A little while ago a few bottles of Chianti Classico arrived in the post from Fattoria della Aiola. This turned out to be a wine estate founded in 1934 by an Italian politician and sold
In France you drink French wines. With the variety that exists in this huge wine country, you never get tired of French wines. But the fact is that the French drink more and more foreign
The EU rules for organic farming are being reviewed and discussions are apparently in the final phase. Several proposals have upset the French (and also other countries’) organic growers. One of the new proposals is
I was a bit shocked the other day when I saw a video clip with Etienne Portalis from Château Pradeaux, one of the well-known wine estates in Bandol. Bandol has always, for me, been the
Most (all?) wine growers today aim for less spraying in the vineyard. Regardless of the products you use when spraying. There are various preventive measures that facilitate this goal. For example, keeping an eye on
Henceforth it is allowed for Rioja to indicate the name of the vineyard from which the grapes come from on the label. Many producers have impatiently been waiting for this. Consumers want, says the Rioja
Ackerman is a major producer of sparkling wine in the Loire Valley. Now the company launches its first bubbly chenin blanc without added sulphur (Saumur Brut l’Esprit nature, 11.50 euros on site). But that does
If you are thinking of becoming a wine grower in France, here are some important figures just announced by SAFER, a government organization. In 2016, the average price for an AOP vineyard was 140,600 euro
One of our favourites in Penedès is Parés Baltà, an organic and biodynamic estate (certified Demeter), run by the brothers Joan and Josep Cusiné. But the winemakers are their wives, Elena Jiménez and Marta Casas.
Over the last couple of decades German wines have changed dramatically. Here are some of the NEW keywords: The semi-dry / semi-sweet whites are on the retreat. (Thankfully!) Bone-dry whites with plenty of elegance and
An article about how natural cork has made a comeback in recent years made me look for some interesting cork statistics from Apcor, the association of Portugal’s cork industry. 34% of the world’s cork forests
Oak ageing is an important ingredient in the production of a quality wine, this all wine lovers are well aware of. Important yes, but more and more winemakers are trying to make the oak as
Frost has been a serious problem throughout Europe this spring. But frost is not the only climate phenomenon that a vineyard can encounter. No vineyard is completely sheltered from extreme weather or natural disasters. Cold,
Of the 28 member states of the EU, 18 counts officially as wine countries. Wine is made also in Denmark, Sweden and Poland but you have to have more than 500 hectares planted to be
The Company Cork Supply Group, a major supplier of natural corks, introduced earlier this year a new cork called VINC. This is a cork that is guaranteed to be free of TCA contamination. In other
In Côte d’Or in Burgundy this year, for the first time, a new method of frost control has been used. The burning of straw bales. Many of them. Maurice Chapuis at Domaine Chapuis in Aloxe-Corton
There is a wine revolution quietly going on in South Africa. Or more correctly, a second revolution. The first one was when apartheid ended and the KVW iron grip on the wine sector also came
Eurostat has recently published a variety of interesting statistics on the EU’s vineyards and wine industry. The EU currently has more than 3 million hectares of vineyards and 80% of it is classified as quality
50 kilometres north of Nice is a small town called Villars-sur-Var. We are quite far away from the wine regions. Closer to Nice is the appellation Bellet and further west is the Côtes de Provence.
