The first thing I have to say is that we are very excited. Very excited to soon see our first book in English, on organic and biodynamic and natural wines, on the shelves in book shops. (We have done four in Swedish.) Rumour has it that it should be in shops around September 18! Read more on that in the Brief.
At the same time (actually just now, with a launch event next week) we have a new Swedish book: on France and French wines. Perhaps one day that too will find its way to the English language. We certainly hope so.
Here in Paris at this time it is otherwise our deep breath before the plunge, or as they say in Swedish, the calm before the storm. But we have had quite enough of storms in Paris this August. Thank you very much.
The storm that is approaching is the coming autumn season with wine tours. At this time of the year we usually say “it is soon Christmas”. When we check our agendas it turns out that there are not many week-ends until Christmas when both of us, Britt and Per, will spend the week-end together at home calm and quiet. This will probably break our personal record in wine travel. We have some 20 tours scheduled for the autumn. Some shorter, some longer.
This season we have premiere for Rioja as a new destination. Each year we try to schedule something new. It would be interesting to hear what “new” thing you would like to see in the future. Perhaps we should send out a survey. Or not. You could also just simply send us a mail and tell us what you’d be interested in, if you have some dream destination.
Over the summer we have had the occasion to taste – and even drink – some delicious wines. Read more on that in “Uncorked” in the Brief. We have had some older wines. Wines with more age tend to become more and more “harmonic”, subtle, and smoother in taste. That’s one of the things ageing achieves. The result is often actually that many older wines tend to resemble each other, even if they come from different wine regions. The older a wine is the more difficult it is to identify what it is, in case you taste blind.
But there is one grape that seems not to function quite like that. Where the varietal character and the origin distinctly remains, even when the wine is getting old. Where the grape character just becomes more intense. It is also one of the world’s most under-rated – or almost unknown perhaps – grape varieties.
It is Chenin Blanc. We have had the good fortune to taste some absolutely magnificent dry white chenins from the Loire Valley. Some 15 years ago we bought them for not much money. And not, fantastic.
Drink more Chenin Blanc!
Lots of delicious citrus notes, bees’ wax, structure and elegance, but also good body. Flowers, ripe fruit. Delicious.
You can find them in the mid-Loire Valley. There are also some great examples of Chenin Blancs in South Africa. If you want to discover some of them you can join us on our tour to South Africa in March next year.
I hope you enjoy reading this month’s rather long Brief. Next month it will be shorter. We will be travelling.
Britt & Per
PS: Recommend to your friends to read the Brief!
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What’s on at BKWine Tours
- Bordeaux, September 17-21
- Douro Valley in Portugal, October 22-26
- Chile and Argentina in South America, January 31 – February 15, 2015
- South Africa, February 27 – March 9, 2015
- Bordeaux, April 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
Wine fairs in Oslo
For our readers who live in or are visiting Oslo in Norway we would like to inform you about events that seem most interesting.
Battle of Bottles 2014! The wine world’s ‘Clash of the Giants’ come to Oslo on September 16, 17: 00-20: 30, at Det Norske Teatret, Kristian IVs g. 8, Oslo. Two wine importers invites you to a unique wine faire. More information and registration here: vinofil.no/BattleOfBottles
Vininferno 2014 on 20 October in Post Hall, Oslo. Wine fair where you can try out exciting products from around the world, not just wine, but also beer from microbreweries and exciting aquavit.
Some producers that are participating: Tenuta San Leonardo, Louis Jadot, Luís Pato, Antinori, Champagne Louis Roederer, Kloster Eberbach, Charles Smith Wine, Cava Codorniu, Champagne Duval-Leroy, Jean-Pierre Moueix, Det Norske Brenneri, M. Chapoutier, Pasqua, Ravenswood Winery, Robert Mondavi and many more. More information and registration here: vinofil.no/vininferno
Château Carsin 2003, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux | Britt’s Wine of the Month
It was a delight to drink this red wine from Premières Côtes de Bordeaux. It did not cost much but it turned out to have a very good ageing potential. We picked it from our cellar recently and it turned out to be a fantastic wine with a clear Bordeaux style. It was mature yet fresh and vibrant, stylish with a good tannic structure, light and balanced. We really enjoyed it.
