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Working with wineries in Ukraine on wine tourism
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Over the past few weeks, I have been working on a project on wine tourism for the winemakers in Ukraine. I am immensely impressed that they, today, can take the time and have the energy to think about such “mundane” issues as making wine and wine tourism.
At the same time, I feel very happy and even more honoured to have been asked to give a series of presentations for winemakers in Ukraine on how they can develop wine tourism and how they can work more effectively with wine tourism. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to contribute to the future of your country. A country that I hope one day to visit, to discover your vineyards.
We have been organising wine tours professionally for more than twenty years, so we have accumulated quite a bit of experience. We did our first wine tour in 1986 (just with friends) to Bordeaux. How things have changed! At that time, we met the owners of, for example, Chateau Pétrus, Chateau d’Yquem and several other famous places. That would not happen today. But still today, the crucial thing (we think) with wine tourism is to meet the right person at the winery you visit. That is perhaps also one of the main reasons people travel with us. Today, that’s a challenge when most of the well-known names have “visitors’ centres” and guides to receive people. So, I guess few people have such an extensive and long experience in wine tourism as we have. We are more than happy to share this with wine regions around the world. And with our guests-travellers of course.
But back to Ukraine and the four-session series of seminars that I did. We covered basically “everything about wine tourism”. The economic impact. The motivation why to do wine tourism. The different kinds of wine tourism and the different types of wine tourists. What you can do as a winery receiving visitors and the quality factors of how to make it better. How you can develop your wine tourism (and your wine business) by good marketing and collaboration. And much more.
It is amazing to think that wine production goes on “as normal” in Ukraine. Well, no doubt not quite “as normal”, but still, it goes on. And it is even more fantastic that the wine producers have the energy to think about wine tourism and plan for the future when visitors will start coming back.
The project I did is part of a United Nations project organised by the International Trade Centre (also co-dependent on the World Trade Organisation), and that is partly financed by the government of Sweden. (Although there is not any link between that and that I happen to be Swedish. Purely coincidental.)
It is part of a bigger project for agricultural support and rural economic development. And tourism development, of course.
I look forward to the day when I – and everyone else – will be able to discover the wines and the wine regions of Ukraine on-site. Perhaps you will want to come there together with us if we organise a wine tour to Ukraine?
In the meantime, if you want to support Ukraine, why not drink some Ukrainian wines!
And now, on to our wine tours:
Wine travel in harvest time
You can already start planning for wine tours next harvest season:
- Champagne, September 27 – October 1
- Champagne and Bordeaux, September 27 – October 5
- Bordeaux, October 1-5
Travel in winter (but summer)
Some of our most exceptional wine tours are during the winter. They are filled with very special experiences. In summer weather in the southern hemisphere!
You have three fantastic long-distance tours to choose from:
- Chile-Argentina in January 2024
- South Africa in February 2024
- New Zealand in March 2024
These are tours with unique and magnificent experiences.
More info on our wine tours here. “World’s Top Wine Tours“. Tours with the people who know wine and who have an unrivalled experience of wine and tours.
Travel in wine regions with someone you trust.
Enjoy the Brief!
Britt & Per
If you appreciate what we do, you can help us:
Tell your friends about the Brief or send it to them.
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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:
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- Champagne, September 27 – October 1
- Bordeaux and Champagne, Sept 27 – Oct 5
- Bordeaux, October 1-5
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- Chile-Argentina, 15-28 January 2024
- South Africa, 8-18 February 2024
- New Zealand, 12-27 March 2024
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:
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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.
Can we move away from the glass bottle? It depends on in which country we are
The glass bottle entails heavy costs in carbon dioxide emissions to produce and to transport. Changing to lightweight bottles or other packaging may seem obvious. But how people reason differs in different countries. Prowein, the big annual wine fair in Düsseldorf, asked 2,500 retailers in 16 different countries how they view alternative packaging.
