This is a small and beautiful estate, situated very close to the pretty town of Saint Emilion. The wines here, made with merlot as the main grape variety, are classic Bordeaux wines that age beautifully
This is a very pleasant viognier from well known Rhône Valley producer Michel Chapoutier. He is based in Tain l’Hermitage but for this wine he has moved over to the other side of the river
More and more producers are rebuilding their cellars and are replacing stainless steel vats with concrete fermentation vats. And some of those who couldn’t afford to buy stainless steel vats and had to make do
Gute Winery’s gold medal winning grappa plays role in Swedish crime book I was sitting lazily reading a Swedish crime novel on the balcony the other day. The book was “The Alchemy’s Eternal Fire” by
Le Conte des Floris is a small, high quality estate in Languedoc, in the village of Caux, close to Pezenas. Daniel Le Conte des Floris is a relative newcomer to the business, he started his
In our March Brief we wrote that the habit of burning sulphur inside oak barrels to disinfect them is in danger of being banned. Because sulphur tablets are classified as biocides you need an authorization
Wine cooperatives are strong in France and especially in Languedoc-Roussillon where you find 70 % of them. Here are some interesting figures from the Fédération des Vignerons Coopérateurs Languedoc-Roussillon (Languedoc-Roussillon accounts for approximately 35 %
To have a “coup de cœur” in French means that you instantly fall in love with something, it could be anything, for instance a wine. In the wine competition “Coup de Cœur des femmes journalistes”
Rosé – the Provence speciality: People drink rosé in the summer, preferably well chilled and sitting on a shaded terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. What is in your glass is really not that important. This is
Confédération française des vins de pays (CFVDP, an association for French Vin de Pays-producers) had a congress earlier this June and they discussed among other things the discontinuing of subsidies to enrich wines with concentrated
This winter was harsh in many parts of France. The vines can handle quite cold temperatures in winter time and it is rare that it gets so cold in France that they do not survive.
Coulure has been a problem in the French vineyards this year. But a bigger problem is probably the downy mildew. According to La Vigne, the mildew attacks started early this year in Burgundy, already at
From this year EU countries as well as Canada require that wine labels provide information about contents in the wine that can cause allergic reactions (allergens). It is already compulsory to mention on the label
After a hard winter the wine growers had hoped for a nice spring and early summer. But instead, diseases have spread in the vineyards. La Vigne informs about cool and rainy weather during flowering, which
I could not help but to nominate an “olive of the month” after having tasted the green olive “Lucques” by the cooperative L’Oulibo in Bize-Minervois. Lucques has a characteristic, elongated shape and should preferably be
Château St Jacques d’Albas in Laure-Minervois is run by Englishman Graham Nutter and his French wife Beatrice. They came here a few years ago, “when everything was in ruins” and now they have a beautifully
“The Lallemand Malolactic Fermentation Wine Competition 2012″ – This is probably the most original wine competition that we have heard of. It was organized for the second time by chemical company Lallemand in Madrid in
Les Violettes 2011 Domaine Montirius Vin de Pays de Vaucluse Les Violettes is a new wine from this excellent and biodynamic producer in the southern Rhone Valley. The wine is 100% syrah and has the
Petit Chablis 2010 Domaine Sainte Claire Jean-Marc Brocard Very pleasant Chablis with crispy freshness and aromas of citrus. Good length and more body than you would expect. Petit Chablis may be the lowest of the
We made a very pleasant discovery in the 20th arrondissement in Paris the other day. It is a wine shop/wine bar called Au Nouveau Nez (which is a play with words, the name means “
In the small village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ a few kilometres east of Epernay, we find Champagne Philipponnat in a handsome house with a magnificent gate. Philipponnat is a small, high-quality champagne house. It owns 17 hectares
Nothing new under the sun… Or: Dusting off the clay pots for winemaking The amphora is back. The ancient way of making and storing wine in clay amphora, like the Greeks and the Romans did,
Speaking of Coteaux Bourguignons (see other news item yesterday) as a name for an appellation, the trend in recent years in France has rather been to get rid of words like “coteaux” and “côte”. Côtes
A new appellation has been born in Burgundy. Or rather, an old appellation has changed its name and its profile. The old name was AOC Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire, or BGO. A wonderful name, I have
On May 6, new rules were published for the labeling of wines in France. The rules come into force on 1st of July. The ministries involved, writes La Vigne, have taken quite some time to
The producers of the Languedoc has now received its long-awaited permission from the Ministry of Agriculture to start growing, on an experimental basis, new grape varieties that are developed to be resistant against powdery mildew
