Spring is in the air?
Spring is (maybe) in the air although the vineyards around Europe still stand naked, waiting for their first green leaves. Some wine producers are doing the pruning of their vines, an important activity. You have to know what you are doing. The vine must be cut and shaped in a way that suits the grape variety.
There is probably some activity going on also in the cellars at this time of year. Maybe a racking, maybe some bottling. In Champagne they are doing the blending.
And, not least, the producers need to find the time to participate in some of the many wine fairs that take place in the spring. It is not enough just to make a good wine; it needs to be sold as well. So to be present at wine fairs is important.
We will ourselves go to VinCE Budapest next week and Britt has just come back from a few days in Umbria, Italy, where she, among other wines, tasted Montefalco Sagrantino, an exciting wine that she will tell you more about in a later Brief.
This grape, Sagrantino, is one of the most tannic in the world. And therefore with a very good ageing potential. There are not many wines today that really require ageing. Some wines made from the grapes malbec and tannat, Barolo maybe. And still some Bordeaux wines of good quality. Sagrantino can join this illustrious crowd. But if you get a good bistecca to go with it, even a very young Sagrantino is very drinkable.
Britt & Per
PS: Recommend to your friends to read the Brief!
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What’s on at BKWine Tours
- Bordeaux, April 22-26
- Bordeaux, September 23-27
- Douro Valley, October 21-25
- Chile and Argentina in South America, February 6-21, 2016
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
Bag-in-Box now has its own competition
It is popular with wine competitions. These can be general, for a particular grape variety, for a particular region, etc. And now even the bag-in-box wines have their own competition. “Best Wine in a Box” takes place in Toulouse in southern France on the 20th of March. In France, sales of BIB increase every year, especially in supermarkets. Also, many restaurants buy 10 litre BIB for their house wine served by the glass.
BIB producers emphasize the environmental benefits of this packaging and also the practical side of it, for your party with friends for instance. Many younger consumers seem attracted to the BIBs and sometimes I even get the impression that it has become a bit trendy with BIBs in France. Read more about the Bag in Box competition: best-wine-in-box.com .
A new wine tour to Chile and Argentina, a spectacular experience
We can already today give you the details, although it will not be officially launched yet for some time: the new wine tour to Chile and Argentina early 2016. Two wine countries on each side of the Andes mountain range. Both with grandiose scenery. And some of the very best wines in the New World. Imagine The Pampas extending to the horizon and the snow covered tops of the Andes. But also beautiful vineyards, impressive wineries, and a pulsating Buenos Aires.
We will visit several of the very best vineyards including some very high quality producers that have not yet reach world fame. This tour also includes many other tourist and historic attractions. Outstanding wines that match the local gastronomy perfectly. A unique wine and food tour that will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. More info: Wine tour to Chile & Argentina, February 6-21, 2016. Book your tour now!
Special shop for Bag-in-Box
In France, there is now a retail chain that sells only bag-in-box wines. It is called Bibovino and the first one opened in Paris a year ago. The range is expanding all the time and more and more AOP wines are launched. Most recently it was a Crozes-Hermitage. Bibovino specializes in organic and biodynamic wines. The selection is made by Bruno Quenioux, a well-known wine personality in France, previously responsible for the prestigious wine cellar at Lafayette Gourmet, the food department of Galerie Lafayette.
Bruno search for appropriate producers across France and a small part of their production is then put in identical BIBs. You can find at Bibovino for example one of our favourite Beaujolais producers Domaine des Terres Dorées. If you prefer a round box instead, you can buy a Bag-in-Tube. There is one requirement though, whether you buy a BIB or a Tube: You must always taste before you buy! Read more bibovino.fr
Tenuta Vitivinicola Cavallotto, Barolo Bricco Boschis | Åsa’s wine of the Month
“This wine is one of my favourites”, said the professor at Slow Food’s oeno-gastronomic university in Piedmont (*) and pulled out a bottle that said Cavallotto on the label. We had just sat down at the table for lunch in the university’s own restaurant, il ristorante l´Agenzia. I had ordered the only vegetarian course on the menu. “We are actually in a meat region”, said the waiter and shrugged. Nessun problema, I replied.
