France has 806,000 hectares planted with vines. This area includes about 70,000 hectares used for Cognac. Three grape varieties take up one third of this area: Merlot (112,000 hectares), Ugni Blanc (82,000 hectares, which is
Varietal or terroir? Or just “different”? The grape variety was not really important before the New World wines appeared on a larger scale in the 1990s. Well, of course it was important. But consumers did
Chardonnay? Cabernet? Syrah? Or if you have done your homework (some while ago), airen? No, no, no, and no. But one might say that it is (to some extent) a trick question. The world’s most
Oseleta is an ancient grape that was rediscovered in the 80s by Sandro Boscaini, Masi’s owner. After having experimented with making wine on a small scale, he planted 18 hectares with oseleta. In 1990 he
Frequent readers of the Brief know that we are very fond of Grenache. It is one of the world’s most widely planted grapes but it is very much a grape that works behind the scenes.
So you want to be (like) a pro ampelographer? That’s what they call someone who is a botanic specialist focussed on the grape vine. Or maybe you don’t? Maybe you just want to know how
Wine consumers love Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Sauvignon Blanc. Or don’t they? There is a lot of talk nowadays about grapes that are forgotten, local, unusual, indigenous, you name it. Suddenly wine geeks are
For more than a decade there has been research going on in France in order to obtain grape varieties that are resistant to the fungal diseases oidium and mildiou. The research organization INRA believe that
There are a few grape varieties that are more or less unique to a country or that has for some reason become emblematic. Chile has its Carmenere, Argentina has Malbec, and Uruguay has Tannat. Portugal
In the U.S., people drink more and more wine. In 20 years, from 1993 to 2013, the volume of wine that Americans are buying doubled. The average American spends USD 8.06 per bottle of wine.
There are several hundred grape varieties that can be used by winemakers in different countries. But the major well known varieties are very dominant. 30 varieties account for about 70% of world wine production. The
Yes, riesling is delicious but there are many other exciting wines in Germany too. If you venture a little bit off the beaten tracks of the well-known grapes you can find many other excellent wines
It is a bit of a trend in the world of wine today to look for more unusual grapes. We had the opportunity to try a variety of wines made from “uncommon” grape varieties, silvaner,
Malbec is the most famous and important but bonarda is gaining ground, but is really douce noire The most famous grape of Argentina is malbec, originating from the South-West of France. If we exclude some
In recent years, many new wine laws have been introduced in the EU. Among other things, the rules for “wines without geographical origin” have changed. These used to be called vin de table in France
A new grape has been born in Switzerland, developed by the research institute Agroscope Changins. The Swiss are good at developing environmentally friendly grapes and this new grape, called Divico, has good resistance to both
A winemaker in Languedoc, Jeff Coutelou at Mas Coutelou, has his own recipe to avoid diseases in the vineyard. He has a lot of different varieties planted in the same vineyard. It protects the vines
Last year, in 2012, seven new grape varieties were approved for wine production in France. Five of these were foreign varieties that are considered of interest either for the production of French wines or for
Four new varieties have been born in France. And it’s really four brand new varieties. With names we have never heard of: gaminot, beaugaray, picarlat and granita. These are crossings that have been made at
On May 6, new rules were published for the labeling of wines in France. The rules come into force on 1st of July. The ministries involved, writes La Vigne, have taken quite some time to
The producers of the Languedoc has now received its long-awaited permission from the Ministry of Agriculture to start growing, on an experimental basis, new grape varieties that are developed to be resistant against powdery mildew
Syrah du Monde is a wine competition for wines made from the syrah grapes. No prize for guessing. As with all competitions, you can only win if you decide to take part in the competition
According to Vitisphere the French CTPS (Comité Technique Permanent de la Sélection) recently published a new list of permitted grapes varieties in France. New on that list is Primitivo, the star grape of Apulia in
According to the latest statistics vineyard acreage grew with 6.5% in Chile in 2009. They now have 111 52 ha planted with vines to produce wine. 73% of the vineyards are planted with red grapes
New Zealand is very well know for its internationally very successful sauvignon blanc wines, sauvignons that are very aromatic to the point of sometimes being overpowering. The focus on sauvignon has perhaps been so strong
In our last Brief we wrote about the most popular grape varieties grown in Germany. The figures came from a print magazine but after looking at them a little more closely we thought they looked
Here is the list of the most popular white wine grape varieties in Germany, counted in volume: – Muller thurgau, 14% – Riesling, 13% – Gruner veltliner, 7% – Chardonnay, 5% – Pinot gris (rulander),
According to Austrian Wines / Statistik Austria, Vineyard Survey 2009 these are the most planted grape varieties in Austria. Whites first: Grüner Veltliner 29% (+) Welschriesling 8% (-) Müller Thurgau 5% (-) Weißburgunder 4% (?)
