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🍇✨ BIG NEWS from Alsace —

🍷 From the 2025 vintage, 10 new grape varieties are officially allowed in Alsace AOC wines:

🔴 Reds & Rosé
• Coliris N
• Nebbiolo N (!!)
• Syrah N

⚪ Whites
• Johanniter B
• Opalor B
• Selenor B
• Voltis B
• Souvignier Gris G
• Rolle (aka Vermentino) B
• Chenin B

➡️ Max 5% of vineyard area per estate
➡️ Max 10% in any cuvée
➡️ ❌ No grape names on labels
➡️ ❌ Not allowed in Grands Crus, lieux-dits, VT/SGN, or communal wines

🥂 These grapes can still be used in both Alsace AOC and Crémant d’Alsace AOC wines.

Happy New Year! 🍾

Another year starting, new projects and goals, new dreams and ambitions - let’s make 2026 a successful wine study year!

Thank you to everyone who has been following this page and has believed in SommNinja until now. In 2020, when it all started I had hope to make wine exam preparation a bit more fun, accessible and efficient while on the go. So many of you have sent me lovely messages over the past few months to tell me how useful they find SommNinja and this means the world to me 🙏

I have witnessed many of our users reaching their study goals through competitions, court of master sommelier and WSET exams and each time I have been so happy for them.

I can’t wait to see more of you succeed this year ✨

I am honoured to share that SommNinja has just been awarded “Innovation “ at the 2025 Awards!

To all the talented winners alongside us - Congratulations and well done. Your work is inspiring. And a heartfelt thank you to the judging panel and the entire WINWSA team for recognising our passion for wine education, innovation and community.

This award isn’t just for me - it belongs to everyone of you who has followed us, supported and learned with SommNinja since its beginning in 2020. Your curiosity, feedback and enthusiasm drive everything we do.


✨Here is to many more bottles opened, wines discovered and knowledge shared - together 🥂

Thank you all 🙏


🍷

Happy Monday ! Wishing you all a super week!

🥂 Benvenuta, Casauria DOCG!

Italy has just unveiled a brand-new DOCG — say hello to Casauria DOCG!
After two years in the works, the EU made it official on November 11, 2025, marking Italy’s 79th DOCG and the third for Abruzzo.

📍 Where is Casauria?
Named after the Abbey of San Clemente a Casauria (founded in 871 by Louis II, Charlemagne’s great-grandson!), the new DOCG lies in the sun-drenched foothills of the Apennines, inland from Pescara.
Vineyards sit up to 600m (1,970 ft), soaking up mountain light and Adriatic breezes — perfect Montepulciano country.

🍇 Style: Dry Red Only
Casauria DOCG focuses exclusively on 100% Montepulciano, offering robust reds with:
✨ Intense ruby color (violet hues when young, garnet with age)
✨ Aromas of ripe red fruit + spice in youth
✨ Deeper complexity + wood notes with age or optional oak
Think structure, depth, and classic Abruzzo character.

⏳ Aging Requirements:
Casauria DOCG: minimum 18 months aging
Riserva: minimum 24 months (starting Nov 1 after harvest)

Minimum ABV: 13% (13.5% for Riserva)

All production, aging, and bottling must occur within the zone.

🌄 Previously a subzone of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Casauria now steps into the spotlight as its own terroir-driven DOCG — a well-deserved recognition for this historic pocket of Abruzzo.

🍷🇪🇸 Happy International Tempranillo Day!

Spain’s most famous red grape — and the backbone of Rioja, Ribera del Duero, and beyond — takes center stage today.

The name Tempranillo comes from “temprano” (meaning early), a nod to how this variety ripens ahead of most others. But don’t let its punctuality fool you — in the right hands, Tempranillo makes wines built to age gracefully for decades.

✨ Tasting Snapshot:
Ripe red berries 🍓, plum 🍒, to***co leaf 🍂, and a touch of vanilla from oak — balanced by that signature silky structure and savory spice.

