On February 14-16, Wine Paris, a large wine fair, took place after two years of absence. We saw many happy faces. Exhibitors and visitors alike were glad to meet each other again in real life.
Malbec is a French grape variety, although people might be forgiven for thinking it is Argentinean. France has 6,000 hectares, Argentina 40,000 ha. Just like many of the other Bordeaux grapes, malbec has been adopted
VinNatur in Italy is organising its annual natural wine fair on April 9-11 in Gambellara in Veneto. It is the seventeenth edition of this wine fair! The association certifies around 200 natural wine producers. VinNatur
Super-Tuscan is still a much-used denomination. The first producers of these rebel wines have recently founded an association, the Comitato Historical Super Tuscans. The members are 16 in total. They have all produced a famous
I recently read that wine investors are buying a lot of wine at the moment. They fear that the specific character of various wines will soon be a thing of the past, that new weather
— Origin or grape variety or traditions? — I recently read that wine investors are buying a lot of wine at the moment. They fear that the specific character of various wines will soon be
Beaujolais wine is much more varied in style than one often thinks. It can be light and refreshing, but it can also be complex and subtle. It can be made with carbonic maceration but it
Today we introduce a new series: “BKWine Tastes”. It is a collection of wines we have tasted recently. It is often samples that producers have sent us to show us what they do, or other
Jura is a small wine region with a large selection of different wines. They can be red, white, rosé, sweet and sparkling. Here we also find the unique yellow wine, vin jaune. Their chardonnay wines
The cork oak is a unique tree. It gives us not only wine corks – still the world’s most popular closure – but also a forest habitat with tremendous biological diversity. A diversity we should
We don’t have the opportunity very often to taste German wines, but when we do, we always enjoy it. Recently we tasted a selection of whites and reds from small, family-owned producers in the regions
It will probably become common in the future for an appellation to require all their producers to have some sustainability label. AOP Côtes de Bourg in Bordeaux wants to go one step further. Here they
Champagne’s largest cooperative has just become even bigger. Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte, that is a co-operative despite its name, has merged with the smaller Coopérative Régionale des Vins de Champagne, better known under its Champagne Castelnau
Making icewine in Germany is hard work in freezing temperatures, which results in only a few drops of wine. But it is worth it, and that is the reason for the happy faces when almost
Château Angélus has chosen not to be included in the 2022 update of the Saint Emilion classification. This announcement comes a few months after two other A-chateaux dropped out, Cheval Blanc and Ausone. Angélus, together
It can be quite cold in Finger Lakes in western New York. It used to be popular to plant the American grapevine Vitis labrusca here since it is can take the low temperatures. The unfortunate
In today’s tough competition, a little help from friends and colleagues doesn’t hurt. Therefore, wine producers sometimes form associations or clubs with like-minded people. Vignobles & Signatures was created in 1984 after an impromptu meeting
Alliance Alsace, a cooperative in Turckheim, launched its first bag-in-box in 2020. The well-known Alsace producer Arthur Metz also sells a wine in bag-in-box. For both these producers, the grapes come from their vineyards in
Côte de Nuits, the northern part of Côte d’Or in Burgundy, is dotted with wine villages, some more famous than others. One of the not so famous ones is Fixin (the x is pronounced “ss”),
Everyone who tastes wine knows that you learn more if you compare two, or more, wines at the same time. You will often discover things you wouldn’t find if you taste the wines separately. It
No one had dared to hope for such high sales figures. In 2021, Champagne sold 322 million bottles. An excellent result and an increase from 2020 by 32%, which was admittedly the worst year in
There is no stopping Prosecco’s popularity. In 2021, 627.5 million bottles of Prosecco DOC were bottled (and, presumably, sold). Of this amount, 71.5 million bottles are rosé, a category created in 2020. Prosecco is, without
A colleague in the industry that I spoke to the other day said when we discussed spraying the vineyards, “Can’t they just ban everything dangerous?” Yes, that sounds like a good idea, in theory. But
From being a fairly unremarkable additive in most wines, sulphur dioxide has recently turned into a burning topic of discussion for wine enthusiasts. SO2 is added to the wine to protect it from premature oxidation.
