Following the announcement made a year ago Radgonske Gorice have now officially launched a new sparkling wine brand called Untouched by Light. This sparkling wine’s motto is that 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, according to a suggestion made 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.

Radgonske Gorice and Bruketa&Žinić&Grey have recently staged the Untouched by Light global launch press event. The event was held simultaneously in Gornja Radgona, for local partners, and online, for international wine critics and journalists. Fifty-odd selected reporters, including those writing for The New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, Independent, Der Spiegel, Kurier and many others, from the US, Europe and China joined the premiere.

Over Zoom, all of them were able to follow the broadcast of opening and tasting of the first Untouched by Light bottle, which took place in pitch darkness of the cave, under the night vision goggles. At the same time they could also taste their own wine sample, sent prior to the event to their home address, together with guidelines for wine tasting in the dark.

“Untouched by Light is unique, premium sparkling wine, with which we hope to position Radgonske Gorice winery in the global market. It is highly recommendable to taste this wine in pitch darkness in good company, because the best things happen in the dark,” Borut Cvetkovič from Radgonske Gorice said.

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 sommelier from the Institut Oenologique de Champagne, who was the first to taste the wine.

The winery’s oenologist Klavdija Topolovec Špur said: “Untouched by Light is a sparkling wine inspiration. Special harvesting by night, when it’s cold, using small crates; the grape processing method, but above all late maturation in complete darkness – all of that can be found embedded in the character of this wine. We can now taste both the wine and the fullness of its terroir. The last piece of the puzzle is the tradition of sparkling wine production in Radgonske Gorice winery, buttressed by profound knowledge and state-of-the-art technology.”

While the winery is currently in search of local distributors across the globe, the limited 2000 samples of the 2016 Untouched by Light vintage are now available for orders on untouchedbylight.com only.

Radgonske Gorice winery from Slovenia has a 168-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.

Radgonske gorice / Andreja Novak (Marketing Manager), Borut Cvetkovič (CEO), Klavdija Topolovec Špur (Oenologist), Sandi Brumen (Sales Manager), Katja Kovič (Export Manager), Melita Belec Serec (Dom penine Manager), Kaja Španbauer (Sales Specialist), Amadeja Tacer (Sales Specialist), Živa Kralj (Sales Specialist)

Bruketa&Žinić&Grey / Davor Bruketa (Creative Director), Jelena Mihelčić (Head of Press Relations), Tomislav Zeljko (Event Manager), Maša Ivanov (Client Service Director), Ivor Marok (Event Executive), Radovan Radičević (Head of DTP/Pre-press), Vesna Đurašin (Production Manager), Vedran Firkelj (Head of Digital Production)

Streaming.hr i DBOKI sound & light (Partners)
Imhotep (Event Photo & Video)
Domagoj Kunić (Studio Photography)