BKWine Blog
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
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
In 2016, the Pessac-Léognan appellation in northern Graves in Bordeaux changed its rules to allow irrigation during severe drought. Irrigation is a much-discussed topic in France today, and as the hot and dry summers continue,
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
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
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
The appellations Côtes-du-Rhône et Côtes-du-Rhône Villages have the ambition to reduce the spraying of their vineyards and make them more resistant to drought. As part of these efforts, they have now included four new grape
Recent years have seen a record-breaking increase in organic wine acreage in France. Now you are up to 20% of the total vineyard area, which means 159,868 hectares that are organically certified or under conversion.
During our wine tour in Austria in mid-September, the harvest was in full swing. The producers were full of confidence after this year which has had some challenges, the hot weather in July and August
This year’s harvest was already finished when we arrived for our wine tour in Burgundy earlier this season. In many places, also the fermentation. The harvest started already on August 16 for the earliest plots
Berri Estates, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest wine estate, may not sound familiar. But you may very well have had a wine from there. Berri Estates is located in Australia’s largest wine region, the Riverland in
In 2016 that Rosa Kruger and André Morgenthal started The Old Vine Project (OVP) in South Africa to find and care for old, sometimes abandoned, vineyards and to draw attention to the value of old
By using the new genetic technology CRISPR-CAS, Chilean scientists have produced a grape that is resistant to oidium, a fungal disease. The grape in question is Thompson seedless, a table grape, so not relevant in
The traditional National Wine Day is celebrated in Moldova every year, the first weekend of October. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the festival is on again this year, and it will be the twenty-first edition.
Among the most critical things a winegrower has to think about is using suitable grapes in his vineyard, grapes that thrive. And this is true, not least if you grow wine in a dry climate
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
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.
In 2016, the Pessac-Léognan appellation in northern Graves in Bordeaux changed its rules to allow irrigation during severe drought. Irrigation is a much-discussed topic in
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
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
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).
The appellations Côtes-du-Rhône et Côtes-du-Rhône Villages have the ambition to reduce the spraying of their vineyards and make them more resistant to drought. As part
Recent years have seen a record-breaking increase in organic wine acreage in France. Now you are up to 20% of the total vineyard area, which
During our wine tour in Austria in mid-September, the harvest was in full swing. The producers were full of confidence after this year which has
This year’s harvest was already finished when we arrived for our wine tour in Burgundy earlier this season. In many places, also the fermentation. The
Berri Estates, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest wine estate, may not sound familiar. But you may very well have had a wine from there. Berri Estates
In 2016 that Rosa Kruger and André Morgenthal started The Old Vine Project (OVP) in South Africa to find and care for old, sometimes abandoned,
By using the new genetic technology CRISPR-CAS, Chilean scientists have produced a grape that is resistant to oidium, a fungal disease. The grape in question
The traditional National Wine Day is celebrated in Moldova every year, the first weekend of October. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the festival is on
Among the most critical things a winegrower has to think about is using suitable grapes in his vineyard, grapes that thrive. And this is true,
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