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Swedish version available here (click this link).
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Welcome to the
BKWine Brief nr 42, December 2006 |
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Decanting the wine...
Sounds perhaps old-fashioned or snobbish? But that is a big mistake. The
traditional motivation to decant a wine (i.e. pour the wine from the
bottle into a decanter) is to remove the sediment that has formed at the
bottom of the bottle in a wine that has been aged for a long time. But
to be honest, for most of us, rare is the occasion when that is
necessary. Unfortunately. But an almost more important, and useful,
reason to decant the wine is to let it “breathe”. (Can you hear it
wheezing in the bottle?) Letting the wine breathe, or aerate, is a way
to make the aromas and the taste develop one additional notch before
drinking it. At home we decanter almost all the red wines we drink, and
some of the whites, to give it that extra boost in flavour. Or to look
at it from the other side, to allow it to develop its full potential
before it is poured into the glass. If you don’t have a carafe at hand
you can use any other container, and then pour the wine back into the
bottle. Many of the winemakers we visit say in the tasting room “it’s a
pity I didn’t open the bottle a couple of hours ago. You’d notice the
difference!” They often recommend decanting the wine several hours
before serving it. And sometimes even the day before. So you hardly need
to worry about decanting the wine too early – the longer the better,
almost. Wine is not so fragile and volatile as sometimes believed.
Unless you are opening that delicate old Burgundy from the 70s that you
have been saving. Then you should do it just before serving. So, polish
up your old decanter and use it more often. (Then again, I remember
reading an article in some wine magazine some time ago where they did a
test with freshly opened bottles, recently decanted, and some that were
decanted a long time before the tasting. The result was that in most
cases – the opinions were divided. But until I do the blind test myself
and are proven wrong, I am convinced that decanting is good. And it
looks nice…)
Vote for our blog
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have launched a top list for wine blogs. Everyone can vote for his
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Brief on how to vote.
Travel with BKWine
Isn’t it time to plan the
next wine tour? Take a look at our tour program. This spring we have a
tour to Bordeaux and we are currently working on the autumn program.
See more info here.
The
Recruitment Campaign
In August I launched the
recruitment campaign – “get more readers to the BKWine Brief”. At the
time I had some 3000 subscribers to the Brief and set the target to 4000
by the end of the year. I can happily say that, thanks to your help and
all the people who have been interested, I have well exceeded that
target. We now have 4517 subscribers. (Plus another 10,000 for the
Swedish language version.) Thanks to all who helped, all who recommended
the Brief to your friends, all the wine clubs who, told their members
about it,…!
That being said, please
continue help to get more subscribers. Recommend the Brief to your
friends!
Britt
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All previous
issues of the Brief are here:
Archive |
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News from BKWine |
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 Wine Tours
 |
 June
6-10: Bordeaux
For a wine lover a trip to Bordeaux is a must! Here you find world famous
châteaux and world famous wines but also a lot of new exciting initiatives
(less famous but maybe more important for the future of Bordeaux!) and
young enthusiastic wine makers.
More info
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| In the autumn there we are
planning some really interesting trips... Perhaps Bordeaux, Bourgogne,
Rhone, Italy,... More info coming soon. Or get in touch and tell us
what you would like! One thing is already settled:
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| October 17-21 : Portugal
– Alentejo
More info soon. |
 Finnish
Wine Tours - Viinimatkoja Ranskan viinialueille!
 Tours
on the schedule (in Finnish):
For info, contact
winebrief@bkwine.com
or +33 (0)6 80 45 35 70 or check the site:
http://www.bkwine.com/wine_tours/wine_tours.htm
You can find the pictures on
www.bkwine.com/wine_pictures/photo_galleries.htm |
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Recommendations |
| A selection of
what we have tried, tasted or visited recently.