Perhaps not so surprisingly, it is northern Europe that is most prepared to change packaging and the Scandinavian countries with monopolies stand out. The report mentions sustainability-conscious consumers and the fact that monopolies can make strict demands on producers (and no doubt also strongly influence consumer choices). The middle group includes France, Spain, USA, Belgium, and Portugal. More than half of the retailers here will offer wine in alternative packaging in the coming years. They will mainly focus on bag-in-box and cans. In the US, retailers may consider offering kegs to restaurants.
The third group, in the report called “the latecomers,” includes Germany, Austria and Switzerland but also the Netherlands and Italy. Here, retailers’ willingness to work with containers other than glass is below 55%. Especially in the German-speaking countries, the majority of retailers continue to stick to glass bottles. A bit surprising, considering that these countries have a reputation of being very environmentally conscious. Read more wein.plus
(By the way, we have a new book coming, “The wine for the future”, on sustainability, organics and other environmental questions in wine.)
Vineyard experiments at Vinopole in Bordeaux will help winegrowers work sustainably
There is a lot of experimentation going on in the world’s wine regions, all with the aim of tackling the impending climate change. Vinopole in Bordeaux, a research centre, is currently preparing to plant this autumn five hectares of experimental vineyards at Château Dillon in Blanquefort (southern Médoc). A variety of grape varieties will be planted, grafted onto different rootstocks. Several combinations of grape variety-root stock will be studied carefully.
The purpose is to experiment with technical solutions in the medium and long term. It can be how to manage the vineyard, such as pruning techniques, planting density, how to get shade in the vineyard, how to use robotics, but also the introduction of new grape varieties from the region or other countries as well as fungus-resistant grapes. Read more Vinopole
Travel: Come on a wine tour to Bordeaux with BKWine.
Creative cooperative Berticot-Graman adapts to changing consumer taste
It is vital for all wine producers today to think strategically and to adapt to the circumstances. It is important not least for a cooperative, but with many members who need to be persuaded, changes can be difficult to implement. However, the cooperative Les Vignerons de Berticot Graman with vineyards in Bergerac and Duras in the French Southwest seems to be doing well. The changes started with the realization that red grapes, especially merlot, dominate a bit too much their vineyards. Increasingly, customers want white wines and more variety among the reds. The cooperative’s new strategy is fewer red grapes, less merlot and more white grape varieties. Today, members are also awarded if they plant grapes that are atypical of the region. It can be marselan, arinarnoa, petit verdot, malbec, vidoc (fungus-resistant), syrah, chenin, sauvignon gris, floréal (fungus-resistant), colombard.
While waiting for these vines to grow up, the cooperative offers popular rosé wines and still and sparkling blanc de noir (white wine made from red grapes). A new and important source of income is the selling of base wines for sparkling wines in bulk. In 2022, only 53% of their red grapes were vinified into red wines. The bulk market has a high demand for sparkling base wine (vin clair) and is much more profitable for the cooperative than selling red wine. A bit sad but, as we said, it is better to adapt and survive. Read more mon-viti
Natural wine producers form an association to promote fungus-resistant grapes
Whether we call these grape varieties hybrids or fungus resistant, we must talk about them. That is what an association called Vitis Batardus Liberata (freely translated: Release the fake Vitis) thinks. Behind the association is a group of French natural wine producers from mainly Beaujolais and Jura. These producers have tried fungus-resistant hybrids, both new and old, and are now convinced that many of them deserve more attention. As natural wine producers, they want to be able to work as far as possible without spraying in the vineyard, something that these hybrids make possible. Their plan is now to promote the advantages of hybrids and to remove the preconceived notions that exist, both among producers and consumers. Read more vitisphere
Volcanic origin, soon a new label of origin. But does it make sense?
The other day we drank a Côtes d’Auvergne that proudly proclaimed “Terroir Volcanique” on the label. Volcanic wines are all the rage right now. Perhaps it started with the Sicilian Etna wines but other regions were quick to catch on. A French label for volcanic wines is just now taking shape. “Volcanic Origin” will be the name of the label and in its rules it will be well specified which types of volcanic soils the grapes must come from. The label will also be open to non-French wines. The Côte d’Auvergne is in the French Massif Central where 450 extinct volcanoes hide in the beautiful, desolate landscape. The small appellation will probably be the first to receive the label.
