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Wine Tours

For info, contact me on winebrief@bkwine.com or +33 (0)6 80 45 35 70 or check the site: http://www.bkwine.com/wine_tours/wine_tours.htm

Finnish Language Wine Tours - Viinimatkoja Ranskan viinialueille!

 Tours on the schedule (in Finnish):

For info, contact me on winebrief@bkwine.com or +33 (0)6 80 45 35 70 or check the site: http://www.bkwine.com/suomi/viinimatkoja/viinimatkoja.htm

 □  Producers

Domaine Viret, Côtes du Rhône-Villages
Philippe Viret and his father Alain has been practicing something called “cosmoculture” since the early 1990s – a form of organic and bio-dynamic method of cultivation where they fetch inspiration from both Maya and Inca cultures and also ancient Egypt. The wine cellar has been constructed as a pyramid and the interior has well deservedly been described as a “wine cathedral” by Philippe. The different cuvées have names like La Cuvée Solstice, Renaissance, Emergence, La Coudée d’Or or Energie. All are very well made, often with a lot of elegance and spiciness, with good fruit and structure. Can be found at Lafayette Gourmet in Paris and in many other shops.
Click here for address and more recommendations.

Château de Pressac, Saint-Emilion
Many chateaux in Saint-Emilion are very humble abodes and hardly merits the term chateau. For Chateau de Pressac the case is the opposite. The main building is on a hilltop and reminds you of a medieval knight’s castle and it actually dates from the 15th century (at least in parts). Jean-François and Dominique Quenin bought the chateau in 1997 (after a previous life in the corporate world) and started a new life as vignerons. The chateau is surrounded by all of its 30 hectares of vines and the wines are excellent. The chateau may well be included in the new classification for Saint Emilion, that is under preparation, and if it is not it is not due to the quality but to that the Quenins have been there for “only” nine years.
Click here for address and more recommendations.

Read about more recommended producers on the site: Favourite Producers

 □  Wine Bars and Restaurants

Stockholm:

Sturehof
This must be considered as one of the classics in Stockholm today. Fetching inspiration in classic Parisian brasserie they are open almost around the clock and you can get a meal at any hour. Very informal (and busy) atmosphere. Excellent kitchen with some rather exclusive things and a few more reasonably priced. Very good wine list, always ten reds and ten whites to chose from by the glass. Ask the wine waiter Niklas for advice if you don’t know what to chose. One of the best wine watering holes in town.
Click here for address and more recommendations.

Il Fantozzi
I can’t claim to be an expert on Italian restaurants in Stockholm but this one must be high up on the list of the top ones. But first you have to find it: it is on a small, obscure street but not far from Skanstull, the metro station. In the husband and wife team he does the cooking and she takes care of the guests. The interior decoration is cool, low key and elegant. Food is excellent and exceptionally good value for money. The wine list is ambitious (if oversized in format) and has lots of information about the wines. Definitely worth a visit. And they have just opened a small wine and grappa bar where you can have a drink while waiting for a table.
Click here for address and more recommendations.

Ulriksdals Wärdshus
One of Stockholm’s old classics! Classic food, classic building, classic surroundings (in the park of a royal palace). Very well made, excellent cooking and beautiful surroundings. And also the wine selection is leaning to the classic with an emphasis on France even if there is a reasonable selection of wines from other countries too. And Ulriksdal also has something really unique: a collection of the six top Bordeaux chateaux Margaux, Mouton-Rothschild, Lafite-Rotschild, Haut-Brion, Latour and d’Yquem including almost all vintages from the beginning of the (last) century. Ask if you can take a peek when you are there!
Click here for address and more recommendations.

The EU Wine Production
Some statistics selected from the briefing material released when EU presented it’s discussion proposal for new wine policy: Europe counts for 40% of the world’s wine acreage and 60% of world wine production. It also accounts for 60% of consumption. Average production (of EU 25) is 178 million hectolitres, worth €16.1 billion.

EU expects overproduction to reach 27M hl, i.e. 15% of production, by 2010 – unless a reform of support policies are agreed. Total acreage within the EU 25 is 3.4 million hectares of vines.

Primeur prices for consumers – €40 per centilitre...
Fun (?) to take a look at what prices the Bordeaux Primeurs reach in shops, where you and I can buy them (and get delivery in two years’ time). Some of the dearest: Pomerol: Château Lafleur 1200€, Ch Le Pin 1150€; Pauillac: Ch Mouton-Rothschild 480€, Ch Latour 650€, Ch Lafite 480€, Yquem around 500€. Prices per bottle in case you wondered. Add on VAT (19.6% in France) and transport charges. To be paid now and delivered in two years’ time. Sample prices from Chateauonline.fr. Alternatively, from Berry Brothers & Rudd in London: Ch Petrus £1750 (2557€ - which, after adding French VAT (that’s where we’re writing) but no transport fee adds up to arund €40 per centilitre...), Le Pin £1250 (1826€), Lafleur & Ausone £750 (1095€), Latour £475 (694€), Margaux £475 (694€).