Atout France is a government organization that is responsible for promoting various French tourist destinations. Recently, it launched an ad campaign aimed at French tourists. The slogan for the campaign is “France, tout un monde
Spring is a lovely time of the year but it can also be a nail-biter for wine growers in northern wine regions. No one wants to be hit by frost in April or May, destroying
A wine can be certified organic, biodynamic, sustainable and now there is also a certification taking into account the well-being of the bees. It is called, of course, Bee Friendly. The label is a private
Muhammad and the mountain? The primeur tastings in Bordeaux take place every year in early April. We have not been there this year but we did a mini-primeur tasting at home with one wine the
Chateauneuf-du-Pape is one of France’s most exclusive appellations. It covers only 3200 hectares (less than e.g. Chablis in Burgundy). It is famous for its rich and powerful red wines. Only 7% of the production is
Here’s a handful of organic wines that we have encountered recently that we certainly recommend trying: Anima, Avondale, Chenin Blanc, 2013, South Africa, ~15 €. Nice honey tone, a little pineapple and citrus, elegant and
Bordeaux exported 2 million hectolitres of wine (270 million bottles) in 2016. The region accounts for 17% of French wine exports in volume and 36% of the value. China and the US compensate for declining
Being an organic winegrower means that you are obliged to spray with copper to prevent certain fungal diseases rather than using synthetic pesticides. Copper is effective primarily against mildiou. As with all other pesticides the
The move to Marseille was short-lived. For the 2018 edition Millésime Bio returns to Montpellier. The dates for Millésime Bio will be January 29 to 31. There will be no cooperation with the other major
Demeter is a large, global organization that certifies biodynamic wine growers and other farmers. But Demeter is not alone in doing this. In France, Biodyvin certifies around 100 members. And now there is also a
On March 22 we launched our new Champagne book, “Champagne, vinet och odlarna”. This is Swedish (the book is written in Swedish) and means “Champagne, the wine and the growers”. The launch took place at
A little while ago a few bottles of Chianti Classico arrived in the post from Fattoria della Aiola. This turned out to be a wine
In France you drink French wines. With the variety that exists in this huge wine country, you never get tired of French wines. But the
The EU rules for organic farming are being reviewed and discussions are apparently in the final phase. Several proposals have upset the French (and also
I was a bit shocked the other day when I saw a video clip with Etienne Portalis from Château Pradeaux, one of the well-known wine
Most (all?) wine growers today aim for less spraying in the vineyard. Regardless of the products you use when spraying. There are various preventive measures
Henceforth it is allowed for Rioja to indicate the name of the vineyard from which the grapes come from on the label. Many producers have
Ackerman is a major producer of sparkling wine in the Loire Valley. Now the company launches its first bubbly chenin blanc without added sulphur (Saumur
If you are thinking of becoming a wine grower in France, here are some important figures just announced by SAFER, a government organization. In 2016,
One of our favourites in Penedès is Parés Baltà, an organic and biodynamic estate (certified Demeter), run by the brothers Joan and Josep Cusiné. But
Over the last couple of decades German wines have changed dramatically. Here are some of the NEW keywords: The semi-dry / semi-sweet whites are on
An article about how natural cork has made a comeback in recent years made me look for some interesting cork statistics from Apcor, the association
Oak ageing is an important ingredient in the production of a quality wine, this all wine lovers are well aware of. Important yes, but more
Frost has been a serious problem throughout Europe this spring. But frost is not the only climate phenomenon that a vineyard can encounter. No vineyard
Of the 28 member states of the EU, 18 counts officially as wine countries. Wine is made also in Denmark, Sweden and Poland but you
The Company Cork Supply Group, a major supplier of natural corks, introduced earlier this year a new cork called VINC. This is a cork that
In Côte d’Or in Burgundy this year, for the first time, a new method of frost control has been used. The burning of straw bales.
There is a wine revolution quietly going on in South Africa. Or more correctly, a second revolution. The first one was when apartheid ended and
Eurostat has recently published a variety of interesting statistics on the EU’s vineyards and wine industry. The EU currently has more than 3 million hectares
50 kilometres north of Nice is a small town called Villars-sur-Var. We are quite far away from the wine regions. Closer to Nice is the
Atout France is a government organization that is responsible for promoting various French tourist destinations. Recently, it launched an ad campaign aimed at French tourists.
Spring is a lovely time of the year but it can also be a nail-biter for wine growers in northern wine regions. No one wants
A wine can be certified organic, biodynamic, sustainable and now there is also a certification taking into account the well-being of the bees. It is
Muhammad and the mountain? The primeur tastings in Bordeaux take place every year in early April. We have not been there this year but we
Chateauneuf-du-Pape is one of France’s most exclusive appellations. It covers only 3200 hectares (less than e.g. Chablis in Burgundy). It is famous for its rich
Here’s a handful of organic wines that we have encountered recently that we certainly recommend trying: Anima, Avondale, Chenin Blanc, 2013, South Africa, ~15 €.
Bordeaux exported 2 million hectolitres of wine (270 million bottles) in 2016. The region accounts for 17% of French wine exports in volume and 36%
Being an organic winegrower means that you are obliged to spray with copper to prevent certain fungal diseases rather than using synthetic pesticides. Copper is
The move to Marseille was short-lived. For the 2018 edition Millésime Bio returns to Montpellier. The dates for Millésime Bio will be January 29 to
Demeter is a large, global organization that certifies biodynamic wine growers and other farmers. But Demeter is not alone in doing this. In France, Biodyvin
On March 22 we launched our new Champagne book, “Champagne, vinet och odlarna”. This is Swedish (the book is written in Swedish) and means “Champagne,
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