Hail storms can be violent and the 20-minute storm that affected Crozes-Hermitage and part of Saint Joseph on June 15 was exceptionally violent. Some winegrowers saw their future harvest reduced by at least 50%. The
Champagne’s largest cooperative Nicolas Feuillatte is getting even bigger. Feuillatte recently bought the champagne brand Henri Abelé, which, since 1985, has been owned by the huge Spanish cava producer Freixenet. Henri Abelé sells around 300,000
Languedoc-Roussillon, the Wines of Southern France is our latest book. Our tenth book. It is about one of the “hottest” and most dynamic wine regions in France. It is the first book in Swedish that
André Lurton died on May 16. He was 94 years old and a legend already during his lifetime. He was born at Château Bonnet where he lived throughout his life. André was one of those
Club Trésor du Champagne is an association of independent growers in Champagne that has gained a reputation for high quality champagne. The Special Club champagnes, made by each member at vintage years and bottled in
The first week in April, the primeur tastings take place in Bordeaux. This means that buyers, importers, wine merchants and journalists come to Bordeaux to taste the latest vintage. We also had the opportunity to
Some grapes are easier to recognize than others. Sauvignon Blanc is easy but not the easiest. That distinction goes to Muscat and Gewürztraminer. But still, in a blind tasting you have a fair chance of
The vine is in many ways a robust plant that can withstand difficult conditions and drought. But it has weaknesses. One is that it is prone to fungal diseases. No vineyard can survive without spraying.
“The promotional mailing you do not want to miss”, producer visits from Champagne. There are around 3000 small champagne producers, growers and similar, but only about 300 so-called “houses”. The “houses” are the big, well-known
“No thanks, not Chardonnay, but yes please, a glass of chablis” The wine producers in Chablis love the Swedes and the Swedes love Chablis. So it is. Eight percent of the production in Chablis is
The French Coopers’ Association (Fédération des Tonneliers de France) recently held its annual meeting in Napa Valley, California. It was the first time they gathered outside France. That the meeting took place in Napa is
Paris’ first major professional wine fair, Wine Paris, took place on 11-13 February. Many consider it about time that the French capital hosts a large wine fair. Wine Paris is a merger of Wine Vision
Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most popular grape varieties in the world. With 123,000 hectares it is in fact the third most planted white variety in the world, after the Spanish grape Airen (218,000
For the lover of statistics and/or the lover of Burgundy wines, we have found a handy and updated summary of all relevant figures concerning the wines of Burgundy, from Chablis to Mâconnais (Beaujolais not included).
There is no end to the success of rosé wines in Provence. Producers and wine merchants are already thinking of next summer. Many producers in Provence will have sold their vintage 2018 before Christmas. And
Demand for organic wine will continue to increase in France, SudVinBio announced after looking at developments in recent years and on future trends. The study has been made as a prelude to the organic wine
In fierce competition (we guess), Cigalus 2016 from Gérard Bertrand in Languedoc had the honour of being selected as the red wine served during the Nobel dinner in Stockholm on December 10th. We have been
A European wine that is organic is easy to identify. You just look for the green EU leaf. If it does not have the leaf it is not organic. But now there are also more
France in general did a good harvest in 2018, both in volume and in quality. The Ministry of Agriculture has just published figures for the different regions. Total production was 46.6 million hectolitres, which is
Wine producers should not deceive consumers when they promote their wines. This story is about Château de Reignac in Entre-deux-Mers. This chateau was bought in the 1990s by Yves Vatelot. His ambition from the very
Alsace wines are becoming drier and drier. At least that was the impression we had on our recent Alsace tour. And that is very positive. In addition, it is easier to know if the wines
Heavy rain and floods of a rare violence in the department of Aude In Languedoc in mid-October caused major damage to vineyards and wineries, in particular in the Minervois and Cabardes appellations and, to a
It is a mistake to think that “Bordeaux has become too expensive”. In fact, bordeaux is one of the regions in France that has an incredible wealth of good-value, affordable wines, provided you cast your
Beaujolais has had a few hard years but it is now back in fashion. Today, the third Thursday of November, is the release of the new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau. Now representing approximately 30 %
Climate change is a fact and the wine industry prepares in different ways for the future. INAO, the Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité, recently approved a change in the rules that allow
In the past year, our latest book “Champagne, The Wine And The Growers” (“Champagne, vinet och odlarna” in the original language) has been acclaimed and won prizes in two prestigious contexts, by the OIV, the
