Are we wine consumers ready to stand up for our environmental commitment? Or are we merely paying lip service? A trend for 2020 will undoubtedly be the continued focus on organic and sustainable wines. Many countries’ wine drinkers clearly show that they want more and more organic wines. Demand is expected to increase dramatically in […]
Are we wine consumers ready to stand up for our environmental commitment? Or are we merely paying lip service? A trend for 2020 will undoubtedly be the continued focus on organic and sustainable wines. Many countries’ wine drinkers clearly show that they want more and more organic wines. Demand is expected to increase dramatically in […]
It is inevitable to be wow-ed when you come to the Douro Valley. It is one of the world’s most spectacular wine regions. These days they make both excellent “table” wines and the famous fortified port wines. We are frequent visitors to the Douro Valley. The Douro is one of our most popular travel destinations […]
The 2020 edition of the excellent wine guide “Platter’s South African Wine Guide” was launched in November. A total of 125 wines and one brandy received the coveted 5 stars. “Editor’s Award Winery of the Year” went to the well-known Boekenhoutskloof in Franschhoek. “Best newcomer of the year” was Pieter Ferreira Cap Classique. Pieter Ferreira […]
Our latest book “Languedoc-Roussillon, Wines From The South of France” (Languedoc-Roussillon, södra Frankrikes viner) has been named Drinks Book of the Year 2019 (it actually happened a couple of months ago). Not the best wine book as such, but the best book in Sweden about any kind of drink, wine, spirits, tea, coffee, water. So […]
What does it really cost to convert to organic farming? It is sometimes said that “certification is expensive so the producer X works organically but does not certify”. That’s not correct. The certification is a marginal cost. But what about the rest? A French report from consulting firm CerFrance Gard tries to work it out. […]
Every year, over 2 billion Diam corks are sold, so chances are you will now and then pull one out of your wine bottle. Diam Bouchage is a French company that 12 years ago introduced a technical invention that eliminates the molecule responsible for the annoying cork taste (2,4,6-trichloroanisole, TCA) from cork granules. Diam could […]
In the November Brief, we wrote about an article on Scandinavian wines in the New York Times. We recounted, among other things, a quote by Sveneric Svensson, chairman of the Swedish Wine Association, uniting many of the Swedish wine producers. Sveneric sent us an email immediately after he read the newsletter to refute this quote. […]
How much does a grape name on the label really mean? A lot. At least some people think so. During the international Chenin Blanc congress that took place in Angers in July, there was much talk about the importance of providing consumers with information on the label and what added value it provides. The still […]
Not all grape varieties are so famous that Lady Gaga writes a song about them, but pinot grigio is. The north-eastern corner of Italy is the regions where most pinot grigio is produced in the whole world. Now the three regions Veneto, Friuli and Trentino are investing in common cause for pinot grigio to keep […]
Every year, the Swedish food magazine “Allt Om Mat” (Everything About Food) selects a winery for the “Golden Glass” trophy, an award that goes to a winery that has distinguished itself for high quality and that is available to consumers in Sweden. In 2019 the award went to Musella in the Italian region of Valpolicella. […]
Will there soon be a requirement for wines to list the ingredients on the label? The issue has been debated in recent years. (Just to be clear: it is not forbidden to have a declaration of contents, it’s just not compulsory.) Many consumers ask themselves why alcoholic beverages are exempt from the rule that all […]
A little brother is always a little brother. Even as he grows up, catching up with his big brother, borrowing his moped and kissing his girlfriend. Anyone who is knowledgeable enough to put Gigondas on the map will then point to neighbouring Châteauneuf du Pape. If the Gigondas vineyards cover 1,230 ha, big brother’s is […]
Anniversary wines to drink in 2020 It is always a surprise to notice that you are coming to the end of a year – and of a decade – even if, as a fine wine merchant, you are expected to keep an eye on years (or vintages) that come and go. If, like me, you […]
27 appellations in the Anjou and Saumur regions in the Loire Valley have recently published their new rules and regulations. The big news is that they all now prohibit chemical weed removal. These 27 AOPs together have 18,000 hectares. In the current climate of sustainability awareness more and more wineries reduce spraying with chemical herbicides. […]
