Mas Igneus in Priorat has long been a favourite of ours. In 2020 the estate changed owners and in 2019 a new winemaker had arrived at the estate, Daniel Cuesta. Changes are inevitable with new
The spotlight is on Etna at the moment. Making wine on an active volcano must be special and, at times, even adventurous. Lava came pouring out of Etna earlier this year. Donnafugata, a well-known Sicilian
Suddenly everyone is talking about wines from Sardinia, the beautiful Italian island in the middle of the Mediterranean. We have tasted wines from Tenute Ólbios, a family-owned winery on the northeastern part of the island.
Germany introduces a wine hierarchy based on geography Germany has introduced a new “classification” system for its wines, under the name Qualitätswein. It creates a hierarchy of wines – Area, Region, Village and Vineyard –
Making wine is pretty straightforward. Or rather, it was, once upon a time. Today it is more complicated. The fermentation, not least, requires the winegrowers to think carefully. They know that yeast turns the sugar
Sauvignon blanc is a popular grape. It has increased enormously in the last 20 years. A dozen countries have significant plantings, and another ten have a smaller, but growing, surface. Sauvignon blanc grows best in
Everyone knows Californian wines and probably also Washington and Oregon wines. But the fact is that most states in the United States, perhaps even all of them, make wine. One of the most important, after
Is VeriVin SWA001 the Holy Grail to fight wine fraud? Wine fraud can be of the spectacular kind of selling fake Romanée-Conti, or it can be of a more mundane type, selling bulk wine that
Timorasso is the name of a rare Piedmontese grape variety. It had almost disappeared; barely a hectare remained when a winemaker near the town of Tortona decided to save it. We should all be grateful
New rules promote organic vineyards and long ageing; Eva Plazas At Cava Vilarnau explains Winemaker Eva Plazas Torné has been working for the cava producer Caves Vilarnau since 1996. In other words, she has a
Grenache was the first grape variety I ever harvested. It was in Banyuls in southern France, a beautiful vineyard by the Mediterranean Sea. Big bunches with ripe grapes. Maybe that is why I like it
We talk to Michel Rolland who explains the curious idea behind the success of Clos de Los Siete from Mendoza Michel Rolland from Bordeaux is the world’s most famous wine consultant. His clients can be
You can find some of Portugal’s best red and white wines in the Douro Valley. A renaissance has taken place in this region in the last few decades, previously only known for port wine. Wine
Chile has its fair share of French wine producers. And who can blame the French for trying their luck here? Chile is a magnificent country for viticulture. In 1994 Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle fell in love
Provence is beautiful, sunny and colourful. The Mediterranean is blue, the mimosa is yellow, the lavender is purple. And the wines are pink. Yes, but not all of them. The success in recent years of
Can a small grower compete with big champagne houses? Yes, they can. First they must, of course, make good wine. And then they “only” have to find the right customers. Which, of course, is one
Riesling is a magnificent grape but a difficult one. For its many devoted admirers, it is the foremost white wine grape in the world. Riesling is one of the most prestigious grapes, but it is
How do wine regions become internationally famous? Some, of course, have the advantage of having been known and appreciated for centuries, such as Bordeaux and Burgundy. It may seem impossible that other wine regions would
South Africa has a total of 92,000 hectares of vines. 10,000 hectares are cabernet sauvignon. It is the most planted red grape. The country’s most prominent wine region, Stellenbosch, is also the most important Cabernet
A successful and adventurous journey across the United States in the midst of the phylloxera crises in the 19th century helped save the French vineyards. Pierre Viala, a French botanist, had been sent to find
France is not like Italy, where vines grow in every region. But France is not far behind. In fact, there are more vineyards in France than in Italy. France has 794 000 hectares of vineyards,
There are many beautiful wine regions in the Languedoc. La Clape, near the town of Narbonne, is one of them. Château de Figuières is situated at an altitude of 150 meters on the limestone plateau
Pinot noir has a reputation for being a difficult grape, yet it is found in many places around the world. Maybe the grape isn’t so tricky after all if you free yourself from the idea
Someone told me once that malbec is a friendly grape, easy to work with. Apparently, many Argentineans think so as it is by far the most planted grape in the country. It is best known
Merlot is something of a chameleon. All grapes are, of course, in one way or another. But sometimes it’s more noticeable, as with merlot. Château Petrus, 95% merlot, is Bordeaux’s most expensive wine. Petrus’ prices
Almost all of the world’s most popular quality grape varieties have spread around the globe. But in the world’s top ten list of most planted grapes, there is one that you will find almost only
