China’s wine import is falling. The Chinese drink less, in part because of the limited social life that has continued into this year. January to September this year (2021) saw a decrease in wine imports
Buying Alsace wines has so far been something of a gamble if you do not already know the wine or the producer. Now, things will be easier. It is henceforth mandatory to indicate on the
The cradle of wine stood in the area around present-day Armenia and Georgia. This is well known and widely accepted. Grape seeds and remnants of drinking vessels found indicate that this is where people made
Not so long ago, we discovered timorasso, an Italian white grape variety in Piedmont. Since then, we have tasted a fair number of timorasso wines, most recently from Cantine Bottazzi. We believe that this grape
People drink a lot of sparkling wine during the end of year holidays. There is a lot to choose from. Admittedly, champagne is still the most prestigious bubble, but in volume, prosecco is the winner.
Every little detail matters, whether it is for the environment, the taste of the wine or the sales figures. We have heard it many times from many wine producers. The details will play an even
– Holiday issue with extra reading. Every little detail matters Every little detail matters, whether it is for the environment, the taste of the wine or the sales figures. We have heard it many times
Camilla Gjerde fell in love with natural wines in 2008 when she drank a Sicilian frappato made by Arianna Occhipinti. Eventually, the dream of making a book about natural wines was born. Several of her
If you go to Fitou and the southern part of Corbières in the French Languedoc, you will be greeted by a wild, barren and beautiful landscape. Here, the vines coexist with the local shrub vegetation
Here’s your introduction to Armenian wines. Armenia is a small wine country, but one with a long history. Wine production here almost disappeared during the Soviet era. But a new generation of winemakers is reviving
Pomerol in Bordeaux is banning the use of chemical weed control. This is the first appellation in France to take this decision. The new rules were adopted on October 21 this year (2021). The new
Chenin blanc is one of the world’s top white grape varieties. Yet, sometimes chenin wine producers in Vouvray are frustrated. Selling a chenin blanc is not as easy as selling a sauvignon blanc, they say.
Champagne producers apparently have a lot of concerns right now. The capriciousness of the weather (recent years have been too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry…), the reduction in the number of approved pesticides
“Sustainability”, the flavour-of-the-month? It seems everyone is talking about sustainability these days. We’ve recently been in at least three webinars on sustainability. Wine regions are announcing sustainability programmes. Wine producers and other wine industry companies
Europe dominates when it comes to organic viticulture in the world. But the rest of the world is catching up. According to OIV, The International Organisation of Vine and Wine, organic viticulture is increasing worldwide
The Douro Valley used to be all about port wine. No longer. The production of dry wines (called “Douro wines”), have increased incredibly in recent years. This is a trend created by the smaller growers
This year, some winegrowers in various parts of Europe have had to resort to chaptalisation to reach the alcohol content they consider necessary. During our recent wine tours in, for example, Champagne and Burgundy, we
Whatever old vines mean for the quality of the wine (a disputed topic), it’s hard not to be impressed if they’re 200 years old. The vines for Santa Cruz de Coya from the Chilean wine
We have tasted a wide range of the top echelons of red Bordeaux from 2018, the latest vintage released from the big chateaux. 2018 is an acclaimed vintage, but challenging weather meant the producers had
The weather during the harvest in France has been sunny and warm in many places. Despite the problems during the spring and summer, many are optimistic about the new 2021 vintage. Severe weather conditions do
A wine importer in Sweden recently launched a wine in a bottle mainly made from recycled glass. Is this something to write about? Yes, apparently, many wines are bottled in new glass bottles or in
During the late afternoon/early evening Happy Hour, the French cafés offer lower prices on beer and cocktails, and if you look around, mojito seems to be the most popular drink right now. But the fact
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable and now also regenerative agriculture. Are all just variations of the same theme? Torres, the producer from Catalonia who is also an environmental warrior, organized a symposium on regenerative agriculture earlier this
We have already heard of Portuguese grape varieties in Bordeaux and Greek ones in Provence. Now the turn has come for Cypriot grape varieties to (maybe) help Australia’s wine industry meet the climate challenges. Studies
Our travel season is in full swing! We are so happy to see our travellers, the wine producers and the vineyards again. Many of the wine producers we visit are almost embracing us with joy,
The weeks when nothing must go wrong Our travel season is in full swing! We are so happy to see our travellers, the wine producers and the vineyards again. Many of the wine producers we
We recently had the opportunity to re-taste a wine from Moldova. A couple of years ago, we travelled around to almost all of the wineries in the country to help them develop their wine tourism
Savoie is better known for its cheeses than for its wines. Everyone knows the names of at least some of the cheeses: reblochon, beaufort, tomme de savoie, abondance… But does anybody know what grapes they
Sardinia has once again impressed us. This time we have tasted wines from carignano and bovale sardo. Behind these local Sardinian names are Spanish grape varieties. Carignano is a synonym for cariñena/mazuelo in Spain (carignan
Sometimes “terroir” does not matter so much. The Australian wine giant Treasury Wine Estates, which owns Penfolds and other brands, has taken drastic measures to survive the high tariffs imposed by China on Australian wine.