Merlot dominates the red wines from Château Carsin, owned by Juha Berglund from Finland. I would also like to recommend his white wines. His L’Etiquette Grise made from sauvignon blanc and sauvignon gris is magnificent. His red Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux (the new name of the appellation!) 2012 is 13.50 euros and L’Etiquette Grise 2012 is 13 euros. Yet another example of the fact that good Bordeaux wines do not have to be expensive. More: carsin.com
Spring wine tours
For the winter and spring season we have already had the wine tours to South America and to South Africa open for bookings for quite some time. One more tour will soon be on the schedule: Bordeaux. With that the spring program will be:
- Chile & Argentina in South America, January 31 – February 15, BOOK NOW, TOUR SOON CLOSED
- South Africa, February 27 – March 9, BOOK NOW
- Bordeaux, April 22-26
The first two tours are already available on the wine travel site. The Bordeaux program will also soon be published on www.bkwinetours.com
You can also contact us for your own private custom designed wine tour.
California Champagne
The best-selling sparkling wine in the United States, excluding champagne, is nevertheless a champagne. The brand André, owned by the giant E & J Gallo, is a California Champagne which also is clearly stated on the label. Since a few years ago, it is forbidden for wine producers in the United States to call their sparkling wines “Champagne”. The ban was seen as a victory in France but it might not be worth that much. Exempted from the ban are producers who already used the word Champagne before 2006.
So André, with its currently more than 18% of the sparkling market in the United States, continues to grow.
Maybe Gallo could have André in mind the next time they fight tooth and nail to protect their name Gallo? It may be from pasta makers, cheese makers, pizza accessories manufacturer, or from others who also happens to be called Gallo. Read about the latest “Gallo versus very small producer of something totally different than wine” on how Gallo forced GalloLea Pizza Kits to change name.
Nicolas Feuillatte dies, 88 years old
Sometimes you wonder who the person behind the name is, or if there is a person at all. In the case of Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte there really was a person named Nicolas Feuillatte. He was an enterprising man who created his own champagne brand before he teamed up with what would later become Champagne’s biggest cooperative and France’s second largest in terms of turnover. And also the best-selling Champagne brand in France. Nicolas Feuillatte died recently, 88 years old.
Nicolas Feuillatte was a true entrepreneur who had made a fortune in coffee in the United States before he returned to France and bought a wine estate outside Reims. His Champagne was very appreciated among movie stars and other famous people on the other side of the Atlantic. In 1986, he met representatives of the cooperative Centre Vinicole de la Champagne.
Both Feuillatte and the cooperative were looking for new challenges. They merged and a new Champagne brand was created with the name Centre Vinicole – Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte. It quickly became one of the big names in Champagnes. The cooperative has 2,250 hectares. www.nicolas-feuillatte.com
Our book on organic wine really does exist in English!
It has been in the making for quite some time now. But now we have finally received a copy to hold and to fondle. Biodynamic, Organic and Natural Winemaking is the English title. (The Swedish title, in translation, is Wine and the Environment). As far as we know it is the only Swedish wine book that has been found by a foreign publisher and then been translated, apart from the Champagne books by R Juhlin.
18th of September is rumoured to be the date when it will actually be available in shops and on-line.
If you want to know more and actually see it, on video, read on BKWine Magazine: Our book on organic wine has arrived!
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Have you had any nice wines this summer? We have!
Do tell us about your delicious discoveries this summer (wines, that is). We give you some of our recent discoveries here on BKWine Magazine: Uncorked: Good wines we have tasted recently, August 2014.
This month: Mainly reds but first to very interesting whites, including one very surprising white bordeaux. A very eclectic mix of reds, including a gloriously aged (but now too old) Spanish wine, some delicious Bordeaux, including the legendary 1982 vintage, a very curious cahors and much more.
South African wine exports, France makes a surprising appearance
Great Britain is still the biggest importer of South African wine. The country takes almost a quarter of the South African exports. Germany, however, has increased its exports of South African wine and is now not far behind the UK. Exports of bulk wine from South Africa are increasing and in 2013 it accounted for 66 % of total volume. Average price for bulk wine is 669 rand (about 48 euro) per hectolitre.
In 20 years, exports from South Africa have increased from 220,000 hectolitres to nearly 5 million. During the apartheid era, Britain was virtually the only country that imported South African wine, now over a hundred countries drink wines from South Africa. Sweden is by far South Africa’s biggest market for 3 litre Bag-in-Box.
Here is the list of the countries that have imported most South African wine over the past 12 months. The somewhat surprising third position of France is, apparently, due to the small quantities of the recent European vintages.
- Great Britain (1.11 million hectolitres, 23.4 % of the total exported volume)
- Germany (894,000 hl)
- France (329,000 hl)
- Russia (319,500 hl)
- Sweden (289,400 hl)
- United States (242,000 hl)
- The Netherlands (220,000 hl)
- Canada (188,000 hl)
- Denmark (184,000 hl)
- Belgium (92,000 hl).