□
Producers
Château Belair,
Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé
One of the best chateaux in Saint Emilion, now one of the 13 Premier
Grand Crus Classés (B). Belair is owned by Pascal Delbec, quite a
personality who previously was in charge of Chateau Ausone, a neighbour
(classified “(A)”). The vineyard covers 13 hectares, soil is primarily lime
stone although it is very varying, giving added complexity.
Click here for address and more recommendations.
  
Domaine Piccinini,
Minervois-La Livinière, Languedoc
 Jean-Christophe’s
father, Maurice Piccinini, was for many years in charge of the village
co-operative in La Livinière and turned it into one of the best in
Minervois. He was also a driving force behind Minervois being elevated to
AOC status and subsequently La Livinière. The son, J-C, trained as
oenologist and wanted from the start to make and bottle his own wines. His
wines are today among the “safe bets” for excellent wines from Minervois.
Try and find, for example, his Clos Angély, that he makes in both red and
white version (or any other of his cuvées for that matter).
Click here for address and more recommendations.
Read about more recommended
producers on the site:
Favourite Producers
□ Wine
Bars and Restaurants
Paris:
Baxo, Paris 10
 This
nice little restaurant only just opened in December, not far from the Canal
Saint Martin. Very good value lunch menu, 2 courses for 12 euro or three for
14.50 euro. In the evening they have à la carte with starters for 8-12 euro
and main courses for 12-18 euro. You can get French classics like hamburger
(perhaps not so French but still classic), tartare, or côte de Boeuf, and
also some more “fusion” inspired cooking: tuna with wasabi, or wok de
calamars. They will develop the wine list towards a selection of smaller,
ambitious growers (but it will take some time for them to build up the list
they think). Modern interior decoration with fat cushions and trendy
lighting. The bar (called “bar lounge”…) is almost as big as the restaurant,
which on the other hand is not very big (only some 25 places). Very customer
friendly opening hours: from 9 in the morning to 2 at night. Closed Sundays.
Click here for address and more recommendations.
La Bastide d’Opio, Paris 6
A small Provence restaurant in Paris with a definite southern feeling. Very
good cooking that is nicely presented on the plates. The grille tuna was
excellent and very succulent and the crumble d’agneau (!) very tasty with
just the right cover of crumbles. At lunch time you can get two courses for
14.10 euro. The wine list, though, is short and would definitely improve if
a little more focus and effort was made with wines from Provence.
Click here for address and more recommendations.
Read more recommendations on
restaurants and winebars on
my Restaurant and Wine Bar page. |
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News from the Wine World |
 Vote
for the BKWine Brief Blog
The site LocalwineEvents have launched a top list of the most popular wine
blogs. BKWine Brief Blog is “only” in 53rd place at the moment. We just need
a few more votes go move up to the first page (top 50) and only 1018 votes
to move to first place… Click on the button and cast your vote for us!
Unesco creates a chair in wine
and culture
Unesco has approved the proposal from the University of Burgundy to
create a chair for wine and culture. The first professor holding the chair
will be Jocelyne Pérard, previously president of the university.
WineBusiness.com and
u-bourgogne.fr
 About
Oak – new guest writer article
People generally think of oak barrels as either French or American. And
true, that are the most frequently used wood types. But there is a tendency
to more and more use locally sourced oak, for example in Germany (as well as
many people in other countries experimenting with alternatives to the
traditional sources). David Furer, BKWine Guest Writer, explains more in a
new article in
the Guest Writer section on the site.
Chehalem Mountains becomes
15th Oregon AVA
American Viticultural Areas (AVA) is the US equivalent to the French system
of Appellation Contrôlée (although very different). Chehalem Mountains,
close to Portland in Oregon, has been approved as the fifteenth AVA in the
state. Chehalem covers 1600 acres (approx 800 hectares) and has 31 wineries.
They grow mainly Pinot Noir and also some Pinot Blanc and Riesling.
