Untouched by Light is a new sparkling wine produced by the Slovenian winery Radgonske Gorice. The name of the wine is unusual; however, it is inspired by the production process. It is the first sparkling wine which is developed in absolute darkness; from harvest to bottling in opaque black glass bottles. Until now, no one has ever produced a wine like this.

The idea of creating this sparkling wine in the dark arises from an old study from 1989. It was done by the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture (you can read it here). The study concluded that light rays could damage the aroma and the taste of the wines. This happens because ultraviolet rays break down the riboflavin of the wine and cause photo-oxidation, the formation of methanethiol, methyl sulphide and hydrogen sulphide.

Therefore, the Radgonske Gorice winery came up with a solution on how to make a wine that never sees the light of day. To achieve this the harvest is done on moonless nights with the help of night vision goggles. The subsequent handling, bottle rotation, packaging, etc. are also carried out in the dark. The winery uses the Traditional method (Champenoise) to carry out the second fermentation in the bottle. At the end of the process, the wine is rebottled in black bottles before a final maturation of three years.

The winery will only produce 2000 bottles of Untouched by Light made with Chardonnay grapes which will be ready in 2020. The wine is presented in a black aluminium bag to further ensure the “untouched by light” guarantee. However, for now, we are still left to wonder whether this is a marketing ploy or if this peculiar elaboration will really shine at the tasting.

If this wine has caught your interest, you can reserve your Untouched by Light on the official website.

You may also be interested in …

The president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association has stated that Bourbon boom has reached a new peak after the end of prohibition.

Kentucky distilleries produce 95% of bourbon and filled 1.2 million whiskey barrels compared with last year. These figures are the highest achieved in 40 years and were announced in a statement from the association.

Eric Gregory, president of the association said: ?We are in the greatest time of expansion since the end of Prohibition?.

Bourbon is distilled from corn, it’s delicious thanks to its caramel flavor, and many of us find it attractive because of its golden color, since as a rule it must be stored for 5 years in oak barrels. The increased production to meet demand is an action that must be taken by Kentucky producers immediately. In fact, Diageo, owner of Bulleit Distillers, has announced it will spend $ 115 million to create a new larger distillery.

According to Gregory, the group members have spent $ 500 million (which translates to 386 million Euro) to add more bottling lines, warehouses and jobs in the last years to meet growing demand.

The Association expects the number of Kentucky bourbon makers to continue rising until growing up to 40 operational and licensed distillers.

Illinois is the place that has come to produce greater amounts of bourbon and it would be interesting to know in a short time the production figures for areas to better understand this boom in demand and sales.

This increase in sales and demand result in profits and new challenges for bourbon distillers, and shows us the rise of this wonderful distillate, which becomes fashionable to delight palates worldwide.

Do you like bourbon? Then we suggest:

Bulleit Bourbon

Bulleit Bourbon

Bourbon Old Virginia 1L

Bourbon Old Virginia 1L

Whisky Mcafee’s Benchmark No 8 Straight Bourbon

Whisky Mcafee’s Benchmark No 8 Straight Bourbon

Enjoying wine, beer or spirits in moderation and prudence is very important to avoid accidents, since drinking and driving is one of the factors that most influence mortality on road, a problem that, year after year, despite the efforts of authorities, remains a concern for society. Other countries, in addition to applying classical control methods, are performing research on applying new technologies to the detection of this type of dangerous and reckless behaviour.

Specifically, at the Institute of Optoelectronics, Military University of Technology in Warsaw (Poland), scientists Jaroslaw Mlynczak, Jan Kubicki and Krzysztof Kopczyski have developed a new system to detect alcohol vapour inside moving vehicles using a laser. Thus it would be possible, without the need for classical breathalyzer test, to find out if the driver or any of the passengers of a car has significant levels of alcohol, thus being able to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the methods used so far.

The study, published in the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, and according to the information contained in the website Thedrinksbusiness, details the ability of the device, which uses stand-off detection to record alcohol vapour as low as 0,1%. The system, in the future, could be also applied to detect other substances, and although at the moment there are certain limitations on the ability to “trick” the device (opening the car windows or putting on these typical sunscreens), these data can be easily collected to inform the authorities and perform an individual inspection.

The device of course is still under development and it may take some time until it has direct application, since it will be necessary to calibrate all the above factors for optimum accuracy, avoiding errors and possible fraud attempts.

Grant’s 1L

Grant’s 1L

The Famous Grouse 1L

The Famous Grouse 1L

American billionaire Donald Trump has acquired, in a lightning operation, 99% of the shares of the House of Moët & Chandon Champagne cellar.

Apparently, the new owner´s purpose is to transplant the vines, from Champagne to Napa Valley, so the famous champagne cellar would be the first winery to “physically” change his nationality.

This is not such a new idea, before that Mr. Trump had bought a French château to move it, stone by stone, to Las Vegas. Now that seems a more delicate operation, because they are living plants that require time to adapt to a different climate and weather conditions.

To arrange the transfer, Donald Trump has purchased a fleet of sailing boats, because, according to the winemakers, “the vibration of the engines of a conventional ship or plane could affect plants. “

The 2011 vintage, then, could be the first producin’ a Moet Chandon Rose Magnum produced in Napa Valley, United States, instead of Champagne, France.