BKWine Blog
About wine tours in covid times It was no surprise that the entire spring season of wine tours was cancelled. We have not made a single tour since we just managed to get home from
Making sure that they don’t harm the bees is vital for all farmers. Vines don’t need the help of bees for the fertilization, but there are still bees in the vineyards. The bees actually thrive
In the USA, the latest trend seems to be “clean wines”. Whether clean wine is more or less the same as natural wine is not clear. Hollywood star Cameron Diaz recently launched her own brand
The “vin de france” category was introduced in 2009 when the EU did a restructuring of the various wine categories. “Vin de table” was renamed “vin de france”. A more attractive name for sure and,
It has been a warm spring and summer in northern France in 2020. It is rumoured that the harvest in Champagne will start as early as around August 20. Therefore, it is urgent to determine
Spanish cava has once again tightened its rules and, at the same time, DO Cava takes the opportunity to introduce some new words for us to remember. From now on, cava with more than nine
An excerpt from the introduction of the latest BKWine Brief: In July, we usually arrange the very last details for the autumn wine tours. So again, this year. The big difference this year is, as
Producers ship their wines to the end customer in different ways. Bulk wines are usually transported by boat in a flexitank container. It is an environmentally friendly way to transport wine. Bulk wines may not
Most people probably see Italy as a red wine country. That is why the numbers are so surprising. 57% of Italian wine production is white wine. Prosecco and pinot grigio, the enormous successes of recent
We often think of “natural” wine producers as rebellious. They go their own way. But still, a debate about having rules for natural wines has been going on ever since the natural wine trend started.
Does the wine taste less oaky if the ends of the barrel, the heads, are made of polyethylene instead of oak? Yes it does, apparently. The ingenuity has no boundaries when it comes to making
At the end of 2019, the EU introduced a comprehensive environmental program called “The European Green Deal” to make EU agriculture sustainable. Now, Commissioner Stella Kyriakides has announced certain goals that have been set up
Between 2012 and 2017, the organic wine surface increased dramatically in Europe. In Italy, it increased by 84% and in Spain by 32%. Italy now has 106,400 hectares of organic vineyards, of which 30% is
Like the other major wine countries in Europe, France’s wine industry has undergone major changes in recent years. From the 1960s, the vineyard surface declined for many years. However, since a couple of years, it
Some people see red when they hear someone say “added yeast”. But that does not prevent most wine producers from choosing cultivated (selected) yeast over wild yeast. There are over 200 varieties of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
It was expected. The strange thing is that it didn’t happen until now. Prosecco producers are now authorized to make prosecco rosé. Something many have long waited for. A prosecco rosé is made by adding
Château Fourcas-Hosten is one of our favourite châteaux in the Médoc. Lovely, classic Bordeaux wines at a price you wouldn’t have thought existed anymore in Médoc. One reason is that the chateau happens to be
The oldest way to make sparkling wines is called méthode ancestrale in France. The method is mainly used in Gaillac, Limoux and Die. A more modern, or at least trendier, style of this method is
This is from the introduction to the BKWine Brief #200 and also from our wine travel site BKWineTours.com on how life is in the wine tourism sector currently. Where are we now? It is easier
Argentina is known for its Malbec and its excellent meat. They both go amazingly well together. But if you want to make an Argentinean evening at home, which is quite easy if you have a
Many wine regions are doing research to better understand the challenges posed by climate change. In the recently inaugurated Bragato Research Institute in Blenheim, Marlborough, in New Zealand, 84 small fermentation tanks and a lot
It has been an extremely warm and dry spring in some parts of France, especially the northern and north-eastern parts. We asked Philippe Bernard at Clos Saint Louis in Fixin (Côte de Nuits) how the
The idea seems brilliant. The company De Sangosse has developed a new product, a so-called adjuvant, named LE 846, whose viscous and liquid properties help to reduce the spraying by a quarter against downy and
How is it possible for some wines to cost so little? Is it about mass production, about advanced industrialization? A new project run by Anivin de France, the association of producers of Vin de France,
Quoted from our introduction to the BKWine Brief number 200: “Newsletter number 200! It was not something we planned when we started. 200 monthly newsletters. The first, BKWine Brief Nr 1, was in May 2003.
