Almost all vines planted today are grafted onto an American rootstock. This is because the wine louse, the phylloxera, is still present in the soil. The American vine is immune to phylloxera, but not the
France has many nurseries that provide winegrowers with new vines. These nurseries are now worried that the French vines have become too expensive compared to other European countries. They keep losing market shares. Exports have
When you talk about faulty wines, the cork is often the scapegoat. However, there are other types of defects. A tasting in the region of Touraine in the Loire Valley shows that the cork defect
Champagne house Moët & Chandon has launched two Indian sparkling wines, Chandon Brut and Chandon Brut Rosé. They are made in Dindori which is located in Nashik, one of India’s most promising wine growing regions.
The discussion concerning who is allowed to chaptalise and who instead must use concentrated grape must to enrich their wine has been going on in France all year. Two ways to do enrichment. To chaptalize
The current Selosse is named Anselme. It was his father, Jacques, who founded the estate in Avize in 1949. Anselme took over in 1974. The vineyards are mainly located in the Côte des Blancs, but
We have been asked this question several times: does it happen that wine growers get their grapes stolen before harvest? The vineyards are after all rather unprotected. We usually say that this is not a
The French Ministry of Agriculture is discussing a decision to ban nitrogen fertilisation to farmland with an inclination of more than 15 %. This is to reduce nitrate emissions into the environment. This has naturally
Bordeaux has found a way to get young wine lovers to take an interest in Bordeaux wines. Since a few years back La Commanderie du Bon Temps in Médoc, Graves and Sauternes organizes “The Left
Schist (slate) deserves more respect. Wine growers in Anjou in the Loire Valley are a bit upset about the fact that limestone gets all the attention. So they organized La Paulee de l ‘Anjou Noir
Sometimes it feels like every wine you drink is oaked. But the fact is that only 2% of all the world’s wines spend time in oak barrels, according to Drinks Business. And this is down
Wine growers talk about high and low yields in the vineyard. In Languedoc they have around 45 hectolitres per hectare, in Bordeaux 50 to 60 and in Champagne even higher. But when you talk about
While visiting Vinexpo in Bordeaux in June I stopped at the Turkish stand and tasted some of their wines. Quite a few of them were good. I especially liked a wine called Sade Öküzgözü 2011
The organic winegrowers in Languedoc-Roussillon say that the state, through advertising campaigns, should encourage French people to drink organic wines. It is difficult for us to do it ourselves, say the growers. They argue that
Champagne has now decided how many kilos of grapes that growers will be allowed to pick this fall. Champagne differs from other districts in France when it comes to determining the yield. In Champagne they
Uncorked: Under this heading we collect various wines that we have tasted, and liked, recently. It can be wines that we have had during dinner at home, at wine tastings, press lunches, visits to vineyards,
White Bordeaux wines can be really good. The fact is that we are rarely disappointed. And yet they are relatively unknown. Some white Pessac-Léognans made in small volumes are sold at high prices, but the
Burgundy suffered from disastrous hail storms on July 23. In the Côte de Beaune some wineries have had their entire vineyard destroyed. The agriculture minister Stephane Le Foll were quick to announce that victims would
Michel Chapoutier in the Rhone Valley is fond of saying controversial things. A few weeks ago he talked in Drinks Business about how to best get rid of some of the alcohol in high alcohol
Everyone agrees that the grape-must must ferment to become wine. However, when it comes to what type of yeast to use, opinions differ. The choice is open to the winemaker to let the must ferment
Alsace wines are often compared to German wines and it is said that the big difference is that the German wines are sweet and Alsatian wines are dry. There is some truth in this, although
More and more champagne houses decrease the dosage. This is the small dose of sugar that is added to the champagne just after the sediment has been removed (the disgorgement). Not adding any sugar at
The discussion about organic or not organic is often about the taste of the wine. Maybe there should be a greater focus on the possible harmful effects that pesticides can have on people working with
Uncorked: Under this heading we collect various wines that we have tasted, and liked, recently. It can be wines that we have had during dinner at home, at wine tastings, press lunches, visits to vineyards,
Irrigation in the vineyards is no longer taboo in France, nor is it prohibited. (It is curious how often one still hear people saying that irrigation in France, or even in Europe, is not permitted.
