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XXO, new category of cognac now official

Cognac has a new category: XXO. In 2017 Hennessy launched a prestigious Cognac which they named XXO. But the authorities

9 myths and 9 truths about organic, biodynamic, “natural” | New Brief out, #185 | The Wine Newsletter

9 myths and 9 truths about organic, biodynamic, "natural" Organic wine continues to increase, it seems. Commercial success is well

BKWine Brief nr 185, January 2019

9 myths and 9 truths about organic, biodynamic, "natural" Organic wine continues to increase, it seems. Commercial success is well

Uncorked: Good wines we have tasted recently, January 2019

Uncorked: Under this heading, we collect various wines that we have tasted, and liked, recently. It can be wines that

A wine adventure on the Greek islands in the Ionian Sea

Sun, sea and sand in Greece is not bad, but it is even better if you get some good wines

Lessona, a pioneer in Piedmont

Nebbiolo is more than Barolo and Barbaresco! There is much more to discover in Piedmont than just the well-known classics of

Tea instead of sulphur to protect the wine

A few years ago, we wrote in the Brief about the South African wine producer KWV who had made a

Favourite Biodynamic Wine Producers Certified by Biodyvin | Britt on Forbes

The number of biodynamic wine producers is growing in France and in the world. It is still only a small

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XXO, new category of cognac now official

By Britt Karlsson on January 18, 2019 in News

Cognac has a new category: XXO. In 2017 Hennessy launched a prestigious Cognac which they named XXO. But the authorities were not happy about it as this category of Cognac didn’t exist. Thus, the sale of this particular Cognac was suspended. But Hennessy did not give up and with the help of luxury conglomerate LVMH, […]

Uncorked: Good wines we have tasted recently, January 2019

By Britt Karlsson on January 16, 2019 in Tastings

Uncorked: Under this heading, we collect various wines that we have tasted, and liked, recently. It can be wines that we have had during dinner at home, at wine tastings, press lunches, visits to vineyards, or other occasions. We describe the wines just with a few short sentences, tasting notes that we hope will give […]

A wine adventure on the Greek islands in the Ionian Sea

By Marina Mirzabekian on January 14, 2019 in Wine Regions

Sun, sea and sand in Greece is not bad, but it is even better if you get some good wines with it. One great destination is the islands in the Ionian Sea. There you can find some unusual wines, made from local grape varieties that match perfectly the Greek food. BKWine Magazine’s contributor Marina Mirzabekian […]

Lessona, a pioneer in Piedmont

By Åsa Johansson on January 13, 2019 in Wine Regions

Nebbiolo is more than Barolo and Barbaresco! There is much more to discover in Piedmont than just the well-known classics of Barolo and Barbaresco. Today the region is bubbling with a new generation of winemakers, almost like the Far West, and small wine regions that are in the process of rebuilding their wine production. Much, […]

Tea instead of sulphur to protect the wine

By Britt Karlsson on January 12, 2019 in News

A few years ago, we wrote in the Brief about the South African wine producer KWV who had made a wine called Earth’s Essence without added sulphur. Instead, they had used the rooibos plant, known for its antioxidant properties. Continued research in South Africa has now shown that the South African tea plant honeybush also […]

Favourite Biodynamic Wine Producers Certified by Biodyvin | Britt on Forbes

By Britt Karlsson on January 11, 2019 in Winemaking & Viticulture

The number of biodynamic wine producers is growing in France and in the world. It is still only a small percentage of all organic producers that are biodynamic, but they get noticed not least because many of them make outstanding wines. You can work biodynamically without being certified, of course, but many choose a certification. […]

Rosé wine in Provence: The success continues with even higher prices

By Britt Karlsson on January 9, 2019 in News

There is no end to the success of rosé wines in Provence. Producers and wine merchants are already thinking of next summer. Many producers in Provence will have sold their vintage 2018 before Christmas. And prices for Cote de Provence rosé continue to rise. The wholesale purchase price of 350 euros per hectolitre – bulk […]

