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What does my wine contain? Read the ingredient list!
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It will soon become a reality, what some have been waiting for a long time for and which some will not care about at all. List of ingredients on wine bottles. In December this year, it’s time. December eight. (Detailed article about this coming soon on BKWine Magazine.) From that date, it will be mandatory to list ingredients on wine (when bottling, so it will take some time to reach shops).
Some will not care. These people can be divided into three categories: those who don’t care how a wine is made as long as it tastes good, those who believe that wine is made with grapes and nothing else (which in many cases is mainly accurate), and those who accept that an additive is needed now and then, as with most other foods, but think which one(s) doesn’t really matter and leave that decision to the producer. Or, to simplify: those who believe that winemakers are mostly honest people who mostly do a good job.
Others will see this day as a victory, a milestone. Those who have been looking forward to this day for a long time are, above all, those who think we should make wine with grapes and nothing else (and bread with just flour and water?) and who believe that consumers are being deceived if they are not told which “additives” have been used; those who believe that wine makes itself if you just put the grapes in a tank.
Most consumers probably belong to one of the categories of the group that doesn’t care so much, so not many feel cheated. But of course, it is right and proper that wine, just like all packaged food, should have a list of ingredients.
But will people read it? Do you read it when you buy your food? Sometimes there are pretty long lists, and the text is annoyingly tiny. I guess people buy quite a lot of food without giving a damn about the ingredients list. Do you read the ingredient list when you purchase a can of mustard, ketchup, bread, frozen pizza or sausage? And choose the one that has no additives, e.g. yeast, pepper, salt, preservatives or other? (An example from a sausage: “pork meat 65%, water, potato flour, spices (onion, paprika, coriander, nutmeg), salt, smoke flavouring, stabilizer: e250, antioxidant: ascorbic acid. E250 is sodium nitrite, a preservative”.)
In addition, for wine, there will be one more obstacle (probably, not all the details are ready). The list will not need to be on the label, but there will be a QR code that gives you the list. Maybe there is a bit of novelty at the beginning; one is curious, but pretty soon you ignore it and accept that the wine contains some type of preservative (like most things we put in us, e.g. to prevent the attack of bacteria and other microorganisms) and perhaps a stabilizer (e.g. something that keeps the wine from changing colour or becoming cloudy). Some voices will surely be heard saying that the wine industry got the QR code because the ingredients list is too long to fit on the label. Don’t believe them. Most wines have very few additives, and the ones that are there are mainly to give you a tasty and stable product.
At the same time as the list of ingredients, nutritional information is introduced and this must be clearly stated on the label, no QR code there. It is perhaps more shocking to see how many calories you take in when you drink wine than that the wine contains mannoproteins from yeast (used, for example, to avoid precipitation of crystals of acid salts in the wine, the so-called wine crystals).
We take the opportunity to dispel some myths and misconceptions in this area:
- In everyday life, people sometimes talk about “list of contents”. It’s the same thing, but the official term is “ingredient list”.
- “It is forbidden to list ingredients on wine,” say some with a finger pointing at “financial interests and lobbyists”. No, that is a myth. It is allowed but not mandatory (until December, when it becomes compulsory).
- “Wine, especially ‘industrial wine’, is made with many flavouring additives,” say others. No, that’s wrong. The additives, the few that are used, are mostly not about flavouring the wine. They are, above all, to give you a clear, balanced and microbiologically stable wine. One of the few “additives” that give flavour is oak, oak barrel ageing or other oak products.
And now, on to our wine tours:
Wine travel in harvest time
You can already start planning for wine tours next harvest season:
- Champagne, September 27 – October 1
- Champagne and Bordeaux, September 27 – October 5
- Bordeaux, October 1-5
Travel in winter (but summer)
Some of our most exceptional wine tours are during the winter. They are filled with very special experiences. In summer weather in the southern hemisphere!
You have three fantastic long-distance tours to choose from:
- Chile-Argentina in January 2024
- South Africa in February 2024
- New Zealand in March 2024
These are tours with unique and magnificent experiences.
