SPARKLING IDEAS

From AGEING WINE UNDER THE SEA to creating the world’s LIGHTEST CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE, these producers are driving ambitious innovations to usher in the next generation of winemaking

Julie

Champagne

Marco Bacci was on board his yacht when he was first inspired to try a completely revolutionary way to age his wine. As the owner and CEO of the award-winning Bacci Wine Group, he noticed that the bottles of wine which had slipped to the bottom of the yacht had matured surprisingly well. “The quality was great, much better than at the cellar in the winery,” says Bacci.

Feeding Consciousness

“As someone who likes to innovate, I’m grateful that adopted technology as my medium,” says digital artist Dominic Harris. His recent exhibition ‘Feeding Consciousness’ at Halcyon Gallery deployed AI and machine learning to create interactive artworks.

He realised that the ingredients required to create optimal wine ageing conditions could all be found in the Tyrrhenian Sea, right beside his Terre di Talamo vineyard in Tuscany. “16°C is the perfect temperature to age red wine, the stable temperature at 35 metres deep,” he says. The depth has the added benefit of applying the ideal amount of pressure and light, while storms do the job of gently rotating the bottles. “All those factors made a beautiful environment in which to mature red wine,” says Bacci.

It took four years battling with bureaucracy to get the relevant permissions from the government. “The main issue was having to explain something that had never been done before,” Bacci says. “I was so convinced about the quality that I never thought to give up.”

Champagne Telmont was founded on revolution. Established in 1912 near Épernay in northern France by local winegrower Henri Lhôpital in the wake of the Champagne Riots, today the Maison counts Rémy Cointreau as a majority stakeholder and the Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio as an investor.

This is thanks to Champagne Telmont’s uncompromising commitment to sustainability. Not only has the Maison pledged that by 2025, 100% of its vines will be certified organic, it is on a mission to become, by 2030, the first Climate Positive Champagne house, and to be Net Positive by 2050. Achieving these goals requires a reduction of their carbon footprint of at least 90%.

One of their first innovations has been to create the world’s lightest Champagne bottle, in partnership with French glassmaker, Verallia. Realising that the glass used in its bottles accounted for 24% of its total carbon emissions, Champagne Telmont began experimenting with creating lighter (and therefore less emission-heavy) bottles. At just 800 grams, it is 35 grams lighter than today’s standard Champagne bottle, with a significantly smaller carbon footprint. Despite their ultra-lightweight design, the bottles are able to withstand up to twice the pressure found in a car tyre. The first batch of the revolutionary Réserve de la Terre will be available to buy in 2026.