Read more on vitisphere.com
South Africa is not only a great wine producing country. It is also a very beautiful country to visit. Why not join us at BKWine on a wine tour to South Africa? Next SA tour will be in March.
A new Barrique Restaurant in Gothenburg
We have enjoyed Barrique Restaurant & Wine Bar at their different locations in Gothenburg. Recently a new Barrique Restaurant opened on Berzelii street. We had dinner there just a few weeks after the opening and we were not disappointed. Not this time either. We have never been disappointed with Barrique. The concept here at Berzelligatan is a bit different compared to the previous Barrique restaurants. You can have a Fine Wine Dining menu, a brasserie menu or just a glass of wine in the wine bar. The wine has always been important for Barrique owner Rolf Olofsson. In the wine bar there are some well-chosen wines by the glass and you can, if you like, order oysters, cold cuts or some cheeses.
If you want to have a real dinner you have two choices. You can have a gastronomic five-course menu for 595 SEK with wines specially selected to harmonize with the food. This menu is available only Monday through Thursday (and you have to prebook the day before). Or you can choose the Barrique Brasserie for some straightforward dishes such as moules & frites, today’s catch or the crispy pork with parsnip purée. The starters are between 95 and 145 SEK and the main courses 185 SEK. Price level is very reasonable, which is also part of this new concept.
We warmly recommend a visit to the new Barrique Restaurant & Wine Bar. Barrique Restaurant & Wine Bar, Berzeliigatan 18, Göteborg, ph 031-20 86 90, www.barrique.nu
French wine exports 2013
The French wine exports brought in 7.81 billion euro in 2013, roughly the same figure as in 2012. Thus the large increases in value we saw between 2009 and 2012 (+12% per year) are over, at least for the moment. The exported volume in 2013 was 14.54 million hectolitres.
Figures for French wine export and the different types of wine:
Sparkling wines:
- Champagne: 7 % of the volume and 29 % of the value
- Other sparkling wines: 4% of the volume and 3% of the value
Still wines <=15% abv:
- AOP: 39% of the volume and 51% of the value
- Vins IGP: 26% of the volume and 10% of the value
- Vins de France: 16% of the volume and 4% of the value
Other wines <=15% abv: 7% of the volume and 2% of the value
Wines > 15% abv: 1% of the volume and 1% of the value
Read more on franceagrimer.fr
An expensive Champagne lunch
Champagne is a district that spends an enormous amount of money on marketing. Champagne would not be where it is today if the major Champagne houses did not invest so much advertising and marketing money in order to communicate a feeling of luxury, quality, atmosphere, party and so on.
Of course, we notice this when we pay the price for a champagne. It is quite natural. We have here a small example of where this marketing money goes. Read more on BKWine Magazine: Maybe this will answer the question Why does champagne cost so much?
Wine bloggers and marketing budgets
Have wine blogging and wine journalism on line changed? Are more and more blog articles a result of the blogger/ journalist being invited to a wine tasting or a wine tour? Are the articles simply PR for the producer/region instead of a piece of independent journalism?
This is a complex issue and there are no straightforward answers. Read more on BKWine Magazine about the questions Per asks himself (and others): Are wine bloggers becoming just a megaphone for marketing budgets?
Boekenhoutskloof, delicious wines, porcupines and chairs. And some chocolate
Maybe you have seen the labels with the cute porcupine or with the seven traditional chairs? The wines are made by Boekenhoutskloof in the eastern part of beautiful region of Franschhoek in the Cape Winelands. The wines are delicious, not least the whites from the Semillon grape.
Read about Britt’s visit to Boekenhoutskloof on BKWine Magazine: Amongst porcupines, wolves and leopards in the vineyards at Boekenhoutskloof in South Africa
Franschhoek is just one of several exciting wine districts that are on the program for the next wine tour to South Africa with BKWine. Join us in March next year on this fantastic tour.
Cahors and malbec, ambition and quality
Cahors down in south-western France makes some very interesting wines. The grape is Malbec, which they of course share with Argentina. Compared with the acreage in Mendoza Cahors is quite small. With the slogan “The French Malbec” Cahors now wants regain its grape and make consumers understand that all Malbec does not come from Argentina.
Britt was in Cahors a few beautiful days in June and participated in the Cahors Malbec Days. Read more on BKWine Magazine on The French Malbec strikes back. Cahors, a wine region making a come-back.
