
Is the “New World” outdated? | New Brief #233
The Old World and The New World. The wine industry has lived with these expressions for quite a few years. And it is convenient. It was natural to call the countries outside Europe The New

The Old World and The New World. The wine industry has lived with these expressions for quite a few years. And it is convenient. It was natural to call the countries outside Europe The New

— Is the “New World” outdated? — The Old World and The New World. The wine industry has lived with these expressions for quite a few years. And it is convenient. It was natural to

Today, many wineries want to show that they work sustainably. Maybe they measure their carbon footprint and are amazed at how much of this comes from driving the tractor back and forth in the vineyard.

Europe had a few freezing weeks in December, including Germany. This chilly weather has enabled some growers to make Eiswein (ice wine) finally again. It has been a long time. On December 11, 12 and

Kullaberg’s Winey (Kullabergs Vingård) in Scania, the southernmost region of Sweden, inaugurated its new winery, probably the biggest in Sweden, at the end of October. The work has been going on for two years, resulting

Interest in local, half-forgotten grape varieties is increasing. Thierry Navarre, a skilled wine grower in Saint Chinian, Languedoc, has discovered that the ribeyrenc, morastell, terret and œillade grapes have a lot to offer, not least

Waiting for the umami moment. — Will you taste umami in your Christmas food? For sure, if it’s savoury. And it often is. I recently learned that umami means savoury. And at the risk of

— Does umami exist? — Waiting for the umami moment. — Will you taste umami in your Christmas food? For sure, if it’s savoury. And it often is. I recently learned that umami means savoury.

To harvest with machine or by hand? Some really don’t have a choice, e.g., producers who have vineyards on very steep slopes where no harvesting machine dares to tread. But that is starting to change.

Admittedly, they had to fight spring frosts and very high temperatures, but winegrowers across California are happy to announce an excellent quality vintage for 2022. The harvest period was long and varied regarding when the

VinNatur is an Italian organization for natural wine producers founded and run by Angiolino Maule, a wine producer in Gambellara in Veneto. With over 200 members, it is also the most significant in the world

Beaujolais Nouveau is still celebrated in France (and elsewhere). Restaurants in Paris were packed on Thursday, 17 November, and many offered special menus featuring local Bourgogne/Beaujolais specialities. 2022 is a magnificent year for Beaujolais, and

Organic farming is spreading like wildfire among the great châteaux of Bordeaux. Château Pédesclaux, a classified château in Pauillac, has recently received its certification. The whole process actually started back in 2009 when the Lorenzetti

There is a lot of talk about which grape varieties will best adapt to climate change. However, less is said about the (“American”) rootstocks, although they do all the work in the soil. Whenever a

On a recent wine tour, one of the travellers told me that she has difficulty finding good organic wines. I was a bit surprised. There are so many organic wines around these days that it

When we travel through wine regions these days, we often see grass/weeds growing in the vineyard. And if you look at the statistics, the use of herbicides, i.e. chemical weed control, has decreased. But wine

Sustainability is important. But sustainability is a vague concept. And what is considered sustainable or not can quickly change. This became apparent to wine producers that are certified HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) when the rules

— Sustainable, yes. But what kind of sustainability? — Sustainability is important. But sustainability is a vague concept. And what is considered sustainable or not can quickly change. This became apparent to wine producers that

Bernard Duseigneur of Domaine Duseigneur is the new and happy owner of Château Maucoil, a beautiful estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape of 70 hectares, of which 40 hectares are vineyards with different types of soil, one of

Old grape varieties, more or less forgotten, are now being honoured again. A variety called lignage was grown before the phylloxera around the city of Blois in the Loire Valley and produced wines with high

New appellations don’t often appear in France. But sometimes, it happens. (Modifying existing ones happens more often.) On October 14, Vézelay in northern Burgundy became an Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP). From the beginning, Vézelay was

On October 30, 2022, Ukraine again became a member of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, OIV. The country was previously a member between 1997 and 2008. With Ukraine’s re-entry, the number of members

In September, after two years of work, the updated list of Saint Emilion’s classification was announced. After the turbulence of the previous update (2006, but approved only in 2012, click the link to read more),

Weinert Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 from Mendoza in Argentina was launched in Sweden on October 21. That’s a good excuse to say a few words about this unusual wine producer. “This 2012 Weinert Cabernet Sauvignon is

Some appellations only come in one colour, like Gigondas in the southern Rhône valley, which is always red (or rosé, but these are rarely seen). From 2023 however, Gigondas will also be able to be

Two months of wine tours to different European countries have given us many opportunities to talk about the laws and regulations in various wine regions. I met a wine grower in the Loire Valley in

— Eating the cake and having it when making wine — Two months of wine tours to different European countries have given us many opportunities to talk about the laws and regulations in various wine

The appellations Côtes-du-Rhône et Côtes-du-Rhône Villages have the ambition to reduce the spraying of their vineyards and make them more resistant to drought. As part of these efforts, they have now included four new grape

Recent years have seen a record-breaking increase in organic wine acreage in France. Now you are up to 20% of the total vineyard area, which means 159,868 hectares that are organically certified or under conversion.

