Untouched by Light – the world’s first sparkling wine made, sold and tasted in complete darkness
The best things happen in the dark. According to Professor Emerita Ann C. Noble*, the exposure of wine to daylight or artificial lighting results in what is commonly known as light-struck aromas (goût de lumière). For that reason Radgonske Gorice made a decision to turn to the dark side and produce their new sparkling wine, following a suggestion by Bruketa&Žinić&Grey.
This wine is unique because of its production process. The night vison goggles are used for harvest, bottle rotation and packing. The wine is left to age for two to three years in Gornja Radgona cave in Slovenia, where it is untouched by the outside world, completely lightproof. In the jargon of Radgonske gorice this is popularly known as the Crafted by Darkness method. Once out of the cave, the wine is protected in a black lightproof bottle, packed in a vacuum-sealed bag blocking any additional light or air contact.
Untouched by Light is made from the best Chardonnay grapes (100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs) using the famous inside-the-bottle French fermentation method. “The first 2016 vintage is extremely fresh, fruity and citrusy with the aftertaste of green tea and mint. There is a continuation from the nose to the mouth. Very delicate bubbles give creaminess to the wine. It’s like an echo, balancing between the softness and crispiness which are usually in contradiction, but here they are together.”, said Pierre-Yves Bournerias, the Oenologist from the Institut Oenologique de Champagne.
Radgonske Gorice winery has a 169-year-long tradition of sparkling wine production. It was inaugurated by Alojz Klenošek when Archduke John of Austria, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, expanded the wine production in this region. The tradition was ceaselessly cherished afterwards when the ownership of wine cellars was ceded to the Swiss-French Bouvier Family.
Untouched by Light is available via untouchedbylight.com.
PROJECT TEAM:
Radgonske gorice / Borut Cvetković (CEO), Andreja Novak (Marketing Manager), Klavdija Topolovec Špur (Oenologist)
Bruketa&Žinić&Grey / Tea Silvia Vlahović (Strategic Planning Director), Davor Bruketa (Creative Director), Mirna Ptiček (Art Director), Maša Ivanov (Client Service Director), Jelena Mihelčić (Head of Press Relations), Tomislav Zeljko (Event Manager), Ivor Marok (Event Executive), Vesna Đurašin (Production Manager), Vjekoslav Azenić (UX Designer), Ante Kantor and Marko Zabrdac (Account Executives), Ivan Tanić (Strategic Planning Director), Josip Buzov (Junior Strategic Planner), Ivo Payer (Creative Director/Case Video), Anja Pečovnik (Video Production Manager/Case Video), Javier Campopiano (CCO Grey Europe/Case Video)
Packaging: Kaligraf / Miho Karolyi, Rotoplast
Photo and Video: Domagoj Kunić, Imhotep
Juan Senor (Voiceover, Presenter)
Photo and Video: Domagoj Kunić, Imhotep
Juan Senor (Voiceover, Presenter)
[1] Noble, Ann C., Sensory study of the effect of flourescent light on a sparkling wine and its base wine, American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, Vol. 40, No. 4, 1989
