Valley: ~500 wineries in just 30 miles. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates. Robert Mondavi (est. 1966) pioneered California's modern era. Opus One (Mondavi + Rothschild, 1979) symbolized Franco-American collaboration.
- Oregon: Willamette Valley Pinot Noir rivals Burgundy. Cool-climate, volcanic soils.
- Washington: Second-largest US wine state. Columbia Valley excels with Syrah and Merlot.
- South America
- Argentina: Mendoza, at 600-1,500m elevation in the Andes' rain shadow, produces 80% of the country's wine. Malbec, once a minor Bordeaux blending grape, found its spiritual home here. Fifth-largest producer globally.
- Chile: Phylloxera-free vineyards (protected by the Andes, Pacific, and Atacama Desert). Carmenere, thought extinct, was rediscovered here in 1994 -- previously misidentified as Merlot.
- Southern Hemisphere
- Australia: Barossa Valley Shiraz is iconic -- bold, ripe, often oaky. Penfolds Grange (first vintage 1951) is Australia's most celebrated wine. Cool-climate regions like Yarra Valley and Margaret River gaining recognition.
- New Zealand: Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (launched by Cloudy Bay, 1985) revolutionized the variety worldwide. Central Otago Pinot Noir is the world's southernmost wine region.
- South Africa: Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Swartland. Pinotage (Pinot Noir x Cinsault, bred 1925) is uniquely South African.
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Slide 10
The Art of Wine Tasting
- Professional wine evaluation follows a systematic approach: appearance, nose, palate, and conclusion. The WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) and Court of Master Sommeliers provide standardized frameworks.
- Sight
- Tilt the glass at 45 degrees against a white background. Assess clarity, intensity, and color. Young reds show purple-ruby; aged reds develop garnet-tawny. White wines gain color with age (lemon to gold to amber). "Legs" or "tears" indicate alcohol and glycerol content.
- Nose
- Primary aromas: From the grape (fruit, floral, herbal). Secondary: From fermentation (yeast, butter from MLF). Tertiary: From aging (leather, tobacco, earth, dried fruit). A wine can express 200+ volatile compounds. The human nose detects ~10,000 distinct scents.
- Palate
- Evaluate sweetness (residual sugar), acidity (tartaric, malic, citric), tannin (astringency from skins/oak), body (light to full), and alcohol (warmth). Flavor intensity and complexity. The finish (aftertaste) of a great wine can last 30+ seconds -- called caudalie in French.
- Key Scoring Systems
- Robert Parker 100-point scale: Transformed wine criticism from 1978. Scores above 95 can double a wine's price overnight. Jancis Robinson 20-point: Used by the British tradition. Wine Spectator, Decanter, James Suckling each use 100-point variants.
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Slide 11
The Birth of Spirits
- Distillation -- heating a liquid to separate components by boiling point -- was known to ancient Greeks and Egyptians, but its application to alcohol production was refined by medieval Arab alchemists. The word "alcohol" derives from Arabic al-kuhl.
- c. 800 CE
- Jabir ibn Hayyan (Geber) describes distillation apparatus. The alembic still becomes a cornerstone of alchemy and, eventually, spirit production.
- 12th Century
- Knowledge of distillation reaches Europe via Moorish Spain and Italian medical schools (Salerno). Spirits are initially medicinal -- aqua vitae ("water of life") treats plague and ailments.
- 15th-16th Century
- Commercial distillation emerges: Irish uisce beatha (whiskey) by 1405, Scottish aqua vitae by 1494 (earliest tax record). Dutch jenever (genever) becomes the precursor to gin. Brandy production thrives in Cognac and Armagnac.
- 1831
- Aeneas Coffey patents the column (continuous) still, enabling mass production of lighter, cheaper spirits. This invention revolutionizes whisky, vodka, and gin production forever.
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Slide 12
Whisky: A World of Grain
- Scotch Whisky
- Five categories: single malt, single grain, blended malt, blended grain, blended Scotch. Must be aged minimum 3 years in oak casks in Scotland. Five regions: Speyside (fruity, elegant -- Macallan, Glenfiddich), Islay (peaty, smoky -- Laphroaig, Lagavulin), Highland, Lowland, Campbeltown. Exports worth 6.2 billion GBP (2022).
