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In Bordeaux 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. On this trip we will visit both some big, famous Grand Cru Classé-châteaux and smaller ones that are less known, but very quality conscious. More info on this wine tour to Bordeaux.

More info on the BKWine wine tours here!

Custom wine tours

We also make custom designed wine tours – on-demand tours for you and a group of friends, for your company (maybe to scout new winegrowers?), for a special event… We can combine winery visits and wine touring with other activities: gastronomic workshops, visit to an oyster farm, truffles hunting, cheese making, and more. We’ve done tours for wine clubs, for sommelier educations, for corporate events, for wine importers, for wine course study groups… just to mention a few.

You'll get a tour designed exactly according to your requirements and tastes, made by one of the most experienced wine people in the business. We personally visit some 200 wineries and taste thousands of wines every year; we write on wine for various wine magazines (we had more than 30 articles published last year); in 2007 we published a ground breaking book on the wine of the Languedoc and this year we have another one coming. And we have organised hundreds of wine tours over the years.

 More info on the BKWine wine tours here!

 □  Producers

Domaine Pierre Frick, Pfaffenheim, Alsace
Domaine Pierre Frick was one of the first biodynamic producers that we got to know. Their wines are full-bodied and full of flavour. Some are made entirely without sulphur (which is very unusual). It is not easy to make wine completely without sulphur but Jean-Pierre and Chantal Frick know how to do it. Making wine without sulphur gives the wines a different character that may not appeal to everyone – more subtle and soft character, less young, fresh fruit (only some of the Frick wines are without sulphur). They have 12 hectares and make some 30 different cuvees. All wines are closed with a crown cap (beer bottle style). They tried various closures and decided that the crown cap was the ideal (“millions of champagne bottles can’t be wrong”). The wines are over-all very well balanced, some have a little residual sugar but it is matched by a high acidity. Try the Riesling Bihl, Riesling Grand Cru Vorburg, Riesling Cuvée Précieuses and the excellent Pinot Noir Les Terrasses and Pinot Noir Strangenberg
Click here for address and more recommendations.

Château Ricardelle, Languedoc-La Clape
After having worked for Cinzano in Swizerland and as a wine buyer sourcing wine for German sekt producers, Bruno Pellegrini decided to study oenology to be able to start his own winery. In 1990 he arrived in La Clape and discovered Château Ricardelle, with 45 ha of vineyards, for sale. The deal was done. His favourite grapes are carignan and grenache. “They can take the heat and the dry climate much better than the syrah” he says. The “visiting card” of the chateau is the wine called Château Ricardelle La Clape, a grenache-carignan blend that costs some 7 euro at the winery. It is well structured without “make-up”, with character from the wild herbs growing around the vineyard. Pellegrini also makes a very good white from bourboulenc, roussanne and grenache blanc – complex, chewy (“gras”) and flowery. “Pellegrini” is an easy-to-like mix of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and the new grape variety marselan. The Closablières (9.50 euro) has been very well received by the market and is an oak-aged syrah-based wine with dark fruit, cocoa and wood in the character. A wine for the winter in front of the oak fire, says Bruno. He also makes several other cuvées well worth tasting.
Click here for address and more recommendations.

Read about more recommended producers on the site: Favourite Producers

 □  Wine Bars and Restaurants

Languedoc:

Les Vignes de Bacchus, Trèbes
If you happen to be boating in a barge along the Canal du Midi we recommend a pit stop at the wine bar / wine shop les Vignes de Bacchus in Trèbes, just east of Carcassonne. They have a good selection of producers, focused on the nearby appellations of Minervois and Corbières. The owner of the shop/bar is also a winemaker and makes, for example, a very decent Tempranillo (3.50 euro), an unusual grape in France! From April 1 to October 30 they are open every day from 9 in the morning to 2 at night (well, as long as there is someone still there…).
Click here for address and more recommendations.

