Hyrra Features the Latest and Most Talked-About Topstories News and Headlines from Around the World.
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Joe Rogan lauds Terence Crawford’s unbeaten run in the ring, fans say boxer is ‘getting the attention he deserves’
Joe Rogan lauds Terence Crawford’s unbeaten run in the ring, fans say boxer is ‘getting the attention he deserves’
Joe Rogan showered Terence Crawford with praise on social media ahead of his 'JRE' podcast episode with him
2023-08-20 16:54
Otto Pérez Molina: Guatemalan ex-leader pleads guilty to corruption
Otto Pérez Molina: Guatemalan ex-leader pleads guilty to corruption
Otto Pérez Molina, who resigned in 2015, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for fraud.
2023-09-07 20:57
Is bottomless prosecco going to be killed off by climate change?
Is bottomless prosecco going to be killed off by climate change?
Picture this. The group chat has finally settled on a date and we are going out. Out out. Women of most ages know how serious this is. There was probably a spreadsheet involved. Boyfriends and husbands have been dispatched to the pub. Children and dogs have been dropped off at the sitter. Dignity has been left at the door. One of us is waiting for it to be cancelled so we can stay at home with our loungewear and girl dinners (it’s probably me). There’s only one thing for it. Bottomless brunch. Many Asos orders and outfit changes later, we arrive, take our seats and start the binge drinking timer. There’s only one problem. No prosecco. Freshly manicured fists pound the table. The elected Karen of the group starts to verbally pulverise the staff. Eggs Benedicts are thrown against the walls. The Prosecco Huns exclaim in unison: “But what are we going to drink now?!” The waiter bashfully suggests: “Spumante?” Give over. According to a new study, this could be a reality in the near future thanks to climate change threatening vineyards across Europe, in particular those dedicated to glera (the beloved prosecco grape) in Northern Italy. In a detailed report in iScience last month, researchers warned that unpredictable weather, soil degradation and drought could lead to the loss of a millennia-old winemaking tradition, and the livelihoods attached to it. RIP the Prosecco Hun. The Italian sparkling wine has long been the fizz of choice in the UK (we were only dethroned as the world’s biggest prosecco guzzlers last year by the US). In the early 2010s, more than a third of all the prosecco shipped out of Italy worldwide ended up in Britain – approximately 131 million bottles a year. That’s nearly two bottles per Brit. You get the idea. The origin of our obsession with prosecco dates back to just after the 2008 crash, when consumers were looking for an alternative to expensive champagne. The softer tasting, far more affordable (thanks to its cheaper and speedier production time) and incredibly quaffable prosecco was the obvious choice. Bottomless brunch was born. “My heart goes out to the huns whose weekends simply aren’t complete without a bottle of prosecco,” Hannah Crosbie, founder of Dalston Wine Club, laments at the news that just 15 years after it stormed onto supermarket shelves, prosecco might be quietly forced to say arrivederci. “In all seriousness though, climate change is seriously threatening every aspect of winemaking, and growing conditions are only getting more challenging.” Prosecco is certainly not the only vino at risk, but it faces a unique issue. Where other wine growing regions affected by climate change such as Champagne and Burgundy can simply put out a limited run with an inflated price tag and keep the snobby oenophiles coming, prosecco’s USP is its ability to produce in bulk and at a fraction of the cost. English sparkling is a big winner with the climate going the way it is. Prosecco, by all accounts, seems like it’s a bit of a loser in that regard Will Amherst, head wine buyer at Trullo Ali Finch, group sommelier at Angela Hartnett’s Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Murano in Mayfair, doesn’t believe there’s an appetite for a higher quality, more expensive prosecco. “With the impact of the climate as well as the cost of producing wine increasing, the challenge for prosecco is going to be how to balance the expectation of its price point with the need to make slightly smaller quantities,” she tells me. “Regions like Chablis, for instance, have had multiple horrible vintages back to back and people just accept the fact they have to pay more for it if they want to drink that wine.” For the uninitiated, the word “vintage” on a wine label simply means the year the grapes were harvested – compared to regular wines that may include grapes harvested in multiple years – and each vintage can taste vastly different based on the conditions affecting the grapes in that year. Chablis, produced from chardonnay grapes in the northernmost district of Burgundy, has always been particularly affected by the climate due to its geography, but in recent years has seen frost in 2016, 2017 and 2021, and drought and higher temperatures in 2019 and 2020. This has dramatically affected those