What do volcano wines have in common? Do they all taste the same? No, hardly. Soils worldwide with volcanic origin are not particularly alike and there are far too many other factors that affect how the wine tastes. But it is good marketing and will perhaps help obscure regions such as the Côte Auvergne to be able to make their way. But one can ask if this trend with “volcanic wines” makes sense. 80% of the world’s surface is of volcanic origin so far more wines than those that have made a trendy name for it are on volcanic soil. Read more: vitisphere
Do not forget to cool your wines this summer – this is how you do it
Whatever wine we drink this summer, we want it to be cool (and sometimes cold). Even the red wines taste better if they are a little cool in the summer, around 18C for solid reds and even down to 14C for lighter reds on a hot day. There are some easy tricks to get the right temperature for your wine and the most important one is to start cold. In the heat of the summer, the temperature rises quickly in the glass. Don’t be afraid to put an ice cube in the wine glass for a few minutes (at least for “everyday wines”). Pick it up before it starts to melt. The wine will taste better but not diluted. You can cool the wine in the freezer (20–40 minutes, but don’t forget to set a timer so that you don’t forget the bottle!) or in a bucket with ice cubes and water, which only take around 10-15 minutes. A “cooling sleeve” that you have kept in the freezer and then put the bottle in also works well and quite quickly.
If you are cooling your wine in the refrigerator, plan ahead. It takes longer than you think to cool in the refrigerator. It takes at least three hours to bring the temperature down from 22 degrees C to 6 degrees C. “Put the wine in the fridge for 15 minutes” simply does not work. At a restaurant, do not hesitate to ask for an ice bucket also for red wines. Read more about serving your wines at the right temperature here.
Grüner veltliner and riesling from Austria for long leisurely summer dinners
Riesling and grüner veltliner are perfect grapes for the summery dinner table. Here we recommend wines from some of our favourite Austrian producers, masters of these two grapes. These producers are very good, you will not be disappointed by any of their wines.
Weingut Leth Grüner Veltliner Klassik 2022, Wagram (~10 euro): This wine is light and crisp, with hints of citrus and peach. It has a refreshing acidity and a smooth finish that reflects the characteristics of the grape. Weingut Leth in Wagram is run by dynamic Franz Leth and his family. They own 52 hectares and work with grape growers for another 30 hectares. The wines are now organic.
Weingut Sepp Moser Von den Terrassen Gruner Veltliner 2021 (~18 euro). This wine offers a lovely blend of spice and grapefruit on the nose. The palate is lively and harmonious, the finish dry and crisp. Weingut Sepp Moser recently changed names to Vitikultur Moser so look for both names. An exciting producer making both classic and more unusual wines. Organic and biodynamic since many years. Very much into sustainability.
Jurtschitsch Langenlois Riesling 2021, Kamptal (~15 euro): A riesling packed with zesty citrus, exotic spice, and fragrant orange blossoms. It has a full-bodied and lively character that is quintessential of the grape. Jurschitsch has 60 hectares of organic vineyards. For the family Jurschitsch the differences in soil and terroir are essential and what makes the different characters of the wine.
Domäne Wachau Riesling Smaragd Ried Loibenberg 2021, (~20 euro). A lovely nose of tropical fruit and orange peel, complemented by a balanced acidity. The finish is long and refreshing, with citrus fruit dominating the palate. A delicious treat. “Domäne Wachau is also a family business, just that we are 250 families,” says Roman Horvath, director of this small cooperative with consistently high quality. All the families are in Wachau.
Enjoy some cool Côtes du Rhône wines for summer
Enjoy summer dinners with fruity red wines from the southern Rhône Valley. Just chill them a little and serve them with good food. Not complicated at all! Here are some recommendations from some producers that we visit on our Rhône tours.
Domaine de Mourchon Tradition 2020, Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Séguret, ~12 euro. Vibrant red, delicious fruit. Lovely estate in a stunning location run by the Scottish McKinley family.