More info on our wine tours here. “World’s Top Wine Tours“. Tours with the people who know wine and who have an unrivalled experience of wine and tours.
Travel in wine regions with someone you trust.
Enjoy the Brief!
Britt & Per
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Tell your friends about the Brief or send it to them.
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What’s on at BKWine Tours
BKWine is also one of the world’s leading wine tour operators. Here’s what we currently have on our scheduled wine tour program:
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- Champagne, September 27 – October 1
- Bordeaux and Champagne, Sept 27 – Oct 5
- Bordeaux, October 1-5
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- Chile-Argentina, 15-28 January 2024
- South Africa, 8-18 February 2024
- New Zealand, 12-27 March 2024
We also make custom designed wine tours.
We’re different than most other wine tour operators. We are people who know wine inside out, who travel constantly in wine regions, who write award winning books about wine. Who do this out of passion.
Our wine tours are different from others.
A typical year we organise more than 30 wine tours to destinations across the world. In Europe: France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and more. World-wide: South Africa, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand. Thanks to our Scandinavian background we have a separate offer for the Scandinavian market. These are sometimes offered in English and also available as custom made tours. For example, these destinations:
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Read our books
We have written eleven wine books. They have won awards from the Gourmand Awards, The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) and others.
Unfortunately, only one of them has been translated to English; the others are (so far) only available in Swedish. This is the one that is available in English:
Here’s the full list of our books:
- The Wonderful World of Wine
- Languedoc-Roussillon, the Wines of Southern France
- Champagne, the Wine and the Growers
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News from the World of Wine
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Short briefs on what’s been happening in the world of wine recently and other interesting things.
Desert drought in Roussillon, vines suffer without rain
Is the region of Roussillon in the south of France starting to look like a desert? Not far from it. In the Côtes du Roussillon-Villages Les Aspres, not far from Perpignan, they have had not more than 100 mm of rain since the beginning of the year. Now they are hoping for some serious storms during the summer to avoid a catastrophically small harvest. It is the young vines that suffer the most. Some growers are now removing the clusters of grapes from these vines so that they can instead focus on developing their roots. Better to sacrifice this year’s harvest and that the vines survive, they say. The older vines are less stressed by the lack of water, but they also suffer. Their foliage has not developed as it should. Read more: france3-regions
Many vineyards changed hands in 2022 with higher prices everywhere except in AOC Bordeaux
The price of vineyard land in France has either increased or is stable with one major exception: the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur appellations, that is the simplest Bordeaux wines. Many chateaux in these two AOPs have had major problems selling their wines in recent years. The vineyards in these appellations have lost more than a third of their value in four years. The more prestigious appellations of Bordeaux are not affected by this crisis. In Saint Emilion, a transaction at eleven million euro per hectare is under discussion.
Sales of vineyard land in France in 2022 were at a record high and took place mainly in Champagne, Loire, Beaujolais, Jura, and Savoie. A total of 18,400 hectares of vineyards changed hands, just over 2 % of the total. Prices for AOP vineyards averaged 151,200 euros/ha but dropped to 81,600 euros/ha if we exclude Champagne. Vineyards outside the AOP system could be bought for on average 15,300 euros/ha. Read more: mon-viti
Will the dreaded Pierce’s Disease invade European vineyards?
Pests can be troublesome in the vineyard and now another one has been found in mainland Europe. Already in 2016, vines infected by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa were discovered in Mallorca. Now it has shown up in Portugal. The bacteria is spread by insects (leafhoppers) and once the vine is infected there is no cure. The vine normally dies within one to five years. Xylella fastidiosa causes a disease called Pierce’s Disease and it has for many years been a bother in the United States’ vineyards. The only thing that can be done is to immediately destroy infected vines and try to ensure that the insects that spread the bacteria are kept from the vineyard by spraying with an insecticide. Read more: wein-plus
World wine consumption is dropping. Why do the Chinese drink less and less wine?