My pasta with pecorino cheese and black pepper was a perfect match to the Barolo Bricco Boschis from Cavallotti. For just as the saying goes “on a handsome man all clothes fit” (or however it is it goes?) a really good wine can match any type of food. Fruit, elegance, and a peppery, sophisticated simplicity. A wine made with respect for nature, terroir and the grapes. And for vegetarians! Definitely a new favourite! Price around 45-50 euro. More on the producers: www.cavallotto.com
((*) Ed.: BKWine Magazine’s Åsa was recently invited to speak at the Slow Food University about Swedish wines and Swedish wine producers.)
Spraying of vineyards: 26 active substances should be replaced, says EU commission
The European Commission has recently published a list of 26 active substances used in viticulture that should eventually be replaced, because of their danger to people or the environment. On the list are copper sulphate, copper hydroxide, copper oxide chloride and copper oxide. All of these are used for spraying against fungal diseases, especially downy mildew. Copper sulphate is however by far the most common.
The EU has for several years threatened to ban copper spraying in the vineyard. They have not succeeded and they will probably not succeed now either. The idea is now that the member states should look for less toxic alternatives to the substances on the list. It there are no alternatives, the EU will probably allow the continued use of the toxic substance. Permitted quantities may however be reduced. Currently there is no good alternative to copper for organic wine producers. Read more lavigne-mag.fr
New on the Travel Blog: Stories on Tuscany, three classics, Veneto and Bordeaux
We have recently published some short stories on some of our wine tours. The idea is to give you some inspiration and to tell you what to expect when you come wine touring with us. I think I can promise you that it is an experience like no other wine tours. Here are the four travel stories, on the BKWine Tours Travel Blog:
Cabestrel, a new grape variety, crossing of two. Guess which!
There is much talk right now in the world of wine of the need for new grape varieties. There are actually two reasons for this. One is the fear that the expected climate change requires grape with other characteristics. And these qualities can maybe be obtained by crossing different vitis vinifera grapes.
The second reason is the need to find grapes that are resistant to fungal diseases and thus require less spraying than the grape varieties used now. And that is why the production of hybrids are growing. These hybrids are crossings between a vitis vinifera grape and an American grape with fungus-resistant properties.
A new crossing between two vitis vinifera grapes has just entered the French grape directory and is now allowed to be planted in France. The grape has been named Cabestrel. Maybe you can figure out that the two parents are Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvèdre, which in Spain is called Monastrell. It is a colourful grape that ripens late without being too strong in alcohol. The only problem is the somewhat low acidity. Read more: lavigne-mag.fr.
Stricter rules in Austria for spraying with copper
Organic producers are criticized for their use of copper in the vineyards. The EU allows 6 kilograms of copper per hectare and per year for organic producers. But one of our readers, Gottfried Lamprecht, an organic wine producers in southern Austria, has pointed out to us that the Austrian organic producers are allowed only 3 kilos year and per hectare.
Gottfried’s vineyard gets quite a lot of rain during the year, 800-900 mm, but he usually can cope with between 2 and 2.5 kilograms of copper.
Read more on Gottfried’s wines: herrenhof.net.
2012 Stefan Winter Riesling Brut | Birgitta’s Wine of the Month
This Deutscher Sekt from Pfalz (Palatinate) is made with the traditional method with the second fermentation in bottle. It was recently launched on the Swedish market and is probably available elsewhere too.
A fresh and fruity nose with some flowers. On the palate there is peach and citrus fruit. A long, lingering flavour. Even if the mousse can be a touch sharp this is a lovely bubbly if you like the refreshing acidity in the Riesling grape. It will go very nicely with some salt and fat on organic potato chips (or crisps, if you prefer). Price around 10 euro.
A short note on the coming season’s wine tours: Bordeaux and Douro Valley
We have two great classics on the coming autumn’s wine tour program.
First Bordeaux; if you have never been to Bordeaux then it is a very special experience to see this the world’s most famous wine region. On the other hand, if you have already been there, I can promise you that we will show you some things that you have not seen.
The other fall tour is to the Douro Valley in Portugal, maybe the world’s most spectacular wine region landscape. The mountains are not as high as in Chile-Argentina but the magnificence of the landscape is no less. And the wines are just as good. Here is more information about our exciting wine tour program. Book your tour new.
