The cinsault grape is unusually well adapted to cope with heat waves and dry weather. So, it is a grape that some wine regions should perhaps pay more attention to. It produces a light and
France will uproot almost 30,000 hectares of vineyards shortly. This was announced by FranceAgriMer, which is attached to the French Ministry of Agriculture. The growers who want to uproot vines have been able to apply
Being a grape grower in California has not been easy this year. Nobody wants to buy their grapes. Even normally highly sought-after grapes like chardonnay from Sonoma and cabernet sauvignon from Napa have been hit
When you visit Champagne nowadays, the question of the acidity in the wines often comes up. It is generally accepted that a good quality sparkling wine should have a high acidity. But with warmer summers,
There is a lot of talk about fungus resistant grapes (sometimes called PIWI, from German pilzwiderstandsfähige). But the descriptor is maybe poorly chosen. The “fungus resistant” grapes used today are hybrids, in other words crosses
Portugal is the country to turn to for Christmas wines. They make some stunning fortified wines, very suitable for the winter season and, of course, Christmas. But it is not only port wine. Here are
I drank an excellent Beaujolais nouveau on November 21st, and I’m sure many of our readers did, too. There is a cautious optimism among Beaujolais growers. Indeed, the Beaujolais nouveau celebration isn’t what it was
Biodynamic agriculture turns 100 this year. It was in 1924 that Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy, gave his famous lectures to a group of anthroposophical farmers who worried that the new artificial fertilisers would
Congratulations to the South African grape pinotage, which turns 100 this year. Pinotage was created in 1924 by Professor Perold who crossed two grapes, cinsault (in South Africa at the time called hermitage) and pinot
It is really too early to ask if 2024 will be a year for Vintage Port, as we learned on our Douro Valley tour recently. Although the winemakers may know deep down. Kay Bouchard at
In Europe, the 2024 harvest has just finished and in South Africa the growing season for vintage 2025 is underway. The industry body SAWIS forecasts a good harvest. After a challenging 2024 season with extreme
Like many other wine countries in 2024, Germany has struggled against the forces of the weather. The overall harvest volume was not much lower than normal as the large regions of Rheinhessen, Palatinate and Baden
The wine world is being flooded with labels. I recently read that Champagne Bollinger was awarded the label “Entreprise du Patrimoine vivant” (roughly “a company that keeps historical tradition alive”); I didn’t even know one
— Are we drowning in labels? — The wine world is being flooded with labels. I recently read that Champagne Bollinger was awarded the label “Entreprise du Patrimoine vivant” (roughly “a company that keeps historical
Local grapes are on the rise in many parts of Europe. This is also noticeable in Mallorca, an island that is so far better known for its beaches than for its wines. But it is
That France has the world’s largest production of oak barrels will come as no surprise. Most of the world’s wine regions buy French oak barrels of various sizes and shapes. But which country buys the
Mealybugs are a feared enemy in the vineyards in California, Oregon, South Africa, and other places. These tiny bugs are dangerous because they spread the leaf roll virus (court noué in France) which causes the
Some countries are primarily associated with one grape variety, such as malbec in Argentina and sauvignon blanc in New Zealand. However, this latter country makes wine from a variety of other grapes (and so does
More and more fungus-resistant hybrids are being allowed in France. Or perhaps a better wording: lesser prone to disease. Four new varieties, two whites and two reds, were recently introduced. These can be planted and
Everyone who reads the Brief is probably more or less a wine enthusiast. We are, of course. We have been called geeks and it has probably happened to one or two of our readers as
— 100 points! — There is no such thing as perfection. At least not in wine. If anything, the perfect wine is the one you currently have in your glass. Yet one gets the impression
The word minerality continues to fill columns and research reports. A new one has explored the concept of minerality by analysing tasting notes from 16,542 Chablis Premier Crus recorded on Cellar Tracker between 2003 and
We recently got back from Austria and of course we were wondering how the vineyards had coped with the huge amounts of rain that came around the 20th of September. ”We will have one of
In France, the harvest and fermentation are in full swing. In many (most) places the harvest is finished. The weather has caused problems in many regions, and the Ministry of Agriculture estimates that the harvest
Everyone who reads the Brief is probably more or less a wine enthusiast. We are, of course. We have been called geeks and it has probably happened to one or two of our readers as
— Is a number worth a thousand words? — Everyone who reads the Brief is probably more or less a wine enthusiast. We are, of course. We have been called geeks and it has probably
In France, sales of organic wines are a bit slow now. But there are export markets with a growing interest in these wines, says ISWR, a global company for data, analysis, and trends in the
Dry Jurançon is one of our favourite white wines. Jurançon is traditionally a sweet wine. Jurançon Sec (completely dry – as opposed to sparkling wine, champagne included, that is not dry when called “sec”) has
Much is written about the fact that the young generation does not drink wine. That is not entirely true; the young drink wine, at least some of it (but not as much as the 60-plus).