A versatile grape variety that has survived multiple crises, with the world’s second largest white plantings Chardonnay has survived trends and fashion. Maybe you remember the ABC movement, Anything But Chardonnay? I am sure there
There is wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and then there is aceto balsamico tradizionale from Modena. Modena is a town in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. The sports car enthusiasts know that they make Ferrari and
New Zealand is a young wine country, and Central Otago on the South Island is even younger. It is also a spectacularly beautiful region where you find superb wines from the tricky pinot noir. One
Syrah is the fourth most planted red grape in the world after cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and tempranillo. Syrah is found on almost 190,000 hectares across the globe. It is today a fashionable and popular grape
Mas Igneus in Priorat has long been a favourite of ours. In 2020 the estate changed owners and in 2019 a new winemaker had arrived
The spotlight is on Etna at the moment. Making wine on an active volcano must be special and, at times, even adventurous. Lava came pouring
Suddenly everyone is talking about wines from Sardinia, the beautiful Italian island in the middle of the Mediterranean. We have tasted wines from Tenute Ólbios,
Germany introduces a wine hierarchy based on geography Germany has introduced a new “classification” system for its wines, under the name Qualitätswein. It creates a
Making wine is pretty straightforward. Or rather, it was, once upon a time. Today it is more complicated. The fermentation, not least, requires the winegrowers
Sauvignon blanc is a popular grape. It has increased enormously in the last 20 years. A dozen countries have significant plantings, and another ten have
Everyone knows Californian wines and probably also Washington and Oregon wines. But the fact is that most states in the United States, perhaps even all
Is VeriVin SWA001 the Holy Grail to fight wine fraud? Wine fraud can be of the spectacular kind of selling fake Romanée-Conti, or it can
Timorasso is the name of a rare Piedmontese grape variety. It had almost disappeared; barely a hectare remained when a winemaker near the town of
New rules promote organic vineyards and long ageing; Eva Plazas At Cava Vilarnau explains Winemaker Eva Plazas Torné has been working for the cava producer
Grenache was the first grape variety I ever harvested. It was in Banyuls in southern France, a beautiful vineyard by the Mediterranean Sea. Big bunches
We talk to Michel Rolland who explains the curious idea behind the success of Clos de Los Siete from Mendoza Michel Rolland from Bordeaux is
You can find some of Portugal’s best red and white wines in the Douro Valley. A renaissance has taken place in this region in the
Chile has its fair share of French wine producers. And who can blame the French for trying their luck here? Chile is a magnificent country
Provence is beautiful, sunny and colourful. The Mediterranean is blue, the mimosa is yellow, the lavender is purple. And the wines are pink. Yes, but
Can a small grower compete with big champagne houses? Yes, they can. First they must, of course, make good wine. And then they “only” have
Riesling is a magnificent grape but a difficult one. For its many devoted admirers, it is the foremost white wine grape in the world. Riesling
How do wine regions become internationally famous? Some, of course, have the advantage of having been known and appreciated for centuries, such as Bordeaux and
South Africa has a total of 92,000 hectares of vines. 10,000 hectares are cabernet sauvignon. It is the most planted red grape. The country’s most
A successful and adventurous journey across the United States in the midst of the phylloxera crises in the 19th century helped save the French vineyards.
France is not like Italy, where vines grow in every region. But France is not far behind. In fact, there are more vineyards in France
There are many beautiful wine regions in the Languedoc. La Clape, near the town of Narbonne, is one of them. Château de Figuières is situated
Pinot noir has a reputation for being a difficult grape, yet it is found in many places around the world. Maybe the grape isn’t so
Someone told me once that malbec is a friendly grape, easy to work with. Apparently, many Argentineans think so as it is by far the
Merlot is something of a chameleon. All grapes are, of course, in one way or another. But sometimes it’s more noticeable, as with merlot. Château
Almost all of the world’s most popular quality grape varieties have spread around the globe. But in the world’s top ten list of most planted
A versatile grape variety that has survived multiple crises, with the world’s second largest white plantings Chardonnay has survived trends and fashion. Maybe you remember
There is wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and then there is aceto balsamico tradizionale from Modena. Modena is a town in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna.
New Zealand is a young wine country, and Central Otago on the South Island is even younger. It is also a spectacularly beautiful region where
Syrah is the fourth most planted red grape in the world after cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and tempranillo. Syrah is found on almost 190,000 hectares across
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