🌿 Fun fact for wine pros: Tempranillo’s chameleon nature lets it express terroir beautifully — from Rioja’s elegant finesse to Ribera’s power, or the fruit-driven charm of Toro and La Mancha. It’s even thriving abroad in Portugal (as Tinta Roriz/Aragonês) and in parts of Australia and the U.S.!

🥂 Raise a glass to Tempranillo — versatile, timeless, and unmistakably Spanish.

🍷💜 Happy International Merlot Day!

Soft, supple, and seriously underestimated — today we celebrate the grape that gives us some of the world’s most beloved reds: Merlot.

From the silky elegance of Right Bank Bordeaux (think Pomerol & Saint-Émilion) to the plush, fruit-forward styles of California, Chile, and beyond, Merlot proves it can be both approachable and profound.

✨ Tasting Snapshot:

Ripe plum 🍑, black cherry 🍒, chocolate 🍫, and a whisper of herbs 🌿 — all wrapped in a velvety texture that makes Merlot effortlessly charming.

💡 Fun fact for wine pros: Merlot ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, which is why it’s often used to add softness and mid-palate depth to Bordeaux blends. But on its own, it’s capable of incredible finesse, structure, and longevity.

Whether you love it lush and New World or restrained and Old World, Merlot’s magic lies in balance — fruit, texture, and heart.

🥂 Here’s to the grape that reminds us that smooth doesn’t mean simple.

👉 What’s your favorite Merlot region or producer? Drop your go-to bottle below! 👇

🍇 News Flash for France! 🇫🇷🍷

As of October 2025, the Graves Supérieures AOC has officially been declassified by the INAO (Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité) and cancelled by the EU. In plain terms — the Graves Supérieures AOC is no more.

✨ A bit of history:
Created in 1937, the Graves Supérieures AOC was located in the southern part of Bordeaux’s Left Bank and was known exclusively for its sweet, botrytis-affected white wines made from Bordeaux’s classic white grapes.
But sweet wine fans, don’t panic! 🙌

These luscious wines aren’t disappearing — they’ll now be bottled under the Graves AOC, which continues to cover both dry reds and dry whites as well.

🍯 Here’s what’s new for sweet whites under the Graves AOC:

- Grapes: Sémillon (mainly), Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle
- Grapes must be overripe and hand-harvested in successive selections
- Minimum potential alcohol: 13.5%
- Chaptalization and use of rectified grape must are allowed
- Minimum residual sugar: 34 g/L

Happy Monday!

🍷🇬🇷 Happy International Xinomavro Day!

From the rugged hills of Naoussa, Amyndeon, and Goumenissa, Xinomavro (pronounced ksee-NO-ma-vro) stands tall as one of Greece’s most noble red grapes.

Its name means “acid black”, and that’s exactly what it delivers — high acidity, firm tannins, and deep color, making it one of the Mediterranean’s most age-worthy reds.

✨ Tasting snapshot:

Think sun-dried tomato, red cherry, olive tapenade, and spice, all wrapped in an earthy, savory complexity that often reminds sommeliers of Nebbiolo.

🌿 Fun fact: Xinomavro is known for its incredible versatility — from elegant still reds to structured rosés and even distinctive sparkling wines from Amyndeon.

It’s a grape of contrast and character — rustic yet refined, traditional yet timeless.

🥂 Today, we raise a glass to Greece’s great red — a wine that proves complexity and authenticity never go out of style.

👉 Have you poured or tasted Xinomavro recently? Which producer or region impressed you most?

👻🍷 It’s getting spooky… and a little Somm-thing special is brewing!

To celebrate Halloween, we’re giving you 15% off any SommNinja membership! 🥂

Whether you’re brushing up on wine theory or exploring regions — it’s the perfect time to join (or upgrade!).

🎃 Use code HALLOWINE at checkout.

⏰ Offer valid until Sunday November 2nd, 23:59 GMT.

Don’t ghost this deal — it disappears faster than a glass of Barolo on a Friday night. 🍇

🧡 Go to app.sommninja.com to unlock your 15% treat — no tricks, just great wine learning!

Last week of October. Make it a great one!

Happy Monday!