
BKWine Brief nr 208, December 2020
–– The newsletter on wine and wine travel –– –– Read by wine lovers and wine professionals all over the world –– –– On the internet since 1996 –– “Noble grapes”, isn’t that an obsolete

–– The newsletter on wine and wine travel –– –– Read by wine lovers and wine professionals all over the world –– –– On the internet since 1996 –– “Noble grapes”, isn’t that an obsolete

Oak barrel ageing is today important when it comes to a certain category of red and white wines in the upper echelons. If you talk about quality improvements in a wine district, oak ageing is

There are many beautiful wine regions in the Languedoc. La Clape, near the town of Narbonne, is one of them. Château de Figuières is situated at an altitude of 150 meters on the limestone plateau

Many a bottle of port will be opened over Christmas. We recommend some of our favourites. Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port 2008 (~30 euro). Fonseca is one of the larger houses and is part of the

Some inspiration and recommendations for the end-of-year festivities. Or for some other occasion: For Christmas and New Year, we recommend bubbles from all corners of the world. Why not for a change venture outside the

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,

Four delicious wines that give to someone for Christmas, or to drink yourself. Sauska Tokaji Furmint 2019 (~10 euro). The Hungarian region of Tokaj is world famous for its amazing sweet wines made with noble

Viognier has its “home” in the Rhône district, in the two small appellations Condrieu and Château Grillet. Until the end of the 20th century, it was hardly found anywhere else in France or any other

A large study that lasted for thirteen years shows that biodiversity in the vineyard is a good thing that pays off. If a vineyard is surrounded by hedges, trees and shrubs, the number of pests

–– The newsletter on wine and wine travel –– –– Read by wine lovers and wine professionals all over the world –– –– On the internet since 1996 –– Wine is not just a drink

We meet many fantastic and talented winemakers on our wine tours around the world. (You can watch video interviews with many of them on the BKWine YouTube channel.) One of them is Tiago Alves de

The Torres family’s most spectacular vineyard is called Tremp and is located at an altitude of 950 meters up in the mountains, north-west of Barcelona. In the 1950s and 1960s, people made a living here

In France, there are lots of small wine shops, but the majority of all wine is sold in supermarkets. This is especially true of Champagne as Christmas approaches. Which brands are the bestsellers? Here is

There are different ways to work sustainably and environmentally friendly. Some producers have noted consumers’ fear of pesticide residues in the wine. One path to take is then to work organically and thus completely exclude

Birds munching on ripe grapes can be a big problem in the vineyards. We have seen it in New Zealand and South Africa; it occurs in Australia and elsewhere around the world. However, from what

On October 27, OIV Secretary-General Pau Roca presented the first estimates of the world wine production in 2020. Volumes in the EU were lower than the average as several regions deliberately reduced their harvest despite

Wild yeast or cultivated yeast? That is the eternal question right now, or at least one can get that impression in certain discussions. It seems as if the wild yeast is gaining ground, but that

One of our very few autumn wine tours went to the Douro Valley in late October. All the winemakers we met agreed on one thing: the 2020 harvest was a challenge, and it was not

22 “climats”, a vineyard or a vineyard plot in Burgundian parlance, in Pouilly-Fuissé in southern Burgundy can from now on put “premier cru” on the label. It has taken ten years since the process started,

What do consumers want to know about the wine they are about to buy? Do they want a detailed table of contents? No, it doesn’t seem that way if one is to believe a survey

The California Wine Institute will support restaurants around Europe by highlighting Californian wine in November. At restaurants in eight different countries, wines from California will be combined with special menus. Many of the wines will

Many people have ageing-mania. The refreshing flavours of a young wine are undervalued. When we taste wine with travellers on our tours, this question always pops up: “How long can I age this wine?” Should

Perhaps this will be the first major wine fair post-Covid-19. If nothing unforeseen happens. Millésime Bio is scheduled to take place on January 25-27 in Montpellier in the south of France. It is a very

There is an interest today in many wine countries for old, forgotten, grape varieties. Since 1990, the Technical Institute of Agriculture in the region of Castilla y León in Spain (ITACYL) has been conducting research

Kullabergs Vingård (Winery) in the south of Sweden received a gold medal in AWC Vienna, a wine competition, with a wine called K 2018. The winery also had three silver medals for the wines Immelen