Bordeaux was hit by violent hailstorms on April 17. In Saint Emilion, Château Bernateau – that we were supposed to visit the day after on our Bordeaux spring tour, if everything had been normal –
Wine producers in South Africa have been through some tough times but now things are at least getting a bit better. During five weeks of lockdown, they have not been allowed to sell their wines
It is often debated whether it makes economic sense to work organically and if it is possible to raise the prices of the wines if you switch to sustainable or organic agriculture. Now we have
A recent Wine Intelligence study shows that consumers’ knowledge of wine decreased between 2015 and 2019. But that does not mean that these consumers do not buy wine. So how do they choose their wines?
During our South Africa tour in February we visited Creation Wines in beautiful Hemel-en-Aarde on the south coast. We tasted the lovely wines of course. But owner Carolyn Martin also took the opportunity to tell
About wine tours in covid times It was no surprise that the entire spring season of wine tours was cancelled. We have not made a
Making sure that they don’t harm the bees is vital for all farmers. Vines don’t need the help of bees for the fertilization, but there
In the USA, the latest trend seems to be “clean wines”. Whether clean wine is more or less the same as natural wine is not
The “vin de france” category was introduced in 2009 when the EU did a restructuring of the various wine categories. “Vin de table” was renamed
It has been a warm spring and summer in northern France in 2020. It is rumoured that the harvest in Champagne will start as early
Spanish cava has once again tightened its rules and, at the same time, DO Cava takes the opportunity to introduce some new words for us
An excerpt from the introduction of the latest BKWine Brief: In July, we usually arrange the very last details for the autumn wine tours. So
Producers ship their wines to the end customer in different ways. Bulk wines are usually transported by boat in a flexitank container. It is an
Most people probably see Italy as a red wine country. That is why the numbers are so surprising. 57% of Italian wine production is white
We often think of “natural” wine producers as rebellious. They go their own way. But still, a debate about having rules for natural wines has
Does the wine taste less oaky if the ends of the barrel, the heads, are made of polyethylene instead of oak? Yes it does, apparently.
At the end of 2019, the EU introduced a comprehensive environmental program called “The European Green Deal” to make EU agriculture sustainable. Now, Commissioner Stella
Between 2012 and 2017, the organic wine surface increased dramatically in Europe. In Italy, it increased by 84% and in Spain by 32%. Italy now
Like the other major wine countries in Europe, France’s wine industry has undergone major changes in recent years. From the 1960s, the vineyard surface declined
Some people see red when they hear someone say “added yeast”. But that does not prevent most wine producers from choosing cultivated (selected) yeast over
It was expected. The strange thing is that it didn’t happen until now. Prosecco producers are now authorized to make prosecco rosé. Something many have
Château Fourcas-Hosten is one of our favourite châteaux in the Médoc. Lovely, classic Bordeaux wines at a price you wouldn’t have thought existed anymore in
The oldest way to make sparkling wines is called méthode ancestrale in France. The method is mainly used in Gaillac, Limoux and Die. A more
This is from the introduction to the BKWine Brief #200 and also from our wine travel site BKWineTours.com on how life is in the wine
Argentina is known for its Malbec and its excellent meat. They both go amazingly well together. But if you want to make an Argentinean evening
Many wine regions are doing research to better understand the challenges posed by climate change. In the recently inaugurated Bragato Research Institute in Blenheim, Marlborough,
It has been an extremely warm and dry spring in some parts of France, especially the northern and north-eastern parts. We asked Philippe Bernard at
The idea seems brilliant. The company De Sangosse has developed a new product, a so-called adjuvant, named LE 846, whose viscous and liquid properties help
How is it possible for some wines to cost so little? Is it about mass production, about advanced industrialization? A new project run by Anivin
Quoted from our introduction to the BKWine Brief number 200: “Newsletter number 200! It was not something we planned when we started. 200 monthly newsletters.
Bordeaux was hit by violent hailstorms on April 17. In Saint Emilion, Château Bernateau – that we were supposed to visit the day after on
Wine producers in South Africa have been through some tough times but now things are at least getting a bit better. During five weeks of
It is often debated whether it makes economic sense to work organically and if it is possible to raise the prices of the wines if
A recent Wine Intelligence study shows that consumers’ knowledge of wine decreased between 2015 and 2019. But that does not mean that these consumers do
During our South Africa tour in February we visited Creation Wines in beautiful Hemel-en-Aarde on the south coast. We tasted the lovely wines of course.
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