A vine leaf attacked by mildiou (downy mildew)

Three white fungus resistant hybrid grape varieties approved in Austria

By Britt Karlsson on January 8, 2019 in News

Four new white grape varieties have just been approved for use in Austrian Qualitätswein (quality wine) Three of these are so-called PIWIs, which is fungal resistant crossings. PIWI is a German abbreviation for Pilzwiderstandsfähig (literally fungus resistant). The fourth grape is Goldmuskateller, a regular Vitis vinifera that also has a good resistance to rot. The […]

Toasting oak barrels with fire at a cooperage

The Baron cooperage in Cognac plants trees for the environment

By Britt Karlsson on January 7, 2019 in News

The family-owned Baron cooperage will plant as many oak trees as the number of barrels they produce each year, starting this year, which is 12,000 (barrels and trees). From one tree you can make more than one barrel, but not many more. The “waste” is around 80% which of course can be used for other […]

A stainless steel tank with organic wine

The market for organic wines will continue to grow in France

By Britt Karlsson on January 6, 2019 in News

Demand for organic wine will continue to increase in France, SudVinBio announced after looking at developments in recent years and on future trends. The study has been made as a prelude to the organic wine fair Millésime Bio, which takes place in Montpellier in late January. Organic wine sales have grown annually by 16.8% by […]

Sculpture at the Palais Royale in Paris, chrome silver spheres, balls

Spherical, biodynamic … an oak barrel can be made in many different ways

By Britt Karlsson on January 4, 2019 in News

The big trade fair Vinitech 2018 took place in Bordeaux in November. Every year Vinitech presents new and innovative equipment for winegrowing and winemaking. This year, for example, a biodynamic oak barrel drew attention. It is manufactured by Tonnellerie Sylvan and is made with trees that have been cut down at specific dates according to […]

Cigalus 2016 from Gérard Bertrand in Languedoc was the 2018 Nobel Prize wine

By Britt Karlsson on January 3, 2019 in News

In fierce competition (we guess), Cigalus 2016 from Gérard Bertrand in Languedoc had the honour of being selected as the red wine served during the Nobel dinner in Stockholm on December 10th. We have been particularly fond of Languedoc wines for a long time, so we are happy that this amazing region was chosen for […]

How eco-friendly is Bordeaux?

By Britt Karlsson on December 31, 2018 in News

A European wine that is organic is easy to identify. You just look for the green EU leaf. If it does not have the leaf it is not organic. But now there are also more and more “sustainability” labels on the bottles in France. However, “sustainable” is different from “organic”. Organics is mainly about the […]

Tokaj bottles waiting to mature. 1999, 5 puttonyos Aszu

Nine network, wines on a niner

By Stuart George on December 28, 2018 in More

Leaving a troubled 2018 behind for a better 2019? Anniversary wines to go with it. Leaving behind a troubled 2018, both in vinous terms, with difficult weather, and for the world as a whole, it is time to think about 2019. What wines should you consider if you, or someone you know, have a 9 […]

Cow horn and herbs used in biodynamic wine making

Alsace is leader in Europe on biodynamics (and organic?)

By Britt Karlsson on December 27, 2018 in News

Alsace is the number one biodynamic wine region in Europe. 880 hectares are certified biodynamic. This means that an impressive 5.6% of all Alsace vineyards are biodynamic, a record in Europe. Around 70 growers are certified either with the international certification association Demeter or the French association Biodyvin. All of these producers are also organically […]

Sol Negru Feteasca Neagra, Asconi, Moldova

Uncorked: Good wines we have tasted recently, December 2018

By Britt Karlsson on December 21, 2018 in Tastings

An old-fashioned clamp keeping the cork in place on a sparkling wine

Champagne Frerejean Frères in Avize, a newly launched challenger

By Britt Karlsson on December 20, 2018 in Wine Producer Profiles

Starting a brand new champagne house is probably not easy. The process to make champagne is very outdrawn, with substantial capital costs, and there’s a fierce competition with high-budget marketing. But the brothers Guillaume, Rodolphe and Richard Frerejean took the challenge. In 2005 they founded the house Champagne Frerejean Frères and they have managed to […]

