Blaye in Bordeaux becomes Blavia?!
2026-03-05
Wise or not? The Bordeaux appellation Blaye AOC wants to change its name to Blavia. It does sound a bit strange, at least until you get used to it. It is, some say, the nuclear
Wise or not? The Bordeaux appellation Blaye AOC wants to change its name to Blavia. It does sound a bit strange, at least until you get used to it. It is, some say, the nuclear
Chile is dominated by large producers (more on that below), but it is with all the others that you can find special experiences. Here are some examples, inspired by our recently completed wine tour in
We are living tough and uncertain times. Traditional peace-keeping frameworks are put in danger by America. The USA is waging a destructive trade war against almost everyone, something that will make life more expensive for
— When wine is too cheap — What is the right price for a wine? It depends on the perspective from which you look at it. For the consumer, it is a price that makes
The first French appellation (appellation d’origine contrôlée, AOC) was created in 1936, so in 2026 it will celebrate its 90th anniversary. It is a rather surprising list of six appellations that were created first, on
There are far more exciting producers in Mendoza than you might think. Most export markets are dominated by the three-four giant producers (I’m sure you know the names). It is often difficult to find smaller,
In less than a week, the big wine fair Wine Paris / Vinexpo opens its doors. If you have not already planned a visit there, there is still time. It is a purely professional fair
At home, we like to drink vermouth when it is time for an aperitif. Although vermouth is essentially a fortified wine flavoured with herbs and spices, it can taste very different. A Martini Rosso or
Munskänkarna, a Swedish wine lovers’ association with almost 30,000 members, have just announced their choice as “Wine Region of the Year”. It is Bierzo. It is a way of highlighting a district that they think
Sometimes you find yourself in a city where you need to spend a few hours until leaving. You have a suitcase with you. But you really don’t want to lug your baggage around town while
Inspired by our wine tour to Tuscany at the beginning of the season, I have put together some tips for good wines from this beautiful wine region: Chianti Classico Nuovo, Fattoria Poggerino, 2022 A family-owned
On our New Zealand tour, from north to south, we see a lot of New Zealand’s landscape. Beautiful, sometimes spectacular. Perhaps the most extraordinary is Mount Cook Aoraki, New Zealand’s highest mountain and the pride
In June, we had a few wonderful days on the Portuguese Atlantic coast. But we weren’t there to swim and sunbathe, or even to taste wine. We were in Cascais because the Gourmand World Cookbook
Taking over at a historic wine estate from a legendary winemaker cannot be easy, and for the moment, father and son work together, Francesco Marone Cinzano and his son Santiago at Col d’Orcia in Brunello
Commandaria is a legendary wine. It has a longer history than most wines, if not all other wines. The name comes from the time of the crusaders and it was already then famous across the
Yes, cellar-door sales of wine, spirits and beer are still illegal but will become legal on June 1. But… In mid-April, the Riksdag voted yes to “farm sales”. This means that from June 1, it
Support for “farm sales” (cellar-door sales at wineries, currently forbidden), a current hot-potato issue in Sweden, has increased in Sweden, according to the recent “SOM survey” conducted at the University of Gothenburg. Despite the intensive
One of the advantages of having a monopoly (the only?) is that they publish some interesting statistics, e.g. sales statistics per price segment. On the Swedish monopoly Systembolaget’s website, you can see how much wine
Systembolaget’s wine sales (*) fell by 1% in 2024 to 206 million litres. (*) = wine excluding fortified wine. This continues the trend since the Covid rush in 2020, when wine sales increased by 9.2%.