vintages, and driven up the price of bottles from “good” years. But with prosecco, “people potentially wouldn’t be interested in” paying a higher price, Finch says. This is partly because its brand has become more associated with cheap fizz than fine wine in Britain. Part of the problem also lies in the simplicity of its production. Prosecco is a wine that reflects the aromatics of the grape at the point of harvest, whereas with other sparkling wines like champagne, as well as other types of wine in general, such as chablis, it’s about the ageing process. Rising temperatures mean grapes are ripening more quickly, which can result in a different flavour of wine or too much alcohol, so one option is to harvest the grapes earlier. You can get away with a slightly under-ripe fruit in aged wines as so much of the flavour is added during their long fermentations. In prosecco, a bottle of which is ready in just 30 days, an under-ripe grape could result in something that “tastes a lot like battery acid”, according to Finch. The Prosecco Huns don’t want to chug something flavourless and eye-wateringly alcoholic with their eggs Benedict. “If you pick too early, you’ve got no flavour,” Finch explains. “So they don’t really have the option to just keep making it in the same volume. With other wines, you can do more work in the winery to make the wine feel more balanced and more approachable and more complex. They don’t have that luxury in prosecco.” Under Italy’s DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) laws, prosecco is only prosecco when it comes from just two regions of the country, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and adheres to strict growing and production rules. The same goes for champagne: only wine produced from eight permitted varieties of grape grown exclusively in the Champagne region of France may be called champagne. It’s these “heroic viticulture” sites that the report says are most at risk. Naming rights have been a point of contention across the whole wine industry for some time, with Australian producers of glera recently putting in a request to the EU to be allowed to call their wine prosecco on the grounds that it’s part of their migrant and cultural identity. Ironically, the glera grape is actually believed to be Slovenian in origin, and was first cultivated in the vineyards of Prosecco, a small village in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region near the border with Slovenia. The name is even thought to derive from the Slovenian words preseka or poseka, or the Serbian/Croatian prosek, meaning “path cut through the woods”. While DOC laws might prevent anyone calling a sparkling wine made from glera grapes outside of the designated regions a prosecco, it hasn’t stopped winemakers around the world from essentially producing the same wine using the same techniques. As climate change has made it increasingly difficult to cultivate the grapes in their historical home, it’s also made conditions in more northern regions like the UK more favourable for the growing of certain grapes, including white varieties such as glera, opening the door to a whole new generation of winemakers. “This is not me saying this is the death of prosecco,” Finch adds quickly, but she stresses that the wine industry is naturally very dynamic. “There are loads of alternatives to prosecco, both within Europe in terms of pet nats and cremants and things like that, and with the New World as well.” Pet nats – sparkling wines made using the “traditional method” of fermenting in individual bottles – have become very trendy among the younger Gen Z crowd, she says, as it still offers something bright, fruity and super fizzy, but without the faff, or price tag, that comes with champagne. People are also drinking less but are happy to spend a little more and not drink as much. At Murano, Finch says diners are asking about English sparkling wines more than ever before. “The correlation, obviously, with post-Brexit is there. There’s a desire to try and drink more local wines, potentially from a sustainability point of view, potentially from a cost-to-quality point of view because of duty increasing. It’s also partly because during Covid people did a lot of staycations and UK wine tourism did very well during that time. And it sort of stuck.” It’s a sentiment echoed by Will Amherst, head wine buyer at Italian trattoria Trullo in Islington, north London. “I don’t want to bash prosecco too much, but if I was going out and I wanted sparkling wine, I would still look at champagne,” he says, much to the chagrin of the Prosecco Huns. “And if I’m going to look somewhere other than that, I would get a bottle of English sparkling. Because English sparkling is a big winner with the climate going the way it is. Prosecco, by all accounts, seems like it’s a bit of a loser in that regard.” Prosecco and the people that produce it are certainly not the only losers but its high-altitude, cooler temperature geography, which previously protected it from climate change, is now adversely affected by extreme weather. Sudden, intense rainfall damages the soil and creates “slope