Valencia, Spain:

Restaurantes El Donjuán, Martínez Cubells, 8, Valencia
In a nice and calm narrow alley you find this two-storey restaurant hidden behind a small street terrasse. Tapas is the natural choice of course and if you stay long enough and sample enough of the different small tapas dishes it will be a meal in itself. Everything we tasted was very good! And ‘la dolorosa’ will not be more painful than some 15-20 euro per person, including wine or beer. Nice.
Click here for address and more recommendations.

Rhône:

Bistro de Serine, Bar à Vin – Caviste – Restaurant, Ampuis, Rhone
Ampuis, the ”capital” of the northern Rhône Côte Rôtie district, is not big so you will not miss Le Bistro de Serine on the main street in the middle of the town. It is a wine bar and restaurant and they also have a wine shop. The exclusive focus is of course the wines from northern Rhône, and there are many of them, not least from some of the top growers, Pierre Gaillard, Yves Cuilleron, Jean-Michel Gerin and François Villard, who is a well known northern Rhône “bande de copains” who also happens to own the bistro. Good food, well prepared, clearly a notch up since the change of ownership some time ago, a lunch menu for 19 euro.
Click here for address and more recommendations.

 □  Wine of the Month

Criteria: an interesting wine (not too cheap) and one that you can enjoy with dinner or friends (not too expensive). And very good!

Jack recommends
Panic prevention - Pol Roger Brut Réserve
Panic! It’s in the middle of the summer, mother-in-law celebrates 70, you're far away in the country and you have to find something decent and appropriately festive to serve in the cottage. Calm down. Go looking for a Pol Roger Brut Réserve (some 25-35 euro). It’s widely distributed and fits the bill – full-bodied, dense and toasty champagne that you can enjoy all by itself (but preferably not by yourself) or with some nice summery fish dish. Not cheap but a good choice for the big day or for some other festive occasion. Good bubble value.
- Jack

Åsas rekommendation
La Battagliola Grasparossa Lambrusco - Red sparkling wine to charcuteries
Many people are sceptical to red sparkling wines and to lambrusco in particular. If you are, you should try this wine made by Alberto Salvadori in the Emilia Romagna region. La Battagliola Grasparossa Lambrusco can make the most ardent critic change his mind. The wine is deep blood red with a hint of purple and it froths charmingly when poured. The taste is full of red berries – strawberries, currants. There’s not a lot of alcohol, only 5%. The wine is traditionally served with prosciutto ham and mortadella sausage, also coming from Emilia Romagna. Expect some 8 euros for a bottle.  www.labattagliola.it
- Åsa

International wine competition in Bordeaux – Councours des Citadelles
Les Citadelles du Vin (www.citadellesduvin.com) is a wine competition that takes its name from the Citadelle in Bourg and it is in Côte de Bourg that it takes place during three days every year. The latest edition was in June 2009. This year they had decided to launch a Grand Prix to be awarded to wines from a specific wine region. “Danube / Balkans” was the region of choice this time. The Grand Prix was to be awarded by a “super jury” made up of wine journalists who had the tough task to taste the gold medal winners in the first round of the competition and pick the one for the Grand Prix. BKWine being part of the Grand Prix jury we can attest to that it was not an easy task. There were many very good wines. Our final scores added up, the Grand Prix Danube-Balkans winner was declared and it was the Trockenbeerenauslese 2007 Huxelrebe from Anselmann (www.weingut-anselmann.de) in Pfalz. We also tasted several Greek wines, one very good white Ovilos 2008 from Biblia Chora in Macedonia (www.bibliachora.gr) and a comples and fruity Alpha 2007 made from xinomavro, syrah and merlot by Alpha Estate, also in Macedonia. (www.alpha-estate.com)

Scientific barrel making
Radoux is one of France’s leading coopers. It is part of the Oeneo Group that dominates the industry. On July 6 they launched their new invention called Radoux OakScan at a presentation in Paris. This is a technique that makes it possible to rapidly and with precision measure the tannin contents of the oak staves that goes into the making of the barrel. Radoux calls it simply “revolutionary”. “There are already some methods that allows you to measure the tannin with chemical analysis in laboratories. But that takes time, is costly and is not necessarily very precise” they say. The technology used for OakScan is called SPIR, which stands for Spectrométrie proche infrarouge, near-infrared spectronomy (“near” meaning that it is close to visible light). It’s a technology that is already used in food production, for example to measure the protein contents in milk and the acid level in wine, and also in the pharmaceutical and medical industry to measure e.g. haemoglobin levels in blood.

