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.
This year, the wine producers in many parts of the world have had severe weather problems: heat, fires, floodings, frost, diseases. Spring frosts affected almost all wine regions in France for several nights in April.
Chassenay d’Arce is a small cooperative based in the heart of the Côte des Bar region. A group of growers founded it in 1956. We recently tasted their champagnes together with winemaker Brice Bécard and
An essential phase in grape ripening is what the French call le véraison. For lack of a better one, many other languages use the same word. Véraison means that the grapes change to their final
Why does a wine cost what it costs? It is never easy for a producer to put a price on his wine. It requires reflection. Not least, he has to decide how to position himself
On price and prestige Why does a wine cost what it costs? It is never easy for a producer to put a price on his wine. It requires reflection. Not least, he has to decide
The EU has long had restrictive regulations regarding de-alcoholising wines. This is about to change. Non-alcoholic (de-alcoholised) “wines” will probably soon be allowed to call themselves wine. And they will be allowed to keep their
The producers of Provence are ready to try new grape varieties that are more resistant to drought and disease. By 2022, several new ones will probably be allowed in limited quantities. One of them is
Washington-based Sainte-Michelle Wine Estates has recently been sold. The tobacco company Atria (which owns Philip Morris, among others) has owned the company for 40 years but has now sold it to a venture capital company.
Austria is not just white wines. Increasingly its red wines grab our attention. We have tasted wines from Neusiedlersee DAC in Burgenland in easternmost Austria. Lake Neusiedl has long been famous for its noble sweet
Château Raymond-Lafon, the chateau and wine estate of the Meslier family, is next door to the legendary Château d’Yquem. Only a few meters apart, the vineyards differ and both chateaux have the same strict selection
The Growers’ Association (Syndicat Général des Vignerons, SGV) in Champagne decided on July 29 to allow vineyards with lower planting density from 2023. Today it is mandatory to have at most 1.50 meters between the
Classification of wine estates is notoriously tricky. (And of debatable or no value to consumers.) In 2022, Saint Emilion will update its classification, and the drama has already started. When the application for participation in
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
This year, the wine producers in many parts of the world have had severe weather problems: heat, fires, floodings, frost, diseases. Spring frosts affected almost
Chassenay d’Arce is a small cooperative based in the heart of the Côte des Bar region. A group of growers founded it in 1956. We
An essential phase in grape ripening is what the French call le véraison. For lack of a better one, many other languages use the same
Why does a wine cost what it costs? It is never easy for a producer to put a price on his wine. It requires reflection.
On price and prestige Why does a wine cost what it costs? It is never easy for a producer to put a price on his
The EU has long had restrictive regulations regarding de-alcoholising wines. This is about to change. Non-alcoholic (de-alcoholised) “wines” will probably soon be allowed to call
The producers of Provence are ready to try new grape varieties that are more resistant to drought and disease. By 2022, several new ones will
Washington-based Sainte-Michelle Wine Estates has recently been sold. The tobacco company Atria (which owns Philip Morris, among others) has owned the company for 40 years
Austria is not just white wines. Increasingly its red wines grab our attention. We have tasted wines from Neusiedlersee DAC in Burgenland in easternmost Austria.
Château Raymond-Lafon, the chateau and wine estate of the Meslier family, is next door to the legendary Château d’Yquem. Only a few meters apart, the
The Growers’ Association (Syndicat Général des Vignerons, SGV) in Champagne decided on July 29 to allow vineyards with lower planting density from 2023. Today it
Classification of wine estates is notoriously tricky. (And of debatable or no value to consumers.) In 2022, Saint Emilion will update its classification, and the
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