BKWine Blog
Château Angélus has chosen not to be included in the 2022 update of the Saint Emilion classification. This announcement comes a few months after two other A-chateaux dropped out, Cheval Blanc and Ausone. Angélus, together
Alliance Alsace, a cooperative in Turckheim, launched its first bag-in-box in 2020. The well-known Alsace producer Arthur Metz also sells a wine in bag-in-box. For both these producers, the grapes come from their vineyards in
Côte de Nuits, the northern part of Côte d’Or in Burgundy, is dotted with wine villages, some more famous than others. One of the not so famous ones is Fixin (the x is pronounced “ss”),
No one had dared to hope for such high sales figures. In 2021, Champagne sold 322 million bottles. An excellent result and an increase from 2020 by 32%, which was admittedly the worst year in
There is no stopping Prosecco’s popularity. In 2021, 627.5 million bottles of Prosecco DOC were bottled (and, presumably, sold). Of this amount, 71.5 million bottles are rosé, a category created in 2020. Prosecco is, without
From being a fairly unremarkable additive in most wines, sulphur dioxide has recently turned into a burning topic of discussion for wine enthusiasts. SO2 is added to the wine to protect it from premature oxidation.
The DO Cava appellation in Spain has decided that from 2025, organic certification will be mandatory for cavas de guarda superior, the higher quality of cava. This category includes cavas reserva (with at least 18
The red wines from the Languedoc, southern Rhône Valley and Provence often combine a delicious, dark fruit with good acidity, relatively soft tannins and a pleasant spiciness. Here are some of our favourites that we
It’s still early days. But the first report on the South African harvest 2022 has arrived. The winter was as should be, with snow in the mountains and rain filling the dams. These were filled
Glass bottles play a significant role in the wine industry. The company Verallia is the largest producer of glass bottles in Europe. They have seven factories around the French wine regions and have close contact
We all hope that the pandemic calms down, not least those who organise large wine events. The big wine fair Wine Paris & Vinexpo, which took place for the first time in 2020, as a
China’s wine import is falling. The Chinese drink less, in part because of the limited social life that has continued into this year. January to September this year (2021) saw a decrease in wine imports
Buying Alsace wines has so far been something of a gamble if you do not already know the wine or the producer. Now, things will be easier. It is henceforth mandatory to indicate on the
The cradle of wine stood in the area around present-day Armenia and Georgia. This is well known and widely accepted. Grape seeds and remnants of drinking vessels found indicate that this is where people made
People drink a lot of sparkling wine during the end of year holidays. There is a lot to choose from. Admittedly, champagne is still the most prestigious bubble, but in volume, prosecco is the winner.
Pomerol in Bordeaux is banning the use of chemical weed control. This is the first appellation in France to take this decision. The new rules were adopted on October 21 this year (2021). The new
Champagne producers apparently have a lot of concerns right now. The capriciousness of the weather (recent years have been too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry…), the reduction in the number of approved pesticides
Europe dominates when it comes to organic viticulture in the world. But the rest of the world is catching up. According to OIV, The International Organisation of Vine and Wine, organic viticulture is increasing worldwide
The Douro Valley used to be all about port wine. No longer. The production of dry wines (called “Douro wines”), have increased incredibly in recent years. This is a trend created by the smaller growers
This year, some winegrowers in various parts of Europe have had to resort to chaptalisation to reach the alcohol content they consider necessary. During our recent wine tours in, for example, Champagne and Burgundy, we
Whatever old vines mean for the quality of the wine (a disputed topic), it’s hard not to be impressed if they’re 200 years old. The vines for Santa Cruz de Coya from the Chilean wine
The weather during the harvest in France has been sunny and warm in many places. Despite the problems during the spring and summer, many are optimistic about the new 2021 vintage. Severe weather conditions do
A wine importer in Sweden recently launched a wine in a bottle mainly made from recycled glass. Is this something to write about? Yes, apparently, many wines are bottled in new glass bottles or in
During the late afternoon/early evening Happy Hour, the French cafés offer lower prices on beer and cocktails, and if you look around, mojito seems to be the most popular drink right now. But the fact
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable and now also regenerative agriculture. Are all just variations of the same theme? Torres, the producer from Catalonia who is also an environmental warrior, organized a symposium on regenerative agriculture earlier this
We have already heard of Portuguese grape varieties in Bordeaux and Greek ones in Provence. Now the turn has come for Cypriot grape varieties to (maybe) help Australia’s wine industry meet the climate challenges. Studies
Sometimes “terroir” does not matter so much. The Australian wine giant Treasury Wine Estates, which owns Penfolds and other brands, has taken drastic measures to survive the high tariffs imposed by China on Australian wine.