- Irish Whiskey
- Typically triple-distilled (vs. Scotch's double), producing a smoother spirit. Rarely peated. Jameson dominates sales. The revival is remarkable: from just 2 distilleries in the 1980s to over 40 by 2023. Pot still whiskey (using both malted and unmalted barley) is uniquely Irish.
- American Whiskey
- Bourbon: Minimum 51% corn, new charred oak barrels, no minimum age (but "straight" requires 2 years). Kentucky produces 95% of bourbon. The bourbon boom saw production rise 115% from 2009-2019.
- Rye: Minimum 51% rye grain. Spicier, drier. Resurging after near-extinction in the 1990s.
- Tennessee: Like bourbon but charcoal-filtered (Lincoln County Process). Jack Daniel's is the world's best-selling American whiskey.
- Japanese Whisky
- Founded by Masataka Taketsuru, who studied in Scotland in 1918. Suntory Yamazaki (est. 1923) and Nikka are the pillars. Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 was named World's Best Whisky by Jim Murray (2015). Japanese distillers uniquely produce multiple styles at single distilleries using varied still shapes.
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Slide 13
Brandy, Cognac & Armagnac
- Brandy (from Dutch brandewijn, "burnt wine") is any spirit distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice. Cognac and Armagnac are its most prestigious expressions, both from southwest France.
- Cognac
- Produced in the Cognac region from Ugni Blanc grapes (high acidity, low alcohol -- ideal for distillation). Double-distilled in copper pot stills (alembic charentais). Aged in Limousin or Troncais oak.
- Age designations:
- VS (Very Special): min. 2 years
- VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale): min. 4 years
- XO (Extra Old): min. 10 years (since 2018)
- XXO: min. 14 years (new category, 2018)
- Hennessy (est. 1765) accounts for ~40% of global Cognac sales. The US and China are the largest markets.
- Armagnac
- Older than Cognac (records from 1310 vs. 1600s). Single-distilled in a column still, producing a more rustic, complex spirit. Ten authorized grape varieties. Smaller production (~6 million bottles vs. Cognac's 200+ million). Vintage-dated Armagnacs are common; vintage Cognac is rare.
- Other Brandies
- Pisco: Peruvian and Chilean grape brandy, unaged, base of the Pisco Sour. Grappa: Italian pomace brandy. Calvados: Apple brandy from Normandy, aged in oak. Metaxa: Greek brandy blended with muscat wine.
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Slide 14
Gin & Vodka
- Gin
- A neutral spirit redistilled or flavored with juniper berries and botanicals. Originated as Dutch genever (malted grain spirit with juniper) in the 16th century. English soldiers discovered it during the Eighty Years' War -- "Dutch courage."
- The Gin Craze (1720-1751): London consumed 10 million gallons annually. Hogarth's "Gin Lane" (1751) depicted the devastation. The Gin Act of 1751 finally curbed excess.
- Styles: London Dry (Beefeater, Tanqueray -- no added sugar, juniper-forward), Plymouth (slightly sweeter, earthier), Old Tom (sweetened, popular in 18th century), Navy Strength (57% ABV -- gunpowder still ignites if soaked), Contemporary/New Western (botanical-led, juniper recedes).
- Craft gin boom: UK distilleries grew from 152 (2010) to 820+ (2023). Over 6,000 gin brands exist globally.
- Vodka
- A neutral spirit distilled to high proof and filtered, traditionally from grain or potatoes. Poland and Russia dispute its origin -- Polish records mention "gorzalka" in 1405; Russian production documented from the 1440s.
- Key facts:
- Must be distilled to minimum 96% ABV (EU), then diluted to 37.5-40%
- Smirnoff (est. 1864, Moscow) is the world's best-selling spirit brand
- Poland's Belvedere and Chopin use rye and potatoes respectively
- Russia's "vodka belt" -- Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Nordics, Baltics -- consumes the majority
- Vodka accounts for ~30% of global spirits volume
- Flavored vodka expanded the category in the 2000s. Absolut's marketing (Andy Warhol bottle ads, 1986) is a textbook case in brand-building.
