The grape varieties that wine producers use today have naturally mutated over time. Researchers have selected the best mutations (clones) based on several criteria, e.g. plant vigour or resistance to certain diseases. In the future,
Sometimes it is difficult to know what grape variety you have in the vineyard or at home. For example, in Chile, people thought they had merlot in the vineyard until someone noticed that it didn’t
The organic wine producers spray with copper to combat the fungal disease downy mildew, mildiou. (Many conventional—not organic—also spray with copper, but they may also use synthetic pesticides.) But, of course, they want to use
We missed an important anniversary by a few months. In 2022, it was 200 years ago that Louis Pasteur was born. Pasteur is a person that every wine lover must honour. His importance to the
By using the new genetic technology CRISPR-CAS, Chilean scientists have produced a grape that is resistant to oidium, a fungal disease. The grape in question is Thompson seedless, a table grape, so not relevant in
Institut rhodanien, a research institute in the Rhône valley, has carried out a comprehensive study of how the various maturation parameters of grenache have changed since 1969. These include changes in the acidity level and
Wine defects. No-one wants them. But what is it really? Numerous things can spoil a wine. No doubt many wines were spoilt back in the old days when wine producers had little knowledge of wine
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
Researchers continue to search for suitable yeasts that produce lower alcohol. Such yeast has already been identified, but a side effect is higher levels of glycerol in the wine, which is not always desirable. L’Institut
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
Are there pesticide residues in wine? That’s become a hot topic in some media recently. We spoke with Matthieu Dubernet from Laboratoires Dubernet in Languedoc, who explained the rules for maximum residue levels (MRL) and
Vines are also affected by viruses. The most difficult one in France since several decades back is court-noué, which is also found in other countries. In English, it is called grapevine fanleaf virus. It is
There are different ways to work sustainably and environmentally friendly. Some producers have noted consumers’ fear of pesticide residues in the wine. One path to take is then to work organically and thus completely exclude
Wild yeast or cultivated yeast? That is the eternal question right now, or at least one can get that impression in certain discussions. It seems as if the wild yeast is gaining ground, but that
There is an interest today in many wine countries for old, forgotten, grape varieties. Since 1990, the Technical Institute of Agriculture in the region of Castilla y León in Spain (ITACYL) has been conducting research
Biological control (biocontrol), or sustainable plant protection, is used more and more in the wine industry. It is, of course, a consequence of the fact that organic and sustainable viticulture is becoming more common. Biocontrol
Pierce’s disease affects vines especially in California and the rest of the United States. But it exists also in South America. The disease is spread through insects called sharpshooters. It is difficult to cure and
Wine producers are facing difficult choices today. Not least in what way they should manage the vineyard. Conventional, sustainable, organic or biodynamic? They have a variety of pesticides to choose from. More if they grow
A wine’s sulphur content is increasingly scrutinized. Sulphur dioxide is added to the wine as an antioxidant and stabiliser. But its use has diminished, rather drastically I think, in recent decades, in part thanks to
We’ve all seen them. (Or perhaps not.) The egg-shaped tanks in concrete or in terracotta. A few years ago, they were a sensation, now it feels like every other winemaker is investing in at least
A few years ago, we wrote in the Brief about the South African wine producer KWV who had made a wine called Earth’s Essence without added sulphur. Instead, they had used the rooibos plant, known
When we visited Château Pichon-Baron, grand cru classé in Pauillac, recently we saw a small canister in the vineyard that we have never seen before. This canister is called CheckMate Puffer and is a new
Some wine consultants are world famous mega stars. Most work quietly behind the scenes and you rarely hear their name. Has the advent of oenologist wine consultant led to a stream-lining and more and more
Ten Bordeaux chateaux will in 2018 and 2019 try out a new way to reduce the spraying in the vineyard. They will protect their vines against rain by installing in their vineyard a Viti-tunnel. This
Natural wines are fashionable at the moment and there is a lot of talk about the difficulty of making wine without adding sulphur. But what if it’s not that hard? Since a few years’ back
It is much debated (albeit less and less) whether global warming is a real phenomenon or not. I saw an interesting illustration of how the harvest dates have evolved in different wine regions in France
Most (all?) wine growers today aim for less spraying in the vineyard. Regardless of the products you use when spraying. There are various preventive measures that facilitate this goal. For example, keeping an eye on
Danish company Chr. Hansen, with headquarters on the outskirts of Copenhagen, is one of the major suppliers to the wine industry. The vast majority of wines ferment with cultured yeast (or “selected”) and often this
If you are a winemaker, be it “conventional” or organic, you have to spray the vineyards with treatments against diseases. You don’t really have much of a choice. The vines would barely survive and certainly
“When making organic wine you use no additives and you don’t spray toxins in the vineyard”. Just a little bit exaggerated (but only slightly) this is what one can both hear said and read sometimes.
