France will uproot almost 30,000 hectares of vineyards shortly. This was announced by FranceAgriMer, which is attached to the French Ministry of Agriculture. The growers who want to uproot vines have been able to apply
In France, the harvest and fermentation are in full swing. In many (most) places the harvest is finished. The weather has caused problems in many regions, and the Ministry of Agriculture estimates that the harvest
It has been a challenging year for many French wine regions. The Ministry of Agriculture predicts a slightly lower volume than the average of the last five years, which is just over 44 million hectolitres
The French company Pernod-Ricard owns many well-known wine and spirits brands. But they have had a major spring cleaning and thrown out many of their wine producers. Recently, parts of the extensive wine portfolio were
The organic vineyard area in France is not increasing as much as it used to, but it is still growing. The important thing is that not many organic producers sacrifice their certification despite, in some
Languedoc in southern France has become a dynamic and exciting wine region. The region has an incredible variety of wines, including red, rosé, white, and sparkling. The warm climate produces wines with generous fruit but
The French sustainability label Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) was launched in 2012 for all types of agriculture. It gained momentum in 2017 when the interest grew like an avalanche among wine producers in particular to
We knew that Beaujolais has had some problems with sales, but were still slightly shocked when we saw that the surface in 20 years has decreased by 40%. At the time, some 20 years ago,
Vineyard prices in France always show large regional differences. Most notable right now is the drop in value in Bordeaux. Vineyards with AOP Bordeaux (the appellation for the most inexpensive Bordeaux wines) and planted with
In the large French wine region, which is somewhat vaguely called the Southwest (Sud-Ouest), a multitude of small wine appellations are included. Some fabulous wines are made here, many of them far too unknown. Cahors,
Blue Nun is a German bestseller and legend (perhaps not for the best reasons), a riesling sold in a blue bottle with low alcohol content and high residual sweetness. 29 grams of sugar per litre
A new study by INRAE, a French research institute, in collaboration with the universities of Bordeaux and Québec, shows the tolerance of different grapes to drought. Coping with dry weather is a grape characteristic that
Travelling on a wine tour in France is a perfect opportunity to enjoy fantastic meals paired with excellent wines. French gastronomy is one of the world’s best (it is, of course, a matter of opinion
In 2022, France saw the creation of 1,444 new wine estates, an increase of 3% compared to 2021. The winegrowers represent 10% of the 14,132 new agricultural estates started in 2022. These winegrowers operate an
When the New World began to compete with France in some export markets around 30 years ago, there was a lot of talk about the reluctance of the French to put the grape name on
The fact that France has extensive oak forests is widely known, oak used for all the barrels. But France also has cork oaks. Once upon a time, there was a thriving industry around products from
A new report provides an interesting insight into the world of French wine cooperatives. The cooperatives do not get big headlines in newspapers, but they are very important for the wine industry. The cooperatives produce
Oak ageing is closely associated with quality wines, and the French barrel makers are masters at producing the oak barrels wanted by the entire wine world. After several difficult years affected by fires in California
Rugby is a sport for wine drinkers and football is a sport for beer drinkers. At least that’s what they say in France. Oscar Wilde supposedly expressed it a little differently: “Rugby is a game
Heat, drought, moisture, downy mildew, powdery mildew, grey rot, hail… The winegrowers in France have not lacked challenges in 2023. Now the harvest is finished and despite difficulties the result is excellent. In Burgundy, everyone
Irrigation has always been strictly regulated in the European vineyards. But drought affects more and more wine vineyards, and the rules are loosened. It has been generally allowed in France for several years to irrigate
Even if you missed it, it is never too late for an apéro! (But go for a real one! Not the sugary fizzy-drinks version spritz.) Where did that classic French aperitif go? Byrrh, Noilly Prat,
You’ve probably heard it before. “How do you make a small fortune in wine? You start with a big fortune.” Looking at the list of France’s riches people, this seems to be only partially true.