Radoux has already since some time been selling their barrels with a “porosity” specification (medium grain, fine grain, super-fine grain…) instead of the more traditional provenance specification (Allier, Vosges,…) used by most other tonnelleries. The thinking is that the finer the grain, the more intense are the aromas. But even within each category the tannin levels can vary substantially. Starting last week, when the system was put into production, all staves going into a Radoux barrel will be measured with SPIR which will allow Radoux to make a more precise classification of the staves. The barrique buyer (the winemaker or oenologist) will have more reliable information of the tannin contents and character of the barrel and can make more informed choices when deciding on what barrels to use for aging his wines. www.radoux.fr

South African wine exports
For the 12 months to March 2009 South African wine exports reached 4.1 million hl. That is about two thirds of the total production in Bordeaux. The biggest export markets were:

(Source: Drinks International, Dpt of Agriculture)

BKWine TV: Weingut Emmerich Knoll, Austria
Emmerich Knoll is a family owned winery in Austria, run of course by the Knoll family. The winemaker is the young generation version of Emmerich. The family also runs a lively restaurant next to the winery where you can enjoy typical Austrian food and the wines from their vineyards. BKWine TV was there and made a short video interview with Emmerich just before the harvest. Watch the winemaker interview on BKWine TV here.

Italy’s biggest export markets:
In 2008 Italy’s biggest export markets were:

(Source ICE)

BKWine TV: Chateau d'Yquem‘s winemaker Sandrine Garbay
Chateau d’Yquem is the biggest vineyard in Sauternes with its 100 ha. Since a few years back the winemaking is under the responsibility of Sandrine Garbay. When BKWine was there recently we took the occasion to make an interview with Sandrine and we have now published the two short videos on BKWine TV. Watch them here: On the first clip  Sandrine Garbay talks about Yquem, the vineyard and her role as winemaker, and on the second  Sandrine Garbay talks about the taste of Yquem and how the wine evolves with aging. Watch it on BKWine TV.

Graves – an appellation also for white wines!
Graves is located a short drive south of the city of Bordeaux. The majority of the production is red but they also make excellent white wines. The total area planted with vines is just under 4000 ha, only a quarter of which produces white wines. Twenty years back it was closer to half-and-half. The fall in popularity for the whites is really a shame, since they can be excellent. The grapes are the usual white varieties in Bordeaux: sémillon (which dominates here), sauvignon blanc, and muscadelle. There are two types of whites, Graves, and Graves Supérieures, this latter designating the rather rare sweet variant (contrary to how that word is used for AC Bordeaux). Here are a few recommendations for particularly successful whites in 2007:

These – and many other white Graves wines – are certainly worth (re-) discovering.

BKWine TV: Domaine Baumard, a top grower in Loire
Savennières is a small and little known region not far from Anger in the Loire valley. The main grape variety is chenin blanc (one of the world’s most underrated grape variety) and it is used to make both dry and sweet white wines. It is a small appellation with not many growers. One of the top wineries in the area is Domaine des Baumard. They also make Quart de Chaume and Anjou wines. Watch our  interview with the winemaker Florent Baumard at the winery in Savennières on BKWine TV.

Chateau la Conseillante in Pomerol
Chateau la Conseillante is a family owned (Nicolas) property in Pomerol. Jean-Michel Laporte is responsible for the running and for the winemaking since a handful of years. The 12 ha vineyard is planted with mainly merlot (80-85% in the wine) and some cabernet franc. In 2007 they launched a “second wine” called Duo de Conseillante, which now accounts for 10-20% of production.