The bad spring turned into a cold, rainy and windy early summer in France. Hail, storms and even small tornadoes have occurred. Some regions have suffered worse than others. For example, Vouvray in the Loire
The planting rights in the EU were supposed to disappear. The decision was taken. And then it would have been possible for wine growers to plant more grapes if they thought they could sell more
A really good sparkling wine with 48 months on the lees. So it is complex and full-bodied. The grapes are 75% Pinot blanc and the rest is Riesling giving floral and citrus aromas on the
When in Rome do as the Romans. Certainly this is a good piece of advice. One should not, for instance, complain about the French breakfast when in France. (Actually the French breakfast is today much
At Vinexpo, recently held in Bordeaux, Amorim launched a new way to seal a wine bottle called Helix Concept. Helix Concept is in fact both a bottle and a cork. The cork is a slightly
Almost all vines planted today are grafted onto an American rootstock. This is because the wine louse, the phylloxera, is still present in the soil.
France has many nurseries that provide winegrowers with new vines. These nurseries are now worried that the French vines have become too expensive compared to
When you talk about faulty wines, the cork is often the scapegoat. However, there are other types of defects. A tasting in the region of
Champagne house Moët & Chandon has launched two Indian sparkling wines, Chandon Brut and Chandon Brut Rosé. They are made in Dindori which is located
The discussion concerning who is allowed to chaptalise and who instead must use concentrated grape must to enrich their wine has been going on in
The current Selosse is named Anselme. It was his father, Jacques, who founded the estate in Avize in 1949. Anselme took over in 1974. The
We have been asked this question several times: does it happen that wine growers get their grapes stolen before harvest? The vineyards are after all
The French Ministry of Agriculture is discussing a decision to ban nitrogen fertilisation to farmland with an inclination of more than 15 %. This is
Bordeaux has found a way to get young wine lovers to take an interest in Bordeaux wines. Since a few years back La Commanderie du
Schist (slate) deserves more respect. Wine growers in Anjou in the Loire Valley are a bit upset about the fact that limestone gets all the
Sometimes it feels like every wine you drink is oaked. But the fact is that only 2% of all the world’s wines spend time in
Wine growers talk about high and low yields in the vineyard. In Languedoc they have around 45 hectolitres per hectare, in Bordeaux 50 to 60
While visiting Vinexpo in Bordeaux in June I stopped at the Turkish stand and tasted some of their wines. Quite a few of them were
The organic winegrowers in Languedoc-Roussillon say that the state, through advertising campaigns, should encourage French people to drink organic wines. It is difficult for us
Champagne has now decided how many kilos of grapes that growers will be allowed to pick this fall. Champagne differs from other districts in France
Uncorked: Under this heading we collect various wines that we have tasted, and liked, recently. It can be wines that we have had during dinner
White Bordeaux wines can be really good. The fact is that we are rarely disappointed. And yet they are relatively unknown. Some white Pessac-Léognans made
Burgundy suffered from disastrous hail storms on July 23. In the Côte de Beaune some wineries have had their entire vineyard destroyed. The agriculture minister
Michel Chapoutier in the Rhone Valley is fond of saying controversial things. A few weeks ago he talked in Drinks Business about how to best
Everyone agrees that the grape-must must ferment to become wine. However, when it comes to what type of yeast to use, opinions differ. The choice
Alsace wines are often compared to German wines and it is said that the big difference is that the German wines are sweet and Alsatian
More and more champagne houses decrease the dosage. This is the small dose of sugar that is added to the champagne just after the sediment
The discussion about organic or not organic is often about the taste of the wine. Maybe there should be a greater focus on the possible
Uncorked: Under this heading we collect various wines that we have tasted, and liked, recently. It can be wines that we have had during dinner
Irrigation in the vineyards is no longer taboo in France, nor is it prohibited. (It is curious how often one still hear people saying that
The bad spring turned into a cold, rainy and windy early summer in France. Hail, storms and even small tornadoes have occurred. Some regions have
The planting rights in the EU were supposed to disappear. The decision was taken. And then it would have been possible for wine growers to
A really good sparkling wine with 48 months on the lees. So it is complex and full-bodied. The grapes are 75% Pinot blanc and the
When in Rome do as the Romans. Certainly this is a good piece of advice. One should not, for instance, complain about the French breakfast
At Vinexpo, recently held in Bordeaux, Amorim launched a new way to seal a wine bottle called Helix Concept. Helix Concept is in fact both
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