World wine consumption has been falling regularly every year since 2018. Now (2022) it stands at an estimated 232 million hectolitres, a 1% decrease compared to 2021. The decrease is mainly due to the Chinese drinking less. On average, they have reduced their wine drinking by 2 million hl every year since 2018. So, it had already started before Covid, but of course the pandemic made everything even worse. In 2022, China drank 8.8 million hl of wine, down from 2021 by 16% and a big difference from 2018 when they drank over 17 million hectolitres. Read more: OIV
Discover something new: Criolla grapes from Argentina, from Juanfa Suarez at Rocamadre
Juanfa Suarez is a wine grower in Valle de Uco in southern Mendoza where he manages two wineries, Finca Suarez and Rocamadre. We have visited him many times on our wine tours to South America. So, we were very happy to see that one of his wines, Rocamadre Criolla, is now sold in Sweden. But even if you do not live in Sweden, we recommend you to be on the lockout for this exciting wine (or any other from his two wineries). Juanfa is a very talented winemaker and the fact that the wine is made from two criolla grapes adds to the interest. Criolla is the name given to the grapes in South America that were brought there by the Spanish in the 17th century, such as listán negro, listan prieto, moscatel de alejandría and pedro ximénez. Also the spontaneous crossings that then took place on site between these grapes are called criolla. So, originally European, but most are almost forgotten here. Read more on criolla in these articles on BKWine Magazine.
Rocamadre Criolla is made from criolla grande, which is a crossing, and criolla chica, with is listan prieto, also called país in Chile and mission in California. Juanfa has his vineyards in Paraje Altamira, an appellation in the Valle de Uco, known for its special terroir with, among other things, a lot of limestone. The grapes are grown at high altitude with significant temperature differences between day and night. Wine from criolla grapes have previously been drunk almost only by the Argentineans themselves, but now consumers on the export markets are more and more beginning to appreciate the grapes’ fresh, fruity and juicy style. We contacted Juanfa who is of course thrilled to be in Sweden. He tells our readers “that the wine is easy to drink but it has texture and the site´s character”. So definitely worth trying. (In Sweden: Rocamadre Criolla 2022, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina, No. 94124, SEK 219.)
Travel: Come on a wine tour to Argentina and Chile with BKWine.
Time for the Loire to shine, three great wine producers to seek out
The Loire Valley has really gained a boost in the export market. The region is more popular than ever. On our tours there, we visit some phenomenal producers that we would like to recommend to you. If you don’t find these particular wines from them, do try which ever you find.
Chinon L’ Âne Rouge, Domaine Fabien Demois, ~ 14 euro: This is Fabien’s easy drinking Chinon and it is so delicious. Cabernet franc lends itself well to this kind of fresh and fruity style. The estate is organic and Fabien favours lightweight bottles.
Bourgueil Les Pins 2020, Domaine du Mortier, ~20 euro: Very expressive, spicy, fruity, with a soft and lovely mouthfeel. Run organically by talented brothers Cyril et Fabien Boisard. Some of their wines also have the label “vin méthode nature”.
Vouvray Brut 2020, Domaine Vincent Carême, ~20 euro: Vincent Carême is one of the big stars today in Vouvray. His Vouvray Brut has 18 months on the lees, it is full-bodied, with a delicious taste of apples.
Vouvray Plaisir Ancestral 2021, Domaine Vincent Carême, ~20 euro: A “pet’nat”, i.e., sparkling but with only one fermentation. It has the structure of a still wine, 24 months on the lees, a creamy mousse, it’s completely dry and very, very good.
Vouvray Sec 2021, Domaine Vincent Carême, ~18 euro: Fermented in old oak barrels and then a short aging. It is very dry and crispy with a typical chenin blanc style, but still a very juicy fruit with a great mouthfeel, aromas of peaches and pears.
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Features of the Month
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Articles and features published on BKWine Magazine and on our wine travel blog and (occasionally) photography blog in the last month.
Holden Manz Wine Estate In Franschhoek: A Gorgeous Place In South Africa
Franschhoek in South Africa is famous, both for its wines and for its spectacularly beautiful location. A visit to the Holden Manz Wine Estate confirms that Franschhoek is well deserving of this fame. The wines here at Holden Manz are exceptional. And as for the beauty; you could stay here forever.