Harvested pinot noir in Cote des Bar in Champagne

France 2018: a big harvest, with Languedoc or Bordeaux at the top

By Britt Karlsson on December 20, 2018 in News

France in general did a good harvest in 2018, both in volume and in quality. The Ministry of Agriculture has just published figures for the different regions. Total production was 46.6 million hectolitres, which is 26% higher than 2017, a year affected by both frost and drought that dramatically reduced the size of the harvest. […]

Tempranillo (Aragones) in a vineyard in Alentejo, Portugal

Portugal’s most planted grape varieties, the top-ten list

By Britt Karlsson on December 18, 2018 in News

Portugal is a wonderful wine country in many ways. Not least because it is unrelentingly focusing on Iberian grape varieties. The only French grape that is included in the top-10 list is Syrah, and it is in the 10th place. There is an immense variety of grapes. The 10 most grown only account for 55% […]

Autumn colours in the vineyards with a Calem house, Douro

The latest declared vintage port year tasted, 2016 | Britt on Forbes

By Britt Karlsson on December 17, 2018 in Tastings

Port wine is something people love to drink at Christmas time. It is true that a glass of Port goes well with chocolate, nuts, stilton cheese and so on, things we tend to eat for Christmas. The big question is, should you choose a Vintage Port or a Tawny? Most port wine houses have recently […]

Old vines in South Africa, rediscovered and rescued

By Britt Karlsson on December 16, 2018 in News

Older vines give more character to the wine, says Rosa Kruger, a well-known South African viticulturist. She is behind a project called South Africa’s Old Vines Project, which aims at finding old vineyards, vineyards that have often been abandoned. The idea with the project is to give a new life to these old vines. A […]

Mechanical harvester straddling a row of vines

A new machine harvester for small vineyards

By Britt Karlsson on December 15, 2018 in News

When some people think about machine harvesting, they often imagine big monsters that brutalize the vineyard. It is true that harvesting machines are often big machines, but they can be quite gentle to both grapes and vines. And soon there will be on the market a tiny harvesting machine, suitable for the small producer and […]

A distillation machine (still) in stainless steel and copper

EU lowers the limit for copper spray in the vineyards to 4 kg

By Britt Karlsson on December 14, 2018 in News

The European Commission has now voted on the future of copper in European agriculture. On November 27, the decision was made to lower the limit to 4 kilograms of copper per year and per hectare counted as an average over a 7-year period (in other words, 28 kg in 7 years). This 4 kilos average […]

Star Wine List recommends restaurants with good wine lists

By Britt Karlsson on December 13, 2018 in News

Star Wine List is a digital guide to wine bars and wine restaurants in different cities. Currently, the guide covers Stockholm, Gothenburg, Uppsala and several other locations in Sweden as well as Oslo, Toronto and London. And more cities are coming soon. Krister Bengtsson is the man behind this excellent tool. Read about great restaurants […]

The perfect Christmas presents for those who love food, wine and travel

By Britt Karlsson on December 12, 2018 in News

We have, of course, also to give you some suggestions of what must be the perfect Christmas presents for those who like food and wine and travel, now that Christmas is approaching fast. We have two different suggestions for you. The really, really nice Christmas gift is of course a wine tour to one of […]

Henkell, a bubbly giant grows bigger

By Britt Karlsson on December 11, 2018 in News

Henkell Trocken is one of the world’s most famous sparkling wines. The German company Henkell & Co is also the largest producer in the world of sparkling wines since the purchase of Spanish Freixenet in March 2018. Henkell now accounts for 8% of the world market for bubbles and is aiming for 10%. In addition […]

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