Yahoo Finance
 Lynch-Bages
owner buys Sénéchaux in Châteauneuf
Jean-Michel Cazes, owner of the famous Château Lynch-Bages in Bordeaux,
has acquired Domaine des Sénéchaux in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Sénéchaux.
Sénéchaux has previously been one rather inconspicuous Châteauneuf property,
but that will no doubt now change, judging from the “Cazes effect” in his
previous projects.
Decanter.com and
vitisphere.com
 £775,000
for some bottles of sweet white wine
A unique collection of Chateau d’Yquem (Sauternes, Bordeaux), spanning 150
years, was recently sold at auction by the Antique Wine Company in London.
The buyer has wished to remain secret. Almost every vintage back to 1860
were included in the collection. As a bonus, the buyer received two custom
made wine cabinets worth £50,000.
Decanter.com
One wine and two spirits
brands on the top 100 brands list
Each year Business Week makes a survey of the world’s 100 most powerful
brands. This year there is one wine and two spirits brands that just squeeze
in on the list. Guess which!
Here’s the answer. Top on the list (shame) a soft drinks manufactures,
followed by a an IT time wasting tool and a machine that is these days a
service… Read more here:
BusinessWeek.com
Not only oak barrels
Oak is certainly by very far the most popular wood to use for barrels, but
it is not the only. EU has recently approved the mention on wine labels that
the wine has been fermented or aged in wood other than oak. It is also
permitted, though not required, to mention on the label the type of wood. In
other words, you may in the future see on the label e.g. “aged in barrel” or
even “fermented in chestnut wood” (or corresponding national wording).
Journee-vinicole.com
Jacques and François Lurton
separates
Jacque and François Lurton, sons of the legendary André Lurton (owner of
e.g. Chateau La Louvière) have under many years built up a substantial and
well respected wine production activity around the globe under the (not so
very well known) name JFL SA. They have often been referred to as “flying
winemakers” and have made wines in France (Bordeaux, Languedoc,…), Spain,
Argentina, Chile, Portugal, Uruguay,… Modern wines designed for an
international market. Now the brothers have decided to part company and JFL
will be managed and owned by François only. Jacques will still consult on
winemaking but will spend more time on his fathers’ (who’s now over 80)
properties in Bordeaux.
vitisphere.com
Bleu Wine Expo – wine fair
for Provence wines in Marseille 29-30 January
Organised by Les Vignerons Independents, Blue Wine Expo will present
more than 100 wine producers from Provence on January 29-30.
BleuWinExpo.com
More wine auction news
Top lists seem to be popular this season. Here’s one from Sotheby’s wine
auctions. Top auction prices:
- 6 bt DRC Romanée Conti 1985: $119,500
- Double magnums Ch Lafite 1865: $111,625
- 12 bt DRC Romanée Conti 1989: $111,625
- 2 magnums Ch Cheval-Blanc 1947: $105,750
Sotheby’s also announced record
sales for the year : $37,380,538 (+28%) and claims also the prize for best
sales rate: 97.5% (only 2.5% of the lots remained unsold).
Corsican wine show
The international wine trade will have a great opportunity to taste and
select the best Corsican wines on April 26-27. The “First Corsican
International Wine Convention” will welcome buyers from all over the world.
Organised by
Adhes and Vins de Corse
 Château
Romanin (Provence) sold to Charmolue
Château Romanin is one of the better known properties in Provence, in the
appellation Les Baux de Provence. The vineyards cover 58 ha (of a total of
230 ha). Romanin is also known for following the biodynamic principles (e.g.
taking into account the position of the stars) and for its cathedral-like
wine cellar. The domaine was sold by the Peyrauc family to Jean Louis and
Anne Marie Charmolue, former proprietors of Chateau Montrose in Bordeaux.