Read more in Britt’s article on BKWine Magazine, originally published on Forbes: Holden Manz Wine Estate in Franschhoek: Revival of sémillon and much more | Britt on Forbes.
Travel: Come on a wine tour to South Africa with BKWine.
Three delicious pinot noirs from Weingut Steintal in Franconia (Franken)
Germany is getting a reputation for the quality of its pinot noir, locally called spätburgunder. But how can that be? It is already a challenge to grow pinot in Burgundy. How will it survive even further north? BKWine Magazine’s reporter Sven-Olof Johansson went to explore the truth of the reputation when Jonas Hirn from Weingut Steintal came to town. What’s the verdict? German pinot noir can be excellent!
Read more in Sven-Olof Johansson’s article on BKWine Magazine: hree delicious pinot noirs from Weingut Steintal in Franconia (Franken).
The best wines out of 122 sauvignon blancs | Per on Forbes
I recently tasted 122 sauvignon blanc wines. Here is my personal selection of great versions of this wine. Tasting 122 sauvignon blanc wines from all over the world gives you a good impression of the grape variety. It shows that this is a grape that can have great character and that has a lot of personality. But it also shows you that the styles can vary greatly depending on where it is made and how it is made. I tasted these wines at the Concours Mondial du Sauvignon Blanc competition, alternatively called the Sauvignon Blanc Selection.
Read more in Per’s article on BKWine Magazine, originally published on Forbes: The best sauvignon blanc wines out of a selection of 122 at the Concours Mondial du Sauvignon | Per on Forbes.
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Wine Tours
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Details on our current and future wine tours. Book a wine tour with the “World’s Top Wine Tour Operator” today (or when you feel like travelling to wine country).
Treat yourself to an unforgettable experience in the beautiful wine-lands together with some of the most knowledgeable wine people around. Book now!
Many small details give lots of character to a Champagne, come see for yourself | wine tour
The wine champagne comes only from the region of Champagne in north-eastern France. You can find plenty of sparkling wines elsewhere, but if it is not from Champagne then it is not champagne and it cannot be called champagne. (In most places at least.) So, what is so special with champagne, apart from the fact that it comes from this special place in France? The cool (for the moment at least) climate plays its part, as well as the calcareous soil and the grape varieties. And also, the long ageing in the lees. All of these things will give the character that we expect in a champagne. Plus, the producer of course. Making a champagne means following a lot of rules. But regardless of that, a good producer will manage to put his or her personality into the wine. You will see that, if you come with us at the end of September to this glorious wine region. You will taste magnificent champagnes and enjoy superb meals. And learn a lot.
Come on a wine tour to Champagne with us.
Book now!
- Champagne, September 27 – October 1, 2023
And also: We have written an internationally award-winning book on Champagne, so you can hardly get a better guide to the region.
The Grand Wine Tour to Champagne and Bordeaux: two world-famous and fascinating wine regions
Why choose between Champagne and Bordeaux? Hard to decide? If the choice is too difficult, why not go on our Grand Wine Tour, a 9-day wine tour where you will get to know these two famous French wine regions. We will spend four nights in Reims, the beautiful “capital” of champagne, where you can find many of the big champagne houses and one of the most beautiful cathedrals in France, Notre Dame de Reims, a UNESCO heritage site. We will then take the fast train (TGV) to Bordeaux to visit chateaux in Médoc, Pessac-Léognan and in Saint Emilion. In both regions, we will not only taste high-quality wines but also share some fabulous meals.
This is a unique opportunity to visit France’s two most famous wine regions in one very enjoyable go.
Come and discover Champagne and Bordeaux with us.
Book now!
- Champagne and Bordeaux, September 27 – October 5, 2023
PS: We have written an internationally award-winning book about Champagne, and also one on Bordeaux. And nine other wine books. Can you think of any other wine tour operator with that in the baggage?
Bordeaux, the fairy tale, and the real story | wine tour
Tasting wines and drinking wines in the region where they are made is always different from doing it at home. Yes, you are influenced by the atmosphere, seeing the vineyards out there, from the tasting room or, as we are in Bordeaux, from the chateau dining room where we are having our lunch. “Château” makes you think of fairy tales and sometimes Bordeaux feels like that, some of the chateaux are sumptuous. But we must not forget that the Bordeaux producers are also farmers, just like in all wine regions. Admittedly, some of them with more money than others. Exploring the region on this wine tour is a very special experience.