China’s wine import is falling. The Chinese drink less, in part because of the limited social life that has continued into this year. January to
Buying Alsace wines has so far been something of a gamble if you do not already know the wine or the producer. Now, things will
The cradle of wine stood in the area around present-day Armenia and Georgia. This is well known and widely accepted. Grape seeds and remnants of
Not so long ago, we discovered timorasso, an Italian white grape variety in Piedmont. Since then, we have tasted a fair number of timorasso wines,
People drink a lot of sparkling wine during the end of year holidays. There is a lot to choose from. Admittedly, champagne is still the
Every little detail matters, whether it is for the environment, the taste of the wine or the sales figures. We have heard it many times
– Holiday issue with extra reading. Every little detail matters Every little detail matters, whether it is for the environment, the taste of the wine
Camilla Gjerde fell in love with natural wines in 2008 when she drank a Sicilian frappato made by Arianna Occhipinti. Eventually, the dream of making
If you go to Fitou and the southern part of Corbières in the French Languedoc, you will be greeted by a wild, barren and beautiful
Here’s your introduction to Armenian wines. Armenia is a small wine country, but one with a long history. Wine production here almost disappeared during the
Pomerol in Bordeaux is banning the use of chemical weed control. This is the first appellation in France to take this decision. The new rules
Chenin blanc is one of the world’s top white grape varieties. Yet, sometimes chenin wine producers in Vouvray are frustrated. Selling a chenin blanc is
Champagne producers apparently have a lot of concerns right now. The capriciousness of the weather (recent years have been too hot, too cold, too wet,
“Sustainability”, the flavour-of-the-month? It seems everyone is talking about sustainability these days. We’ve recently been in at least three webinars on sustainability. Wine regions are
Europe dominates when it comes to organic viticulture in the world. But the rest of the world is catching up. According to OIV, The International
The Douro Valley used to be all about port wine. No longer. The production of dry wines (called “Douro wines”), have increased incredibly in recent
This year, some winegrowers in various parts of Europe have had to resort to chaptalisation to reach the alcohol content they consider necessary. During our
Whatever old vines mean for the quality of the wine (a disputed topic), it’s hard not to be impressed if they’re 200 years old. The
We have tasted a wide range of the top echelons of red Bordeaux from 2018, the latest vintage released from the big chateaux. 2018 is
The weather during the harvest in France has been sunny and warm in many places. Despite the problems during the spring and summer, many are
A wine importer in Sweden recently launched a wine in a bottle mainly made from recycled glass. Is this something to write about? Yes, apparently,
During the late afternoon/early evening Happy Hour, the French cafés offer lower prices on beer and cocktails, and if you look around, mojito seems to
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable and now also regenerative agriculture. Are all just variations of the same theme? Torres, the producer from Catalonia who is also an
We have already heard of Portuguese grape varieties in Bordeaux and Greek ones in Provence. Now the turn has come for Cypriot grape varieties to
Our travel season is in full swing! We are so happy to see our travellers, the wine producers and the vineyards again. Many of the
The weeks when nothing must go wrong Our travel season is in full swing! We are so happy to see our travellers, the wine producers
We recently had the opportunity to re-taste a wine from Moldova. A couple of years ago, we travelled around to almost all of the wineries
Savoie is better known for its cheeses than for its wines. Everyone knows the names of at least some of the cheeses: reblochon, beaufort, tomme
Sardinia has once again impressed us. This time we have tasted wines from carignano and bovale sardo. Behind these local Sardinian names are Spanish grape
Sometimes “terroir” does not matter so much. The Australian wine giant Treasury Wine Estates, which owns Penfolds and other brands, has taken drastic measures to
25,000 subscribers get wine news every month. You too?