Perhaps this year, the growers in Roussillon in the southwest of France will have their lowest harvest yield ever. There has not been much rain this year, not even 200 mm. And last year was
The price of vineyard land in France has either increased or is stable with one major exception: the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur appellations, that is the simplest Bordeaux wines. Many chateaux in these two AOPs
Wine consumption in France is decreasing year after year, but not evenly for all colours or appellations. The French now prefer white wines (190,000 more buyers between 2019 and 2022) to red wines (629,000 fewer
Last autumn, our wine tours took us to a number of wine regions and wine countries, including France, Italy, Portugal, and Austria. We took the occasion to ask some of the winemakers what they thought
Many wine producers struggle to make both ends meet these days. Not so Bernard Arnault, a French businessman, who controls an empire that dominates both champagne and cognac. He is now the world’s richest person
Interest in local, half-forgotten grape varieties is increasing. Thierry Navarre, a skilled wine grower in Saint Chinian, Languedoc, has discovered that the ribeyrenc, morastell, terret and œillade grapes have a lot to offer, not least
When we travel through wine regions these days, we often see grass/weeds growing in the vineyard. And if you look at the statistics, the use of herbicides, i.e. chemical weed control, has decreased. But wine
France will uproot almost 30,000 hectares of vineyards shortly. This was announced by FranceAgriMer, which is attached to the French Ministry of Agriculture. The growers
In France, the harvest and fermentation are in full swing. In many (most) places the harvest is finished. The weather has caused problems in many
It has been a challenging year for many French wine regions. The Ministry of Agriculture predicts a slightly lower volume than the average of the
The French company Pernod-Ricard owns many well-known wine and spirits brands. But they have had a major spring cleaning and thrown out many of their
The organic vineyard area in France is not increasing as much as it used to, but it is still growing. The important thing is that
Languedoc in southern France has become a dynamic and exciting wine region. The region has an incredible variety of wines, including red, rosé, white, and
The French sustainability label Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) was launched in 2012 for all types of agriculture. It gained momentum in 2017 when the interest
We knew that Beaujolais has had some problems with sales, but were still slightly shocked when we saw that the surface in 20 years has
Vineyard prices in France always show large regional differences. Most notable right now is the drop in value in Bordeaux. Vineyards with AOP Bordeaux (the
In the large French wine region, which is somewhat vaguely called the Southwest (Sud-Ouest), a multitude of small wine appellations are included. Some fabulous wines
Blue Nun is a German bestseller and legend (perhaps not for the best reasons), a riesling sold in a blue bottle with low alcohol content
A new study by INRAE, a French research institute, in collaboration with the universities of Bordeaux and Québec, shows the tolerance of different grapes to
Travelling on a wine tour in France is a perfect opportunity to enjoy fantastic meals paired with excellent wines. French gastronomy is one of the
In 2022, France saw the creation of 1,444 new wine estates, an increase of 3% compared to 2021. The winegrowers represent 10% of the 14,132
When the New World began to compete with France in some export markets around 30 years ago, there was a lot of talk about the
The fact that France has extensive oak forests is widely known, oak used for all the barrels. But France also has cork oaks. Once upon
A new report provides an interesting insight into the world of French wine cooperatives. The cooperatives do not get big headlines in newspapers, but they
Oak ageing is closely associated with quality wines, and the French barrel makers are masters at producing the oak barrels wanted by the entire wine
Rugby is a sport for wine drinkers and football is a sport for beer drinkers. At least that’s what they say in France. Oscar Wilde
Heat, drought, moisture, downy mildew, powdery mildew, grey rot, hail… The winegrowers in France have not lacked challenges in 2023. Now the harvest is finished
Irrigation has always been strictly regulated in the European vineyards. But drought affects more and more wine vineyards, and the rules are loosened. It has
Even if you missed it, it is never too late for an apéro! (But go for a real one! Not the sugary fizzy-drinks version spritz.)
You’ve probably heard it before. “How do you make a small fortune in wine? You start with a big fortune.” Looking at the list of
Perhaps this year, the growers in Roussillon in the southwest of France will have their lowest harvest yield ever. There has not been much rain
The price of vineyard land in France has either increased or is stable with one major exception: the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur appellations, that is
Wine consumption in France is decreasing year after year, but not evenly for all colours or appellations. The French now prefer white wines (190,000 more
Last autumn, our wine tours took us to a number of wine regions and wine countries, including France, Italy, Portugal, and Austria. We took the
Many wine producers struggle to make both ends meet these days. Not so Bernard Arnault, a French businessman, who controls an empire that dominates both
Interest in local, half-forgotten grape varieties is increasing. Thierry Navarre, a skilled wine grower in Saint Chinian, Languedoc, has discovered that the ribeyrenc, morastell, terret
When we travel through wine regions these days, we often see grass/weeds growing in the vineyard. And if you look at the statistics, the use
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