France (and some other major European wine countries) is fighting tooth and nail to maintain planting rights in Europe. And even though they have managed to obtain an extension they are far from satisfied. The new system of controlled growth (which is not so different from the system that has been in force since the [...]
Sauternes – the death of a myth
It is sad when something you have always believed in turns out to be false. I suppose I am not the only one having learned early on that the fog that causes noble rot in Sauternes occurs when cold water from the small river Ciron meets the warmer waters of the Garonne. Now I learn [...]
BKWine’s Italian collaborator in Gambero Rosso and La Repubblica
Åsa Johansson is Swedish but lives in Italy. She is in charge of most of what BKWine does in Italy, she virtually is BKWine Italia, and she sometimes writes here on BKWine Magazine. But she also writes in numerous other publications, even in Italy. Here are a few examples: In Gambero Rosso: on the Swedish [...]
El Picaflor – Peruvian restaurant in Paris | BKWine Pick
Inspired by our South America wine tour trip in February we recently went to a Peruvian restaurant here in Paris, considered one of the very best. And we were not disappointed. We started with a pisco sour – of course! And it was delicious. They use egg white and cinnamon so it tasted a bit [...]
Even the simplest French wines can now mention the grape variety, except some
How provincial protectionism makes it more difficult to sell French wines Vin de France, that is the new name for “vin de table” (wine without a specific appellation, AOP, or IGP), can now have the grape name mentioned on the label. Except for some varieties. It used to be that Vin de Table (now Vin [...]
Natural ”plastic cork”?
The plastic cork is one of several alternatives to natural cork. Some like it and some do not. Some producers refuse to put plastic in their bottles. While others think it is an excellent alternative for relatively simple wines that are sold to consumers who still want to open their bottles with a corkscrew. The [...]
New yeast strain gives wines with less sulphur
All wines contain sulphur, but some less than others, help is on the way Almost all wines contain sulphur. This is not only because most winemakers add sulphur to stabilise the wine and make it more long-lived. It is also because during fermentation sulphur is produced. The yeast that converts sugar to alcohol, carbon dioxide [...]
Time to discover white Bordeaux wines from Entre deux Mers
BKWine was recently in the jury for the annual competition for white Bordeaux wines. The wines that competed were all from the appellation Entre-deux-Mers. Here they make fresh and very pleasant white wines in a very reasonable price range. And with a wide range of flavours depending on whether it is sauvignon blanc or sémillon [...]
Wine tour to South Africa in March 2014: dates are fixed
South African wine regions wine tour: February 28 to March 10, 2014! We have now finalised the dates for the new wine tour to South Africa: 28 February to 10 March 2014. We are still working on the details of the program, but you can get an idea of how it will look already on [...]
Alsace – dry or sweet?
We have probably all experienced a bottle of wine from Alsace that did not go well with the food we served. The reason being, for the most part, that the wine was sweeter than we had expected. This is a problem that producers in Alsace have long been aware of. Some argue that a little [...]
Reader statistics for web sites (and magazines) and five million articles
For printed publications there are in many countries at least a quasi-official reader statistics for magazines and papers (or on circulation or print run numbers). In Sweden this is called “TS Controlled” edition, in other countries something else. This is primarily interesting for advertiser to evaluate the reach of advertising. But it is also interesting [...]
Nine decades of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in London
The fabulous White Club DRC Burgundy tasting (with a few dark horses) Most people rarely have the opportunity to taste a wine from the Domaine de la Romanee Conti even once in a life time. So when you have the opportunity to taste nine decades of DRC wine it is permitted to be a bit [...]
Viera de Sousa 10 year White Port | Britt’s Wine of the Month
Are you sceptical to white port? Some people are and I was one of them. Until I tasted the 10 year old Viera de Sousa White Port from Sociedade Roncão Pequeno. This is an incredibly good port wine that shows that white port can also be of high quality. The wine is made with long [...]
Planting rights, no thank you!
Quite some time back I wrote a guest article on the blog Les 5 du Vin on planting rights. They have moved the blog to a new platform and the article seems to have disappeared. Or I just can’t find it. So here it is again. My article on why the anachronistic and protectionist system [...]
Affordable from South Africa? Higher wages for South Africa’s vineyard workers
Strikes, sometimes violent, hit South Africa’s vineyards and fruit farms earlier this year and late 2012. The workers have asked for strong wage increases which they also got beginning of February. The minimum wage is raised to 105 rand per day (about $12) from the previous 69 rand per day ($8). Employers fear, however, that [...]
Excellent wines and cheese: Sancerre in the Loire Valley
Sancerre in the Upper Loire is famous for its refreshing and white wine from Sauvignon blanc. This wine goes wonderfully with another local speciality, the goat cheese. Read more about it on the wine travel blog, the BKWine Travelog: Rolling hills, charming towns, excellent wines and cheese: Sancerre in the Loire Valley.