Come and discover Bordeaux with us.
Book now!
- Bordeaux, October 1-5, 2023
PS: We have written a book about Bordeaux, and have been travelling there since 1986. Can you find a better guide and tour operator?
A very special tour that gives you many memories to take home (and maybe a few extra pounds and some bottles) | wine tour
The South America tour is unforgettable. There are so many moments that you will remember. Tango moves in Buenos Aires, the mighty Andes, the cold Pacific Ocean, the dry summer landscape of Mendoza where the vines seem to be doing well after all. Just like we do when we sit down to enjoy an authentic Argentinian asado with meat, empanadas, and vegetables on the barbecue. We are amazed that a malbec can taste so different depending on who made it and where the grapes were grown. On the other side of the mountains, in Chile, the landscape changes, it becomes greener and the grapes on the vines are cabernet sauvignon or carmenère. Or syrah, sauvignon blanc, cinsault… The choice of grapes is increasing. We will also pay a visit to Valparaíso, the legendary port city, as well as to the cool climate wine regions of Casablanca and San Antonio on the coast. And to the beautiful Colchagua Valley where many Chilean top wines come from. The tour starts in Buenos Aires and ends in Santiago de Chile. We cover a lot on this tour.
Come with us and discover the wine countries of Chile and Argentina.
Book now!
More inspiration: You can get an even better feeling for what you will experience on this tour if you visit the latest tour’s own Facebook group. Lots of pictures and videos from the tour (join the group and you’ll get an update when we post new contents): The wine tour to Chile and Argentina 2023.
Ambition and Character, two keywords for wine in South Africa | wine tour
South Africa has so much to offer, it is hard to know where to start. The country’s wines have developed enormously in recent years, the wines have become top class, with more variation, the winegrowers more skilled. Consumers are beginning to understand that South Africa is a serious wine country. Now the producers dare to charge more for their wines and that is good. They are worth it. On our trip, we want to draw attention to South Africa’s quality wines, wines that are exciting, both white, red, and sparkling. There are so many producers who make wines with character. The ambition is growing. In February when we arrive, the harvest has probably just started. We visit Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, Hermanus down on the coast, Swartland and of course also the magnificent Cape Town and Table Mountain. We enjoy top-class meals, most of them at wineries. South Africa is worth a wine tour.
Discover South Africa, the fantastic wine country, with us.
Book now!
More inspiration: You can get an even better feeling for what you will experience on this tour if you visit the latest tour’s own Facebook group. Lots of pictures and videos from the tour (join the group and you’ll get an update when we post new contents): The wine tour to South Africa 2023.
The wine country far away, the New Zealand wine tour
New Zealand is far away from all countries. No wonder this tour is the longest we have on our program. But the general opinion (by those who have done it) is that it could have lasted longer. There is so much to see. On a tour like this, we don’t taste wine every day (drinking is another matter). We mix wine visits and wine tastings with culture, history, sightseeing and nature experiences such as hot springs, geysers, and glaciers. But the focus of the tour is still the wine and some – almost all — of the most famous wine regions are on the programme. On the North Island we will visit Hawke’s Bay, with its superb syrah wines, and pretty Wairarapa before we take the ferry to the South Island. Here, the first wine region is the famous Marlborough with its vast sauvignon blanc vineyards. The grape is more multifaceted than we think. Central Otago with its lovely pinot noir wines – and spectacular nature – is of course included. We will travel in a comfortable coach all the way from Auckland to Queenstown. It is quite a trip and we will see a lot of the country. An unforgettable adventure.
Join us for a great wine, nature and culture experience on the New Zealand wine tour.
Book now!
More inspiration: You can get an even better feeling for what you will experience on this tour if you visit the latest tour’s own Facebook group. Lots of pictures and videos from the tour (join the group and you’ll get an update when we post new contents): The wine tour to New Zealand 2020.