Vitisphere.com
Chinese police stops
winemakers mass nude run through capital
Jixiang Ruyi Tobacco and Alcohol Company had recruited 284 people who,
against a payment of 10,000 Yuan (ca 980 euro) at Christmas would run naked
through the streets of Zhenzhou, the capital of the Henan province. The
purpose of the naked run was, according to the organisers, to protest
against the excessive packaging used by some producers (by featuring totally
“unpackaged” runners?). Unfortunately, they did not get a permit from the
police for the event because “public commercial events must meet moral
standards. Such mass streakings do not” – according to The
Sydney Morning Herald.
Wine for presidents?
In April the French people will elect a new president. The two front runners
for the race are Nicolas Sarkozy (conservative) and Segolène Royale
(socialist). This has led to an unexpected hausse for the sales of a wine
produced by the Saint Emilion cooperative (L’Union de Producteurs de Saint
Emilion). The brand was created already in 1933 but has become particularly
popular with the socialist supporters (one assumes): it is called Royale
Saint Emilion and is available in a gift box. May we add that the wine is
red.
Fitou leaves Languedoc
cooperation?
CIVL (Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins Du Languedoc) is a sort of
producers cooperation and promotion organisation for the appellations in
Languedoc. Fitou is one of the larger appellations in Languedoc but is
apparently not happy with the way the CIVL works. Fitou has announced that
they withdraw from the CIVL as of 30 November 2006. It is, of course, a
question of money – Fitou pays 4 euro per hectolitre to the CIVL (1 euro
more than most) and they think that the money could be better spent by
themselves. However, the CIVL considers Fitou still to be part of its
organisation. Philippe Coste, president of CIVL, says, according to
Vitisphere: “We have statutes. You cannot enter and leave the organisation
as you wish.”
Vitisphere.com
 This
year’s big Rhône event, ”Les Découvertes”, on March 13-19
« Les Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône » is a movable feast where you have
the opportunity to taste and get to know all of the appellations in the
Rhône Valley. Tastings are organised in all the appellations where the
producers present their wines. A unique opportunity to get to know Rhône
valley wines. Only for professionals. 13-19 March 2006.
Vins-Rhone.com
Petition for truth in wine
labelling...
 “Protect
Place” is an initiative created by seven wine regions to promote truthful
(geographical) information on wine labels. The regions behind the initiative
are Champagne, Jerez (Sherry), Napa Valley, Porto (port wine), Oregon, Walla
Walla, and Washington State. They have launched a site where you can support
them by electronically sign their petition. An excellent initiative, we
think. But could have been even better if it had been more concrete and
straight forward. For example, the petition is very fluffy in what it
promotes. Why not state clearly that it promotes a “100% rule”: if a region
is mentioned on the label 100% of the contents should come from there? Why
not include vintages and other things? Why not demand that if a vintage is
mentioned on the label 100% of the wine should be from that year? And if
provenance is so important, whey did Champagne (in France) force Champagne
(is Switzerland) to stop using their place name on the label? (Here
is Champagne in Switzerland). In other words, perhaps a bit limited and
self interested.
Press release. The promotional site
www.protectplace.com
Wine Fair in Finland
Finland’s biggest wine event is the annual wine fair ViiniExpo. It is
open both to professionals and to the general public. This year’s event
takes place on March 15-17.
FinnExpo.fi
The world’s best Barbera
Every grape variety has it’s competition it seems and so does Barbera.
In 2006 the competition counted 305 entrants, 35 of which cam from outside
of Italy. The winner was Paion 2005, Barbera d’Asti Superiore from Tenuta La
Fiammenga, Cioccaro di Penango. the best “foreign” wine was Rezerve 2004
from Shenandoah Vineyards, Plymouth, California (USA). No doubt the
organisers would appreciate more entrants from other countries, so, Barbera
producers around the world, if you hear us out there, submit your wines next
year! (Contact: asperia (at) al.camcom (dot) it or barbera (at) vinidea
(dot) it). A bit over half of Italy’s Barbera is produced in Piedmont. There
i s a total of 30,000 ha in Italy. Other producers of Barbera are e.g.
