The alcohol content in wine has been controversial for some time. We often hear people complain that the alcohol is too high and that it used to be better in the old days when it
— High alcohol content? Don’t blame (just) climate change — The alcohol content in wine has been controversial for some time. We often hear people complain that the alcohol is too high and that it
The effervescent world of Cava produces 250 million bottles each year from 38,000 hectares of vineyards, not unlike Champagne, which makes around 300 million bottles from 34,000 hectares. But while champagne often basks in the
The screw cap (“screw cork” or “screw top”) is a success story. All wine countries use it for some of their wines and it largely dominates in Australia and New Zealand. It was in the
Today’s wine industry in Europe often feels opposed by politicians, temperance movements and environmental activists. According to a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), it can at least be happy that it contributes substantially to the
Blue Nun is a German bestseller and legend (perhaps not for the best reasons), a riesling sold in a blue bottle with low alcohol content and high residual sweetness. 29 grams of sugar per litre
Lightweight bottles are starting to appear even among prestige wines. This is good. Consumers will realise that it is not just cheap wines that come in light bottles. On our recent New Zealand tour, we
A new study by INRAE, a French research institute, in collaboration with the universities of Bordeaux and Québec, shows the tolerance of different grapes to drought. Coping with dry weather is a grape characteristic that
The Southern Hemisphere is in full swing with the 2024 harvest—or they have already finished. We visited South Africa in mid-February, and some producers had already almost finished. Andrew Wightman at Wightman & Sons in
A delicious red wine from Weingut Birgit Braunstein in Burgenland in Austria was launched in Sweden at the beginning of April, and we take the opportunity to recommend this producer to all our readers. We
A new producer from South Africa has been launched in Sweden but even if you do not live there, there’s is a good chance that you will be able to get hold of the wines
Several wine countries have the same problem: Grape growers are not paid enough for their grapes. The wine industry in many countries currently has several challenging issues on top of (and related to) reduced wine
Surveys show that young people who drink wine are no longer loyal to a particular brand. This is good; maybe they will be curious to try something new instead. And there is plenty of new
— Wine brands – a curse or a blessing? — Surveys show that young people who drink wine are no longer loyal to a particular brand. This is good; maybe they will be curious to
This year, the German annual ProWein Business Report addresses the world’s declining wine consumption. There are many reasons why people drink less wine, such as health recommendations, the economy and, not least, the difficulty of
There are signs that the use of cork stoppers as a closure on wine bottles is increasing and that its new popularity is partly due to its strong sustainability credentials. In the UK, bulk wine
In 2022, France saw the creation of 1,444 new wine estates, an increase of 3% compared to 2021. The winegrowers represent 10% of the 14,132 new agricultural estates started in 2022. These winegrowers operate an
Fires in wine regions cause damage to vineyards in different ways. The ripe grapes in vineyards near the fire can be damaged by smoke, which can affect the taste of the wine and, in the
Pinot noir is not just Burgundy and Champagne. The grape is the ninth most cultivated variety in the world. It is planted on 115,000 hectares, of which roughly 30,000 hectares are in France. In other
The French company Sun’Agri, a pioneer in ”agrivoltaism”, has just come out with an exciting report. Agrivoltaism involves installing solar panels on top of agricultural crops. It has proven to be interesting also for vineyards.