Patagonia’s glaciers are melting alarmingly fast. Viña San Pedro in Chile will soon launch a wine to support Glaciares Chilenos, a non-profit association that works to protect Patagonia’s glaciers. The wine is called South Cause

In some places, the harvest started earlier than ever this year. Overall, the quality of the grapes has been exceptional. In Champagne, they started picking already on August 17. The quality of the grapes was

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,

Pinot noir has a reputation for being a difficult grape, yet it is found in many places around the world. Maybe the grape isn’t so tricky after all if you free yourself from the idea

The National Wine Day is celebrated in Moldova the first week-end in October. This is an 18 years tradition. Wine lovers from all over the world can over two days taste wines from around 60

–– The newsletter on wine and wine travel –– –– Read by wine lovers and wine professionals all over the world –– –– On the

Oak barrel ageing is today important when it comes to a certain category of red and white wines in the upper echelons. If you talk

There are many beautiful wine regions in the Languedoc. La Clape, near the town of Narbonne, is one of them. Château de Figuières is situated

Many a bottle of port will be opened over Christmas. We recommend some of our favourites. Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port 2008 (~30 euro). Fonseca is

Some inspiration and recommendations for the end-of-year festivities. Or for some other occasion: For Christmas and New Year, we recommend bubbles from all corners of

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

Four delicious wines that give to someone for Christmas, or to drink yourself. Sauska Tokaji Furmint 2019 (~10 euro). The Hungarian region of Tokaj is

Viognier has its “home” in the Rhône district, in the two small appellations Condrieu and Château Grillet. Until the end of the 20th century, it

A large study that lasted for thirteen years shows that biodiversity in the vineyard is a good thing that pays off. If a vineyard is

–– The newsletter on wine and wine travel –– –– Read by wine lovers and wine professionals all over the world –– –– On the

We meet many fantastic and talented winemakers on our wine tours around the world. (You can watch video interviews with many of them on the

The Torres family’s most spectacular vineyard is called Tremp and is located at an altitude of 950 meters up in the mountains, north-west of Barcelona.

In France, there are lots of small wine shops, but the majority of all wine is sold in supermarkets. This is especially true of Champagne

There are different ways to work sustainably and environmentally friendly. Some producers have noted consumers’ fear of pesticide residues in the wine. One path to

Birds munching on ripe grapes can be a big problem in the vineyards. We have seen it in New Zealand and South Africa; it occurs

On October 27, OIV Secretary-General Pau Roca presented the first estimates of the world wine production in 2020. Volumes in the EU were lower than

Wild yeast or cultivated yeast? That is the eternal question right now, or at least one can get that impression in certain discussions. It seems

One of our very few autumn wine tours went to the Douro Valley in late October. All the winemakers we met agreed on one thing:

22 “climats”, a vineyard or a vineyard plot in Burgundian parlance, in Pouilly-Fuissé in southern Burgundy can from now on put “premier cru” on the

What do consumers want to know about the wine they are about to buy? Do they want a detailed table of contents? No, it doesn’t

The California Wine Institute will support restaurants around Europe by highlighting Californian wine in November. At restaurants in eight different countries, wines from California will

Many people have ageing-mania. The refreshing flavours of a young wine are undervalued. When we taste wine with travellers on our tours, this question always

Perhaps this will be the first major wine fair post-Covid-19. If nothing unforeseen happens. Millésime Bio is scheduled to take place on January 25-27 in

There is an interest today in many wine countries for old, forgotten, grape varieties. Since 1990, the Technical Institute of Agriculture in the region of

Kullabergs Vingård (Winery) in the south of Sweden received a gold medal in AWC Vienna, a wine competition, with a wine called K 2018. The

Patagonia’s glaciers are melting alarmingly fast. Viña San Pedro in Chile will soon launch a wine to support Glaciares Chilenos, a non-profit association that works

In some places, the harvest started earlier than ever this year. Overall, the quality of the grapes has been exceptional. In Champagne, they started picking

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

Pinot noir has a reputation for being a difficult grape, yet it is found in many places around the world. Maybe the grape isn’t so

The National Wine Day is celebrated in Moldova the first week-end in October. This is an 18 years tradition. Wine lovers from all over the
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