In addition to this we do a number of custom designed wine tours. (And wine tours in Swedish too.) All in all we will organise some 30 wine tours this year.
Rosé Champagne in different guises, Maxime Toubart and Thevenet Delouvin
Rosé Champagne can be made in two ways. The most used method is the rosé d’assemblage. That means adding a little red wine to the white wine before bottling. The red wine is of course also made from grapes grown in the Champagne appellation
The second method is called saignée in French and it means that the red grapes macerate for a short time with the must to give it a light colour.
Some Champagne producers think this is the absolute best way, while others consider it harder to know exactly what colour you get with this method.
The blending method is thus most common but it does not mean that all pink champagnes made in this way have the same colour. Far from it! We opened two Rosé Champagnes the other day and the proof was there, just in front of us. The colours were completely different.
Champagne Maxime Toubart Rosé Brut: Very light in colour with delicate aromas. Feels actually more like a white champagne than a rosé. But the colour is beautiful. Dry, fresh and crispy with just the hint of red berries. Delicious.
Champagne Thevenet Delouvin Carte Rosée: Strong colour and flavours of red berries, especially strawberry. Fine and soft mousse. Delicious also but very different in style.
Both producers are small family firms in the heart of the Vallée de la Marne. [divider_flat]
Good wines we have tasted recently
It is always exciting to uncork an old bottle from the cellar. You never know quite what to expect. But it is just as much fun to try new producers, new regions, new grape varieties.
Under the heading “Uncorked” we collect various wines that we have tasted, and liked, recently. It can be wines that we have had during dinner at home, at wine tastings, press lunches, visits to vineyards, or other occasions. Some inspiration for more wine discoveries! As well as a perspective on what to expect from older wines.
Read Britt’s tasting notes on BKWine Magazine: Uncorked: Good wines we have tasted recently, February 2015.
Our Organic Wine book wins TWO prizes, one review and one book spotting in Brazil
We were immensely please to learn that our new book on organic wines (etc) Biodynamic, Organic and Natural Winemaking; Sustainable Viticulture and Viniculture were awarded two prizes in the Swedish finals of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards:
- “Best Wine Book for Professionals”
- “Best Drinks Health Book”
This means that the book will participate in the final international round of this prestigious competition. The results will be announced at a ceremony in China in June. Read more on this in BKWine Magazine: “Best Wine Book for Professionals” and “Best Drinks Health Book” Gourmand Awards for our Organic Wine Book.
We have also seen a book review in WinesWorld, an online ezine on wine, food and travel. More on that here: WinesWorld on our Organic Wine Book: “a very valuable book for every wine enthusiast”.
And finally, a reader with a keen eye spotted the book in a picture posted on Facebook from Brazil. It turned out to be from a restaurant in Sao Palo that works only with organic wine and food. Read more on that here: Our organic wine book spotted in Brazil! In a restaurant to go to.
Delicious wines with personality from Languedoc in southern France | Britt on Forbes
The Languedoc has gone through a virtual revolution over the past few decades. It is probably the French wine region that has seen the most revolutionary changes in recent times. From having been a huge source for cheap bulk wine it has become something of a hotbed for exiting wines and good value for money.
Britt recently wrote an extensive article on some of her favourite wines from the Languedoc region, published on Forbes, her first article as a Forbes contributor: Languedoc, French wines with terroir, character and personality. Read more on BKWine Magazine on this article by Britt published on Forbes: Delicious wines with personality from Languedoc in southern France.
Do you want sugar in your champagne or not? | Britt on Forbes
Almost all champagne is made with some added sugar. Some is added to increase the alcohol level and then some more is added for the second fermentation in bottle.
But there is also a third addition, the so called dosage, which means that sugar is added at the very final stage, before the final cork is put in place. This dosage will give the champagne a slightly softer edge, without really becoming sweet. The trend is now to have less and less dosage and even no dosage at all.
Read what Britt has to say about this trend in her article published on Forbes. More on this on BKWine Magazine: Do you want sugar in your champagne or not?