BKWine TV: Domaine Huet, a top grower in Vouvray
A bit upstream from Angers/Savennières you find Vouvray, using the same fabulous grape variety (chenin blanc) but on different soil. Here too you can find some outstanding white wines, both crisp and dry and very sweet – it all depends on the weather, says Noel Pinguet, co-owner and winemaker at Domaine Huet. The Domaine Huet winery is one of the best producers, is biodynamic since long and is run with panache by noel Pinguet, that we have interviewed in this video (in French) on BKWine TV.

BKWine TV: an introduction to Austrian wine
We’ve done a short introduction video on Austria and Austrian wines to show you a bit of the landscape on tell you about the wines and about the grape varieties (gruner veltliner, pinot noire,…). The video takes you around some of the Austrian wine regions, to Wachau, Rust, Neusiedlersee etc. Watch it on BKWine TV.

BKWine TV: A Finn in Tuscany
Jarkko Peranen arrived in Tuscany some years back to spend a little time working in a vineyard. He never left. He is now running his own vineyard, Cantina Candialle near Panzano in Chianti, together with his wife Josephin Cramer. They make three different wines, mainly from sangiovese. BKWine TV was there and interviewed Jarkko.  Watch our video with Jarkko Peranen, winemaker at Cantina Candialle in Chianti.
 

BKWine TV: Piero Lanza, biodynamic winemaker at Fattoria Poggerino, Chianti
Fattoria Poggerino is a small vineyard in Chianti in Tuscany run by Piero Lanza and his sister. They work with biodynamic farming since several years back. They make several different wines, starting with a rosé, a Chianti Classico, an IGT in more modern style and a prestige cuvée. BKWine TV was there and made an interview: Piero Lanza talks about the wines from Fattoria Poggerino and about their vineyards, on BKWine TV.

Bordeaux facts
Facts and figures on Bordeaux

BKWine TV: Interview with two of the most powerful people in Bordeaux
The CIVB (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux) is the organisation that unites all the growers and producers. It’s aim is to work on promotion as well as on other issues common to the wine industry in Bordeaux: environmental issues, political lobbying etc. Recently BKWine TV had the opportunity to meet with the present and the future president of the organisation. Watch our two part interview with Alain Vironneau, president, and Geroges Haushalter, vice-president. In the first part they talk about  the situation in Bordeaux and what the CIVB is doing to promote the wines. In the second part they talk about t he big projects that the CIVB has at hand for the wines of Bordeaux, like for example environmental issues. Watch it on BKWine TV. The interviews are in French.

Learn to be a sommelier at Le Cordon Bleu
The famous chef school in Paris launches a sommelier course this autumn. The wine steward training starts on September 7 and goes on until May 15 2010. The course includes both theory and practice. You can even register online for the course. More info www.cordonbleu.edu

Live longer with Mediterranean diet according to Greek study
Drink wine in moderation, eat not much meat, good fats and lots of vegetables and you will live longer, a Greek study shows. Consuming wine in moderation (24%), eat not much meat (17%), a lot of vegetables (16%), fruits and nuts (11%), monounsaturated fats rather than saturated (11%), legumes (10%) and you will contribute to decreased mortality rate. The percentage indicates the contributing weight of the factor. In other words, wine was the most important contributor to a long life. Cereals and milk products seemed not to contribute to a longer life and large quantities of fish and shellfish had a non-significant negative effect. The study included 23 249 persons and was made by Antonia Trichopoulou, Christina Bamia and Dimitrios Tricholpoulos. Read more British Medical Journal and latimesblogs.latimes.com

Chateau Richelieu in Bordeaux/Fronsac sold to Chinese luxury store chain
Chateau Richelieu is in Fronsac, a sub-region of Bordeaux. A few years back it was acquired by Arjen Pen, a Dutch entrepreneur, together with a group of investors/co-owners. They have spent a lot of effort on renovating the 12 ha vineyard and the chateau, and to market the wine internationally. We don’t know if they ran out of money or enthusiasm or if they had an offer that was too good to refuse but the property have been sold to a Chinese holding company called A&A International. The company is involved in the luxury sector in China and, according to reports, the plans are to sell the wine exclusively in their own shops in China. More info lullyconseil.unblog.fr