The DO Cava appellation in Spain has decided that from 2025, organic certification will be mandatory for cavas de guarda superior, the higher quality of cava. This category includes cavas reserva (with at least 18
Julien and Sarah Launois are champagne producers in the small village of Mesnil-sur-Oger. They started only six years ago but they already export most of their production. We visited Julien and Sarah during the very
We are still in the peak of summer, even though the calendar says September 4th. Bandol, a small appellation in Provence, shows itself from its most magnificent side. The grapes are ripe. The harvest has
The red wines from the Languedoc, southern Rhône Valley and Provence often combine a delicious, dark fruit with good acidity, relatively soft tannins and a pleasant spiciness. Here are some of our favourites that we
The Rhône Valley is one of France’s great wine regions. The red wines dominate, but the white ones should not be ignored. There are many small growers in the Rhone region. But the Rhône Valley
It’s still early days. But the first report on the South African harvest 2022 has arrived. The winter was as should be, with snow in the mountains and rain filling the dams. These were filled
On February 14-16, Wine Paris, a large wine fair, took place after two years of absence. We saw many happy faces. Exhibitors and visitors alike
Malbec is a French grape variety, although people might be forgiven for thinking it is Argentinean. France has 6,000 hectares, Argentina 40,000 ha. Just like
VinNatur in Italy is organising its annual natural wine fair on April 9-11 in Gambellara in Veneto. It is the seventeenth edition of this wine
Super-Tuscan is still a much-used denomination. The first producers of these rebel wines have recently founded an association, the Comitato Historical Super Tuscans. The members
I recently read that wine investors are buying a lot of wine at the moment. They fear that the specific character of various wines will
— Origin or grape variety or traditions? — I recently read that wine investors are buying a lot of wine at the moment. They fear
Beaujolais wine is much more varied in style than one often thinks. It can be light and refreshing, but it can also be complex and
Today we introduce a new series: “BKWine Tastes”. It is a collection of wines we have tasted recently. It is often samples that producers have
Jura is a small wine region with a large selection of different wines. They can be red, white, rosé, sweet and sparkling. Here we also
The cork oak is a unique tree. It gives us not only wine corks – still the world’s most popular closure – but also a
We don’t have the opportunity very often to taste German wines, but when we do, we always enjoy it. Recently we tasted a selection of
It will probably become common in the future for an appellation to require all their producers to have some sustainability label. AOP Côtes de Bourg
Champagne’s largest cooperative has just become even bigger. Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte, that is a co-operative despite its name, has merged with the smaller Coopérative Régionale
Making icewine in Germany is hard work in freezing temperatures, which results in only a few drops of wine. But it is worth it, and
Château Angélus has chosen not to be included in the 2022 update of the Saint Emilion classification. This announcement comes a few months after two
It can be quite cold in Finger Lakes in western New York. It used to be popular to plant the American grapevine Vitis labrusca here
In today’s tough competition, a little help from friends and colleagues doesn’t hurt. Therefore, wine producers sometimes form associations or clubs with like-minded people. Vignobles
Alliance Alsace, a cooperative in Turckheim, launched its first bag-in-box in 2020. The well-known Alsace producer Arthur Metz also sells a wine in bag-in-box. For
Côte de Nuits, the northern part of Côte d’Or in Burgundy, is dotted with wine villages, some more famous than others. One of the not
Everyone who tastes wine knows that you learn more if you compare two, or more, wines at the same time. You will often discover things
No one had dared to hope for such high sales figures. In 2021, Champagne sold 322 million bottles. An excellent result and an increase from
There is no stopping Prosecco’s popularity. In 2021, 627.5 million bottles of Prosecco DOC were bottled (and, presumably, sold). Of this amount, 71.5 million bottles
A colleague in the industry that I spoke to the other day said when we discussed spraying the vineyards, “Can’t they just ban everything dangerous?”
From being a fairly unremarkable additive in most wines, sulphur dioxide has recently turned into a burning topic of discussion for wine enthusiasts. SO2 is
The DO Cava appellation in Spain has decided that from 2025, organic certification will be mandatory for cavas de guarda superior, the higher quality of
Julien and Sarah Launois are champagne producers in the small village of Mesnil-sur-Oger. They started only six years ago but they already export most of
We are still in the peak of summer, even though the calendar says September 4th. Bandol, a small appellation in Provence, shows itself from its
The red wines from the Languedoc, southern Rhône Valley and Provence often combine a delicious, dark fruit with good acidity, relatively soft tannins and a
The Rhône Valley is one of France’s great wine regions. The red wines dominate, but the white ones should not be ignored. There are many
It’s still early days. But the first report on the South African harvest 2022 has arrived. The winter was as should be, with snow in
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