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Swedish version available here (click this link).
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Welcome to the
BKWine Brief nr 53, December 2007 |
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Thank you.
The end of the year is approaching so I wanted to take the occasion to
say a big thank you!
 Thank
you – to all readers and visitor on the site! We now have 16,000
subscribers to the BKWine Brief and more than 30,000 “unique” visitors
per month on the site. And thank you for letting other know about the
newsletter and the site so even more read it!
Thank you – to all participants on our tours. This year we’ve
done almost 25 wine tours, taking some 400 people around the wine
regions – today probably one of the leading organisers of wine and
gastronomy travel. Today we do tours in several different languages:
English, Swedish, Finnish and others on request. We have travellers
coming from a bit all over the world, even if the majority still come
from Scandinavia. We have both scheduled tours on our “public” program
as well as a lot of custom made tours. And the best of all, I think, is
that many of the customers we have become “addicted” and come back on
new tours!
Thank you – to all of the people I work and collaborate with and who make it
possible to develop the business: Kay, Martin, Asa, Peter, Astrid,
Esther, Graham, Hasse, Tommy, Helen, David, Gabriela, Marianne,… and no
doubt some that I have forgotten to include on the list. Some of you
contribute by being in charge of tour management on some trips, others
contribute with marketing or contents or other things. And thank you too
to Per, my husband, the other “half” of BKWine.
I hope that you are all as happy with 2007 as I am and look forward to
next year!
Projects 2008
And next year will be exciting. There are lots of project on the table.
First of all I will be making even more wine tours, both scheduled and
custom tours – let me know if you are interested!
And here are some other projects in the pipeline:
-- More tours in English – we want to do even more English
language wine and gastronomy tours. To be honest, it is a market that it
takes quite some effort to get into but I believe we have a high quality
product that could find many customers – in the UK, in the US or from
any other country where people speak English. Perhaps you know someone
who would be interested?
-- New website – Well, this is a long term project perhaps… I
know that the site is very “old” (designed more than 5 years ago!) and
not very user-friendly. We want to change that and make it easier to
use, easier to find information, easier to manage, make it possible for
you to contribute,… But it’s a big project and we’re not yet sure how to
go about it. Perhaps you do?
-- More custom made travel – We want to develop the activity with
specially designed tours, exactly according to your requirement. This
can be for a private wine club, a company get-together, an incentive
event, customer conferences, specifically educational tours and events
(e.g. for wine professionals and restaurateurs and also for “amateurs”)
and much more. Let me know if you are interested.
-- BKWine TV?! Everyone has to try video these days so we’ve
started recording interviews with wine personalities and visits to
vineyards. We already have ten hours of recordings so the big question
is when we’ll get the time to edit it and put it online. But we will
publish more wine video clips over next year (we already have a YouTube
channel). Perhaps we can find a video “stagiaire” to help…
-- More wine writing – We just did
our first book and it is
itching to make a second. We have several new ideas! But we also want to
publish more articles in magazines. We already contribute to several
Scandinavian wine, food and lifestyle magazines and to some English
language publications, but we’d love to do more. So, calling all editors
out there – we’ll be happy to work with you!
-- More photography – we have a substantial backlog with wine
pictures waiting to be processed. We visit some 200 wineries each year
so we produce quite a few thousand pictures. Per says he wants a photo
assistant as Christmas gift. I’m not so sure…
-- and much more.
And then we’ll take a day vacation over Christmas perhaps.
Christmas Gifts
Talking about Christmas – here are some suggestions for Christmas gifts:
The best gift of all is of course a wine tour to someone you like
(or to yourself). We can make you a specially designed gift card and let
us know if you will be celebrating something special when you arrive
(wedding, birthday….). We’ll organise something special on site.
Take a look at our
Truffles, Foie Gras and Wine tour in February and our
“Three Classics” to Champagne, Chablis and Burgundy in June!
Another gift idea is one of the wine books we write about in the
book review section in this Brief: Portugal, Tokaj, or even the whole
world. Or take a look on our book page on the site for more reviews.
Or you could get the USBWine computer accessory that lets you
download a selection of wine to a USB device.
Happy reading with this month’s BKWine Brief.
