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Wine Tours 26-30 September: Côte d’Or, the heart of Burgundy Over the course of a long weekend we will take a close look at the heart of Burgundy: la Côte d’Or de Bourgogne, the Golden

Here in Paris we had a wonderful month of April. We sat on the balcony until late in the evenings enjoying 20+ centigrade. Then May arrived with the total contrast: cold and rain. In our

Some wine sites that you might enjoy visiting: On Italian Syrah wines: sfgate.com On Hans Vinding-Diers, a Danish-South African-Italian wine maker: winespectator.com Wine comments from the US, including some Wine Spectator videos: vin-cache.com One of

Gigondas is a small appellation in the southern Rhône valley that has almost become a little bit forgotten. For a while it has perhaps not been among the most dynamic of wine regions but more

A year or two ago Laroche opened a wine bar and restaurant in an old renovated mill and now (after quite a long wait) it’s time for the hotel. It is a very small and

Sometimes one thinks that it’s a pity that one can’t afford to drink some really nice wines in a restaurant. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to bring with you to the restaurant that

Vinisud in Montpellier is a trade show focusing on wines from the Mediterranean basin. It has grown rapidly in recent times and is today a must for those who are interested in wines “from the

During Vinitaly the Consortio of Soave launched a new information leaflet on combining Soave wine with food – specifically with Scandinavian food. The booklet contains recommendations and recipes from famous Scandinavian chefs and how to

In the last issue of The Brief we mentioned that Montenegro has joined the OIV. Unfortunately we were a little bit imprecise in explaining what OIV is. Federico Castellucci, general secretary of the OIV, has

Château la Roque, one of the best known properties in the successful appellation Pic-St-Loup in Languedoc has just changed hands. The new owner is the ex-industrialist from Normandy, Jacques Rivette. the property covers some 80

In a text published on April 30 AOC Languedoc has been officially announced. Technically, it is not a new appellation but a modification of the existing AOC Coteaux du Languedoc. To create a new AC

– First it was the Cru Bourgeois classification that was annulled. Then it was St Emilion. Is Margaux next? Philippe Raoux, owner of Ch d’Arsac, has recently won a new step in a long running

– The Champagne house Thiénot (Thiénot, Canard-Duchène, Joseph Perrier, Marie Stuart, Malard) has bought a stake in the Bordeaux négociant CVBG Dourthe Kressmann. Dourthe is a major négociant in Bordeaux and also owns (or manages)

– The latest addition to the list of AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) is Outer Coastal Plain in New Jersey. The region covers almost half of the state: 2.25 million acres (0,9 million hectares) – all

Since April 1 it is no longer permitted to use the name Tocai (in Italy) or Tokay (d’Alsace, in France) following an EU agreement that reserves that name for wines from Hungary. The Italian government

2006 was a record year for wine exports from Spain: they reached 1.64 bn euro which is up 3.9% from previous year. Looking further back, over ten years, since 1995, the Spanish exports have doubled.

– The acreage for grapes in California grew in 2006 to 350,000 hectares (860,000 acres). That is about the same size as Bordeaux (100’) and Languedoc (250’) together. But only 60% of that is used

– South Africa is arguably one of the most successful “new” wine countries in recent times, coming from virtually nowhere to now commanding a substantial market share, at least on some markets. But now even

There’s been exceptionally dry weather in Australia, and coupled with spring frosts this has reduced this year’s harvest. Now, trade sources estimate that the reduces volumes will lead to price increases for the consumer of

– The EU has a relatively substantial budget to support and develop the wine sector. Primarily it is targeted at decreasing the surplus of cheap, low quality wine, e.g. by grubbing up vines, by changing

– The Laroche Group, led by Michel Laroche, increased sales for the year ended on March 31 from 26.1 M euro to 30.7 M euro, an increase with 17%. Laroche is best known for it’s

– A new official publication has defined the requirements for adding Pézenas to the AOC Coteaux du Languedoc. The wine must come from the communes Adissan, Aspiran, Caux, Fontès, Fouzilhon, Gabian, Lieuran-Cabrières, Montesquieu, Neffiès, Nizas,

– Bernard Magrez is one of the most successful wine “industrialists” in recent times. He has amassed a wine empire including some 35 wine estates. He has recently established a joint venture with Yuji Aruga

Wine Tours 26-30 September: Côte d’Or, the heart of Burgundy Over the course of a long weekend we will take a close look at the heart of Burgundy: la Côte d’Or de Bourgogne, the Golden

Portugal has developed into a very exciting wine country. That’s why we do one more wine tour to Portugal this year. Just in time for that trip a new book on wine and food from

– Altia Corporation is one of the Nordic region’s biggest wine and spirits importers in the Nordic region. It is owned by the Finnish government. The state owned company is probably better known under various

On April 9 Snake River Valley will officially become an AVA, American Viticultural Area. Snake River Valley is in the state of Idaho(!) and covers a total of some 21,400 square kilometres. The area is

The new republic of Montenegro (previously part of Yugoslavia) has joined the OIV, Office International de la Vigne et du Vin, the international wine bureau (the cooperation organisation for wine producing countries). Montenegro has a