Many wine lovers, us included, are fond of glass bottles. But at the same time, we know that the production of glass bottles is hugely energy intensive. But what if this energy was non-fossil? English
There is a lot of talk about becoming carbon neutral these days. The EU has the ambition to become the first continent with zero emissions by 2050. But wine regions also have similar ambitions (I
The Rhône Valley has presented a plan for how the region will develop over the next 10-12 years. Two things stand out: more investment must be made in producing white wines and expanding exports. During
France’s vine nurseries had their annual congress recently and announced that in 2022 they grafted and sold a total of 235 million vines, which is 15 million more than in 2021. (A quick calculation: say
The Old World and The New World. The wine industry has lived with these expressions for quite a few years. And it is convenient. It was natural to call the countries outside Europe The New
— Is the “New World” outdated? — The Old World and The New World. The wine industry has lived with these expressions for quite a few years. And it is convenient. It was natural to
Today, many wineries want to show that they work sustainably. Maybe they measure their carbon footprint and are amazed at how much of this comes from driving the tractor back and forth in the vineyard.
Europe had a few freezing weeks in December, including Germany. This chilly weather has enabled some growers to make Eiswein (ice wine) finally again. It has been a long time. On December 11, 12 and
Kullaberg’s Winey (Kullabergs Vingård) in Scania, the southernmost region of Sweden, inaugurated its new winery, probably the biggest in Sweden, at the end of October. The work has been going on for two years, resulting
Interest in local, half-forgotten grape varieties is increasing. Thierry Navarre, a skilled wine grower in Saint Chinian, Languedoc, has discovered that the ribeyrenc, morastell, terret and œillade grapes have a lot to offer, not least
Waiting for the umami moment. — Will you taste umami in your Christmas food? For sure, if it’s savoury. And it often is. I recently learned that umami means savoury. And at the risk of
— Does umami exist? — Waiting for the umami moment. — Will you taste umami in your Christmas food? For sure, if it’s savoury. And it often is. I recently learned that umami means savoury.
To harvest with machine or by hand? Some really don’t have a choice, e.g., producers who have vineyards on very steep slopes where no harvesting machine dares to tread. But that is starting to change.
Admittedly, they had to fight spring frosts and very high temperatures, but winegrowers across California are happy to announce an excellent quality vintage for 2022. The harvest period was long and varied regarding when the
VinNatur is an Italian organization for natural wine producers founded and run by Angiolino Maule, a wine producer in Gambellara in Veneto. With over 200 members, it is also the most significant in the world
Beaujolais Nouveau is still celebrated in France (and elsewhere). Restaurants in Paris were packed on Thursday, 17 November, and many offered special menus featuring local Bourgogne/Beaujolais specialities. 2022 is a magnificent year for Beaujolais, and
Organic farming is spreading like wildfire among the great châteaux of Bordeaux. Château Pédesclaux, a classified château in Pauillac, has recently received its certification. The whole process actually started back in 2009 when the Lorenzetti
There is a lot of talk about which grape varieties will best adapt to climate change. However, less is said about the (“American”) rootstocks, although they do all the work in the soil. Whenever a
On a recent wine tour, one of the travellers told me that she has difficulty finding good organic wines. I was a bit surprised. There are so many organic wines around these days that it
When we travel through wine regions these days, we often see grass/weeds growing in the vineyard. And if you look at the statistics, the use of herbicides, i.e. chemical weed control, has decreased. But wine
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
Many wine lovers, us included, are fond of glass bottles. But at the same time, we know that the production of glass bottles is hugely
There is a lot of talk about becoming carbon neutral these days. The EU has the ambition to become the first continent with zero emissions
The Rhône Valley has presented a plan for how the region will develop over the next 10-12 years. Two things stand out: more investment must
France’s vine nurseries had their annual congress recently and announced that in 2022 they grafted and sold a total of 235 million vines, which is
The Old World and The New World. The wine industry has lived with these expressions for quite a few years. And it is convenient. It
— Is the “New World” outdated? — The Old World and The New World. The wine industry has lived with these expressions for quite a
Today, many wineries want to show that they work sustainably. Maybe they measure their carbon footprint and are amazed at how much of this comes
Europe had a few freezing weeks in December, including Germany. This chilly weather has enabled some growers to make Eiswein (ice wine) finally again. It
Kullaberg’s Winey (Kullabergs Vingård) in Scania, the southernmost region of Sweden, inaugurated its new winery, probably the biggest in Sweden, at the end of October.
Interest in local, half-forgotten grape varieties is increasing. Thierry Navarre, a skilled wine grower in Saint Chinian, Languedoc, has discovered that the ribeyrenc, morastell, terret
Waiting for the umami moment. — Will you taste umami in your Christmas food? For sure, if it’s savoury. And it often is. I recently
— Does umami exist? — Waiting for the umami moment. — Will you taste umami in your Christmas food? For sure, if it’s savoury. And
To harvest with machine or by hand? Some really don’t have a choice, e.g., producers who have vineyards on very steep slopes where no harvesting
Admittedly, they had to fight spring frosts and very high temperatures, but winegrowers across California are happy to announce an excellent quality vintage for 2022.
VinNatur is an Italian organization for natural wine producers founded and run by Angiolino Maule, a wine producer in Gambellara in Veneto. With over 200
Beaujolais Nouveau is still celebrated in France (and elsewhere). Restaurants in Paris were packed on Thursday, 17 November, and many offered special menus featuring local
Organic farming is spreading like wildfire among the great châteaux of Bordeaux. Château Pédesclaux, a classified château in Pauillac, has recently received its certification. The
There is a lot of talk about which grape varieties will best adapt to climate change. However, less is said about the (“American”) rootstocks, although
On a recent wine tour, one of the travellers told me that she has difficulty finding good organic wines. I was a bit surprised. There
When we travel through wine regions these days, we often see grass/weeds growing in the vineyard. And if you look at the statistics, the use
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.
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