The grape varieties that wine producers use today have naturally mutated over time. Researchers have selected the best mutations (clones) based on several criteria, e.g.
Sometimes it is difficult to know what grape variety you have in the vineyard or at home. For example, in Chile, people thought they had
The organic wine producers spray with copper to combat the fungal disease downy mildew, mildiou. (Many conventional—not organic—also spray with copper, but they may also
We missed an important anniversary by a few months. In 2022, it was 200 years ago that Louis Pasteur was born. Pasteur is a person
By using the new genetic technology CRISPR-CAS, Chilean scientists have produced a grape that is resistant to oidium, a fungal disease. The grape in question
Institut rhodanien, a research institute in the Rhône valley, has carried out a comprehensive study of how the various maturation parameters of grenache have changed
Wine defects. No-one wants them. But what is it really? Numerous things can spoil a wine. No doubt many wines were spoilt back in the
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
Researchers continue to search for suitable yeasts that produce lower alcohol. Such yeast has already been identified, but a side effect is higher levels of
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
Are there pesticide residues in wine? That’s become a hot topic in some media recently. We spoke with Matthieu Dubernet from Laboratoires Dubernet in Languedoc,
Vines are also affected by viruses. The most difficult one in France since several decades back is court-noué, which is also found in other countries.
There are different ways to work sustainably and environmentally friendly. Some producers have noted consumers’ fear of pesticide residues in the wine. One path to
Wild yeast or cultivated yeast? That is the eternal question right now, or at least one can get that impression in certain discussions. It seems
There is an interest today in many wine countries for old, forgotten, grape varieties. Since 1990, the Technical Institute of Agriculture in the region of
Biological control (biocontrol), or sustainable plant protection, is used more and more in the wine industry. It is, of course, a consequence of the fact
Pierce’s disease affects vines especially in California and the rest of the United States. But it exists also in South America. The disease is spread
Wine producers are facing difficult choices today. Not least in what way they should manage the vineyard. Conventional, sustainable, organic or biodynamic? They have a
A wine’s sulphur content is increasingly scrutinized. Sulphur dioxide is added to the wine as an antioxidant and stabiliser. But its use has diminished, rather
We’ve all seen them. (Or perhaps not.) The egg-shaped tanks in concrete or in terracotta. A few years ago, they were a sensation, now it
A few years ago, we wrote in the Brief about the South African wine producer KWV who had made a wine called Earth’s Essence without
When we visited Château Pichon-Baron, grand cru classé in Pauillac, recently we saw a small canister in the vineyard that we have never seen before.
Some wine consultants are world famous mega stars. Most work quietly behind the scenes and you rarely hear their name. Has the advent of oenologist
Ten Bordeaux chateaux will in 2018 and 2019 try out a new way to reduce the spraying in the vineyard. They will protect their vines
Natural wines are fashionable at the moment and there is a lot of talk about the difficulty of making wine without adding sulphur. But what
It is much debated (albeit less and less) whether global warming is a real phenomenon or not. I saw an interesting illustration of how the
Most (all?) wine growers today aim for less spraying in the vineyard. Regardless of the products you use when spraying. There are various preventive measures
Danish company Chr. Hansen, with headquarters on the outskirts of Copenhagen, is one of the major suppliers to the wine industry. The vast majority of
If you are a winemaker, be it “conventional” or organic, you have to spray the vineyards with treatments against diseases. You don’t really have much
“When making organic wine you use no additives and you don’t spray toxins in the vineyard”. Just a little bit exaggerated (but only slightly) this
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?
