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Olive trees and vines, an inseparable duo
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Say Andalusia and I’ll start thinking about olive trees. There are an estimated 70 million olive trees in Andalusia on just less than two million hectares. On a recent trip between Malaga and Cordoba, it felt like I saw them all. It was magnificent. The landscape is desolate, and it is far between the villages. It’s hot and dry. Olive trees thrive and also, of course, vines, as these two often are inseparable. But above all, olive trees. Kilometre after kilometre, olive trees as far as the eye can see.
Most are old plantations. But from time-to-time new plantings appear, and yes, some are equipped with drip irrigation. But 70% of Andalusia’s olive trees survive without irrigation. It is a powerful interaction between crop and natural conditions. For what else would thrive here? In scorching sun and a summer without a drop of rain.
The European vine has moved more easily than the olive tree in all directions. Since its inception in the Mediterranean around 8000 years ago, it has spread worldwide. It is uncomplaining and adaptable. To a certain limit, that is. In many cases, it is man who has ensured that it survives.
The first people to start spreading the vine – Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans… – must have been impressed that it adapted so well to conditions it was not used to, like in Bordeaux on the humid Atlantic coast. No problem.
Until mildiou and oidium, two severe fungal diseases, happened to find their way from America to Europe in the 19th century. By then, the wine industry was already established in Bordeaux. But if mildiou has been there from the beginning, who knows what the wine landscape would look like? Then maybe we would never have had any Bordeaux wines. Perhaps no wines at all from humid climates? A large part of all spraying in the vineyards is against these fungal diseases.
Enthusiasts today plant vines further and further away from their original environment. Fungus-resistant grapes have done their part to facilitate plantings in cooler climates. Because no matter how you turn it around, the vine, despite all its adaptability, likes the sun and heat best. Just like the olive tree.
Wine Travel
We are inching back to the new normal. Already this spring we have had several wine tours: Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Sicily, Piedmont,…
The autumn season looks promising (even if it is not quite back to what it was in 2019). Some of it is already fully-booked. We have one fantastic tour where there are still a few places left:
Champagne, September 28 – October 2
Book your place now!
And more long-term and more exotic are, of course, the winter tours to the southern hemisphere:
- Chile & Argentina
- South Africa
- New Zealand
If you want to discover the best in the wine regions and get some unforgettable memories, travel with one of the most experienced and most knowledgeable wine tour operators. And we have written eleven internationally award-winning wine books.
More info on our wine tours here.
Enjoy the Brief!
Britt & Per
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What’s on at BKWine Tours
BKWine is also one of the world’s leading wine tour operators. Here’s what we currently have on our scheduled wine tour program:
- Bordeaux and Champagne, Sept 28 – Oct 6, 2022
- Champagne, Sept 28 – Oct 2, 2022
- Bordeaux, October 2-6, 2022
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- Chile-Argentina, January 16-29, 2023
- South Africa, February 8-18, 2023
- New Zealand, March 15-30, 2023
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We also make custom designed wine tours.
We’re different than most other wine tour operators. We are people who know wine inside out, who travel constantly in wine regions, who write award winning books about wine. Who do this out of passion.
Our wine tours are different from others.
A typical year we organise more than 30 wine tours to destinations across the world. In Europe: France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and more. World-wide: South Africa, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand. Thanks to our Scandinavian background we have a separate offer for the Scandinavian market. These are sometimes offered in English and also available as custom made tours. For example, these destinations:
Read our books
We have written eleven wine books. They have won awards from the Gourmand Awards, The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) and others.
Unfortunately, only one of them has been translated to English; the others are (so far) only available in Swedish. This is the one that is available in English:
Here’s the full list of our books:
- The Wonderful World of Wine
- Languedoc-Roussillon, the Wines of Southern France
- Champagne, the Wine and the Growers
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News from the World of Wine
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Short briefs on what’s been happening in the world of wine recently and other interesting things.
France has planted 1,200 hectares of fungus-resistant grape varieties
Today, 45 different “resistant” grape varieties are permitted to be planted in France. And so far, they have been planted on 1,200 hectares. There is an interest among winegrowers to plant these grape varieties that drastically reduce the need for spraying against fungal diseases such as mildiou and oidium. Often it is not a question of replanting the entire vineyard but the vines close to residential areas. The rules on how and when to spray near houses, schools, etc., are stringent.