New Zealand producers who worry that too much commonplace sauvignon blanc is being made in Marlborough can join the Appellation Marlborough Wines. This association has strict requirements for its members’ wines. We wrote about Appellation
The cinsault grape is unusually well adapted to cope with heat waves and dry weather. So, it is a grape that some wine regions should
France will uproot almost 30,000 hectares of vineyards shortly. This was announced by FranceAgriMer, which is attached to the French Ministry of Agriculture. The growers
Being a grape grower in California has not been easy this year. Nobody wants to buy their grapes. Even normally highly sought-after grapes like chardonnay
When you visit Champagne nowadays, the question of the acidity in the wines often comes up. It is generally accepted that a good quality sparkling
There is a lot of talk about fungus resistant grapes (sometimes called PIWI, from German pilzwiderstandsfähige). But the descriptor is maybe poorly chosen. The “fungus
Portugal is the country to turn to for Christmas wines. They make some stunning fortified wines, very suitable for the winter season and, of course,
I drank an excellent Beaujolais nouveau on November 21st, and I’m sure many of our readers did, too. There is a cautious optimism among Beaujolais
Biodynamic agriculture turns 100 this year. It was in 1924 that Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy, gave his famous lectures to a group of
Congratulations to the South African grape pinotage, which turns 100 this year. Pinotage was created in 1924 by Professor Perold who crossed two grapes, cinsault
It is really too early to ask if 2024 will be a year for Vintage Port, as we learned on our Douro Valley tour recently.
In Europe, the 2024 harvest has just finished and in South Africa the growing season for vintage 2025 is underway. The industry body SAWIS forecasts
Like many other wine countries in 2024, Germany has struggled against the forces of the weather. The overall harvest volume was not much lower than
The wine world is being flooded with labels. I recently read that Champagne Bollinger was awarded the label “Entreprise du Patrimoine vivant” (roughly “a company
— Are we drowning in labels? — The wine world is being flooded with labels. I recently read that Champagne Bollinger was awarded the label
Local grapes are on the rise in many parts of Europe. This is also noticeable in Mallorca, an island that is so far better known
That France has the world’s largest production of oak barrels will come as no surprise. Most of the world’s wine regions buy French oak barrels
Mealybugs are a feared enemy in the vineyards in California, Oregon, South Africa, and other places. These tiny bugs are dangerous because they spread the
Some countries are primarily associated with one grape variety, such as malbec in Argentina and sauvignon blanc in New Zealand. However, this latter country makes
More and more fungus-resistant hybrids are being allowed in France. Or perhaps a better wording: lesser prone to disease. Four new varieties, two whites and
Everyone who reads the Brief is probably more or less a wine enthusiast. We are, of course. We have been called geeks and it has
— 100 points! — There is no such thing as perfection. At least not in wine. If anything, the perfect wine is the one you
The word minerality continues to fill columns and research reports. A new one has explored the concept of minerality by analysing tasting notes from 16,542
We recently got back from Austria and of course we were wondering how the vineyards had coped with the huge amounts of rain that came
In France, the harvest and fermentation are in full swing. In many (most) places the harvest is finished. The weather has caused problems in many
Everyone who reads the Brief is probably more or less a wine enthusiast. We are, of course. We have been called geeks and it has
— Is a number worth a thousand words? — Everyone who reads the Brief is probably more or less a wine enthusiast. We are, of
In France, sales of organic wines are a bit slow now. But there are export markets with a growing interest in these wines, says ISWR,
Dry Jurançon is one of our favourite white wines. Jurançon is traditionally a sweet wine. Jurançon Sec (completely dry – as opposed to sparkling wine,
Much is written about the fact that the young generation does not drink wine. That is not entirely true; the young drink wine, at least
New Zealand producers who worry that too much commonplace sauvignon blanc is being made in Marlborough can join the Appellation Marlborough Wines. This association has
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