One word that stands out in all wine communication today is “terroir”. Wine drinkers claim to find it in the wine, and winemakers strive to express it in their work. All wine enthusiasts know roughly
— Terroir or Not Terroir? — One word that stands out in all wine communication today is “terroir”. Wine drinkers claim to find it in the wine, and winemakers strive to express it in their
After three peculiar years, sales of champagne are now returning to the level they had before the pandemic. Sales in 2023 amounted to 299 million bottles, a decrease of 8.2% compared to 2022. Champagne sales
The UK had a bumper year in 2023, producing between 20 and 22 million bottles of wine, 50% more than the previous record. The harvest yield was high (almost 10,000 kg/ha, approx. 65hl/ha), the bunches
It’s been a while since I drank non-alcoholic wine. Still, given that I’ve heard positive things about them recently, I was surprised when I looked through the range at Systembolaget, the Swedish monopoly wine stores,
Vintage 2023 (harvested in Feb-Apr 2023) produced wines of excellent quality in South Africa. But the volume was less than in 2022, so it is perhaps not so surprising that South African wine exports in
The grape varieties that wine producers use today have naturally mutated over time. Researchers have selected the best mutations (clones) based on several criteria, e.g. plant vigour or resistance to certain diseases. In the future,
When the New World began to compete with France in some export markets around 30 years ago, there was a lot of talk about the reluctance of the French to put the grape name on
Champagne Bollinger’s flagship Vieilles Vignes Françaises (VVF) is made in ever smaller quantities. The grapes come from vines planted franc de pied, a French expression for planted on its own roots. Thus, these vines are
There is a lot of talk about fungal diseases, which are a real problem for winegrowers (powdery mildew/oidium, downy mildew/mildiou and others). But other diseases in the vineyard are also serious. One is flavescence dorée
The alcohol content in wine has been controversial for some time. We often hear people complain that the alcohol is too high and that it
— High alcohol content? Don’t blame (just) climate change — The alcohol content in wine has been controversial for some time. We often hear people
The effervescent world of Cava produces 250 million bottles each year from 38,000 hectares of vineyards, not unlike Champagne, which makes around 300 million bottles
The screw cap (“screw cork” or “screw top”) is a success story. All wine countries use it for some of their wines and it largely
Today’s wine industry in Europe often feels opposed by politicians, temperance movements and environmental activists. According to a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), it can
Blue Nun is a German bestseller and legend (perhaps not for the best reasons), a riesling sold in a blue bottle with low alcohol content
Lightweight bottles are starting to appear even among prestige wines. This is good. Consumers will realise that it is not just cheap wines that come
A new study by INRAE, a French research institute, in collaboration with the universities of Bordeaux and Québec, shows the tolerance of different grapes to
The Southern Hemisphere is in full swing with the 2024 harvest—or they have already finished. We visited South Africa in mid-February, and some producers had
A delicious red wine from Weingut Birgit Braunstein in Burgenland in Austria was launched in Sweden at the beginning of April, and we take the
A new producer from South Africa has been launched in Sweden but even if you do not live there, there’s is a good chance that
Several wine countries have the same problem: Grape growers are not paid enough for their grapes. The wine industry in many countries currently has several
Surveys show that young people who drink wine are no longer loyal to a particular brand. This is good; maybe they will be curious to
— Wine brands – a curse or a blessing? — Surveys show that young people who drink wine are no longer loyal to a particular
This year, the German annual ProWein Business Report addresses the world’s declining wine consumption. There are many reasons why people drink less wine, such as
There are signs that the use of cork stoppers as a closure on wine bottles is increasing and that its new popularity is partly due
In 2022, France saw the creation of 1,444 new wine estates, an increase of 3% compared to 2021. The winegrowers represent 10% of the 14,132
Fires in wine regions cause damage to vineyards in different ways. The ripe grapes in vineyards near the fire can be damaged by smoke, which
Pinot noir is not just Burgundy and Champagne. The grape is the ninth most cultivated variety in the world. It is planted on 115,000 hectares,
The French company Sun’Agri, a pioneer in ”agrivoltaism”, has just come out with an exciting report. Agrivoltaism involves installing solar panels on top of agricultural
One word that stands out in all wine communication today is “terroir”. Wine drinkers claim to find it in the wine, and winemakers strive to
— Terroir or Not Terroir? — One word that stands out in all wine communication today is “terroir”. Wine drinkers claim to find it in
After three peculiar years, sales of champagne are now returning to the level they had before the pandemic. Sales in 2023 amounted to 299 million
The UK had a bumper year in 2023, producing between 20 and 22 million bottles of wine, 50% more than the previous record. The harvest
It’s been a while since I drank non-alcoholic wine. Still, given that I’ve heard positive things about them recently, I was surprised when I looked
Vintage 2023 (harvested in Feb-Apr 2023) produced wines of excellent quality in South Africa. But the volume was less than in 2022, so it is
The grape varieties that wine producers use today have naturally mutated over time. Researchers have selected the best mutations (clones) based on several criteria, e.g.
When the New World began to compete with France in some export markets around 30 years ago, there was a lot of talk about the
Champagne Bollinger’s flagship Vieilles Vignes Françaises (VVF) is made in ever smaller quantities. The grapes come from vines planted franc de pied, a French expression
There is a lot of talk about fungal diseases, which are a real problem for winegrowers (powdery mildew/oidium, downy mildew/mildiou and others). But other diseases
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