Post Archive

Gigondas is a small appellation in the southern Rhône valley that has almost become a little bit forgotten. For a while it has perhaps not

A year or two ago Laroche opened a wine bar and restaurant in an old renovated mill and now (after quite a long wait) it’s

Sometimes one thinks that it’s a pity that one can’t afford to drink some really nice wines in a restaurant. Wouldn’t it be nice to

Vinisud in Montpellier is a trade show focusing on wines from the Mediterranean basin. It has grown rapidly in recent times and is today a

During Vinitaly the Consortio of Soave launched a new information leaflet on combining Soave wine with food – specifically with Scandinavian food. The booklet contains

In the last issue of The Brief we mentioned that Montenegro has joined the OIV. Unfortunately we were a little bit imprecise in explaining what

Château la Roque, one of the best known properties in the successful appellation Pic-St-Loup in Languedoc has just changed hands. The new owner is the

In a text published on April 30 AOC Languedoc has been officially announced. Technically, it is not a new appellation but a modification of the

– First it was the Cru Bourgeois classification that was annulled. Then it was St Emilion. Is Margaux next? Philippe Raoux, owner of Ch d’Arsac,

– The Champagne house Thiénot (Thiénot, Canard-Duchène, Joseph Perrier, Marie Stuart, Malard) has bought a stake in the Bordeaux négociant CVBG Dourthe Kressmann. Dourthe is

– The latest addition to the list of AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) is Outer Coastal Plain in New Jersey. The region covers almost half of

Since April 1 it is no longer permitted to use the name Tocai (in Italy) or Tokay (d’Alsace, in France) following an EU agreement that

2006 was a record year for wine exports from Spain: they reached 1.64 bn euro which is up 3.9% from previous year. Looking further back,

– The acreage for grapes in California grew in 2006 to 350,000 hectares (860,000 acres). That is about the same size as Bordeaux (100’) and

– South Africa is arguably one of the most successful “new” wine countries in recent times, coming from virtually nowhere to now commanding a substantial

There’s been exceptionally dry weather in Australia, and coupled with spring frosts this has reduced this year’s harvest. Now, trade sources estimate that the reduces

– The EU has a relatively substantial budget to support and develop the wine sector. Primarily it is targeted at decreasing the surplus of cheap,

– The Laroche Group, led by Michel Laroche, increased sales for the year ended on March 31 from 26.1 M euro to 30.7 M euro,

– A new official publication has defined the requirements for adding Pézenas to the AOC Coteaux du Languedoc. The wine must come from the communes