Author: Per Karlsson

BKWine’s reporter-at-large participated in the festivities on August 27 when Jamie Davies celebrated Schramsberg’s 40th anniversary. Schramsberg was founded by the Davies couple when they moved from Los Angeles to Napa in 1965. It has

The Swedish monopoly retailer has conducted a study on how the quality evolves over time for wines in bag-in-box. Only 5% of the wines tested were judge to be of sufficient quality. The tests were

People are buying less wines en primeur in Sweden. Well, actually, they will be buying none at all since Systembolaget, the Swedish retail monopoly, has decided not to offer wines en primeur any longer. The

Argentina is mainly know for the Mendoza wines but since the beginning of the decade massive investments (partially state subsidised) have been done in Patagonia, a bit south of Mendoza. The landscape is flat and

Press information reports that the big Rhône producer Jaboulet is on the verge of being sold to the Swiss financier Jean-Jacques Frey. Jaboulet is one of the most famous and biggest producers in northern Rhône

Robert Parker, famous wine writer, critique and taster, and publisher of The Wine Advocate, has recruited a new collaborator to write about German wines: David Schildknecht, is his name. He has a background as wine

The Prime Minister Göran Persson and the finance minister Per Nuder both agreed that the Swedish taxation on alcohol should be lowered. But this will not happen. The coalition partners to the ruling social-democrats did

Richard Branson, eccentric British billionaire, owner of e.g. Virgin Airlines, has launched a range of wines with the motto “Unscrew it, let’s do it!”. “Wine, like life, is meant to be enjoyed,” said Branson. The

A French court (”Conseil d’Etat”) has annulled the creation in 2003 of the appellation Chaume Premier Cru for a sweet white wine made in Anjou near the old appellation Quart de Chaume (itself created in

New rules were published on August 27: 20 geographical names (village “appellations”) can be used on the label: Beaumes-de-Venise, Cairanne, Chusclan (red and rosé), Laudun, Massif d’Uchaux (red), Plan de Dieu (red), Puymeras (red), Rasteau,

Robert Parker interviewed in the French magazine Paris Match, on the French classification systems: “The French classification systems are historically important, but the 1855 classification is more a document than a real reflection of today’s

On September 2 Anitra Steen, Managing Director of Systembolaget AB, announced what measures would be taken by Systembolaget against some of the companies suspected of bribery. Systembolaget is the state owned company that has the

Touring in Wine Country Burgundy/Bordeaux/Loire/Rhône/ProvenceHubrecht Duijker (Mitchell Beazley), ca £10-13. Also exists in French, published by Flammarion These books were published some years ago but they are books that you don’t want to be without

These books were published some years ago but they are books that you don’t want to be without if you travel in wine country. Indispensable. It is a series edited by Hugh Johnson and written

Interested in combining food and wine? Read Sam Gugino’s recommendations on his site SamCooks.com. (Sam is also a contributing editor to the Wine Spectator.): https://www.samcooks.com/ Blaxta – a vineyard in Sweden (!) that is described

Biodynamic Wines (Mitchell Beazley)Monty Waldin This is a somewhat heavy book, but if you are interested in the principles of biodynamic wine growing this book gives you all the information you need. It’s written by

The World Atlas of Wine, 5th edition (Mitchell Beazley)Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson If you want to learn a little about every wine region in the world, this is the book for you. The first edition

U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB) has proposed a change in the rules for labelling vintage wines: the proposal says that it would suffice with 85% of the wine to come from

The famous wine consultant Michel Rolland (perhaps most famous to the public for his “contribution” in the wine film Mondovino) has also been hired by Antinori to work with Tenuta Campo di Sasso. According to

Antinori has recruited the Swedish (!) winemaker Helena Lindberg to manage the Tenuta Campo di Sasso winery. Campo di Sasso has already launched a mid range/entry level wine called Insolio del Cinghiale (Cabernet Franc, Merlot,

If you have started to get to grips with what blogging is, now it is time to look at pod-casting. But never mind the geek speak. It is simply a way of listening to radio

Tourists travelling on some of the motorways in southern France this summer could get the pleasant surprise of being given a free bottle of wine when they stopped at the road toll both. Wine growers

Gerard Depardieu, one of France’s best known film actors, already owns several vineyards in e.g. the Loire valley (Chateau Tigné) and Languedoc. He has launched a cooperation in Hungary with Huba Szeremley (of First Hungarian

The annual wine auctions of the Prädikat Wine Estates (VDP) in the Mosel, Rheingau and Nahe regions will take place from 21–25 September 2005. On offer are a number of rarities and the finest lots

The family owned group Taittinger was finally sold to the American investment company Starwood in a deal worth €2.8 bn. The group includes, in addition to the champagne house, several luxury hotels and the exclusive