failures”, while conversely droughts make irrigation extremely difficult. While he’s yet to see a knock-on effect on prosecco supplies at Trullo, Amherst’s “immediate thoughts were, really sadly: is prosecco going to be able to pull itself out of that hole? I don’t know how you reconcile the spiralling production costs and the brand identity, which is synonymous with cheap wine in this country,” he says. Although it’s not recommended to keep prosecco longer than two to three years before it goes flat – compared to up to 10 years for vintage champagnes – he doesn’t anticipate stocks to run down soon. At any rate, his biggest use for prosecco at Trullo is in an Aperol Spritz, where it makes up half the drink. He actually sees it as an exciting opportunity for new wines to emerge. So does Will Hill, a wine buyer at online merchant Honest Grapes, who tells me: “Once again, cava is showing that there is great value to be found in traditional method sparkling wines and more and more we are seeing ‘prosecco-esque’ wines for lower prices. If the consumer isn’t tied to the name ‘prosecco’, there are plenty of good, affordable, entry-level options available.” It’s clear that wines of all colours are facing an uphill battle (quite literally in prosecco’s case), not just to survive but to protect their identity, which for prosecco is arguably more important. That could spell the end of the Prosecco Hun, but with English sparkling and other European varieties on the rise, perhaps it just means a rebranding is in order. Cremant Crew? Pet Nat Posse? They don’t have quite the same ring, but it won’t stop us booking bottomless brunch anytime soon. Read More I feel it in my fingers: Why more of us should start eating with our hands Pizza, cake and meringue martinis: When did cinema food get so silly? Michelin-starred chef Simon Rogan on 20 years of L’Enclume: ‘It all started with a radish’
2023-09-06 15:20
Alyssa Farah Griffin stuns viewers as she throws shade at Kardashians' 'fillers and giant lips' on 'The View'
Alyssa Farah Griffin stuns viewers as she throws shade at Kardashians' 'fillers and giant lips' on 'The View'
Alyssa Farah Griffin was on fire while ‘The View’ co-hosts discussed beauty standards after Martha Stewart’s photoshoot took the internet by storm
2023-05-17 14:56
How old is Al Roker? 'Today' host gets 'early birthday' surprise from co-hosts and special guest on morning show
How old is Al Roker? 'Today' host gets 'early birthday' surprise from co-hosts and special guest on morning show
On recent ‘Today’ broadcast, special guest Jon Batiste surprised Al Roker as he served up a birthday cake and snacks to the hosts on live TV
2023-08-19 13:55
How England deployed dark arts and cool heads to silence Australian noise
How England deployed dark arts and cool heads to silence Australian noise
England walked out and for a moment it might have felt like they had been there before. A crowd of over 75,000, millions elsewhere turning in. An expectant nation inspired by the power and momentum of a team who represent something greater than themselves. But this wasn’t the Euros final. This wasn’t Wembley. This time England were the enemy, deep in the land of Matildas fever. This time they faced the crowd, the noise, the jeers and boos, the helicopters hovering over their training session and splashing photos of their plans across the morning newspapers. They faced Australia’s biggest night in a generation. They faced the spirit of Cathy Freeman, and a moment that would unify the country. They faced Sam Kerr, and they heard the eruption that greeted the star of the World Cup finally having her moment. The Lionesses faced all that but did not shake. Instead, they turned it into a first World Cup final, in a tournament that has been defined by the problems and challenges that have blocked their every turn. For England, this was the anti-Euros final, as the Lionesses got one game away from their World Cup dream while denying the hosts a shot at theirs. As England tamed the atmosphere in Sydney, and Sweet Caroline rang around the quickly emptying Stadium Australia, they did so with the coldest and most clinical performance of Sarina Wiegman’s reign. The Lionesses fouled, the Lionesses wasted time, the Lionesses picked up cheap yellow cards and took away Australia’s momentum. But they also played, they controlled, and they were the better team for large spells. And when Kerr burst forward and struck an unstoppable shot past Mary Earps, England managed to overturn the story of the World Cup and produce something from nothing all over again. It helps, then, that they could turn to a player who at this World Cup has lifted England by doing that. Lauren Hemp has turned into England’s match-winner, a devastating central forward transformed from a player who was as true a winger as you could possibly find. The Euros last summer were supposed to be her tournament and the 23-year-old was tipped to be its breakout star. In response, opponents double-marked her and in turn, it created space for Beth Mead to be England’s player of the tournament on the opposite flank. In another world, Hemp’s World Cup could have