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Slide 15
Rum & Tequila
- Rum
- Distilled from sugarcane juice or molasses. Born in the Caribbean sugar plantations of the 17th century -- inextricably linked to the colonial slave trade and the "Triangular Trade."
- Styles:
- Light/White: Column-distilled, filtered (Bacardi, Havana Club). Cocktail-ready.
- Gold/Dark: Aged in oak, caramel-colored. Appleton Estate (Jamaica, est. 1749).
- Rhum Agricole: From fresh cane juice (Martinique AOC). Grassy, vegetal.
- Navy Rum: High-proof, full-bodied. The Royal Navy issued daily rum rations until 1970 ("Black Tot Day," July 31, 1970).
- The British Navy's grog (rum + water + lime) inadvertently prevented scurvy. Cuba's Mojito and Daiquiri are Hemingway-associated classics.
- Tequila & Mezcal
- Both from Mexico, distilled from agave. Tequila uses only Blue Weber agave (Agave tequilana) from the Tequila region (Jalisco). Mezcal can use 30+ agave species from nine states.
- Tequila categories:
- Blanco: Unaged or <2 months. Pure agave expression.
- Reposado: Aged 2-12 months in oak.
- Anejo: Aged 1-3 years. Smooth, complex.
- Extra Anejo: 3+ years. Created as a category in 2006.
- Agave takes 6-8 years to mature. The jimador hand-harvests the pina (heart), which weighs 30-100 kg. Mezcal's artisanal production (roasted in underground pit ovens) produces its signature smokiness. Celebrity tequila brands (Casamigos sold to Diageo for $1B in 2017) have driven explosive growth.
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Slide 16
Sake & Asian Spirits
- Sake (Japan)
- Not a spirit but a brewed rice beverage (14-16% ABV), included here for its cultural significance. Made from polished rice, water, koji mold (Aspergillus oryzae), and yeast.
- Grades by rice polishing:
- Junmai Daiginjo: polished to 50% or less (most refined)
- Junmai Ginjo: polished to 60%
- Junmai: no minimum, but pure rice, no added alcohol
- ~1,200 sake breweries remain in Japan (down from 4,600 in 1955). Domestic consumption has fallen 75% since 1975, but exports have risen 5x since 2010.
- Baijiu (China)
- The world's most consumed spirit by volume -- estimated 10+ billion liters annually, mostly within China. Fermented and distilled from sorghum, rice, wheat, or corn using qu (a fermentation starter).
- Four aroma categories: Strong aroma (Luzhou Laojiao), light aroma (Fenjiu), sauce aroma (Moutai, often $300+ per bottle), and rice aroma.
- Kweichow Moutai became the world's most valuable spirits company (market cap exceeding $400B at its peak in 2021).
- Other Asian Spirits
- Soju (Korea): Traditionally from rice, now often from sweet potato or tapioca. Jinro is the world's best-selling spirit brand by volume (~97 million cases, 2022). Usually 16-25% ABV.
- Shochu (Japan): Distilled from barley, sweet potato, or rice. 25% ABV. Outsold sake in Japan since 2003.
- Arrack: Southeast Asian spirit from coconut flower sap or sugarcane. Sri Lankan arrack is the most well-known.
- Feni (India): Goan spirit from cashew apples or coconut toddy. GI-protected since 2009.
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Slide 17
Cocktail Culture
- The word "cocktail" first appeared in print in 1806 (Hudson, New York newspaper): "a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters."
- Golden Age (1860s-1920)
- Jerry Thomas published the first cocktail book, The Bar-Tender's Guide (1862), codifying recipes like the Martini, Manhattan, and Tom Collins. The Sazerac (New Orleans, 1850s) is considered America's first named cocktail. Prohibition (1920-1933) drove bartenders to Cuba, London, and Paris, paradoxically globalizing cocktail culture.
- Dark Ages & Revival
- The 1970s-80s saw cocktail culture decline -- premixed sour mixes, neon-colored drinks. Dale DeGroff at the Rainbow Room (NYC, 1987) sparked the craft cocktail revival. Sasha Petraske's Milk & Honey (2000) epitomized the speakeasy renaissance. Today's bartenders use sous vide, centrifuges, and clarified milk punch.