Ponzi Vineyards, pioneers in Oregon
Oregon in the United States has a good climate for growing Pinot Noir, among others. Maria Ponzi is Marketing Manager at Ponzi Vineyards in Oregon. She was recently in Stockholm and told the story how her parents came to move from Napa Valley and became wine growers in Oregon instead and actually experts on pinot noir.
BKWine reporter Ulf Bengtsson has tasted their delicious wines. Read his report on BKWine Magazine on Oregon emerging, a lunch tasting with Maria Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyards.
Aperitifs, famous and not so famous
Aperitif, a drink before dinner. L’heure d’apéritif, the best moment of the day? Yes, at least those days when you are allowed an aperitif (which is not every day). Aperitif time is a quiet moment before dinner or mingling with guests before sitting down to dinner.
But how do you choose your aperitif? You can, of course, simply have a glass of white wine or a glass of sparkling wine. But there are also a number of aperitifs designed to be just that, aperitifs. To be drunk before dinner to stimulate the appetite. Read more on what our readers gave us as their favourite aperitifs and some more of our own suggestions on BKWine Magazine: Aperitif time, the best time of the day?
“Everything you need to know about organic, biodynamic and natural wine”
We were very excited when we happened to discovered that Sofia Ander had written about our book “Biodynamic, Organic, and Natural Winemaking, Sustainable Viticulture and Viniculture” in her article on the best wine books to read over the summer! To be precise, she wrote about the Swedish edition called Vinet och miljön.
Sophia Ander is a freelance wine writer who writes in several different media, including print and on-line. She has also trained as a sommelier at Vinkallans Drinks Education. Read more on BKWine Magazine on what she had to say “The Best Wine Books” includes Biodynamic, Organic and Natural Winemaking.
Dazzlingly beautiful videos from the Douro Valley vineyards
The Douro Valley makes some outstanding wines but it is also a spectacularly beautiful landscape. The river meanders through a landscape where wine growing has put its mark almost everywhere. Whichever way you look there are steep hills, incredibly steep hills, with narrow terraces. The terraces are sometimes no more than one row of vines wide.
At the top of almost every hill there is a winery. You just do not want to imagine the super-human effort it must take for the harvest workers to pick the grapes and then to carry them up to the winery. Fabien Lainé has produced some very beautiful videos on the Douro Valle. You can see them on the BKWine Travel Blog: Beautiful Douro Valley. Delicious Douro wines
Our next wine tour to the Douro Valley will be in October. There are still a few remaining places left. Book now!
Our wine tours in the press, on the travel blog
On BKWine’s Travel Blog we have recently published some press mentions that our wine tours have had. We are quite proud of all the positive words. Read more:
- USA Today: “Critically acclaimed and highly professional international wine tourism company”
- Huffington Post: “How to visit a vineyard”
- Travel Gluttons: “An exciting journey for wine lovers“
- Wonderful Travel: “Stellenbosch and Swartland, not to miss in South Africa for the wine lover“
- All About Food: “Wine travel is growing. Italy and France attracts the most”
We are very happy that the press writes about our wine tours. Quite a few have actually. You can see a collage of some of the media that have written about our wine tours here, Travel + Leisure, Gourmet Traveller, The Huffington Post, The Independent, Travel Weekly, Luxury Travel Magazine, Frommer’s, USA Today,…
France, the most popular country to visit. And a wine travel conference
France keeps the pole position as the world’s most popular tourism country. 84.7 million foreign tourists visited France in 2013. This makes France the world’s most visited country. In second and third place come the United States (69.8 million) and Spain (60.7 million). Read more on France as a travel destination and on which are the most visited sites on BKWine’s Travel Blog: France is the world’s most popular tourist destination.
There you can also find a short post on when BKWine was invited speaker at a wine travel conference: Wine tourism conference at Vinisud with BKWine on the panel.
Pictures, thousands of pictures!
We have many thousands of pictures in our archive at BKWine Photography. In fact, we have well over 100,000 photos. Many, both professionals and non-professional “amateurs” amass significant amounts of photos, not least with the ever-ready smart phone camera. But how can you keep track of them? Know where to find what? If you want to do that in a professional way you use a “digital asset management” system, or DAM. We are looking for a new DAM and have written about it on the BKWine Photo Blog:
- Features and Functions that my Digital Asset Management System (DAM) should have
- What DAM system do you use? (poll)
- “How I found my best Digital Asset Management (DAM) system” | Guest Post
Wine events calendar
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