Britt
PS: Recommend to your
friends to read the Brief or forward it to them ! |
All images are clickable!
All previous
issues of the Brief are here:
Archive |
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News from BKWine |
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 Wine Tours
Spring 2008
program:
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February 13-17, 2008:
Truffle, wine, duck and foie gras in the south west of France -
luxurious all-inclusive tour
 We
go truffle hunting together with specially trained truffle dogs. We lunch
sumptuously on truffles. We taste the regions wide variety of duck
specialities and even learn to make our own foie gras. And, of course, we
visit several exciting wine producers both in Bordeaux (Saint Emilion) and
in Bergerac.
More info !
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June 11-15:
Champagne, Chablis and Burgundy. 3 Classic French wine regions!
 This trip will take you from Paris to three of the most
famous French wine regions: Champagne, Chablis and Burgundy. In just a few
days you will get to taste and learn about some of the top French wines!
More info. |
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
Domaine la Monardière,
Vacqueyras, Rhone
 The
owner, Christian Vache, is an enthusiastic vigneron passionate about making
the best wines from his terroir and from his vineyards. The property covers
20 hectares and has been extensively replanted and renovated since Christian
and his wife took over this family domaine in 1987. Excellent quality wines
with a lot of typicity from Vacqueyras.
Click here for address and more recommendations.
Read about more recommended
producers on the site:
Favourite Producers
Read more recommendations on
restaurants and winebars on
my Restaurant and Wine Bar page. |
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News from the Wine World |
New Zealand
wine refused due to high copper levels
A German wine importer has refused delivery of a shipment of wine from New
Zealand, from the Te Karianga winery. The wine contained 3.6 ppm (parts per
million) of copper whereas the limit within the EU is 1 ppm. 4000 cases were
returned to the producer. The returned wine will, it is said, instead be
sold in New Zealand. Wine is not routinely checked for copper in New
Zealand. According to FoodWeek.com the CEO of Te Kairanga, Ian Frame says to
NZ Herald that he is not worried, since the wine were not going to be sold
under the Te Karianga name. The Chief Executive of New Zealand Wines (a
producer organisation), Philip Gregan, is not worried either: since Germany
is a "stickler for technical points […] They are just very pedantic about
rules and regulations […] If there's an issue that comes out of a customer
in Germany, it never surprises me."
FoodWeek.com (Copper is sometimes added to wine to remove unwanted
smells caused by the use of sulphur in wine production.)
NZHerald.co.nzThe
annulled St Emilion classification revisited – Now you see it. Now you
don’t.
 Saint
Emilion reviewed its classification in 2006, according to the principle of a
revision every 10 years. Shortly after a court order annulled the
classification judging that the process to arrive at the new classification
had not been fair. Four chateaux that had been declassified complained that
the panel making the classification was partial (including some of the
owners of classified properties), to which the court (“Tribunal
Administratif”) agreed. The matter then went to another court (“Conseil
d’Etat”) that has now said that the classification should not be annulled
considering its importance for St Emilion and that the region should not be
left without any classification at all… We are waiting for the next episode
in this thrilling court battle.
Vitisphere.com -
Decanter.com
Australian wine shortage
Not long ago Australia had a huge wine lake, unsold wine stock and
falling prices. Now there is a worry that there will soon be a serious
shortage of Australian grapes and wines due to sever draught and irrigation
restrictions due to water shortages. How tables turn.
ABC.net.au -
upi.com
A brief history of Champagne
yields – Or “victim of your own success”
 In
Chronique (souvent) Bordelaise you can read about the evolution of harvest
yields in Champagne. When the appellation was created in 1935 the maximum
yield was defined as 7500 kg/hectare. (In Champagne they count in kg/ha
instead of the measure hectolitres/ha used in most other districts. 7500
kg/ha corresponds to approx 50 hl/ha.) By 1998 they maximum yield had
reached 8500 kg/ha (ca 57 hl/ha). Today the allowed harvest volume is (after
the latest increase earlier this year) 15,500 kg/ha (ca 103 hl/ha). A
curious contrast to most other regions that make efforts to restrict yields
to increase quality.