The most planted resistant grape variety today is souvignier gris which is found on 365 hectares. It is followed by floreal with 250 hectares and artaban with 150. It takes many years to obtain fungus-resistant grapes, and those that have now been planted are not specifically adapted to future climate changes. That is still a work in progress. Read more Vitisphere
Early flowering means early harvest (maybe)
This spring’s wine tours have taken us to Champagne, Chablis and Burgundy, among other places. And here we already saw, around the 20th of May, the beginning of the flowering, which is unusually early. It has been a hot May with temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees C. This could mean an early harvest. It is also very dry in most of France, and the little rain that has come has probably not been enough to replenish the reserves.
But most wine producers seem to be cautiously optimistic that 2022 will be a good year both in terms of quality and, not least, in terms of quantity. This is needed, not least in Chablis, where many lost 70% of their volume during last year’s catastrophic weather. But of course, it is several months until it is time to harvest. But we keep our fingers crossed.
The wine world’s most powerful brands are mainly found outside of Europe
Wine Intelligence Global Wine Brand Power 2022 lists the wine world’s strongest brands right now. Many familiar names are on the list, which once again shows that it is the New World that dominates when it comes to large volumes. (“Most powerful brands” is of course strongly linked to production in large volumes and thus large marketing budgets.) The only Europeans on the list are Mouton Cadet and J.P Chenet in eighth and ninth place, respectively.
- Yellow Tail (Casella Family Brands, Australia)
- Casillero del Diablo (Concha y Toro, Chile’s largest wine producer)
- Barefoot (Gallo, USA)
- Gallo Family (USA)
- Jacob’s Creek (Penfolds, Australia)
- Gato Negro (San Pedro – VSPT Wine Group, Chile)
- Santa Carolina (Chile)
- Mouton Cadet (Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA, France)
- J.P Chenet (Chais de France, France)
- Lindemans (Treasury Wine Estate, Australia)
Read more: WineIntelligence
Vineyard prices in 2021: declining but hardly cheap
For certain people, the dream is to be able to buy a vineyard in France. In some regions, it takes many millions to do it, but not everywhere. Not surprisingly, prices vary vastly with prestige, reputation and location. Just over 2% of French wineries changed owners in 2021. This means 17,400 hectares. The total value of transactions was 1.09 billion euros, an increase of 27.1% compared to 2020. Overall, the sales price of AOP vineyards fell by 1.7% compared to 2020, to 147,900 euros per hectare. However, the most expensive vineyards – Champagne in particular, where you pay an average of over one million euros per hectare – raise the average price. Vineyards without appellation cost an average of 15,000 euros per hectare.
The most famous appellations in Bordeaux are also sold for over one million euros per hectare: Pomerol, Margaux, Pauillac, some locations in Saint Emilion, Saint Estèphe and Saint Julien. Burgundy premier cru and grand cru are even more expensive, although they rarely change owners. Read more: Le-prix-des-terres
Record figures for wine exports in the world in 2021 but modest production
At the end of April, the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) presented the 2021 figures for wine production, surface area, wine consumption and more in the world. Here are some essential facts.The world’s vineyard surface in 2021 is estimated to be 7.3 million hectares 2021, only marginally lower than in 2020. It should be noted, however, that this figure includes all vineyards, even those that are not used for wine production. If you only want vineyards used for wine, you must deduct around 1 million hectares.
World wine production is estimated at 260 million hectolitres in 2021, a slight decrease of almost 3 million hl (-1%) compared to 2020. This is better than what the initial estimates showed. Some of the major European wine countries, France in particular, had a tiny harvest in 2021 due to bad weather, while the southern hemisphere could enjoy large volumes.
World wine consumption in 2021 is estimated at 236 million hl, an increase of 2 million hl (+ 0.7%) compared to 2020. Wine exports in 2021 were the largest ever registered, 111.6 million hectolitres, an increase of 4% from 2020. The increase in value is even more significant. In volume, Spain exported the most, but in terms of value, France is the leader. All major exporting countries increased in 2021 except Australia, which was affected by high Chinese tariffs. Read more OIV
The numbers have changed quite a bit since the release of the preliminary statistics in November last year (read this article).
