Untouched by Light – Sparkling Wine Crafted by Darkness

Untouched by Light – the world’s first sparkling wine made, sold and tasted in complete darkness has now launched.

Research shows that the exposure of wine to daylight or artificial lighting results in light-struck aromas

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 the best things happen in the dark. According to Professor Emerita Ann C. Noble1, 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.

This wine is unique because of its production process. The night vision 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 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 a 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, Winemaker Consultant from the Institut Oenologique de Champagne.

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.”

The online world premiere of the Untouched by Light sparkling wine took place online on October 1.

While the winery is currently in search of local distributors across the globe, the limited 2,000 samples of the 2016 Untouched by Light vintage are now available for orders on untouchedbylight.com only.