What is terroir and does it matter?

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Wine Business

Terroir

What is terroir, and does it matter? Terroir is a French word without a simple English translation. The Oxford Companion to Wine devotes a couple of pages to the subject. However, my favourite explanation is much more succinct. It comes from literature: “For nitrates are not the land, nor phosphates and the length of fibre in the cotton is not the …

Share this Post

Le Fornaci – an exciting Lugana white wine from Tommasi

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Italy, Lombardia, Sustainability, Travel, Veneto, Wine Business

Tommasi Le Fornaci Lugana DOC

Le Fornaci – an exciting Lugana white wine from Tommasi Le Fornaci is an ongoing wine project by the Tommasi family. It’s in the Lugana DOC on the southern tip of Lake Garda. Gradually, this project has come to fruition, and the latest 2020 release is a beauty. (Update – so is 2021). Here’s why. Tommasi Tommasi is arguably so …

Share this Post

SWGB: sustainability and using glass wine bottles

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Climate Emergency, England and Wales, Sustainability, Wine Business

Grape Britannia shelves, used by courtesy of WineGB

SWGB: sustainability and using glass wine bottles Sustainability isn’t a “nice to have” these days, it’s an essential part of business success, and wine growing is no exception. In an exciting development, WineGB (English and Welsh wine’s national association) commenced a new environmental sustainability scheme last year. It’s called SWGB, standing for Sustainable Wines of Great Britain. The SWGB code affirms that members …

Share this Post

Rightweighting Glass Wine Bottles

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Climate Emergency, Sustainability, Wine Business

Rightweighting - bottle making

Rightweighting Glass Wine Bottles Suppose that we had the technology to create a “wonder material” to package wine? It would need some essential properties. For example, it would come from abundant natural materials. And be completely inert, not affect the taste and have the ability to preserve the wine for decades. It would come in a range of shapes and …

Share this Post

Unblocked: 20 Minutes Into The Future, Part 5

Paul Howard Articles, Blockchain, Blog, Wine Business

Max Headroom 20 Minutes Into the Future ©All3Media

Unblocked: 20 Minutes Into The Future, Part 5 Part 4 described how Blockchain will be used in the wine industry to guarantee wine quality, safety and origins. In this final Part 5 of Unblocked, it’s time to imagine what the future of Blockchain and Wine will be. The road ahead This is what the road ahead looks like right now. It’s …

Share this Post

Unblocked: from Grape 2 Glass, Part 4

Paul Howard Articles, Blockchain, Blog, Wine Business

Consumer trust

Unblocked: from Grape 2 Glass, Part 4 Part 3 took a look at wine frauds. Because of wine and food scandals, consumers distrust the system and are increasingly demanding traceability & transparency about food and wine. In wine, this ideally needs to exist all the way from grape 2 glass. As you know, we now have lots of complicated wine …

Share this Post

Unblocked: a brief history of wine fraud, Part 3

Paul Howard Articles, Blockchain, Blog, Wine Business

Wine frauds

Unblocked: a brief history of wine fraud, Part 3 Wine Frauds – a short detour Wine Fraud exploits wine industry processes in many ways. The rewards are high, while the chances of being caught are small. Penalties such as fines and imprisonment tend to be light too. Wine fraud damages everyone. This slide lists ten major wine frauds that are all a …

Share this Post

Unblocked: the Trust Machine, Part 2

Paul Howard Articles, Blockchain, Blog, Wine Business

The Blockchain Trust Machine components

Unblocked: the Trust Machine, Part 2 Part 1 claimed that the Blockchain is a Trust Machine. But what is it? The Blockchain has several essential elements that combine to make it a Trust Machine. The Ledger is a critical part. It’s just a database; recording transactions, assets, locations and anything else. The clever bit is that the Ledger sits on a …

Share this Post

Unblocked: the revolution will not be centralised, Part 1

Paul Howard Articles, Blockchain, Blog, Wine Business

Unblocked From grape2glass

Unblocked: the revolution will not be centralised, Part 1 Unblocked is an edited version of my business presentation about Blockchain and wine. This was made at venues including  wine2wine in Verona, called “From grape2glass – demystifying the Blockchain”. The goal was to show at a high level how Blockchain will transform the wine industry. In short, the goal was for the audience …

Share this Post

wine2wine Verona – No Dry Ice or Flying Pigs

Paul Howard Articles, Blockchain, Blog, Wine Business

wine2wine Verona. Giving it some.

wine2wine Verona – No Dry Ice or Flying Pigs I’ve recently returned from wine2wine Verona. As previewed here, it lived up to its billing as a leading forum for the wine business worldwide. What makes a great conference? What makes a great Conference? I reckon that the following essentials are on anybody’s list: Learning something new that can make a positive …

Share this Post