Chablis turns to famous
French fashion photographer for publicity campaign
 Chablis
has recruited the famous French fashion photographer and ex-model Bettina
Rheims to create images for a promotional campaign on Chablis. It is mostly
lightly clad females and old vines mixed up, all in contorted poses in front
of the lens. If they had added an ad text on the pictures the campaign would
no doubt have been banned in many countries with ad standards for wine
publicity. But it’s an art exhibition, isn’t it, so this is different. Good
taste? Judge for yourself on their site.
www.chablis-the-french-chic.com The theme is “Chablis, the French chic”.
It also includes a promotional video that you can watch on the site. Chic? A
matter of taste. Silly, for sure.
Mature wine from China –
2400 years old!
Archaeologists recently found a bronze vessel that contained a liquid
believed to be ancient wine. The find was made in the Shaanxi province,
according to China Daily, and dates from the Warring Dynasty, 475 BC to 221
BC.
wine-business-international.com
Christmas gift? USBWine –
download wines over broadband
 The
latest innovation in wine e-commerce is called USBWine. It’s a small
USB-key-like device that you plug into your computer. You then visit one of
the participating wine web sites and you can directly download the wines
through your USB tap. Several different Bordeaux and Burgundy wines are
initially on offer. Too good to be true? See for yourself on their
demo video.
Fine Wine Magazine
A new issue of the free e-zine Fine Wine Magazine is now available. You
can read about Provence, Krug champagne, four exciting Languedoc producers
and two from Alsace and much more. Some of it written by BKWine of course.
Download it here.
How big carbon footprint
from wine?
 Tyler
Colman, better known perhaps under his blogger pseudonym Dr Vino, has made a
study of what greenhouse gases your wine consumption generates. Being in the
US, the basic question he asked was “Is it better (=lesser emissions) to
drink a wine from Bordeaux or one from California”. The Bordeaux wine will
need longer transport but the transport will be for the longer part of the
journey on boat, whereas the Californian wine will be trucked. The result
was that it is “better” (causing less emissions) to drink Bordeaux on the
East Coast and up until a line going north-south through Ohio and Texas.
West of that “green line” it is better to drink Californian wine. this is of
course just one aspect of being environmentally friendly. there are many
other aspects to look at to get the full picture, for example the production
methods, soil treatment and fertilization, irrigation, and much more.
Perhaps in a future 2.0 edition of the Dr Vino report? More info and the
green line map on
DRVino.com
The Sampler still sells
exclusive wines by the glass in small portions
 A
while back we wrote about the odd rule in the UK that prohibits selling wine
by the glass in small measures. Some wine merchants and wine bars had
started to offer very exclusive wines in “tasting sample” sizes that were
not the regulation size wine glass but, we were told, had had to stop that
since servings were not according to the rules. One of the wine merchants we
mentioned was
The Sampler and they have now corrected us on this. They still serve
wines by-the-glass in small portions to allow customers to taste very
expensive wines at reasonable prices – so perhaps a place worth trying if
you want to discover some interesting wines. But we don’t know how it works:
are they ignoring the rules or have the rules changed? If you go there
perhaps you can ask them and then tell us…
Wine festival VieVinum in
Austria
VieVinum is a big wine show in Austria showcasing mainly Austrian wines.
In 2008 it will take place on May 31 to June 2 in Vienna. More info
www.vievinum.at
Saint-Chinian – hidden gem
in Languedoc
 Saint
Chinian is one of the appellations in the Languedoc, located a bit inland
with a landscape dotted with remote villages, harsh hilltops and dedicated
vignerons. St Chinian in short:
-- 20 villages north-west of Bézier
-- received its AOC in 1982 and covers 3300 ha, 510 growers, 135,000 hl, 2/3
produced by the cooperative
-- Belgium is the biggest export market followed by Denmark (!)
