Sustainability is important. But sustainability is a vague concept. And what is considered sustainable or not can quickly change. This became apparent to wine producers that are certified HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) when the rules
— Sustainable, yes. But what kind of sustainability? — Sustainability is important. But sustainability is a vague concept. And what is considered sustainable or not can quickly change. This became apparent to wine producers that
Bernard Duseigneur of Domaine Duseigneur is the new and happy owner of Château Maucoil, a beautiful estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape of 70 hectares, of which 40 hectares are vineyards with different types of soil, one of
Old grape varieties, more or less forgotten, are now being honoured again. A variety called lignage was grown before the phylloxera around the city of Blois in the Loire Valley and produced wines with high
New appellations don’t often appear in France. But sometimes, it happens. (Modifying existing ones happens more often.) On October 14, Vézelay in northern Burgundy became an Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP). From the beginning, Vézelay was
On October 30, 2022, Ukraine again became a member of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, OIV. The country was previously a member between 1997 and 2008. With Ukraine’s re-entry, the number of members
In September, after two years of work, the updated list of Saint Emilion’s classification was announced. After the turbulence of the previous update (2006, but approved only in 2012, click the link to read more),
Weinert Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 from Mendoza in Argentina was launched in Sweden on October 21. That’s a good excuse to say a few words about this unusual wine producer. “This 2012 Weinert Cabernet Sauvignon is
Some appellations only come in one colour, like Gigondas in the southern Rhône valley, which is always red (or rosé, but these are rarely seen). From 2023 however, Gigondas will also be able to be
Two months of wine tours to different European countries have given us many opportunities to talk about the laws and regulations in various wine regions. I met a wine grower in the Loire Valley in
— Eating the cake and having it when making wine — Two months of wine tours to different European countries have given us many opportunities to talk about the laws and regulations in various wine
The appellations Côtes-du-Rhône et Côtes-du-Rhône Villages have the ambition to reduce the spraying of their vineyards and make them more resistant to drought. As part of these efforts, they have now included four new grape
Recent years have seen a record-breaking increase in organic wine acreage in France. Now you are up to 20% of the total vineyard area, which means 159,868 hectares that are organically certified or under conversion.
During our wine tour in Austria in mid-September, the harvest was in full swing. The producers were full of confidence after this year which has had some challenges, the hot weather in July and August
This year’s harvest was already finished when we arrived for our wine tour in Burgundy earlier this season. In many places, also the fermentation. The harvest started already on August 16 for the earliest plots
Berri Estates, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest wine estate, may not sound familiar. But you may very well have had a wine from there. Berri Estates is located in Australia’s largest wine region, the Riverland in
In 2016 that Rosa Kruger and André Morgenthal started The Old Vine Project (OVP) in South Africa to find and care for old, sometimes abandoned, vineyards and to draw attention to the value of old
By using the new genetic technology CRISPR-CAS, Chilean scientists have produced a grape that is resistant to oidium, a fungal disease. The grape in question is Thompson seedless, a table grape, so not relevant in
The traditional National Wine Day is celebrated in Moldova every year, the first weekend of October. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the festival is on again this year, and it will be the twenty-first edition.
Among the most critical things a winegrower has to think about is using suitable grapes in his vineyard, grapes that thrive. And this is true, not least if you grow wine in a dry climate
This year the harvest is very early in many places in France. At the beginning of August, some producers had already started in Languedoc-Roussillon. In Champagne, the first village to harvest was on August 20
There has been an explosion of microbreweries in the last 15 years worldwide, not least in Sweden. “It is thanks to these microbreweries that people have discovered the different flavours of beer,” says Magnus Elmgren
Alsace now has its first grand cru wines made with pinot noir. Until now, the Alsatian red grape has been banned from grand cru wines. But not anymore. At least not from two of them.
