Weird and wonderful facts from MW Symposium

I’ve just returned from an intensive four days tasting and listening to inspirational speakers at the MW Symposium in Florence. It was an excellent trip – we were looked after so well by our Italian hosts and it was a joy to taste so many excellent wines, many of which were made from grape varieties I have never heard of. And to meet so many interesting people from all over the world who work with wine in various ways.

So here are some miscellaneous facts from the symposium that are variously fascinating, funny, alarming and downright bizarre!

There are 5 – 6000 grape cultivars worldwide

Global temperatures are rising and the climate is much more variable and unpredictable

Differences in terroir may be due to microbial populations of a vineyard

Austrian wine exports and Conchita Wurst: both rising like a phoenix

Cabernet Sauvignon is now the most planted grape variety in the world

India has the lowest per capita wine consumption in the world at 12 ml

Costco has 14% margin on everything

Wine people, including MWs, like to dance. Not always well, but they like to dance. 

GM vines – weapons of mass destruction

There are 318 grape varieties in France. Over 700 in Italy

playing the ukelele can help stuck fermentations

Mount Etna is a very trendy wine region

By 2050, many of today’s wine regions will be unviable due to global warming…

…..  and that includes the Languedoc. 

So I reckon I’ll head back to my roots for my dotage.  Domaine Sheriffmuir Pinot Noir anyone?