Large forest fires have swept across Europe this summer, and the question of smoke tainted grapes has been widely discussed. It’s an issue that has been relevant for years in places like California and Australia,
The 2026 harvest began record early in almost all German wine regions. The warm summer caused the grapes to ripen very quickly, which means the harvest was already underway second half of August and accelerated
We recently tasted a couple of wines from Stéphane Vedeau, a winemaker who is attracting a lot of attention in the southern Rhône Valley. We tasted his wines from Séguret and Valréas, two well‑known Côtes‑du‑Rhône
We arrived in Côte des Bar, Champagne’s southernmost sub region, on August 25 and assumed the harvest would be in full swing. (Read more on Côte des Bar and Champagne Vaucelle in this BKWine Magazine
Marlborough, the famous wine region in New Zealand, has long been considered as one big region, mostly planted with sauvignon blanc. Now, there is a clear wish among the producers to understand more about the
Several years ago, I spoke with a wine producer who was complaining about wine journalists. We were discussing a particular vintage that some journalists had written off as worthless before the grape must had even
— Can You Yell the Difference Between “Bad” and “Small”? — Several years ago, I spoke with a wine producer who was complaining about wine journalists. We were discussing a particular vintage that some journalists
Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) is an organization founded by various players in the wine industry: wine producers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and more. Systembolaget (the Swedish retail state monopoly) was one of the founding members. Now
It was a sunny morning when I arrived at Vinos Atlante in the Valle de la Orotava, one of Tenerife’s five DO areas. I was grateful for the fine weather; the day before had been,
Did anyone think that natural cork would disappear? Yes, there was an Australian a few years ago who predicted that natural cork would completely die out as a closure for wine bottles. How wrong he
In recent months, there has been an unusually large amount of bad news about wine. People talk about a “wine crisis” with falling consumption, fires, heatwaves, wine shortages, price increases, and all sorts of gloomy
— Has Doomsday Arrived for Wine? — In recent months, there has been an unusually large amount of bad news about wine. People talk about a “wine crisis” with falling consumption, fires, heatwaves, wine shortages,
At the Island Wine Summit in Tenerife in June, I tasted some excellent wines from islands in the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic Ocean (see part 1 for an introduction). The winemakers here mostly work
We all love sherry. It is one of the world’s great wines. But do we drink it? Not very often. Is that because it is a fortified wine, which is a bit out of fashion?
There have been many re-enactments this year of the Paris Judgement that took place 50 years ago, in 1976. That year wines from California famously obtained higher points than the French ones in a blind
In June, I attended the Island Wines Summit Tenerife 2026, a conference designed to shine a spotlight on wines made on islands. The event attracted many exciting winegrowers from islands, mainly in the Mediterranean and
What should we have for aperitif today? Running out of ideas? Why not try a refreshing Porto Rosé Tonic, a recipe straight from Kay Bouchard at Quinta do Tedo in the Douro Valley. Here’s what
A sparkling wine should ideally have a fresh acidity. The whole idea of drinking bubbles is that it should be refreshing, right? The bubbles themselves help, but in Champagne they have always claimed that it
Just two hours north of the Langhe, the vineyards of Alto Piemonte offer a very different side of Piedmont. In the tiny DOC of Boca, Silvia Barbaglia is helping to revive a historic wine region,
We were out shopping for food but couldn’t help walk past the wine shelf. There we saw a wine from Languedoc made from the albariño grape. Unusual! It went straight into the basket. It cost
Dry, non-fortified wines from Madeira? It used to be very niche just a few years ago, but these characterful wines are now getting more attention. They even have their own appellation, DOP Madeirense. Most of
Global consumption of sparkling wine has increased since 2020. In 2024, it fell slightly for the first time, reaching 3.32 billion bottles. Despite the decline, sparkling wine is performing much better than still wine at
The fires that have raged and continue to rage in France and Spain are terrible. The have caused enormous material and human losses. It is a tragedy for those affected. As for the fires near
There is no shortage of hard‑to‑grasp expressions in the world of wine. One of them is that “a wine expresses its origin.” We see it everywhere. Advertisers use it, and so do wine producers, wine
— Creativity trumps origin? — There is no shortage of hard‑to‑grasp expressions in the world of wine. One of them is that “a wine expresses its origin.” We see it everywhere. Advertisers use it, and
China’s wine consumption has dropped by more than half since 2018, according to the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine). It is one of the sharpest declines the global industry has ever experienced, writes
