A few years back I read a detective novel that taught me a new expression (new for me) in Swedish. Not quite easy to translate but it goes something like this “oh, it’s a lot to deal with right now”. It indicated that you are getting a little bit too stressed out by circumstances. It was used by two policemen who at the same time had to drink coffee, interview a suspect, take of their shoes (as is customary when you visit someone’s home in Sweden), and answer the phone. That was “a lot to deal with”. Fortunately I don’t remember which book it was. (Not one of the best.)
But right now I almost feel inclined to use that same expression. It is a lot to deal with right now.
We have just returned home from an amazing trip to South America: the wine districts of Argentina, an incredible bus trip over the Andes, and then the wine regions of Chile (with several quite unique winery visits). Tomorrow we go to Vinisud, the wine show in the south of France, where we have been asked by the organisers to do two wine tastings and one conference. If you are going to Vinisud we hope to see you there. And when we return from the wine show we hop on a plane to go to South Africa.
It is indeed a lot to deal with right now.
That is why this month’s BKWine Brief is a bit shorter than usual.
But instead we can give you more updates than usual on our Facebook pages, with both pictures and videos, e.g. one when we pass the summits of the Andes. Here they are:
Do “like” our pages if you have not already do it.
And then we have:
We will be back in March!
Britt & Per
PS: Recommend to your friends to read the Brief!
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What’s on at BKWine Tours
- South Africa, 28 February – 10 March 2014
- Douro Valley, Portugal, 14-18 May 2014
- Bordeaux, September 17-21
- Douro Valley in Portugal, October 22-26
For more information please contact us on email or on phone (we’re on French time), or go to our wine travel site on www.bkwinetours.com!
We also make custom designed wine tours – on-demand tours for you and a group of friends, for your company (maybe to scout new winegrowers?), for a special event… We can combine winery visits and wine touring with other activities: gastronomic workshops, visit to an oyster farm, truffles hunting, cheese making, and more. More info on the custom designed and bespoke BKWine wine tours and travel here!
Wine tours in Finnish: We also do wine tours in Finnish. And in German, Norwegian, Spanish…
Do you want the latest news and updates on our wine travel activity? Subscribe here! (Second alternative BKWineTours.com)
From the World of Wine
Mild winter may cause problems in the vineyards
The exceptionally mild winter in the Languedoc area can cause problems for the wine producers. A mild winter brings early budding, increasing the risk of damage if frost strikes later in the spring. Right now the vines have about 20 days advance compared to a normal year. It has also been dry. Unlike the vineyards further east, in Provence, Languedoc has not had much rain this winter.
The eastern part of the Languedoc though has seen a lot of rain this winter. And consequently the producers there may have to deal with mildiou this spring. The mild weather also favors the onset of the disease excoriose (dead arm). A real winter obviously has its advantages.
Read more about the mild winter in Languedoc at La Vigne.
Slowdown for number of organic producers in Burgundy
The number of organic winemakers in France continues to increase although the increase has been somewhat slower after 2012, at least in Burgundy. The reason is perhaps the last years’ severe weather. But just as likely an explanation is that the conversion rate has now entered a more normal pace. In Burgundy there are today, according to La Vigne, 269 properties with a total of 2,500 hectares that are either certified organic or in conversion.
This means that 8 % of Burgundy’s total area under vines is grown organically. Despite the sometimes severe weather here is very rare that a certified property gives up and returns to conventional farming. Slightly more common, but still rare, is that an estate under conversion gives up. The conversion process takes three years.
Bordeaux chateaux for sale
There are about 7000 chateaux in Bordeaux. It is estimated that between 300 and 400 of these are for sale. In addition, it is believed that even more chateaux will appear on the market in a few years because many producers reach retirement age without any obvious successor.
According to mon-viti.com it will become harder and harder to find buyers for these chateaux. This is probably true especially for the lesser-known chateaux in the less prestigious appellations. The price per hectare varies from 10 000 € to 3 million €. The most expensive chateaux are of course the Grand Cru Classé in Médoc and some Saint Emilion and Pomerol chateaux. In Castillon you can buy a chateau for between 15 000 and 20 000 € per hectare. Big buyers are the Chinese and French business leaders in their 40s and 50s who have succeeded in their career and are now looking for a new one. More on: mon-viti.com. (The chateau on the picture is not for sale, as far as we know. It is just for illustration.)
Saved by the bell? (Or by the copper in the vineyard?)
No, more likely by copper. Many organic growers survive thanks to the permission they have to spray with copper against the severe fungal disease mildiou. This applies not least to the organic growers in Burgundy where the weather can be both cool and rainy. Currently, organic producers in Europe are allowed to use a maximum of 6 kilo of copper per year and per hectare. But the European Commission is now discussing the possibility of lowering the limit to 4 kilos. Copper in large quantities is not good for the environment.
If this lower limit is made into law it will be difficult to grow organically in Burgundy, according to La Vigne. In 2013, the organic growers there used an average of 4.8 kg copper. The average for the last eleven years is 4.4 kg per hectare and per year. A difficult year like 2010, 50 % of the organic estates in Burgundy used more than 6 kg per hectare. This can be accepted as the rule says you may use 6 kg per hectare per year or 30 kg in total spread out over five years. Read more lavigne-mag.fr
Francois Lurton, a successful winemaker all over the world but with roots in Bordeaux
The Lurtons is a great wine family in Bordeaux. François is from the younger generation and started his career in Bordeaux but has since achieved great success worldwide. He has achieved fame with some great value volume wines e.g. Les Fumées Blanches (one of the most popular wines in Sweden). But François makes a whole series of wines up to top quality, from France, Spain, Argentina, Chile and more. BKWine’s Wilhelm Arnör reports from a meeting with François Lurton.
Read the full article: Francois Lurton – a constant innovator in the wine business!
A new source for independent info on amarone and Valpolicella wines
Amarone in particular and Valpolicella wines more broadly has seen a tremendous success in recent decades. Talking about a renaissance is understating it. The powerful, intense amarones and the elegant and stylish Valpolicella wines have joined the ranks of the world’s most famous wines. A new web site, Terroir Amarone, is dedicated to this wine region in northern Italy. We invited the two founders of the site, wine lovers and enthusiasts Elisabetta Tosi and Giampiero Nadali to tell us about their project.
Read their introduction: Terroir Amarone, your online guide to the red wines of Valpolicella.
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