Systembolaget, the Swedish alcohol monopoly, is a company (owned by the state) and not a government agency. Naturally, Systembolaget aims to generate a profit (which they used to claim was not the case), and since
High-altitude wines is one of the popular trends in the world of wine today. The idea is, above all, that growing at high altitudes provides a cooler climate, which is good in a world with
Chateau Kamnik is one of the first wineries in North Macedonia to become internationally known and acclaimed. It is conveniently located on the edge of the capital Skopje. It is also one of the first
Not long ago returned from this year’s wine tour to Argentina and Chile, we are inspired to recommend some wines from these two exciting wine countries, wines of good quality, particularly interesting, perhaps original, and
It is no surprise that the best-sellers at Systembolaget are bag-in-box wines. More than half of all wine is sold in bib in Sweden. But it is surprising that the first bottled wine comes in
A little while back, we returned from this year’s wine tour to South Africa. It is a fantastic wine country and on-site you experience what a dynamic country it is with lots of exciting things
Chile is a very long country, 4000 km from north to south. It is also narrow and borders the cold Pacific Ocean to the west and the Andes Mountain range to the east. All this
OIV (The International Organization of Vine and Wine) organised a photo contest in connection with its centenary (see separate news item), called The OIV Centenary Photo Contest Pau Roca. The competition is named after the
The pinotage grape turns 100 years old this year, as we note in another post. This is obviously a good reason to celebrate with a glass (and maybe discover that old story about “bakelite” or
The OIV (The International Organisation of Vine and Wine) was founded 100 years ago. Congratulations! OIV fulfils an essential function in the world of wine. The organisation currently has 50 countries as members, in other
Wise or not? The Bordeaux appellation Blaye AOC wants to change its name to Blavia. It does sound a bit strange, at least until you
Chile is dominated by large producers (more on that below), but it is with all the others that you can find special experiences. Here are
We are living tough and uncertain times. Traditional peace-keeping frameworks are put in danger by America. The USA is waging a destructive trade war against
— When wine is too cheap — What is the right price for a wine? It depends on the perspective from which you look at
The first French appellation (appellation d’origine contrôlée, AOC) was created in 1936, so in 2026 it will celebrate its 90th anniversary. It is a rather
There are far more exciting producers in Mendoza than you might think. Most export markets are dominated by the three-four giant producers (I’m sure you
In less than a week, the big wine fair Wine Paris / Vinexpo opens its doors. If you have not already planned a visit there,
At home, we like to drink vermouth when it is time for an aperitif. Although vermouth is essentially a fortified wine flavoured with herbs and
Munskänkarna, a Swedish wine lovers’ association with almost 30,000 members, have just announced their choice as “Wine Region of the Year”. It is Bierzo. It
Sometimes you find yourself in a city where you need to spend a few hours until leaving. You have a suitcase with you. But you
Inspired by our wine tour to Tuscany at the beginning of the season, I have put together some tips for good wines from this beautiful
On our New Zealand tour, from north to south, we see a lot of New Zealand’s landscape. Beautiful, sometimes spectacular. Perhaps the most extraordinary is
In June, we had a few wonderful days on the Portuguese Atlantic coast. But we weren’t there to swim and sunbathe, or even to taste
Taking over at a historic wine estate from a legendary winemaker cannot be easy, and for the moment, father and son work together, Francesco Marone
Commandaria is a legendary wine. It has a longer history than most wines, if not all other wines. The name comes from the time of
Yes, cellar-door sales of wine, spirits and beer are still illegal but will become legal on June 1. But… In mid-April, the Riksdag voted yes
Support for “farm sales” (cellar-door sales at wineries, currently forbidden), a current hot-potato issue in Sweden, has increased in Sweden, according to the recent “SOM
One of the advantages of having a monopoly (the only?) is that they publish some interesting statistics, e.g. sales statistics per price segment. On the
Systembolaget’s wine sales (*) fell by 1% in 2024 to 206 million litres. (*) = wine excluding fortified wine. This continues the trend since the
Systembolaget, the Swedish alcohol monopoly, is a company (owned by the state) and not a government agency. Naturally, Systembolaget aims to generate a profit (which
High-altitude wines is one of the popular trends in the world of wine today. The idea is, above all, that growing at high altitudes provides
Chateau Kamnik is one of the first wineries in North Macedonia to become internationally known and acclaimed. It is conveniently located on the edge of
Not long ago returned from this year’s wine tour to Argentina and Chile, we are inspired to recommend some wines from these two exciting wine
It is no surprise that the best-sellers at Systembolaget are bag-in-box wines. More than half of all wine is sold in bib in Sweden. But
A little while back, we returned from this year’s wine tour to South Africa. It is a fantastic wine country and on-site you experience what
Chile is a very long country, 4000 km from north to south. It is also narrow and borders the cold Pacific Ocean to the west
OIV (The International Organization of Vine and Wine) organised a photo contest in connection with its centenary (see separate news item), called The OIV Centenary
The pinotage grape turns 100 years old this year, as we note in another post. This is obviously a good reason to celebrate with a
The OIV (The International Organisation of Vine and Wine) was founded 100 years ago. Congratulations! OIV fulfils an essential function in the world of wine.
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