Chenin blanc is not so often called steen, as it used to be, but it is still South Africa’s most grown grape variety, albeit decreasing. Quite a lot of it goes to making the very
Gamay is the latest grape variety to get its own ”world’s best” competition. The ”Concours International du Gamay” (the gamay world championship) will take place on January 15, 2011 in Lyons. Unsurprisingly it is organised
France has 806,000 hectares planted with vines. This area includes about 70,000 hectares used for Cognac. Three grape varieties take up one third of this
Varietal or terroir? Or just “different”? The grape variety was not really important before the New World wines appeared on a larger scale in the
Chardonnay? Cabernet? Syrah? Or if you have done your homework (some while ago), airen? No, no, no, and no. But one might say that it
Oseleta is an ancient grape that was rediscovered in the 80s by Sandro Boscaini, Masi’s owner. After having experimented with making wine on a small
Frequent readers of the Brief know that we are very fond of Grenache. It is one of the world’s most widely planted grapes but it
So you want to be (like) a pro ampelographer? That’s what they call someone who is a botanic specialist focussed on the grape vine. Or
Wine consumers love Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Sauvignon Blanc. Or don’t they? There is a lot of talk nowadays about grapes that are forgotten,
For more than a decade there has been research going on in France in order to obtain grape varieties that are resistant to the fungal
There are a few grape varieties that are more or less unique to a country or that has for some reason become emblematic. Chile has
In the U.S., people drink more and more wine. In 20 years, from 1993 to 2013, the volume of wine that Americans are buying doubled.
There are several hundred grape varieties that can be used by winemakers in different countries. But the major well known varieties are very dominant. 30
Yes, riesling is delicious but there are many other exciting wines in Germany too. If you venture a little bit off the beaten tracks of
It is a bit of a trend in the world of wine today to look for more unusual grapes. We had the opportunity to try
Malbec is the most famous and important but bonarda is gaining ground, but is really douce noire The most famous grape of Argentina is malbec,
In recent years, many new wine laws have been introduced in the EU. Among other things, the rules for “wines without geographical origin” have changed.
A new grape has been born in Switzerland, developed by the research institute Agroscope Changins. The Swiss are good at developing environmentally friendly grapes and
A winemaker in Languedoc, Jeff Coutelou at Mas Coutelou, has his own recipe to avoid diseases in the vineyard. He has a lot of different
Last year, in 2012, seven new grape varieties were approved for wine production in France. Five of these were foreign varieties that are considered of
Four new varieties have been born in France. And it’s really four brand new varieties. With names we have never heard of: gaminot, beaugaray, picarlat
On May 6, new rules were published for the labeling of wines in France. The rules come into force on 1st of July. The ministries
The producers of the Languedoc has now received its long-awaited permission from the Ministry of Agriculture to start growing, on an experimental basis, new grape
Syrah du Monde is a wine competition for wines made from the syrah grapes. No prize for guessing. As with all competitions, you can only
According to Vitisphere the French CTPS (Comité Technique Permanent de la Sélection) recently published a new list of permitted grapes varieties in France. New on
According to the latest statistics vineyard acreage grew with 6.5% in Chile in 2009. They now have 111 52 ha planted with vines to produce
New Zealand is very well know for its internationally very successful sauvignon blanc wines, sauvignons that are very aromatic to the point of sometimes being
In our last Brief we wrote about the most popular grape varieties grown in Germany. The figures came from a print magazine but after looking
Here is the list of the most popular white wine grape varieties in Germany, counted in volume: – Muller thurgau, 14% – Riesling, 13% –
According to Austrian Wines / Statistik Austria, Vineyard Survey 2009 these are the most planted grape varieties in Austria. Whites first: Grüner Veltliner 29% (+)
Chenin blanc is not so often called steen, as it used to be, but it is still South Africa’s most grown grape variety, albeit decreasing.
Gamay is the latest grape variety to get its own ”world’s best” competition. The ”Concours International du Gamay” (the gamay world championship) will take place
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