Usually politicians go to wine fairs to enjoy the product, not to be assailed by irate winemakers.
That's what happened to Spain's prime minister this week, which has been a politically tumultuous one around the world. Still, things turned out a little easier for Brazil's president, who celebrated his wedding with a modest line-up of libations that wouldn't have sparked the slightest response from even his most ardent critics.
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Let's take a look at what else has been happening this week.
Spanish premier booed at wine fair
Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez didn't exactly get the reception he was hoping for at the country's National Wine Fair (Feria Nacional del Vino) in Ciudad Real this week. Shouts of "out, out!" were head on his arrival, along with boos and jeers, as members from across the nation's wine industry voiced their displeasure with the government's handling of a range of issues.
According to digital media outlet El Debate, many in the industry blame the Sánchez administration for a lackluster aid response following the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, not least over its effect on wine sales and on the wider restaurant trade and tourism generally.
Other issues include the handling of the US trade tariff war which has hit numerous EU countries while former US president Donald Trump was in office; the distribution of EU aid packages, which members of the agricultural sector say is not being channeled to them in a commensurate fashion; and a suspicion that the left-wing government is siding with the health lobby in the European debate over wine labeling and health warnings around wine consumption.
"He shouldn't be surprised if his harvest of votes from the agricultural sector is worse than a harvest in a year without rain," one disgruntled Wine Fair attendee said.
Lula da Silva's wedding wine list revealed
More from the world of politicians as Brazilian president Lula da Silva tied the knot this week with the 200 guests at the politician's wedding treated to a lineup of wines covering domestic and foreign producers. The 76 year-old head of Brazil's left-wing opposition party, the Partido de los Trabajadores (PT), married sociologist, party activist and noted feminist Rosângela da Silva, 55, also known by her nickname "Janja".
The wedding, which took place in Buenos Aires on Wednesday night, was shrouded in secrecy with the guests (ranging between 150 and 200, according to reports) banned from bringing their mobile phones. While the right-wing press and members of Jair Bolsonaro's ruling Liberal Party attempted to cast the wedding (Lula's third) as a lavish affair in contrast to Lula's working class calling card, there was certainly no great extravagance on the wine list.
For bubbles, Lula, who is widely tipped to win Brazil's forthcoming general election (for which voting begins in October), didn't reach for anything so bourgeois as Champagne, plumping instead for a domestically produced brut from Cave Geisse in the Serra Gaucha (available at a humble $22 a bottle in Brazilian wine shops).
The couple then followed up with a Freixenet Sauvignon Blanc and a Mosquita Muerta Perro Callejero Blend de Malbec from neighbor Argentina's Uco Valley – the latter available in Brazil for around $17. According to news outlet TN, the beer was Heineken.
Surely the first time a politician has stuck to a budget?
Russia turns to China and friends for wine
The Russian wine industry is turning to producers in China, India and Turkey as US and EU sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine start to bite. According to French wine news site Vitisphere.com, major Russian drinks importers Ladoga and Luding are turning to "friendly states" to fill the gap of wines from more traditional markets.
"According to [Luding's] marketing manager, Andrey Ushakov, the company is in negotiations with wine producers in China and Turkey," said the French publication, which cited a report in Russian daily broadsheet Izvestia. Other countries, including Brazil and South Africa, have also been touted.
Just how much of the shortfall can be made up is questionable, however.
"A big question mark remains over the ability of Chinese or Indian wine imports to fill the void left by EU countries," it concluded. "Traditionally, Italian, French and Spanish wines accounted for around 60 percent of the total value of Russia's wine imports."
Wine region launches tourist backpack
The Hérault and Gard wine regions (and departments) of the Languedoc in southern France and Entre-deux-Mers in Bordeaux have launched a vineyard tourist's backpack to help tourists gain a better understanding of the regions and their wines.
Dubbed the "comporte", after the local name for the grape tub carried on harvesters' backs during harvest, the pack includes reusable wine glasses, odor samples to train your sense of smell, a set of challenges, a corkscrew, a pair of binoculars and an itinerary of vineyard walks of varying difficulty. The pack is loaned for free for 24 hours.
It falls into range of initiatives to develop tourism around wine in conjunction with hotels and restaurants near the vineyards," project manager Magali Léon-Philip told regional radio station France Bleu. "There are more and more people who are looking to travel on foot or by bike. Our project is indeed looking to offer a fun time with the family."
The Comporte is being rolled out in the central Hérault; in the Minervois, Saint-Chinian, Faugères and "Haut-Languedoc" areas; Vidourle Camargue in the Gard, east of Montpelier; and on the Route des vins de Bordeaux in Entre-deux-Mers.
According to regional radio station France Bleu, the project was financed by a €72,000 ($76,000) grant from the European Union.
Natural wine travels by barge
A cargo of natural Beaujolais wine, local cheeses and building materials made up the first consignment in a trial to demonstrate the viability of riverine transport between Beaujolais and the city of Lyon on Wednesday. Leaiving Villefranche-sur-Saône, 30km (18 miles) north of Lyon at the southern end of the Beaujolais wine region at 5am, the barge took four hours to putter down the Rhône river to reach central Lyon.
The 30kg of cheese and 57 six-bottle cases (342 bottles) of Beaujolais were unloaded in front of a number of local representatives to a waiting cargo-bike on the quayside. The barge made an additional stop to unload construction materials, also loaded in Villefranche-sur-Saône.
The event was all part of an intiative by numerous local figures to re-introduce the possibility of riverine transport of local goods – all in a bid to reduce emissions.
"We started with how we would transport wine," Mathieu Gleizes of Lyon-based Medlink Ports association told local news provider Rue89Lyon. "We wanted to show that it was possible to do things with existing infrastructure."
"To strengthen the city's food autonomy and to meet the needs of a Low Emission Zone (ZFE), you have to go through other types of transport anyway," said Fabien Michel at commercial construction company Eiffage.
According to Rue89Lyon, an 80-meter barge (like the one used) is capable of transporting 800 tons of cargo or 28 lorries. Which is a lot of natty Beaujolais.
Verona's 5Star Wines winners join Wine-Searcher listings
The Verona-based 5Star Wines competition (along with the sustainable initiative Wine Without Walls), which is held just prior to the major Italian wine fair Vinitaly has just been added to Wine-Searcher.com's Awards listings. From now, Wine-Searcher users will be able to see the scores and reviews of the 5Star Wines winners on the website.
This year, the selection saw 72 international judges, all experienced wine professionals, taste and evaluate over 2300 wines, submitted by more than 700 producers. An impressive 960 wines received scores of 90 and above.
Of the 960 wines, just over 300 fell into the Wine Without Walls category, which is dedicated to certified organic and/or biodynamic wines, or wines produced by sustainability certified operations.
The competition, held in conjunction with Vinitaly, is overseen by General Chairs (and high-profile wine industry figures) Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW, Gabriele Gorelli MW, Daniele Cernilli, Caro Maurer MW, Robert Joseph abd Bernard Burtschy.