- Essential Cocktails
- CocktailBaseOrigin
- Old FashionedBourbon/Rye1880s, Louisville
- MartiniGin + Vermouth1880s, debated
- NegroniGin + Campari + Vermouth1919, Florence
- MargaritaTequila1940s, Mexico
- DaiquiriRum1898, Cuba
- MojitoRum1930s, Havana
- ManhattanRye + Vermouth1870s, NYC
- Espresso MartiniVodka + Coffee1983, London
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Slide 18
Terroir: The Taste of Place
- "Terroir is the reason a Puligny-Montrachet tastes different from a Meursault, even though both are 100% Chardonnay grown half a mile apart."
- -- Jancis Robinson MW
- Components of Terroir
- Soil: Limestone (Burgundy, Champagne) gives minerality. Slate (Mosel Riesling) retains heat. Volcanic (Etna, Santorini) adds mineral depth. Gravel (Graves, Bordeaux) ensures drainage.
- Climate: Macro (continental, maritime, Mediterranean), meso (slope aspect, altitude), and micro (vine canopy). Diurnal temperature range preserves acidity.
- Topography: Aspect (south-facing in Northern Hemisphere = more sun), altitude (cooler temps, higher UV, thicker skins), drainage patterns.
- Human factor: Viticultural practices, winemaking traditions, and generational knowledge. Some include this; purists exclude it.
- Terroir in Spirits
- The concept extends beyond wine. Scotch whisky's regionality (Islay peat, Speyside water), mezcal's wild agave terroir, and rum's "gout de terroir" (Jamaican pot-still funk vs. Barbadian elegance) all reflect place.
- Champagne's chalk: Cretaceous-era chalk subsoil (65-90 million years old) provides excellent drainage, reflects heat, and stores water. Reims sits atop 250 km of chalk cellars maintaining a constant 10-12 C, ideal for aging.
- Debate: Some scientists argue terroir's sensory claims lack rigorous evidence. Others, like geologist Alex Maltman, suggest mineral flavors in wine are perceptual, not literal soil-to-glass mineral transport.
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Slide 19
Wine, Health & the French Paradox
- The French Paradox
- Coined by Serge Renaud in 1992: despite a diet high in saturated fat, the French had lower coronary heart disease rates. Moderate red wine consumption was proposed as a factor. CBS's 60 Minutes segment (1991) drove a 44% increase in US red wine sales.
- Resveratrol, a polyphenol in grape skins, showed protective effects in lab studies. However, the doses needed in humans would require hundreds of bottles daily. The protective effect, if real, likely involves multiple compounds and overall dietary patterns (Mediterranean diet).
- Current Science
- The WHO classifies alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen. A 2018 Lancet study analyzing 28 million people concluded "the safest level of drinking is none." The J-curve hypothesis (moderate drinkers healthier than abstainers) is now attributed largely to confounding factors -- former drinkers who quit due to illness were counted as "abstainers."
- Moderate drinking guidelines (where they still exist):
- US: up to 1 drink/day women, 2 men
- UK: 14 units/week, no "safe" level
- Australia: max 10 standard drinks/week (2020 update)
- Ireland became the first country to mandate cancer warning labels on alcohol (2023, implementation 2026).
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Slide 20
The Global Drinks Industry
- $340B
- Global wine market (2023)
- $530B
- Global spirits market (2023)
- 292M
- Hectoliters of wine produced (2022)
- $482K
- Record bottle price (Romanee-Conti 1945)
- Top Wine Producers (2022, OIV)
- CountryVolume (mhl)
- Italy49.8
- France45.6
- Spain35.7
- USA22.4
- Australia12.7
- Spirits Conglomerates
- Diageo (UK): Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Guinness, Don Julio. Revenue: $20B+.
- LVMH / Moet Hennessy (France): Hennessy, Moet & Chandon, Dom Perignon, Glenmorangie.
- Pernod Ricard (France): Absolut, Jameson, Martell, The Glenlivet.