Top selection of affordable classed growths in Bordeaux | Per on Forbes
We are now contributors to Forbes and our first article for Forbes deals with an appropriately business-oriented subject: Bordeaux classed growths. But we have put a slightly different slant on it than usual. Rating the famous names as the best (which one tends to do when one tastes them looking at the label) is not so interesting.
Per had a rare occasion to taste all the 1855 classed growths. He shares with you his favourites, the wines that gave most pleasure, and seemed most balanced. Read more on this Forbes article on BKWine Magazine: Top selection of affordable classed growths in Bordeaux.
Wine and beef from Tuscany
When Francesco Mazzei from wine producer Marchesi Mazzei at Castello di Fonterutoli in Tuscany came to Stockholm he brought with him the legendary butcher Dario Cecchini. The idea was to taste and evaluate not only his wines but also meat. Which is better, Swedish or Italian meat?
BKWine Magazine’s Roland Eriksson was there and met Francesco and Dario. It became a grand performance of both delicious wines and of the art of butchering and cooking meat.
Read more on BKWine Magazine: Beef and wine from Tuscany: the Fonterutoli winery and the butcher Dario Cecchini performs at the Restaurant AG.
Valpolicella and Amarone from Masi
Well-known wine company Masi was among the first to make Amarone and Valpolicella popular in Sweden. Masi Amarone Vaio Armaron was the first Amarone to be sold in Sweden in 1994. And since then Amarone has become incredibly popular, despite a relatively high price.
BKWine Magazine’s reporter Roland Eriksson met Raffaele Boscaini from Masi when he was in Stockholm. Read his story and see what he thinks about these wines’ ageing potential: Masi’s Valpolicella and Amarone Age with Grace. [divider_flat]
Chianti from Ruffino, 90 years in Sweden
Chianti wines from Ruffino have been sold in Sweden for 90 years. At first the wines were exported in the famous fiasco bottle. This bottle became a symbol of Chianti. Eventually the fiasco bottle disappeared but now Ruffino has actually reintroduced it again for one of its Chianti wines.
BKWine Magazine’s reporter Ola Öhlund met Ruffino’s export manager Christian Bottegal in connection with the anniversary tasting in Stockholm. Read his story of these classic Chianti wines that the Swedes have faithfully drunk during 90 years: Ruffino 90 years (in Sweden), an anniversary tasting. [divider_flat]
We taste Japanese Koshu wines
Wines are made in Japan, but not many have tasted them. Our reporter Peter Cronström had hardly heard of Japanese wines but he recently had the opportunity to taste some of them in Stockholm. Most of the wines produced in Japan are consumed domestically and only a small portion is exported.
The wines Peter tasted were made from the grape Koshu that is unique to Japan. Read his story on BKWine Magazine on a remarkable and unique tasting: Unique wines from Japan. [divider_flat]
Wines from Domaine Pontifical in Châteauneuf-you-Pape
Domaine Pontifical is a family-owned wine producer in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Grandfather Albert planted the first vines in the 1920s. Today François Laget-Royer runs the vineyard together with his wife Isabelle and their daughter Pauline.
BKWine Magazine’s Ulf Bengtsson met all three of them in Stockholm in December and felt that a dark and cold evening definitely brightened up with these warm and spicy wines. Read his story about Domaine Pontifical in Châteauneuf-du-Pape: A papal evening with Domaine Pontifical from Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
Review of a classic wine book, “Sherry”
The now classic book “Sherry” by Julian Jeffs was first published in 1961 and is now in its sixth edition. Given that the wines of Jerez region is experiencing something of a renaissance the book will certainly continue to be read by many wine enthusiasts.
Read Britt’s review on BKWine Magazine of this very thorough and exhaustive book about a fascinating wine region: Sherry by Julian Jeffs | book review. [divider_flat]
White and red from Château de France in Pessac-Léognan
Pessac-Léognan is located in the northern part of the Graves region and produces both red and white wines. One of our favourites here is Château de France, owned by Arnaud Thomassin. The wines are good and also reasonable priced.
We never miss an opportunity to point out that there are many good wines in Bordeaux today that you can afford to buy. The super expensive and super famous châteaux are only a very small part of the production of Bordeaux.
Read on BKWine Magazine about Britt’s meeting with Arnaud Thomassin and her tasting notes from Château de France: Great Graves: white and red from Château de France, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux.
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