In the 2026 edition of the excellent “Platter’s South African Wine Guide”, we read that the guidebook has named Diemersdal Wine Estate in Durbanville “Winery of the Year 2026”. The estate is known, among other
Often, people talk about new trends every year, but trends in the wine world develop slowly and last for many years. For instance, we met him Alexandre Penet of Champagne Penet-Chardonnet in Verzy on our
Poland, like Sweden, is not an obvious wine country. It is too cold and too rainy, with a too-short growing season, for most pure Vitis vinifera. Instead, Polen has planted hybrid grapes that are crosses
What do guests drink at Michelin-starred restaurants? The answer is obvious. Expensive wines. Everyone who goes to a restaurant regularly knows that the more expensive the food, the more expensive the wines. And now this
Large forest fires have swept across Europe this summer, and the question of smoke tainted grapes has been widely discussed. It’s an issue that has
The 2026 harvest began record early in almost all German wine regions. The warm summer caused the grapes to ripen very quickly, which means the
We recently tasted a couple of wines from Stéphane Vedeau, a winemaker who is attracting a lot of attention in the southern Rhône Valley. We
We arrived in Côte des Bar, Champagne’s southernmost sub region, on August 25 and assumed the harvest would be in full swing. (Read more on
Marlborough, the famous wine region in New Zealand, has long been considered as one big region, mostly planted with sauvignon blanc. Now, there is a
Several years ago, I spoke with a wine producer who was complaining about wine journalists. We were discussing a particular vintage that some journalists had
— Can You Yell the Difference Between “Bad” and “Small”? — Several years ago, I spoke with a wine producer who was complaining about wine
Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) is an organization founded by various players in the wine industry: wine producers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and more. Systembolaget (the Swedish
It was a sunny morning when I arrived at Vinos Atlante in the Valle de la Orotava, one of Tenerife’s five DO areas. I was
Did anyone think that natural cork would disappear? Yes, there was an Australian a few years ago who predicted that natural cork would completely die
In recent months, there has been an unusually large amount of bad news about wine. People talk about a “wine crisis” with falling consumption, fires,
— Has Doomsday Arrived for Wine? — In recent months, there has been an unusually large amount of bad news about wine. People talk about
At the Island Wine Summit in Tenerife in June, I tasted some excellent wines from islands in the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic Ocean (see
We all love sherry. It is one of the world’s great wines. But do we drink it? Not very often. Is that because it is
There have been many re-enactments this year of the Paris Judgement that took place 50 years ago, in 1976. That year wines from California famously
In June, I attended the Island Wines Summit Tenerife 2026, a conference designed to shine a spotlight on wines made on islands. The event attracted
What should we have for aperitif today? Running out of ideas? Why not try a refreshing Porto Rosé Tonic, a recipe straight from Kay Bouchard
A sparkling wine should ideally have a fresh acidity. The whole idea of drinking bubbles is that it should be refreshing, right? The bubbles themselves
Just two hours north of the Langhe, the vineyards of Alto Piemonte offer a very different side of Piedmont. In the tiny DOC of Boca,
We were out shopping for food but couldn’t help walk past the wine shelf. There we saw a wine from Languedoc made from the albariño
Dry, non-fortified wines from Madeira? It used to be very niche just a few years ago, but these characterful wines are now getting more attention.
Global consumption of sparkling wine has increased since 2020. In 2024, it fell slightly for the first time, reaching 3.32 billion bottles. Despite the decline,
The fires that have raged and continue to rage in France and Spain are terrible. The have caused enormous material and human losses. It is
There is no shortage of hard‑to‑grasp expressions in the world of wine. One of them is that “a wine expresses its origin.” We see it
— Creativity trumps origin? — There is no shortage of hard‑to‑grasp expressions in the world of wine. One of them is that “a wine expresses
China’s wine consumption has dropped by more than half since 2018, according to the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine). It is one of
In the 2026 edition of the excellent “Platter’s South African Wine Guide”, we read that the guidebook has named Diemersdal Wine Estate in Durbanville “Winery
Often, people talk about new trends every year, but trends in the wine world develop slowly and last for many years. For instance, we met
Poland, like Sweden, is not an obvious wine country. It is too cold and too rainy, with a too-short growing season, for most pure Vitis
What do guests drink at Michelin-starred restaurants? The answer is obvious. Expensive wines. Everyone who goes to a restaurant regularly knows that the more expensive
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