Once upon a time, quite a lot of white wine was made in Médoc. Then it was banned. Or, to be more precise, the eight appellations of the Médoc Peninsula can only be used for
The harvest in Champagne started early this year; the earliest villages already on August 20. I went to Champagne Chassenay d’Arce in the Côte des Bar, the southernmost part of Champagne, on the first of
If you are fond of buying wines and eager to keep them for some time, it is often difficult to have sufficient space in your home. Fortunately, there are solutions. In many countries there are
Fitou is Languedoc’s southernmost appellation. In the past, this was the frontier between Languedoc and Spain. Today, it is the French region of Roussillon that is on the other side of the border. It is
We find French wine producers a little bit everywhere in the world. For various reasons, they are attracted to foreign wine regions. For Louis Barruol, from the famous Château de Saint-Cosme in Gigondas in the
The EU is a significant export market for New Zealand wine. Over 20 million litres of wine have been exported here to a value of over 150 million USD in the last 12 months. And
It is easier to compare the price of a kilo of tomatoes than of different wines. Too many factors affect wine pricing. This is not the only thing that separates viticulture from other agriculture. In
Sustainability is important. But sustainability is a vague concept. And what is considered sustainable or not can quickly change. This became apparent to wine producers
— Sustainable, yes. But what kind of sustainability? — Sustainability is important. But sustainability is a vague concept. And what is considered sustainable or not
Bernard Duseigneur of Domaine Duseigneur is the new and happy owner of Château Maucoil, a beautiful estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape of 70 hectares, of which 40
Old grape varieties, more or less forgotten, are now being honoured again. A variety called lignage was grown before the phylloxera around the city of
New appellations don’t often appear in France. But sometimes, it happens. (Modifying existing ones happens more often.) On October 14, Vézelay in northern Burgundy became
On October 30, 2022, Ukraine again became a member of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, OIV. The country was previously a member between
In September, after two years of work, the updated list of Saint Emilion’s classification was announced. After the turbulence of the previous update (2006, but
Weinert Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 from Mendoza in Argentina was launched in Sweden on October 21. That’s a good excuse to say a few words about
Some appellations only come in one colour, like Gigondas in the southern Rhône valley, which is always red (or rosé, but these are rarely seen).
Two months of wine tours to different European countries have given us many opportunities to talk about the laws and regulations in various wine regions.
— Eating the cake and having it when making wine — Two months of wine tours to different European countries have given us many opportunities
The appellations Côtes-du-Rhône et Côtes-du-Rhône Villages have the ambition to reduce the spraying of their vineyards and make them more resistant to drought. As part
Recent years have seen a record-breaking increase in organic wine acreage in France. Now you are up to 20% of the total vineyard area, which
During our wine tour in Austria in mid-September, the harvest was in full swing. The producers were full of confidence after this year which has
This year’s harvest was already finished when we arrived for our wine tour in Burgundy earlier this season. In many places, also the fermentation. The
Berri Estates, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest wine estate, may not sound familiar. But you may very well have had a wine from there. Berri Estates
In 2016 that Rosa Kruger and André Morgenthal started The Old Vine Project (OVP) in South Africa to find and care for old, sometimes abandoned,
By using the new genetic technology CRISPR-CAS, Chilean scientists have produced a grape that is resistant to oidium, a fungal disease. The grape in question
The traditional National Wine Day is celebrated in Moldova every year, the first weekend of October. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the festival is on
Among the most critical things a winegrower has to think about is using suitable grapes in his vineyard, grapes that thrive. And this is true,
This year the harvest is very early in many places in France. At the beginning of August, some producers had already started in Languedoc-Roussillon. In
There has been an explosion of microbreweries in the last 15 years worldwide, not least in Sweden. “It is thanks to these microbreweries that people
Alsace now has its first grand cru wines made with pinot noir. Until now, the Alsatian red grape has been banned from grand cru wines.
Once upon a time, quite a lot of white wine was made in Médoc. Then it was banned. Or, to be more precise, the eight
The harvest in Champagne started early this year; the earliest villages already on August 20. I went to Champagne Chassenay d’Arce in the Côte des
If you are fond of buying wines and eager to keep them for some time, it is often difficult to have sufficient space in your
Fitou is Languedoc’s southernmost appellation. In the past, this was the frontier between Languedoc and Spain. Today, it is the French region of Roussillon that
We find French wine producers a little bit everywhere in the world. For various reasons, they are attracted to foreign wine regions. For Louis Barruol,
The EU is a significant export market for New Zealand wine. Over 20 million litres of wine have been exported here to a value of
It is easier to compare the price of a kilo of tomatoes than of different wines. Too many factors affect wine pricing. This is not
Newsletter:
Get our free monthly newsletter, the BKWine Brief and join 25,000 other wine and travel enthusiasts.
Text and images may not be used without our permission. More info on copyright.
25,000 subscribers get wine news every month. You too?
