Every little detail matters, whether it is for the environment, the taste of the wine or the sales figures. We have heard it many times from many wine producers. The details will play an even bigger role in the future.
Reducing the bottle weight by 100 grams or just 50 grams affects the energy consumption when manufacturing the bottle and transporting it to the customer. The result is reduced carbon dioxide emissions.
Or reducing the number of times you spray. Going over the vineyards nine times with the tractor instead of 11 during the summer may not sound revolutionary, but it is important in the long run. Or to reduce the planting density (which they have just decided to allow in Champagne) which leads to fewer rows, fewer tractor kilometres, less emissions.
Small details can change the taste in a big way. A few degrees warmer or colder during the fermentation. A few per cent of a new grape in the blend. A little less new oak. Decreasing the dosage with a few grams in a champagne.
Sometimes a producer changes some details on the label, and the wine sells better. In Bordeaux this autumn, we have seen many transformed and modernised labels, changed from the old ones to attract new customers. Of course, this does not change the character of the wine.
But a producer in Champagne once told me that she had a group blind taste her champagne with two different labels to see which one they liked best. The tasters did not know it was exactly the same champagne but with different labels. This way, she figured out which label design she should choose. If you like the label, the brain is a little more set on liking the wine.
It is not uncommon today in Champagne to use the local oak to age the base wine. Using a local product is an important detail when the producer tells the story around the wine. Does that make the wine tastier? It probably depends.
What makes a wine taste the way it does? It is impossible to name just one thing; it is all the little details acting together.
Wine tours
Do not forget to take a good look at our wine tour program. We have exciting wine tours planned for 2022 (and 2023).
You are probably as eager as we are to get out in the vineyards?
Travel to the wine regions with an experienced and knowledgeable wine tour operator. You know who.
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.
More info on our wine tours here.
We wish you all a very Happy New Year.
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, April 20-24, 2022
- Champagne, May 4-8, 2022
- Bordeaux and Champagne, Sept 28 – Oct 6, 2022
- Champagne, Sept 28 – Oct 2, 2022
- Bordeaux, October 2-6, 2022
- Chile-Argentina, January 2023
- South Africa, February 2023
- New Zealand, March 15-30, 2023
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 tours are different from others. More in wine tours: BKWineTours.com.