Alain Jaume Côtes de Rhône Grand Veneur Organic Reserve, 2020, ~10 euro. A smooth and enjoyable wine with a firm structure and a rich array of fruit and spice flavours.
Domaine Duseigneur Odyssée 2019, Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages, ~15 euro. Grenache and syrah in an elegant and refined blend.
Domaine des Pasquiers Plan de Dieu, 2020, Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages, ~12 euro. A fiery flavour and a burst of juicy berries from a year of abundant sunshine.
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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.
The world’s best sauvignon blanc wine
There is, of course, no “world’s best sauvignon blanc wine”. What is best depends on your personal preferences (yes, wine scoring is subjective). But picking the winners out of a selection of 1200 sauvignons from all over the world will give you a list of some excellent wines to drink. This articles gives you the medal winners in the “Concours Mondial du Sauvignon” – held in South Africa this year – also known as the Sauvignon Selection, or, unofficially, as The World Sauvignon Blanc Competition with 1200 wines. Plus some of my personal favourites among the sauvignon wines that I tasted, since I was part of the jury. I also highlight some of the more unusual countries for sauvignon, that I think deserve extra kudos for their good work.
Read more in Per’s article on BKWine Magazine, originally published on Forbes: Winners of the Sauvignon Selection, the CMB World Sauvignon Blanc competition | Per on Forbes.
Travel: Come on a wine tour to South Africa with BKWine.
BKWine Tastes: Rosé champagne from M-Marcoult and Domaine La Prut Chardonnay from Moldova | June 2023
This month we have selected a rosé champagne from Champagne M-Marcoult in the lesser-known region of Côte de Sézanne and an unusual chardonnay from Domaine La Prut in the exciting “new” wine country of Moldova.
“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.
Read more in Britt’s article on BKWine Magazine: BKWine tastes: Rosé champagne from M-Marcoult and Domaine La Prut Chardonnay from Moldova | June 2023.
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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!
Taste and learn more about this unique sparkling wine | wine tour Champagne
Champagne is a unique wine that only comes from the Champagne region in the north-east of France. Other places may produce sparkling wines, but they are not allowed to call them champagne in most countries (in the USA it is possible, under certain conditions). What makes champagne so special, besides its origin? It is a combination of factors: the northern latitude, the (mostly) chalky soil, the grape varieties (chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier), and the long ageing on the lees. All these elements contribute to the distinctive character of champagne. And of course, the producer. Making champagne involves following many rules, but a good producer can still express his or her personality in the wine. You will discover that if you join us at the end of September for a wonderful trip to this amazing wine region. You will taste exquisite champagnes and enjoy delicious meals. And learn a lot.
Come on a wine tour to Champagne with us.
Book now!
- Champagne, September 27 – October 1, 2023
And also: We have written an internationally award-winning book on Champagne, so you can hardly get a better guide to the region.
Don’t settle for less. Champagne and Bordeaux as a pair | wine tour
Do not settle for one when you can have both Champagne and Bordeaux. Cannot make up your mind? Join us on our Grand Wine Tour, a 9-day wine adventure that will take you to these two renowned French wine regions. You will enjoy four nights in Reims, the charming “capital” of champagne, where many of the famous champagne houses are located as well as the stunning Notre Dame de Reims cathedral, a UNESCO heritage site. Then, we will hop on the fast train (TGV) to Bordeaux and visit chateaux in Médoc, Pessac-Léognan and Saint Emilion. In both regions, you will savour not only exquisite wines but also delicious meals.
This is a unique opportunity to visit France’s two most famous wine regions in one very enjoyable go.
Come and discover Champagne and Bordeaux with us.
Book now!
- Champagne and Bordeaux, September 27 – October 5, 2023
PS: We have written an internationally award-winning book about Champagne, and also one on Bordeaux. And nine other wine books. Can you think of any other wine tour operator with that in the baggage?
