It is summer time and people drink tons of rosé wines. In 2014 the world produced a total of 24.3 million hectolitres of rosé (sparkling rosé not included). This was a rise by 16% from
I came across some interesting statistics about Italy a while ago. It shows how the Italian vine acreage has decreased over the past 40 years. The decrease is dramatic. In 1970 there were 1.3 million
The Rhone Valley in southern France is a fantastic source of good wines. Most of the wines are full-bodied and spicy. On a warm summer day you should drink them slightly chilled (16C) to underline
Despite persistent attempts by France to bring about a ban, it is still permissible for Californian winemakers, under certain circumstances, to call their sparkling wine “California Champagne” (but not within the EU of course!). At
Black-rot is a difficult fungal disease that affects the vines when rainfall is plentiful. And it has been plentiful, so say the least, in France this spring and early summer. Black-rot (as it is called
Frequent readers of the Brief know that we are very fond of Grenache. It is one of the world’s most widely planted grapes but it is very much a grape that works behind the scenes.
The respect for a fine wine Wine drinking has been democratized in the last 50 years. There are today wines in all price ranges, for all budgets, for all kinds of consumers. Screwcaps and bag
Domaine Turner Pageot is a small winery in the village of Gabian. It is run by the very enthusiastic Emmanuel Pageot and his wife Karen Turner, who is also winemaker at the well-known Prieuré Saint-Jean-de-Bébian.
Portugal has a treasure trove of outstanding wines but few – far too few – find their way outside of Portugal. One of the few that is known all over the world is Periquita from
In 1936 the first appellations (AOC, appellation d’origine contrôlée) were awarded to 75 wine regions in France. The very first appellations were confirmed on 15 May 1936. It was Arbois, Cassis, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Tavel and Monbazillac.
Germans love bubbles. They drink more sparkling wine than any other nationality in the world, 2.9 million hectolitres, which is 4.7 bottles per person. In second place is Russia with 2.4 Mhl and in third
Dansk Vincenter (Danish Wine Center) in Advedøre outside Copenhagen is once again this year organising a Rhône Wine festival in September, more specifically, on Saturday 17 September. It is a festival for “those who love
There is a lot of talk about English wine at the moment. Not least of the sparkling wine that makes headlines every other day. Either it is champagne houses that invest in English vineyards or
Last year’s harvest was the earliest anyone had ever experienced in Rioja. And the fastest. The harvest in Rioja usually takes two months. In 2015 it took the four weeks. Moreover, it was a very
Is that appropriate? No, it’s not about drinking wine, it is more about learning about wine. A senator in the Italian parliament has proposed a law that makes it mandatory to teach schoolchildren of the
Aimé Guibert, quality pioneer in Languedoc, has died at 91 years of age. He founded his property Mas de Daumas Gassac outside Aniane in Languedoc in the 1970s. 1978 was the first vintage. Guibert focused
One of our favourites in South Africa is Rickety Bridge in Franschhoek, a winery that we always have on the itinerary for our SA wine tours. Their Foundation Stone White is made primarily from Chenin
Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany has celebrated its fiftieth birthday as a DOC. It was in 1966 that the wine, as one of the first in Italy, received its denomination of origin. Brunello currently has
Britt’s Wines of the Month come from (another) one of our favourite chateaux in Bordeaux, Chateau Carsin in Rions in Entre-deux-Mers. The chateau is owned since the 1990s by Juha Berglund from Finland. He now
It has been a cold spring in northern France. For growers in Chablis and the Côte d’Or this turned into something really bad during the night between April 26 and 27. It was a frosty
The debate around glyphosate continues. The product is used as an herbicide, in for instance Roundup. It has been, since a while back, on EU’s list of unsafe products that maybe should be phased out.