During our wine tour in Austria in mid-September, the harvest was in full swing. The producers were full of confidence after this year which has had some challenges, the hot weather in July and August

The Old World and The New World. The wine industry has lived with these expressions for quite a few years. And it is convenient. It

— Is the “New World” outdated? — The Old World and The New World. The wine industry has lived with these expressions for quite a

Today, many wineries want to show that they work sustainably. Maybe they measure their carbon footprint and are amazed at how much of this comes

Europe had a few freezing weeks in December, including Germany. This chilly weather has enabled some growers to make Eiswein (ice wine) finally again. It

Kullaberg’s Winey (Kullabergs Vingård) in Scania, the southernmost region of Sweden, inaugurated its new winery, probably the biggest in Sweden, at the end of October.

Interest in local, half-forgotten grape varieties is increasing. Thierry Navarre, a skilled wine grower in Saint Chinian, Languedoc, has discovered that the ribeyrenc, morastell, terret

Waiting for the umami moment. — Will you taste umami in your Christmas food? For sure, if it’s savoury. And it often is. I recently

— Does umami exist? — Waiting for the umami moment. — Will you taste umami in your Christmas food? For sure, if it’s savoury. And

To harvest with machine or by hand? Some really don’t have a choice, e.g., producers who have vineyards on very steep slopes where no harvesting

Admittedly, they had to fight spring frosts and very high temperatures, but winegrowers across California are happy to announce an excellent quality vintage for 2022.

VinNatur is an Italian organization for natural wine producers founded and run by Angiolino Maule, a wine producer in Gambellara in Veneto. With over 200

Beaujolais Nouveau is still celebrated in France (and elsewhere). Restaurants in Paris were packed on Thursday, 17 November, and many offered special menus featuring local

Organic farming is spreading like wildfire among the great châteaux of Bordeaux. Château Pédesclaux, a classified château in Pauillac, has recently received its certification. The

There is a lot of talk about which grape varieties will best adapt to climate change. However, less is said about the (“American”) rootstocks, although

On a recent wine tour, one of the travellers told me that she has difficulty finding good organic wines. I was a bit surprised. There

When we travel through wine regions these days, we often see grass/weeds growing in the vineyard. And if you look at the statistics, the use

Sustainability is important. But sustainability is a vague concept. And what is considered sustainable or not can quickly change. This became apparent to wine producers

— Sustainable, yes. But what kind of sustainability? — Sustainability is important. But sustainability is a vague concept. And what is considered sustainable or not

Bernard Duseigneur of Domaine Duseigneur is the new and happy owner of Château Maucoil, a beautiful estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape of 70 hectares, of which 40

Old grape varieties, more or less forgotten, are now being honoured again. A variety called lignage was grown before the phylloxera around the city of

New appellations don’t often appear in France. But sometimes, it happens. (Modifying existing ones happens more often.) On October 14, Vézelay in northern Burgundy became

On October 30, 2022, Ukraine again became a member of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, OIV. The country was previously a member between

In September, after two years of work, the updated list of Saint Emilion’s classification was announced. After the turbulence of the previous update (2006, but

Weinert Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 from Mendoza in Argentina was launched in Sweden on October 21. That’s a good excuse to say a few words about

Some appellations only come in one colour, like Gigondas in the southern Rhône valley, which is always red (or rosé, but these are rarely seen).

Two months of wine tours to different European countries have given us many opportunities to talk about the laws and regulations in various wine regions.

— Eating the cake and having it when making wine — Two months of wine tours to different European countries have given us many opportunities

The appellations Côtes-du-Rhône et Côtes-du-Rhône Villages have the ambition to reduce the spraying of their vineyards and make them more resistant to drought. As part

Recent years have seen a record-breaking increase in organic wine acreage in France. Now you are up to 20% of the total vineyard area, which

During our wine tour in Austria in mid-September, the harvest was in full swing. The producers were full of confidence after this year which has
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