Bordeaux, keeping up with the times | wine tour
For many years, Bordeaux has been the ultimate destination for red wine lovers around the world. But now, it faces stiff competition from other regions and countries. To keep up with the times, Bordeaux is undergoing a transformation. It is embracing new ideas and practices, especially in terms of environmental and social responsibility. A wine tour in Bordeaux will offer you a chance to explore a splendid region with historic châteaux and wines, a rich culture, and exquisite cuisine. And some new ideas.
Discover the secrets and delights of Bordeaux with us.
Book now!
- Bordeaux, October 1-5, 2023
PS: We have written a book about Bordeaux, and have been travelling there since 1986. Can you find a better guide and tour operator?
Two different wine countries that fascinate, Chile and Argentina | wine tour in South America
It is easy to be fascinated by the wine countries of Argentina and Chile. They are neighbours, but have completely different climatic conditions for growing wine. So, their wines don’t have much in common except that both countries’ wines today are delicious as well as exciting. Our tour in South America covers both countries so we can easily compare. We start with metropolitan pulse in Buenos Aires and finish in Chile’s capital, Santiago. In between, we have seen tango shows, visited vineyards in Mendoza, experienced a magnificent bus trip over the Andes, the impressive mountain range that is also the border between the two countries. We stay a couple of nights on the Pacific coast and visit Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. We meet wine producers in the Casablanca Valley, San Antonio, Colchagua and Maipo. Our lunches are often asado, South American barbecue. The famous meat is grilled and sometimes also chicken, fish or prawns… and vegetables of course. In Santa Cruz, we relax with a pisco sour by the pool after the day’s wine tastings.
Come with us and discover the wine countries of Chile and Argentina.
Book now!
More inspiration: You can get an even better feeling for what you will experience on this tour if you visit the latest tour’s own Facebook group. Lots of pictures and videos from the tour (join the group and you’ll get an update when we post new contents): The wine tour to Chile and Argentina 2023.
South Africa, a welcoming wine country with ambition and style| wine tour
You feel welcome in the South African wine regions. It is a wine country that is very easy to fall in love with. The people, the nature, the wines, the gastronomy, all of these become memories that we will never forget. We meet wine producers with whom we also have lunch, with whom we have time to discuss and who can tell us about their lives and their wines. These are the important things on a wine tour. We start the tour in Cape Town and after two nights there it is time for the wine regions: Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek, Walker Bay down on the south coast and wild and hot Swartland. The wine regions are all located in landscapes with beautiful scenery. If you have time, you can extend the trip with a 2-day safari close to Johannesburg. We are traveling in February. The harvest has started and the weather is pleasantly warm. The best time to go on a wine tour to South Africa.
Discover South Africa, the fantastic wine country, with us.
Book now!
More inspiration: You can get an even better feeling for what you will experience on this tour if you visit the latest tour’s own Facebook group. Lots of pictures and videos from the tour (join the group and you’ll get an update when we post new contents): The wine tour to South Africa 2023.
New Zealand, for something truly special | wine tour
Are you looking for a wine tour that is special? Then we can suggest our trip to New Zealand. It is our longest tour, so you have a few more days to enjoy wine, food, and nature. We will see a large part of the country, which is unusual on a wine tour; usually we concentrate on one or sometimes two regions. But New Zealand is far away, maybe you go here only once. Therefore, we want to take the opportunity to show you as much as possible. With our comfortable bus, we travel from Auckland on the North Island down to Queenstown in beautiful Central Otago on the South Island. We will see and experience a lot during our 16 day-tour but it will never be stressful. We also have time to enjoy the landscape and nature of this magnificent country. There will be many stops along the way to visit vineyards. Our lunches are often at the vineyards; many of them have high quality restaurants. As always on our tours, the emphasis is on the local gastronomy. We will spend a few hours in the beautiful capital city of Wellington, we will see geysers and glaciers and we will also learn more about Maori culture.
Join us for a great wine, nature and culture experience on the New Zealand wine tour.
Book now!
More inspiration: You can get an even better feeling for what you will experience on this tour if you visit the latest tour’s own Facebook group. Lots of pictures and videos from the tour (join the group and you’ll get an update when we post new contents): The wine tour to New Zealand 2020.