Picpoul de Pinet to have its own AOP (AOC)
Picpoul de Pinet is doing well. Production has doubled since 1990. We have never really quite understood why this wine from Languedoc has become so popular. Good marketing is certainly one reason. The wine has a good reputation as an unpretentious seafood wine. And now it will soon have its own appellation, AOP Picpoul de [...]
Natural and cultured yeast – what difference does it make?
An important decision in the wine cellar is whether to use native or cultured yeast. In the Douro Valley in northern Portugal both types are used but for different wines. Oscar Quevedo from the Quevedo Wines Estate in the Douro explains the difference in the guest article: Using native yeast or selected yeast at Quevedo [...]
The pride of Austria, gruner veltliner, threatened?
Grüner veltliner is the great Austrian grape that has become for Austria what riesling is for Germany, malbec for Argentina and carmenère for Chile. Now, however, many growers are worried, among them Lenz Moser. The area planted with grüner veltliner has fallen in recent years, from 20 000 hectares to 13 500 hectares today. Instead, [...]
New BKWine Brief out, #116: Primeurs, organic wines, champagne, forgeries and more
It is time for les primeurs, whether you like tender asparagus or Bordeaux wines. So there has been much focus lately on the vintage 2012. A vintage that is still resting in the chateaux cellars. But during a few days in April it was tasted by wine merchants and wine writers from all over the [...]
BKWine Brief nr 116, April 2013
It is time for les primeurs, whether you like tender asparagus or Bordeaux wines. So there has been much focus lately on the vintage 2012. A vintage that is still resting in the chateaux cellars. But during a few days in April it was tasted by wine merchants and wine writers from all over the [...]
Our organic favourites, a selection of good wines
Our pick of organic wines in the range at Systembolaget, the Swedish alcohol monopoly At some journalist tastings the organic products sometimes receive quite a bit of a beating. Sometimes it seems as if organic wine start on the track with minus points from the outset. Yes, there are some dull wines among the organic. [...]
Britt’s Wine of the Month: Terrasses du Larzac 2011, Mollard & Fillon, Languedoc
Packed with dark berries, quite soft and easy-to-drink but with good structure and freshness and a spicy after-taste that reminds me of the syrah grape. And syrah is one of the grapes, the others are grenache, cinsault and carignan. Mollard & Fillon is a new small wine company run by Nicolas Mollard and Sébastien Fillon. [...]
Champagne Day OFF 2013: favourite champagnes
A Rebel Fair with small wine producers in Champagne A handful of quality oriented importers arranged a more intimate “salon” to showcase their champagnes in parallel with the big Champagne Day recently in Stockholm. There were many organic wines and there was quite a lot of talk about “non-dosé” (no or very little added sugar [...]
A super-Tuscan wine tour lunch at the prestigious Antinori winery Tenuta di Biserno
A super-Tuscan super-lunch Tenuta di Biserno is in the Maremma region on the Tuscany coast. The owner is Lodovico Antinori who used to own well known Ornellaia. To get there you need to navigate some winding roads but you are awarded with beautiful nature and great wines made by Swedish born wine maker Helena Lindberg. [...]
German riesling, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and perhaps zinfandel (?) from Weingut Kunstler
Weingut Kunstler in the Rheingau in Germany is a winery with roots back to the 17th century. But it is also a wine producer that is ferociously modern. Gunter Kunstler, the current head, makes outstanding rieslings and also exciting wines from chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir. At a recent tasting that BKWine reporter Ulf [...]
Faulty is not natural, says Michel Chapoutier
Chapoutier in the Rhone Valley was first among the larger producers in France to go organic and biodynamic. Now the head of the firm, Michel Chapoutier, is disturbed by the fact that some wines that call themselves natural are simply defective. Their volatile acidity is too high and they are infected with Brettanomyces. This is [...]
Åsa’s Wine of the Month: Pietradolce, Archineri, Etna Rosso DOC, 2010
On the slopes of Etna you can find a small vineyard, 10 hectares, called Pietradolce. The old vines, between 40 and 80 years old, grow in the black volcanic soil. They produce small yields but of high quality. The grape variety is nerello mascalese, typical for Etna. It gives red wines of light colour but [...]
World’s second best book for drinks education: Wine and the environment
The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards is the Academy Awards (Oscar ceremony) for food and drinks book. Both happened on the same weekend recently. The GWCA is perhaps not quite as star studded as the AA but the ceremony at the Louvre in Paris was quite impressive. We are very proud to say that our latest [...]
Austria: a selection of exciting wine producers
Impressive variety and quality in both white and red wines from Austria Austria is a wine country that deserves to be discovered by a wider audience. Elegant, stylish white wines and, perhaps more of a surprise, exciting and characterful red wines of high quality. A number of wine producers from Austria recently visited Stockholm and [...]
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