Australian premium Yarra Yering vineyard to be sold
Yarra Yering is a highly regarded vineyard in the Yarra Valley. The wine is primarily sold on export, much of it to Europe. The vineyard extends over 26 ha. According to press reports it is up for sale. The deal is not yeat confirmed but the prices is estimated to around AUS$ 5 million. decanter.com

The World’s largest vineyard area: Spain
Spain is the country with the largest area under vine, almost 40% more than France and Italy, which are second and third. Total vineyard area in the world is 7,741 million ha. Europe has 58% of total, Asia 21%, America 13%, Africa 5% and Oceania 3%. Source OIV:

Country (forecast for Mha 2008, % of total)

Italy is the world’s biggest producer of grapes, followed by China!
Much of the world’s grape production is used for other things than wine. The productivity (tonnes/ha) varies enormously from country to country, which is the reason why the grape ranking is very different from vineyard acreage. Europe produces 43% of the world’s grapes, Asia 26%, America 21%, Africa 6%, and Oceania 3%. Source OIV:

Country forecast 2008, ‘000 quintals in %
(quintal=100kg)

World wine production shrinks slightly. Italy is biggest producer
World wine production in 2008 is estimated to be slightly down from 2007: 269 million hl, which is 0.4 Mhl less than 2007. The world’s biggest wine producer in 2008 will be Italy with almost 49 Mhl, followed by France (41 Mhl) and Spain (34 Mhl). There is a big gap to number four that is the US. China is moving up to 7th place. Europe accounts for a hefty 66% of the wine production, Asia only 5%, America 18%, Africa 4% and Oceania 5%. Source OIV:

Country forecast in ‘000 hl for 2008 in %

World wine consumption down – France still leads, USA closes in
The world-wide consumption of wine shrank somewhat in 2008 to reach 245 Mhl (down with 2.4 Mhl from 2007). Even if there is a gap between consumption and production we are far from the “wine lake” we hade some time ago. The difference between production and consumption is mostly absorbed by other uses (vinegar production, distillation). The biggest consumer is still France with almost 32 Mhl going down the throats (13% of world consumption). Not far behind is the USA (29 Mhl) that is expected to become the biggest consumer in one or two years. In third place is Italy. The fourth and fifth places are perhaps more surprising: Germany (21 Mhl) and China (13 Mhl). China has thus passed the UK (13 Mhl) in wine consumption, and Spain and Russia are not far behind. Europe accounts for 66% of all wine consumed, Asia 7%, America 22%, Africa 3%, and Oceania 2%. Source OIV:

Country forecast 2008, ‘000 hl in %

World wine imports slightly down – Germany biggest market
World imports (exports) shrunk slightly to reach 84 Mhl in 2008, down 1.4 Mhl from 2007. (2007 recorded substantial increase over 2006 with +4.6 Mhl). Biggest importer is of course Germany (13 Mhl) with its substantial consumption and modest production. It is followed by the United Kingdom (12 Mhl), USA (8 Mhl), and Russia (6 Mhl). Perhaps surprisingly, France is the 5th biggest importer (6 Mhl). The rest of the list is filled by affluent (and small) western countries. No developing market (apart from Russia) has yet made it onto the list. This will no doubt soon change. Europe accounts for 73% of wine imports, Asia 6%, America 16%, Africa 3%, and Oceania a tiny 1% (don’t the Australians and the Kiwis drink foreign wines?). Source OIV:

Country forecast 2008, ‘000 hl in %

World wine exports down marginally – Italy biggest exporter
World exports of wine was marginally down in 2008 to reach 89 Mhl, -0.4 Mhl compared to 2007. That follows a big increase between 2006 and 2007 of 5.6 Mhl. (Why world exports is bigger than world exports, with more than 5 Mhl, is a mystery. Perhaps the shipping containers leak or the sailors drink a lot?) Italy (17 Mhl) is the biggest exporter, in front of Spain (16 Mhl) with a small margin. France (14 Mhl) is only third causing Gallic frustration. The gap to number four, Australia (7 Mhl), is big though so there is not much risk yet to fall to fourth place. Europe accounts for 69 % of all exports, Asia a miniscule 0.5%, America 17%, Africa 5% and Oceania 9%. A commentary: webinfrance.com. Source OIV:

Country forecast 2008, ‘000 hl in %

Médoc Marathon & St Estèphe dinner
Every autumn sporting types can compete at the Marathon du Médoc, a challenging competition with a route through some of the most famous vineyards of the Medoc. Along the route there are tasting stations for those who need to fill up on liquid. The race is perhaps not entirely serious so one can win points both for speed and for style. In the evening after the marathon the runners can enjoy a dinner in Saint Estephe where they will have the possibility to taste virtually all the chateaux in the appellation. More info on the marathon www.marathondumedoc.com, more info on the dinner: di-constanzo.catherine-at-wanadoo-dot-fr

Big French wine retail chain for sale
Many visitors to France have seen the Nicolas shops, but you will find a much more exciting selection of wines in the Repaire de Bacchus ‘cavistes’. RdB is a chain with 35 shops, primarily in the Paris region. It is owned by CL Financial who also owns ChateauOnline, on of the leading internet shops for wine in France. The President of ChateauOnline, Eric Brousse, now wants to sell the retail chain, according to the journal LSA. It is, he thinks, the only way to get access to additional capital needed to continue to develop the business. The online one, one assumes he means.

Book on Japanese whisky by Swedish (!) author wins prize
Ulf Buxrud is a dedicated whisky fanatic. His latest (and second) book tells the story about Japanese whisky. It has been awarded third prize (sprits books) at the Gourmand World Cookbok Awards. His first book won first prize! Congratulations! You can read our book review here: Wine Book Reviews.

Can you tell the difference between a cheap bulk wine and a quality wine?
Rebecca Gibb is an English wine writer with, among other outputs, a nicely written and  entertaining wine blog. She recently participated in a one day crash course (condensed from four) organised by the Australian Wine Research Institute to show English hacks how judging is done in Australia. All wines were tasted blind, followed by a discussion. Rebecca was getting a bit uncomfortable when the discussion came to a Nottage Hill Riesling (not a top-of-the-range wine, if you get the drift) that she had give very high scores to. But the embarrassment soon subsided when it turned out that also Jancis Robinson had awarded the wine a gold medal… In other words – don’t be embarrassed to stand up for your taste. Read the full story here: www.rebeccagibb.com

Wine journalists – an endangered species?
Sometimes that is indeed the impression one can get. But the question was posed by Jancis Robinson when she made a presentation to the Wine Communicators of Australia. And her answer is, well, it does not look too bright with less wine writing in daily papers and very tough times for all the press. And if you (as a wine writer) have not yet discovered the internet, then you are in even more dire straits. Read her whole lecture here: www.jancisrobinson.com

Tyler Colman is perhaps better known under the name Dr Vino and is as such one of the most interesting wine bloggers in the US. This book is a result of his PhD dissertation in political science at Northwestern University. The book reads like a collection of historical/political essays on very different subjects around wine, mainly the recent (20th century) history of wine (and is perhaps not so much an analytical overview of wine and politics). It starts of in France and then goes around the world. Colman talks about terroir, the French appellation system, birth of the Californian wine industry and the American prohibition, the bizarre rules and regulations around wine distribution in the US, the impact of large wine corporations and the influence of (some) wine critics, and even organic and biodynamic wines. The strongest sections of the book are the one where Colman dissects the American wine industry and how, curiously, it is a business that is far from being open and competition driven (as one would have thought in the US) but is more marked by special interests, monopoly or oligopoly regulations and not-so-free a market. It is certainly a very interesting introduction to how the US wine industry functions and why it has become such a not-free-market industry. Some sections feel more out of place (and not always 100% accurate – French appellation, biodynamics). But in spite of this, it is an immensely readable and interesting book that we certainly recommend for anyone who wants to understand the US wine market better.

- - France:

- - Sweden:

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

Wine auction agendas:

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