One of the nicest events of the annual series of importer tastings is when Tryffelsvinet (a Swedish importer) presents the wines of Comte Georges de Vogüé with Jean-Luc Pepin. Comte Georges de Vogüé is a
The cooperatives are many and significant players in the Languedoc. They account for a large proportion of the production here. But to survive in today’s competition, they, like everyone else, have to invest in what
We continue to fill up with more info in the section we call “resources” on our travel site, BKWineTours.com. Here you can find tips and advice on how things work in different countries. For example,
It has been a hot summer in France, but the growing conditions have not been easy everywhere. Alban Rabasa, assistant winemaker at Château Vaudieu in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, says that 2018 is une année du vigneron, which
Hail storms can be violent and the 20-minute storm that affected Crozes-Hermitage and part of Saint Joseph on June 15 was exceptionally violent. Some winegrowers
Champagne’s largest cooperative Nicolas Feuillatte is getting even bigger. Feuillatte recently bought the champagne brand Henri Abelé, which, since 1985, has been owned by the
Languedoc-Roussillon, the Wines of Southern France is our latest book. Our tenth book. It is about one of the “hottest” and most dynamic wine regions
André Lurton died on May 16. He was 94 years old and a legend already during his lifetime. He was born at Château Bonnet where
Club Trésor du Champagne is an association of independent growers in Champagne that has gained a reputation for high quality champagne. The Special Club champagnes,
The first week in April, the primeur tastings take place in Bordeaux. This means that buyers, importers, wine merchants and journalists come to Bordeaux to
Some grapes are easier to recognize than others. Sauvignon Blanc is easy but not the easiest. That distinction goes to Muscat and Gewürztraminer. But still,
The vine is in many ways a robust plant that can withstand difficult conditions and drought. But it has weaknesses. One is that it is
“The promotional mailing you do not want to miss”, producer visits from Champagne. There are around 3000 small champagne producers, growers and similar, but only
“No thanks, not Chardonnay, but yes please, a glass of chablis” The wine producers in Chablis love the Swedes and the Swedes love Chablis. So
The French Coopers’ Association (Fédération des Tonneliers de France) recently held its annual meeting in Napa Valley, California. It was the first time they gathered
Paris’ first major professional wine fair, Wine Paris, took place on 11-13 February. Many consider it about time that the French capital hosts a large
Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most popular grape varieties in the world. With 123,000 hectares it is in fact the third most planted white
For the lover of statistics and/or the lover of Burgundy wines, we have found a handy and updated summary of all relevant figures concerning the
There is no end to the success of rosé wines in Provence. Producers and wine merchants are already thinking of next summer. Many producers in
Demand for organic wine will continue to increase in France, SudVinBio announced after looking at developments in recent years and on future trends. The study
In fierce competition (we guess), Cigalus 2016 from Gérard Bertrand in Languedoc had the honour of being selected as the red wine served during the
A European wine that is organic is easy to identify. You just look for the green EU leaf. If it does not have the leaf
France in general did a good harvest in 2018, both in volume and in quality. The Ministry of Agriculture has just published figures for the
Wine producers should not deceive consumers when they promote their wines. This story is about Château de Reignac in Entre-deux-Mers. This chateau was bought in
Alsace wines are becoming drier and drier. At least that was the impression we had on our recent Alsace tour. And that is very positive.
Heavy rain and floods of a rare violence in the department of Aude In Languedoc in mid-October caused major damage to vineyards and wineries, in
It is a mistake to think that “Bordeaux has become too expensive”. In fact, bordeaux is one of the regions in France that has an
Beaujolais has had a few hard years but it is now back in fashion. Today, the third Thursday of November, is the release of the
Climate change is a fact and the wine industry prepares in different ways for the future. INAO, the Institut national de l’origine et de la
In the past year, our latest book “Champagne, The Wine And The Growers” (“Champagne, vinet och odlarna” in the original language) has been acclaimed and
One of the nicest events of the annual series of importer tastings is when Tryffelsvinet (a Swedish importer) presents the wines of Comte Georges de
The cooperatives are many and significant players in the Languedoc. They account for a large proportion of the production here. But to survive in today’s
We continue to fill up with more info in the section we call “resources” on our travel site, BKWineTours.com. Here you can find tips and
It has been a hot summer in France, but the growing conditions have not been easy everywhere. Alban Rabasa, assistant winemaker at Château Vaudieu in
Newsletter:
Get our free monthly newsletter, the BKWine Brief and join 25,000 other wine and travel enthusiasts.
Text and images may not be used without our permission. More info on copyright.
25,000 subscribers get wine news every month. You too?