Hailstorms have again, a little while back, destroyed a part of the future harvest 2016 for growers in Beaujolais and Mâconnais. It was on the 13th and 14th of April that some villages, including Solutré-Pouilly
Sweden has once again a world champion sommelier. The last time it was Andreas Larsson, who won in 2007. Now it was Arvid Rosengren who triumphed in Mendoza, Argentina, on 19th of April. Another Swede,
The wine grower has to take many decisions concerning the work in the vineyard. All decisions may affect the quality of the wine. So it is important that he makes the right decisions. Soon, the
The Champagne trade association Comité Champagne (CIVC) has recently published the 2015 export figures for champagne. Britain is still the country that imports the greatest volume of champagne while the United States is the number
One of our favourite chateaux in Bordeaux, the beautiful Château de la Dauphine in Fronsac, will be certified organic from vintage 2015, now resting in the chateau cellar. We have visited the chateau on a
France imports more wine than you might think. Last year the country imported a record amount of wine and most of it was cheap bulk wine from Spain. In total France imported 7.2 million hectolitres
Grenache is one of the world’s most widely grown grape varieties. And one of our favourite grapes.It is found mainly in southern France and in Spain (Garnacha), but also in several other countries such as
In last brief we wrote about how to describe a wine in a way that makes people understand what you mean. We have received some comments from readers that we would like to share with
The copper doses are a constant headache for organic growers. The French authority ANSES (a food and health authority) and the European Commission want to reduce the permitted level from 6 kilogram per hectare and
It is summer time and people drink tons of rosé wines. In 2014 the world produced a total of 24.3 million hectolitres of rosé (sparkling
I came across some interesting statistics about Italy a while ago. It shows how the Italian vine acreage has decreased over the past 40 years.
The Rhone Valley in southern France is a fantastic source of good wines. Most of the wines are full-bodied and spicy. On a warm summer
Despite persistent attempts by France to bring about a ban, it is still permissible for Californian winemakers, under certain circumstances, to call their sparkling wine
Black-rot is a difficult fungal disease that affects the vines when rainfall is plentiful. And it has been plentiful, so say the least, in France
Frequent readers of the Brief know that we are very fond of Grenache. It is one of the world’s most widely planted grapes but it
The respect for a fine wine Wine drinking has been democratized in the last 50 years. There are today wines in all price ranges, for
Domaine Turner Pageot is a small winery in the village of Gabian. It is run by the very enthusiastic Emmanuel Pageot and his wife Karen
Portugal has a treasure trove of outstanding wines but few – far too few – find their way outside of Portugal. One of the few
In 1936 the first appellations (AOC, appellation d’origine contrôlée) were awarded to 75 wine regions in France. The very first appellations were confirmed on 15
Germans love bubbles. They drink more sparkling wine than any other nationality in the world, 2.9 million hectolitres, which is 4.7 bottles per person. In
Dansk Vincenter (Danish Wine Center) in Advedøre outside Copenhagen is once again this year organising a Rhône Wine festival in September, more specifically, on Saturday
There is a lot of talk about English wine at the moment. Not least of the sparkling wine that makes headlines every other day. Either
Last year’s harvest was the earliest anyone had ever experienced in Rioja. And the fastest. The harvest in Rioja usually takes two months. In 2015
Is that appropriate? No, it’s not about drinking wine, it is more about learning about wine. A senator in the Italian parliament has proposed a
Aimé Guibert, quality pioneer in Languedoc, has died at 91 years of age. He founded his property Mas de Daumas Gassac outside Aniane in Languedoc
One of our favourites in South Africa is Rickety Bridge in Franschhoek, a winery that we always have on the itinerary for our SA wine
Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany has celebrated its fiftieth birthday as a DOC. It was in 1966 that the wine, as one of the first
Britt’s Wines of the Month come from (another) one of our favourite chateaux in Bordeaux, Chateau Carsin in Rions in Entre-deux-Mers. The chateau is owned
It has been a cold spring in northern France. For growers in Chablis and the Côte d’Or this turned into something really bad during the
The debate around glyphosate continues. The product is used as an herbicide, in for instance Roundup. It has been, since a while back, on EU’s
Hailstorms have again, a little while back, destroyed a part of the future harvest 2016 for growers in Beaujolais and Mâconnais. It was on the
Sweden has once again a world champion sommelier. The last time it was Andreas Larsson, who won in 2007. Now it was Arvid Rosengren who
The wine grower has to take many decisions concerning the work in the vineyard. All decisions may affect the quality of the wine. So it
The Champagne trade association Comité Champagne (CIVC) has recently published the 2015 export figures for champagne. Britain is still the country that imports the greatest
One of our favourite chateaux in Bordeaux, the beautiful Château de la Dauphine in Fronsac, will be certified organic from vintage 2015, now resting in
France imports more wine than you might think. Last year the country imported a record amount of wine and most of it was cheap bulk
Grenache is one of the world’s most widely grown grape varieties. And one of our favourite grapes.It is found mainly in southern France and in
In last brief we wrote about how to describe a wine in a way that makes people understand what you mean. We have received some
The copper doses are a constant headache for organic growers. The French authority ANSES (a food and health authority) and the European Commission want to
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