#WeeklyWineWrap: Chilean winemaker experiments with dynamite in subsoil

Chilean winemaker experiments with dynamite in subsoil of his vineyards
The gist of it: Trailblazing Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes Sr has revealed that he is experimenting with dynamite to monitor its effects on subsoils in his vineyards. Essentially he is blasting holes into the soil to allow for deeper root growth without added irrigation. He told Drinks Business that it is an expensive experiment and that dynamite is tricky to get hold off, but that he feels that it is important to keep innovating and experimenting in order to move forward. Read more here.

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Futuristic winery revealed in Bordeaux

The gist of it: A futuristic winery and cellar designed by renowned French architect Phillippe Starck to look like ‘a raw metal blade plunged into the terroir’ has officially opened at Chateau les Carmes Haut-Brion in Bordeaux. The 2,000 square metre cellar, designed by Starck and Luc Arsène-Henry, is clad in stainless steel panels and is partly submerged in a man-made lake. Spread across three floors, it contains a vat house, a barrel cellar, a series of reception rooms and a large roof terrace. Work on the cellar began in 2014 and completed in time for the 2015 harvest, with the cellar officially opened at a ceremony held at the Pessac-Léognan wine estate this week. Read more here.

Bonus fact: If this tickled your fancy, you may be interested in having a gander at other cellars and wineries that boast innovative architectural design.

You can now go for a hike and explore Wellington’s wine region at the same time

The gist of it: If you love the outdoors, wine-tasting, walking and exploring scenic trails, we just found the ideal walking holiday for you - Wellington Wine Walk offers a range or excursions that range from two to four days that will allow you to explore old historic wine farms, indulge in delicious country cuisine and meet the region’s most fascinating farmers and producers. Read more here.

Bonus fact: If you need any inspiration for wine-related travels abroad, here is a neat little list of travel destinations that will bring out the oenophile in you.

San Francisco bioengineers reconstruct famous wines without any grapes, fermentation

The gist of it: A group of bioengineers in San Francisco, under the leadership of Alec Lee, is creating wines without any grapes, yeast or fermentation. They do so by analysing molecular profiles of select wine and reconstructing it as a bio-identical match to established vintages. Right now the startup is focused on replicating three wines - a Moscato d’Asti, a Dom Perignon and a Pinot Noir. It’s not all fun and games however - quantifying straight out of the bottle is hard to do. The biggest challenge is figuring out the concentrations of the 80 to 200 compounds that make up a given wine. Read more here.

2016 Juliet Cullinan Standard Bank Wine Festival a great success!

The gist of it: The 2016 Juliet Cullinan Wine Festival finally took place at Summer Place, Hyde Park last week! Wine lovers arrived in their droves and indulged in some of the Cape’s finest vintages while enjoying a wide array of wine-related delights that included 3D virtual winery tours, innovative food and wine pairings, master classes by the Cape Wine Academy and an opportunity to partake in the South African Wine Tasting Championship. Keep an eye on the Juliet Cullinan Wines website and social media for information on next year’s event.

And that is it for this week! Keep an eye out for next week’s Weekly Wine Wrap to stay informed of all the most interesting happenings in the world of wine both locally and abroad. We read all the boring stuff, so you don’t have to.