Wine fair for organic wines: Millésime Bio 15-17 January 2007
The next edition of the wine fair for organic (and bio-dynamic) wines, Millésime Bio, will take place on January 15-17, 2007 in Narbonne in the south of France. It is the 14th edition of the event! More info www.millesime-bio.com

Cork statistics
Each year some 17 billion bottles of wine are sold. The way to plug the neck varies greatly from one country to another. Catherine Pivot at the Université de Lyon has collected statistics of the closures:

The price of the closure: Natural cork: 2 euro cents – 1 euro. Plastic cork: 1.7-8 cents. Aluminium capsule: 2-8 cents. Read more : vitisphere.com

New organisation for Languedoc-Roussillon promotion
The collaboration between the different wine regions in southern France is being reinforced. This is no doubt due to the increasing international competition and a desire to pool resources. And it may also be a good idea to have more collaboration rather than competition in face of the international market. So, “Inter Sud de France” has just been created (“Inter” is the trend word in French wine producers’ organisations these days – making reference to the term “interproffessionel”, i.e. producers’ association). Inter Sud de France is the result of the merger of CIVL (Languedoc), CIVR (Roussillon), Inter’Oc and Anivit. It will represent a total production of some 15 million hectolitres, which is about the same as the total production of Argentina.

Wine, business and marketing
It seems to be the thing to do these days – focus on wine and “business”. (Actually makes a nice change from discussions on “terroir”.) Earlier this year saw the creation of the American Association of Wine Economists that also publishes a refereed journal (the Harvard Business Review of wine?) called The Journal of Wine Economics. Also, not long ago The Third International Wine Business & Marketing Conference i Montpellier. Both of these (the AAWE and the conference) are very scientific things with participation primarily from researchers but they cover a number of interesting topics, both practicl things like tasting methodology and more market oriented themes as customer perceptions and marketing. More “populist” are two other events: Every January Skalli & Rein (a French consultancy) organises the conference WineEvolution that discusses market opportunities across the globe and how better to sell wines. Another business conference is organised by William Reed called The International Wine Conference 2006 on September 6. In spite of its name this conference seems to have a much more UK focus but is also talking about how to sell and market your wine to consumers. We are particularly interested in this kind of information and events so if you are active in this area, do keep us informed.

German export up 11%
The German wine export grew by 11% in value and 4% in volume over the 12 month period ending in April ’06. It is the popularity of the Riesling grape that is driving demand for German wines. The United States has seen the most positive performance but the United Kingdome remains the biggest market. Read more journee-vinicole.com

Ch d’Alesme Backer sold to Labégorce
Hubert Perrodo has just bought Chateau Marquis d’Alesme Becker for an estimated €25-30 million. Perrodo already owns Ch Labégorce and Ch Labégorce Zédé. The deal includes everything except the main chateau building that remains in the hands of the seller, the Zuger family, who has owned it since the 1950s. Read more on Decanter.com.

Médoc and Bordeaux Statistics
From In Vino Veritas: Total vineyard area in Bordeaux: 122,000 ha. Médoc: 16,000 ha (14% of the total). Médoc appellations, in percentage of total Médoc (volume):

“Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink, I feel shame. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams shattered. Then I say to myself, it is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver” – Jack Handy

“I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning, that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day.” – Frank Sinatra

“Warning: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better-looking than most people.”

“Warning: The consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you.”

“Warning: The consumption of alcohol may cause pregnancy.”

Northern Spain - How to find great wines off the beaten track
Susie Barrie, text; Tory McTernan, photo
Mitchell Beazley

Tuscany - How to find great wines off the beaten track
Monty Waldin, text; Tory McTernan, photo
Mitchell Beazley

The series Discovering Wine Country from Mitchell Beazley has recently seen two new additions: one on northern Spain, including Catalonia, Rioja, Galicia and Navarra, and one on Toscana.

Both books follow the same formula: The author makes a short introduction to each region and its wines, followed by recommendations of wine growers to visit, restaurants, hotels, and sights. The books are ideal companions for travelling, also thanks to the handy and small format. But also perfect to start travelling already on the couch in the living room. There are also some tips and suggestions as to what to do, and what not to do – e.g. wear a shirt and not a T-shirt in Tuscany, don’t try and schedule any visits over lunch time in Spain, always call ahead etc. Quite good maps with suggested itineraries.

- - France:

- - Sweden:

- - UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Denmark,...:

Wine auction agendas:

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