This year, the wine producers in many parts of the world have had severe weather problems: heat, fires, floodings, frost, diseases. Spring frosts affected almost all wine regions in France for several nights in April.
An essential phase in grape ripening is what the French call le véraison. For lack of a better one, many other languages use the same word. Véraison means that the grapes change to their final
The EU has long had restrictive regulations regarding de-alcoholising wines. This is about to change. Non-alcoholic (de-alcoholised) “wines” will probably soon be allowed to call themselves wine. And they will be allowed to keep their
Château Angélus has chosen not to be included in the 2022 update of the Saint Emilion classification. This announcement comes a few months after two
Alliance Alsace, a cooperative in Turckheim, launched its first bag-in-box in 2020. The well-known Alsace producer Arthur Metz also sells a wine in bag-in-box. For
Côte de Nuits, the northern part of Côte d’Or in Burgundy, is dotted with wine villages, some more famous than others. One of the not
No one had dared to hope for such high sales figures. In 2021, Champagne sold 322 million bottles. An excellent result and an increase from
There is no stopping Prosecco’s popularity. In 2021, 627.5 million bottles of Prosecco DOC were bottled (and, presumably, sold). Of this amount, 71.5 million bottles
From being a fairly unremarkable additive in most wines, sulphur dioxide has recently turned into a burning topic of discussion for wine enthusiasts. SO2 is
The DO Cava appellation in Spain has decided that from 2025, organic certification will be mandatory for cavas de guarda superior, the higher quality of
The red wines from the Languedoc, southern Rhône Valley and Provence often combine a delicious, dark fruit with good acidity, relatively soft tannins and a
It’s still early days. But the first report on the South African harvest 2022 has arrived. The winter was as should be, with snow in
Glass bottles play a significant role in the wine industry. The company Verallia is the largest producer of glass bottles in Europe. They have seven
We all hope that the pandemic calms down, not least those who organise large wine events. The big wine fair Wine Paris & Vinexpo, which
China’s wine import is falling. The Chinese drink less, in part because of the limited social life that has continued into this year. January to
Buying Alsace wines has so far been something of a gamble if you do not already know the wine or the producer. Now, things will
The cradle of wine stood in the area around present-day Armenia and Georgia. This is well known and widely accepted. Grape seeds and remnants of
People drink a lot of sparkling wine during the end of year holidays. There is a lot to choose from. Admittedly, champagne is still the
Pomerol in Bordeaux is banning the use of chemical weed control. This is the first appellation in France to take this decision. The new rules
Champagne producers apparently have a lot of concerns right now. The capriciousness of the weather (recent years have been too hot, too cold, too wet,
Europe dominates when it comes to organic viticulture in the world. But the rest of the world is catching up. According to OIV, The International
The Douro Valley used to be all about port wine. No longer. The production of dry wines (called “Douro wines”), have increased incredibly in recent
This year, some winegrowers in various parts of Europe have had to resort to chaptalisation to reach the alcohol content they consider necessary. During our
Whatever old vines mean for the quality of the wine (a disputed topic), it’s hard not to be impressed if they’re 200 years old. The
The weather during the harvest in France has been sunny and warm in many places. Despite the problems during the spring and summer, many are
A wine importer in Sweden recently launched a wine in a bottle mainly made from recycled glass. Is this something to write about? Yes, apparently,
During the late afternoon/early evening Happy Hour, the French cafés offer lower prices on beer and cocktails, and if you look around, mojito seems to
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable and now also regenerative agriculture. Are all just variations of the same theme? Torres, the producer from Catalonia who is also an
We have already heard of Portuguese grape varieties in Bordeaux and Greek ones in Provence. Now the turn has come for Cypriot grape varieties to
Sometimes “terroir” does not matter so much. The Australian wine giant Treasury Wine Estates, which owns Penfolds and other brands, has taken drastic measures to
This year, the wine producers in many parts of the world have had severe weather problems: heat, fires, floodings, frost, diseases. Spring frosts affected almost
An essential phase in grape ripening is what the French call le véraison. For lack of a better one, many other languages use the same
The EU has long had restrictive regulations regarding de-alcoholising wines. This is about to change. Non-alcoholic (de-alcoholised) “wines” will probably soon be allowed to call
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