Argentina, California and Australia.
Read more about Barbera here.
Have a news
item you'd like to see here or have a news tip? Send me an email:
winebrief@bkwine.com |
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Book Reviews |
Les Grands
Crus du Languedoc et Roussillon
By Michel Smith
Editions Renault
 A
dense tome with profiles of many growers in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
Michel Smith has selected his choice of best growers, the future Grands
Crus. The book is 100% focused on the producers, not even a brief
introduction to the region or the appellations is included. Every property
is presented on one or two pages, in quite a bit of detail. Lots of text in
rather small type, interspersed with some (but not much) photos. You can
always have opinions on a selection of growers. For instance, why are none
of the excellent producers in La Clape included? But overall we think this
is a good and representative selection from the region. A book for the
French reading Languedoc enthusiast looking for a reference work on growers.
Buy the book: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com |
Amazon.frThe
Oxford Companion to Wine
By Jancis Robinson (editor), et al.
Oxford University Press
 This
is a reference book from A to Z. Very thorough and competent with lots of
details on almost every imaginable subject in wine. Dipping into some of the
more esoteric subject (that we know well thanks to recent travels) shows
that even on wine from Albania, or Alentejo in Portugal, or carbonic
maceration you will get virtually all information that can be reasonably be
found. A must have for the really, really through and technical wine
student. (It may be worth mentioning that even if it is Jancis Robinson who
is named and pictured on the jacket, she has a whole team of collaborators
behind her to produce the book.)
Buy the book:
Amazon.co.uk |
Amazon.com
Chefs, Saveurs, Champagne
By Ragnar Fridriksson
Passionfood
 An
odd book in some ways. First: written by an Islander living in Champagne.
Second, a strange mix of recipes, portraits, pictures and publicity for
champagne. But if you disregard that (perhaps in particular the publicity
for various champagne producers) the book is very charming. Each chapter
presents an outstanding chef. All run famous restaurants where champagne is
served (and other things too). Lots of beautiful pictures, especially the
portraits of the chefs, and many mouth-watering recipes from the restaurants
that are featured. But sometimes it also shows one of the strange (and in
our opinion, less attractive) aspects of today’s “haute cuisine” (both
French and international): the food is sometimes presented on the plates
looking more like abstract compositions of art rather than being meant to be
eaten… But that’s mostly
the occasional oddity in the book. Instead, let yourself be inspired by the
many recipes and stories about outstanding restaurant personalities.
Buy the book: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com |
Amazon.fr
Click here for more book reviews on my site. You will also
find links to on-line book shops on that page. |
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Link Tips |
| Some wine sites
that you might enjoy visiting:
Send us suggestions on sites to
be included here:
winebrief@bkwine.com |
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Agenda |
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France:
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15-17/1-07, Narbonne: Millésime
Bio, organic wine fair:
www.millesime-bio.com
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29-30/1, Marseilles: Blue Wine
Expo, Provence wines,
BleuWinExpo.com (NEW)
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29-30/1 2007, Paris: Wine Evolution,
wine business conference:
www.skalliandrein.com
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13-19/3, Rhone: Les Découvertes
en Vallée du Rhône,
Vins-Rhone.com (NEW)
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26-28/4, Corsica: First Corsican
Wine Convention,
Adhes and Vins de Corse (NEW)
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7-21/6 2007, Bordeaux: Vinexpo
2007,
www.vinexpo.com
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Sweden:
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13/10, 2007, Östersund:
Munskänkarna's wine fair, glenn (at) makenzius (dot) se (NEW)
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- - UK,
Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Denmark,...:
Wine auction
agendas:
Something we've missed? Send us suggestions for events to be added here:
winebrief@bkwine.com |
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Post Scriptum |
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 Copyright
©
Britt Karlsson, BKWine
www.bkwine.com
info@bkwine.com
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