Penedès To Become World's First 100% Organic Wine D.O.
Image Source: Tim Mossholder
In 2025, the Spanish Penedès region, just south of Barcelona, will formalize the area's common production practices and become the world's first 100% organic wine-producing D.O. (Denominación de Origen, a regulated geographic designation). The region currently produces 18 million bottles of still wine and 1 million bottles of sparkling wine a year. In addition to the organic requirement, D.O. Penedès plans to prioritize its indigenous white Xarel.lo grape, which provides the acidic backbone to its famous Cava sparkling wine. Pop the cork for Penedès protecting its good name in the wine world.
Barcelona "Drinkery" Sips Named World’s Best Bar
Image Source: Sips
Step aside New York and London: the "World's Best Bar" has now resided in Barcelona, Spain, for two years running. This year, the "World's 50 Best" organization named Sips to the top spot. (Last year, Barcelona's Paradiso bar won the coveted title.) Judges loved Sips' inventive cocktails, multi-sensory drinking experience, and playful “bar without a bar,” where bartenders serve drinks from behind a futuristic workstation rather than a fixed counter. New York’s Double Chicken Please, which was recently crowned North America’s Best Bar, took the runner-up slot on the global list, while Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy rounded out the top three. Cheers y'all!
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Winemakers Explore The Science of Oxidative Wines
Image Source: Thomas Martinsen
Oxidized wine is considered flawed with muddied colors, muted flavors, and degraded aromas. However, "oxidative" wine can be completely delicious. The difference? A strategic employment of oxygen during the winemaking process. For instance, introducing the element early on can help remove excess thiolic (rotten egg) aromas while breaking down astringent tannins and softening the mouthfeel of wine. Some winemakers have even begun using oxygen instead of sulfites to create complex, cellar-worthy bottles of white wine. Read on to uncork the details.
New Synthetic Alcohol Promises The Buzz Without A Hangover
Image Source: Kobby Mendez
“It feels like what a glass of wine feels like,” says Dr. David Nutt, chief scientific officer at London-based GABA Labs. “It feels relaxing. It makes you a bit more chatty, a bit more socially engaged with people.” That's Alcarelle, Nutt's new synthetic alcohol which targets GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) receptors in the brain, releasing feel-good dopamine and serotonin but nothing more. Designed for nonalcoholic drinks, Alcarelle has no flavor and promises to get you tipsy without the headache. Nutt's GABA labs aims to complete U.S. food-safety testing by mid-2026 and launch in European markets soon thereafter. Here's to clear-headed drinking!
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