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Features of the Month
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Articles and features published on BKWine Magazine and on our wine travel blog and (occasionally) photography blog in the last month.
Pieropan opens a new impressive winery in Soave
Pieropan, one of the leading quality producers in Soave, opened the doors to their new winery in Soave on April 14. The modern winery is built into a hill just outside Soave, the medieval village that gives its name to the whole region northeast of Verona in Veneto. It took the Pieropan family five years to build the 10,000 square meters big facility. The main focus is on functionality and wine production, but it also contains beautiful wine cellars with elegant modern designs.
Read more in Åsa Johansson’s article on BKWine Magazine: Pieropan opens a new impressive winery in Soave.
Hunting the thimble among German wines
German wines have undergone an enormous quality development in recent decades. A new generation of winemakers has taken over their family vineyards. Not infrequently, the young winemakers have done oenology training in Geisenheim and also practiced outside the family, often also abroad and brought new influences home to the family. Yes, the family is still central to German wine production as there are often small farms with sometimes a few hectares of plantations. Well-educated winemakers in combination with climate change have led to a quality revolution in the vineyards and there are no bad vintages anymore, just different ones.
Read more in Göran van den Brink’s article on BKWine Magazine: New stars in Germany? A challenging tasting of wines from riesling and much more.
With this article we introduce a new guest writer and reporter on BKWine Magazine: Göran van den Brink. You can read more stories by Göran in future editions.
More people should rediscover the quality wines from Beaujolais
Beaujolais is one of the world’s most famous wine districts. There are “regular” beaujolais, beaujolais village, and beaujolais “cru”, from one of the ten villages with their own designation. But perhaps best known of all is beaujolais nouveau, the wine that goes on sale just a few weeks after harvest. It was on a triumphant world tour in the 80s and 90s. But doing fast is not always the same as doing good. So over the years, consumers’ image of the whole of Beaujolais became that it was a light, juicy and simple wine. But now it’s time to rediscover the really good beaujolais. We sent BKWine’s Sven-Olof Johansson on a journey of discovery among some of the best in Beaujolais at the home of the French ambassador.
Read more in Sven-Olof Johansson’s article on BKWine Magazine: The ambitious Beaujolais, a new world to discover.
Champagne in transformation, trends and changes | Britt on Forbes
Champagne had a successful year – commercially – in 2021, with a record turnover and excellent sales also in volume, a stark contrast from the meagre 2020. From a grower’s perspective, it was a more difficult with challenging weather and a small harvest. But the future looks bright for the world’s most prestigious sparkling wine. But this is not the time to be resting on one’s laurels. Things are constantly moving in a large wine region like Champagne. Are there any particular trends in Champagne right now? There are several, actually. Here’s a summary of what’s going on.
Read more in Britt’s article on BKWine Magazine, originally published on Forbes: What’s going on in Champagne? Current trends | Britt on Forbes.
Travel: Come on a wine tour to Champagne with BKWine. We’ve written a book about Champagne so you can hardly find a better company to travel with ;-)
When it is taste and not fame that counts: for producers in the Languedoc | Britt on Forbes
If you care less for fame and more for the taste of the wine you will find gold nuggets in the wine regions that are a bit lesser-known. We have selected four producers that we unreservedly recommend. They have several things in common. They all come from the south of France, from the Languedoc. They are all young, enthusiastic and very talented. And most importantly, their wines are delicious and outstanding value.
Read more in Britt’s article on BKWine Magazine, originally published on Forbes: Four talented favourites in Languedoc with exceptionally good value wines | Britt on Forbes.
BKWine Tastes: Rhône, Bordeaux, Vendôme | May 2022
“BKWine Tastes”. It is a collection of wines we have tasted recently. It is often samples that producers have sent us to show us what they do or other bottles that we have come across at tastings or on our tasting table in the office. The first wine is Côte Rôtie TESS from Domaine Christophe Pichon, a powerful yet accessible wine from one of the prestigious appellations of the northern Rhône Valley. Fabre on the Rocks Malbec shows another side of Médoc, and Château Coquillas 2019 is a classic Pessac-Léognan in a structured but easy-drinking style. The two rose wines from Coteaux du Vendômois are made from the trendy grape pineau d’aunis.