One should not make the mistake to believe that cava is a cheap alternative to champagne. No more than that sancerre is a cheap version of white burgundy (or vice versa). No, cava is its very own wine style, own grape varieties, own terroir. Why not make an inspired and slightly different choice for New […]
No French dinner is complete without a good cheese. At Christmas, the cheese will probably be a vacherin de mont d’or, an AOP cheese from the Jura mountains. This is a true Christmas cheese and much loved by the French. It is only produced in the autumn and winter. In the spring and summer, the […]
Do you need some inspiration to fins a different bubbly for the festivities (you don’t really need any help to find the big brands, do you?)? Here are a few sparkling wines that we recommend. Champagne Bonnet-Ponson Seconde Nature, ~45 euro. Cyril Bonnet is a very talented winemaker. No sulphur, no dosage. But a lot […]
The wine world’s vague and hard-to-explain words There are difficult words in the world of wine. It may not be obvious to know exactly what is acetaldehyde, tangential filter or sexual confusion. But these words have a very well-defined meaning. Just look them up in a book. But there are also words that people use […]
The wine world’s vague and hard-to-explain words There are difficult words in the world of wine. It may not be obvious to know exactly what is acetaldehyde, tangential filter or sexual confusion. But these words have a very well-defined meaning. Just look them up in a book. But there are also words that people use […]
Scandinavian wines have received a great deal of attention in the international press lately. Like most other journalists, Eric Asimov, in his long article in the New York Times, points out that climate change makes it possible to commercially make wine in Scandinavia. But he also admits that this doesn’t make it easy. Climate change […]
When it is Christmas in Italy, the eternal question is whether it should be pandoro or panettone. The high, sponge-cake-like cake sold in colourful cardboard boxes in every shop from supermercato to small delicatessen shops is a must. But should it be pandoro or panettone? And what is the difference? “Mom, this year, can we […]
The now well-known wine fair for organic wines, Millésime Bio, will take place on 27-29 January 2020 in Montpellier. All exhibitors must be organically certified. Being under conversion is no longer enough. There are now far too many producers who want to exhibit. The number of exhibitors – 1200 in 2020 – is increasing every […]
Recently Uco Valley, in the southernmost part of Mendoza, received its fifth geographical designation of origin, identificación geográfica (IG) in Spanish. It is San Pablo, where the vines grow in rocky soil at high altitude, between 1100 and 1700 meters above sea level. The other IGs in Uco are Paraje Altamira, which has a unique […]
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, or other occasions. We describe the wines just with a few short sentences, tasting notes that we hope will give […]
There is a wine region in France that is really doing well at the moment. And that is Cognac. Sales increased in 2018 for the fifth consecutive year. 205 million bottles of cognac were exported. This equates to 98% of the entire production. The United States buys 94 million bottles annually and is the largest […]
Whatever reason you might have to go visit Moldova, you wouldn’t want to miss the cellars of Cricova and Milestii Mici. These cellars, often called caves actually, are amazing places, whole underground cities. They are an attraction in themselves that you don’t have to be a wine lover to appreciate. Cricova and Milestii Mici are […]
Forty years ago, in 1979, the Spanish Torres family began making wine in Chile, in the small region of Curicó, 200 kilometres south of Santiago. At that time, Chile’s viticulture was still in its infancy and there is no doubt that Torres in various ways helped to accelerate development. Torres introduced new, modern production methods, […]
A wine tour is so much more than a “regular” tour or a normal holiday. A wine tour with BKWine is a unique experience where you get to meet the people behind the wine, enjoy the beautiful nature and of course also savour many good wines and top-quality food. It is a gift that will […]
Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) was founded in 2018 by a number of wine producers who wanted to protect their region’s reputation, which, they thought, was about to be eroded by cheap bulk wine exports. Now AMW is registered as a trademark also in North America, Asia and Europe. The association has 49 members. Although the […]
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