The crazy last ten years

Academic knowledge of the world of wine is necessary, as a basis and foundation. All those WSET courses and derivatives, encyclopedic knowledge as foundations on which to continue moving forward.

But that said, what is happening in the last ten or fifteen years and, above all, at the frenetic pace at which it is happening, forces you to a permanent update, to endless learning. And all this happens worldwide. There are thousands of new talents contributing new visions, or recovering old ones in an updated way, and this happens both in emerging or “new” areas and in the most classic and historical wine regions.

Of course, we have cases of wineries, authors and styles that have succumbed and will continue to perish because they do not have a generational relief, but the majority are the opposite cases, where new generations take over, together with the new actors that appear. In this new scenario, these actors no longer conform to the bureaucracy cutting their wings: if they cannot do what they think is appropriate to achieve their goal because the “regulation” prevents it, many of them renounce the regulation, labeling their wines outside the imposed bureaucracy.

Using Deleuze / Guattari terminology, the molecular is overflowing with the molar, the rhizome grows uncontrollably and overflows at the root, living times where that fragile balance is shown in apparent chaos.

If we talk about Italy, it is no longer about the spectacular advance of the South, about the revolution of Sicily and its regal volcano, but about such “classic” zones (appropriate quotes) as Barolo or Barbaresco, where activity and changes are vibrant ( stand for a moment to measure the size of an area like Barbaresco). It is not only about the commercial lesson that Prosecco gives Cava, but about the enhancement of great white wines, or the explosion of native varieties and the “hell” of natural wines, wherever you go.

For some time now there is no point in any of the old debates: Old and New World, Traditional and Modern, Varietal or Blend, Cru or mix of Crus. Even the borders between Atlantic, Continental, Mediterranean and many other dichotomies, remain as reactionary and totally outdated arguments.

In case some more spice was missing to season the stew, we have Climate Change going crazy, yes, also in the world of wine.

Nothing new in the Vineyard of the Lord ... is a mathematical question: more knowledge multiplied by more speed and elevated to globalized information ... with an exponential result, for better and for worse.

Welcome to the 21st century. Whoever dares, to show how "dogmatic" is ...

Vibrant, exciting and even chilling ... place your bets and, if you are engaged in this matter, put the batteries on yourself ...

Salvador Lopez

salva@spaincultureandmore.ca