-- 89% red, 10% white, 1% rosé (AOC for red since 2004)
-- the soil is very varied with both schist, limestone and clay elements,
but often not very fertile
-- maximum yield is 50 hl/ha but in reality it is often lower
-- climate is sunny, dry and windy
-- grapes: primarily Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre (min 60%) but also
Carignan, Lladoner Pelut and Cinsault
-- sometimes macération carbonique is used instead of regular vinification
-- the wine style varies with soil, grapes and vinification but is often
quite powerful with intense fruit and aromas, often with the typical
“garrigue” (wild herbs) style
--
www.saint-chinian.com
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 |
The World
Atlas of Wine
Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson
6th edition
Mitchell Beazley
 If
you should have only one wine book then this is it. First published in 1971
and since long a classic (we have all editions except the first). The 6th
edition has been expanded with 48 pages and 20 new maps. The texts have been
reviewed and re-written and many of the illustrations are new. Quite a lot
has happened in the wine world since the last edition and all is reflected
in the changes in the book. In it you also find the best wine maps there are
– indispensable if you want to travel in wine regions. The first part of the
book has some general chapters on history, vinification etc, easy to pass
quickly but well worth a serious read. The remainder of the book covers
virtually all of the world’s wine region with interesting texts, beautiful
pictures and the maps of course. A book both to leaf through and to read in
meticulous detail – to be inspired and to be informed. (And with some new
photos from BKWine!)
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Buy the book
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Read more reviews
Le Grand Guide des Vins de
France 2008
Michel Bettane & Thierry Dessauve
Minerva
 This
is a wine guide over France. Region by region the authors present with a
short profile, a rating and a few tasting notes their preferred wine
producers. Without hesitation one of the most interesting and useful wine
guides in France, more interesting to read than e.g. Guide Hachette. It used
to be called the “Bettane & Dessauve” guide when it was published by the
Revue des Vins de France where the two authors used to work. This edition is
rebranded, totally overhauled and expanded. (It also has an accompanying web
site that is unfortunately not very useful or user friendly.) Clearly worth
investing in for he who is looking for interesting producers across the
French wine regions (provided you read French). Its only drawback is that it
has now grown to become quite bulky and difficult to carry in the suit case…
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Buy the book
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Read more reviews
Tokaj – a Companion for the
Bibulous Traveller
Text: David Copp
Photo: Bianca Otero, Fekete K.
PrintXBudvar Zrt.
Written by a British wine writer with many years’ experience of Hungary and
Tokaj in particular, it is a very informative but still compact book. Tokaj
has seen many dramatic changes since 1989, mostly for the better, so any
older text is hopelessly outdated. The book contains chapters on the region,
on the history, on wine production and on the growers with a detailed
descriptions of the houses and their wines. But it also has sections for the
traveller: hotels and restaurants, sites and practical information. We wish
we had had it when we planned our first wine tour in the region some years
ago! The most informative book in English on Tokaj that we have seen, a must
for he who plans a trip there or who simply wants to discover the Tokaj
wines.
--
Buy the book
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Read more reviews
Desert Island Wine
Miles Lambert Gócs
Ambeli Press
 This
is NOT a book about ”what wine would you bring to the desert island?” It is
a collection of essays, often with a humorous tone, on varying subjects
around wine. For example: the first ever CNN-interview with Dionysus the
wine god, or the short story about the terroir terrorist. The author writes
light-heartedly and entertainingly about subjects that are usually viewed
from a more (too?) “serious” viewpoint. An amusing read perhaps to consume
in the sofa over Christmas with a nice glass of port in front of you.
--
Buy the book
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Read more reviews
The Wine and Food Lover’s
Guide to Portugal
Charles Metcalfe & Kathryn McWhirter
Foto: diverse
Inn House Publishing
ISBN 978-0-9557069-0-5
This book is packed with information about Portugal and its wine districts.
The authors wrote their first book on Portugal 20 years ago and know the
country inside out, including its wines and the gastronomy. You will find a
wealth of recommendations: wine producers, restaurants, hotels… All is well
written, enticing and yet exhaustive. It certainly makes you want to go
visit the Portuguese wine regions – if you were not already on your way.
Plenty of photography, priority give more to the number of illustrations
rather than their size. Also including good maps and a quick introduction to
speaking Portuguese!
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Buy the book
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Read more reviews
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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Agenda |
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France:
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Sweden:
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25-26/1-08, Varberg: Alsace wine
fair
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23-26/4, 2008: Vinordic,
www.vinordic.se |
- - 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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Share with other wine enthusiasts
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 Copyright
©
Britt Karlsson, BKWine
www.bkwine.com
info@bkwine.com
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