been over when England switched formation and landed on a system that wouldn’t use wingers at all. Kept in the team but as a second forward, Hemp has been released by it, becoming the pinball in England’s attack. Against Australia she was everywhere once again, bouncing off the challenges, pinging around the frontline and doing the work of two positions. Hemp is so involved because she chases everything, winning a throw-in, taking the ball and driving, not towards goal but just to get England up the pitch. In England’s gruelling progress through the knockout stages, she has grafted endlessly, turning hopeful punts into clever, targeted balls downfield. And then she got her reward, not once but twice: the first to put England towards the final, the second to seal it. Chasing down Ellie Carpenter, Hemp burst in behind, took a ball that was not hers to win, and finished past Mackenzie Arnold. Then, moments after Kerr blazed a golden chance over the bar, Hemp created Alessia Russo’s goal from a position that was not even a fraction as threatening. Hemp latched onto a loose ball in midfield, she turned, accelerated, delayed the pass and created the angle for her strike partner. The finish was ruthless too. At the end of it all, England somehow managed to get away with it while also being utterly deserving of their place in Sunday’s final. This was a night where England needed to be perfect and there were large spells where they simply weren’t. The Lionesses rode their luck until it looked like they had run out of it. Australia waited for a moment, a loose England pass, or a break downfield, and the Lionesses gave them both; Russo was dispossessed and Kerr raced away. As England should have known, with Kerr, a moment like that was all Australia required. But on the whole, England were just cooler than Australia. In the first half, the pressure England were facing came from themselves, but it almost seemed that as soon as Wiegman’s side realised that, they immediately relaxed and the picture they were facing became clearer. Slowly, gradually, England figured it out. For the first time, Keira Walsh was able to turn on the ball and England were able to put a move together, playing through midfield, finding the space out. They looked a level above, but this was an occasion where their dark arts were needed as well. There were a trio of fouls on Kerr within the opening 25 minutes of the Australia captain’s first start of the World Cup. As the Lionesses closed it out, Earps took her time from every goal-kick, Jess Carter with every throw-in down England’s right. Lucy Bronze stayed down, then so did Georgia Stanway. Hemp kept the ball in the corner, Chloe Kelly refused to throw it back. But England had been here before; this was the experience of European champions, and now there is an even bigger prize to win. Read More Sensational England capitalise on Sam Kerr’s missed moment to make World Cup history When do England play the Women’s World Cup final? Will Lauren James play in the Women’s World Cup final? Lionesses react after beating Australia in Women’s World Cup semis Sensational England capitalise on Sam Kerr’s missed moment to make World Cup history Will Lauren James play in the Women’s World Cup final?
2023-08-16 21:20
Judge reinstates murder charge against Philadelphia police officer in fatal shooting of motorist
Judge reinstates murder charge against Philadelphia police officer in fatal shooting of motorist
A judge has reinstated all charges, including a murder count, against a former police officer who shot and killed a driver through a rolled-up car window
2023-10-26 01:24
Girona left angered by Barcelona's Oriol Romeu approach
Girona left angered by Barcelona's Oriol Romeu approach
Barcelona's contact with Oriol Romeu has left Girona frustrated.
2023-07-02 17:28
Is Taylor Swift at the Chiefs game today, Oct. 8?
Is Taylor Swift at the Chiefs game today, Oct. 8?
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's dating life has been the talk of the NFL world, for better or worse. But is the music megastar in Minnesota for the Chiefs game in Week 5?
2023-10-09 05:46
Argentines vote, seeking elixir for economic ills
Argentines vote, seeking elixir for economic ills
Argentines began voting Sunday in a presidential election dominated by fury over decades of economic decline and record inflation that has propelled political outsider Javier Milei to...
2023-10-22 19:18
US Open: Yes, Rickie Fowler’s time may still come
US Open: Yes, Rickie Fowler’s time may still come
Rickie Fowler faded in the final day of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club, painfully falling back five spots from his lead. But it’s not time to write him off just yet.Rickie Fowler stunned fans with an opening round of 62 at the 123rd U.S. Open on Thursday, electrifying golf f...
2023-06-19 21:59
South Korean skater 'very sorry' after early celebration costs gold
South Korean skater 'very sorry' after early celebration costs gold
South Korean rollerskater Jung Cheol-won committed a cardinal sin of sport Monday by celebrating too early, with his "big mistake" costing his country...
2023-10-02 15:16