In this brief we write about several wine competitions. One is very special, almost a curiosity: A competition to nominate the wine with the most successful (or best) malolactic fermentation. I wonder how you judge
We heard about the Diam closure for the first time about five years ago. We attended a tasting with some Champagne producers who all had tried a natural cork called Mytik, which is Diams counterpart
“The vineyard is our bank savings so we must protect it,” says Giusto Occhipinti at COS winery in Sicily. He founded COS with two friends in the early 1980’s. “I had to go to school
In France, women buy the food and men the wine. Of course, with some generalization, but in La Vigne, we read of a survey conducted by the company SymphonyIRI showing that 55% of wine buyers
This is a small and beautiful estate, situated very close to the pretty town of Saint Emilion. The wines here, made with merlot as the
This is a very pleasant viognier from well known Rhône Valley producer Michel Chapoutier. He is based in Tain l’Hermitage but for this wine he
More and more producers are rebuilding their cellars and are replacing stainless steel vats with concrete fermentation vats. And some of those who couldn’t afford
Gute Winery’s gold medal winning grappa plays role in Swedish crime book I was sitting lazily reading a Swedish crime novel on the balcony the
Le Conte des Floris is a small, high quality estate in Languedoc, in the village of Caux, close to Pezenas. Daniel Le Conte des Floris
In our March Brief we wrote that the habit of burning sulphur inside oak barrels to disinfect them is in danger of being banned. Because
Wine cooperatives are strong in France and especially in Languedoc-Roussillon where you find 70 % of them. Here are some interesting figures from the Fédération
To have a “coup de cœur” in French means that you instantly fall in love with something, it could be anything, for instance a wine.
Rosé – the Provence speciality: People drink rosé in the summer, preferably well chilled and sitting on a shaded terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. What is
Confédération française des vins de pays (CFVDP, an association for French Vin de Pays-producers) had a congress earlier this June and they discussed among other
This winter was harsh in many parts of France. The vines can handle quite cold temperatures in winter time and it is rare that it
Coulure has been a problem in the French vineyards this year. But a bigger problem is probably the downy mildew. According to La Vigne, the
From this year EU countries as well as Canada require that wine labels provide information about contents in the wine that can cause allergic reactions
After a hard winter the wine growers had hoped for a nice spring and early summer. But instead, diseases have spread in the vineyards. La
I could not help but to nominate an “olive of the month” after having tasted the green olive “Lucques” by the cooperative L’Oulibo in Bize-Minervois.
Château St Jacques d’Albas in Laure-Minervois is run by Englishman Graham Nutter and his French wife Beatrice. They came here a few years ago, “when
“The Lallemand Malolactic Fermentation Wine Competition 2012″ – This is probably the most original wine competition that we have heard of. It was organized for
Les Violettes 2011 Domaine Montirius Vin de Pays de Vaucluse Les Violettes is a new wine from this excellent and biodynamic producer in the southern
Petit Chablis 2010 Domaine Sainte Claire Jean-Marc Brocard Very pleasant Chablis with crispy freshness and aromas of citrus. Good length and more body than you
We made a very pleasant discovery in the 20th arrondissement in Paris the other day. It is a wine shop/wine bar called Au Nouveau Nez
In the small village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ a few kilometres east of Epernay, we find Champagne Philipponnat in a handsome house with a magnificent gate. Philipponnat
Nothing new under the sun… Or: Dusting off the clay pots for winemaking The amphora is back. The ancient way of making and storing wine
Speaking of Coteaux Bourguignons (see other news item yesterday) as a name for an appellation, the trend in recent years in France has rather been
A new appellation has been born in Burgundy. Or rather, an old appellation has changed its name and its profile. The old name was AOC
On May 6, new rules were published for the labeling of wines in France. The rules come into force on 1st of July. The ministries
The producers of the Languedoc has now received its long-awaited permission from the Ministry of Agriculture to start growing, on an experimental basis, new grape
In this brief we write about several wine competitions. One is very special, almost a curiosity: A competition to nominate the wine with the most
We heard about the Diam closure for the first time about five years ago. We attended a tasting with some Champagne producers who all had
“The vineyard is our bank savings so we must protect it,” says Giusto Occhipinti at COS winery in Sicily. He founded COS with two friends
In France, women buy the food and men the wine. Of course, with some generalization, but in La Vigne, we read of a survey conducted
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