Read more in Britt’s article on BKWine Magazine: BKWine Tastes: Rhône, Bordeaux, Vendôme | May 2022.
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Wine Tours
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Details on our current and future wine tours. Book a wine tour with the “World’s Top Wine Tour Operator” today (or when you feel like travelling to wine country).
Treat yourself to an unforgettable experience in the beautiful wine-lands together with some of the most knowledgeable wine people around. Book now!
Last chance to join us on the great Champagne wine tour in September
It is a special feeling to visit wine regions in September and October, with the harvest either in full swing or about to start or just finished. We offer three wine tours this coming autumn: Champagne, Bordeaux and the very special Grand Wine Tour to Champagne and Bordeaux. Currently, we still have a few places left on the Champagne tour.
The Champagne wine tour: learn, taste and enjoy superb champagne lunches
Of all sparkling wines, champagne is the most famous one. It is made in the most northern wine region in France. The cool climate helps keep the fresh acidity which is paramount for a sparkling wine. If you want to learn more about the region of Champagne and how this delicious sparkling wine is made, a wine tour is recommended. Being there, you understand everything so much better. Between learning and tasting, we will have delicious champagne meals. Champagne is not only for the aperitif; it is also a great company throughout lunch or dinner.
Book now!:
Wine Tour to Champagne, September 28-October 2, 2022
PS: We have written a ground-breaking book about Champagne so we have a bit of a clue of what we’re talking about.
Magnificent scenery, passionate winemakers and unforgettable lunches – the wine tour in Argentina and Chile 2023
Argentina and Chile are South America’s two largest wine countries. We start our tour with a few days in the big city of Buenos Aires, and we then continue to Mendoza, Argentina’s by far largest wine region. Malbec is grown here, but also several other grape varieties. The Andes are close by, and some wineries are located at high altitudes. It is a mighty landscape. Our bus takes us to Chile across the Andes, an unforgettable journey. We continue west to the Pacific coast and the city of Viña del Mar. We will also visit Casablanca with its slightly cooler climate. Perfect for sauvignon blanc and pinot noir. We continue to the small town of Santa Cruz and the beautiful wine region of Colchagua, known above all for its red wines from cabernet sauvignon and carmenère. We end the tour in Santiago, the Chilean capital.
Come to South America with us! You will meet winemakers who, with great passion and empathy, talk about their wines and who offer us fantastic asados (barbecue lunches).
Book now!:
Wine tour to Chile-Argentina, January 16-29, 2023
South Africa 2023: A multitude of grape varieties in this fantastic (underrated) wine country
South Africa has many advantages as a wine country, not least a mild climate. Many different grape varieties thrive in the southwestern part of the country. Bordeaux grapes have long been popular with producers. Near the coast, sauvignon blanc is grown with great success, and up north in Swartland, superb wines are now made from e.g., grenache, carignan and cinsault. The country also has its own grape, pinotage, which is slowly but surely becoming more and more popular.
We meet in beautiful Cape Town and continue to Elgin and Hermanus on the south coast, to Franschhoek, Swartland and, finally, Stellenbosch. This trip will give you a good idea of what is happening in the wine regions of South Africa. We also have time for sightseeing, such as Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope. Our meals together will show us different local cuisines in the country.
It’s hard not to fall in love with this beautiful wine country.
Discover South Africa on a wine tour with us.
Book now!:
Wine tour to South Africa, February 8-18, 2023
A magnificent wine adventure: the discovery wine tour to New Zealand 2023
Our tour in New Zealand is a wine tour, but we will also discover the country. We start the tour in Auckland, the country’s largest city. We will go by bus (and boat) all the way down to Queenstown on the South Island. We visit the wine regions of Wairarapa, Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough, and Central Otago. In total, we will visit around 20 producers. We will have time to enjoy nature and the small and large cities we pass on the way.
The scenery is spectacular in some places, like Rotorua with its geysers and hot springs, Central Otago with its high mountains and Lake Tekapo with its stunning blue colour. We will visit Kaikoura, a village known for its seafood. Here we have lunch and taste their superb crayfish. We will make a quick stop in the beautiful capital of Wellington, and we will stay three nights in the lively and beautifully located Queenstown in Central Otago.
Join us for our New Zealand wine tour, a great adventure.
Book now!:
Wine tour to New Zealand, March 15-30, 2023