- Constellation Brands (US): Corona, Robert Mondavi, Kim Crawford.
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Slide 21
Climate Change & Wine's Future
- "Winemakers used to pray for warm vintages. Now they pray for cool ones."
- -- Gregory Jones, Southern Oregon University
- The Crisis
- Average harvest dates in Burgundy have advanced 13 days since 1988
- Alcohol levels in Napa Cabernet have risen from 12.5% (1980s) to 14.5%+ (2020s)
- Australia's 2020 bushfires caused $40M in smoke-tainted wine losses
- Spain and Southern Italy face desertification; some vineyards becoming unviable
- Champagne's average temperature has risen 1.1C since 1970, improving ripeness but threatening the region's signature acidity
- Adaptation
- New regions: England (sparkling wine tripled 2010-2020), Denmark, Sweden, even Norway now produce wine. Southern England's chalk soils mirror Champagne's geology.
- Altitude: Vineyards pushing higher -- Mendoza planting at 1,700m+, Etna up to 1,000m
- Ancient varieties: Heat-tolerant grapes (Xinomavro, Assyrtiko, Touriga Nacional) replacing cool-climate staples
- Viticulture: Later pruning, shade canopies, drought-resistant rootstocks, reduced irrigation
- Bordeaux authorized 6 new grape varieties in 2021 (including Touriga Nacional and Marselan) for climate adaptation
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Slide 22
The Future of Wine & Spirits
- No/Low Alcohol
- The fastest-growing category in drinks. No/low beer, wine, and spirits grew 7% by volume in 2022 (IWSR). Seedlip (non-alcoholic spirit, est. 2015) was acquired by Diageo. Dealcoholized wines use vacuum distillation or reverse osmosis. Gen Z drinks 20% less than Millennials at the same age.
- Sustainability
- Organic vineyard area grew 73% from 2012-2019 (OIV). Biodynamic certification (Demeter) is embraced by prestigious estates (Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Chapoutier). Natural wine -- minimal intervention, no added sulfites -- divides opinion but drives a growing market. Lighter bottles, recyclable packaging, carbon-neutral certifications are becoming standard.
- Technology
- Precision viticulture: Drones, satellite imaging, soil sensors optimize vineyard management. AI: Algorithms predict optimal harvest dates and blend compositions. Blockchain: Provenance tracking combats counterfeiting (a $3B+ problem in fine wine). Direct-to-consumer: Online wine sales grew 200%+ during COVID and remain elevated.
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Slide 23
Words on Wine
- "Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing."
- -- Ernest Hemingway
- "In victory, you deserve Champagne; in defeat, you need it."
- -- attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte
- "Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized."
- -- Andre Simon, wine writer
- "Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough."
- -- Mark Twain
- "The discovery of a good wine is increasingly better for mankind than the discovery of a new star."
- -- Leonardo da Vinci
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Slide 24
Further Reading & Resources
- Books
- The Oxford Companion to Wine -- Jancis Robinson (ed.). The definitive reference, now in its 5th edition (2023). 4,000+ entries.
- Wine Folly: Magnum Edition -- Madeline Puckette & Justin Hammack. Beautifully illustrated guide for beginners.
- The World Atlas of Wine -- Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson. 8th edition (2019). Indispensable region-by-region guide.
- Proof: The Science of Booze -- Adam Rogers. How chemistry, biology, and physics create spirits.
- And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails -- Wayne Curtis.
- Tasting Whiskey -- Lew Bryson. Comprehensive guide to whiskey styles worldwide.
- Documentaries
- SOMM (2012) -- Following four candidates pursuing the Master Sommelier exam (0.03% pass rate on first attempt).
- Sour Grapes (2016) -- The Rudy Kurniawan wine counterfeiting scandal ($20M+ in fake wine).
- Neat: The Story of Bourbon (2018) -- History and culture of American whiskey.
- A Year in Champagne (2014) -- Inside the Champagne houses through the seasons.
- Certifications
- WSET Levels 1-4 (Wine & Spirit Education Trust)
- Court of Master Sommeliers -- four levels, the pinnacle of service-oriented wine knowledge
- Master of Wine (MW) -- Only ~420 MWs worldwide
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