Producer-Profiles
Fattoria Bini is located not far away from Florence, in a small town called Empoli in the Chianti region. A villa from the 16th century is the centrepiece of the estate. It is surrounded by vines, olive trees and a rare variety of tree species. The Fattoria Bini Chianti wines have an unmistakable Sangiovese character […]
A lot of champagnes are drunk at occasions when all that matters are the bubbles. But if you open a high quality champagne with a strong character it deserves more attention. It should actually be drunk as a “normal” wine. And why not with food? When you meet Alexandre Penet at Champagne Penet-Chardonnet in Verzy […]
The Petra winery in Val di Cornia along the Tuscan coast is making a fresh start. Today, they focus more on elegance than power. Petra presented their new wines at the end of March in Milan. BKWine Magazine´s Åsa Johansson attended the tasting. “We aim for brighter, fresher wines that better reflect our terroir,” says […]
Birgit Braunstein lives in the village of Purbach in Austria, located in the Burgenland region. Her family has a long tradition of growing grapes and making wine. The tradition goes back to the 17th century, but Birgit’s first vintage under her own name saw the light only in 1996. Since 2000, the farming has been […]
“The artist” himself, Gunter Künstler, is CEO of the company since 1992. He presented in a very humble manner six rieslings from different years and places and two spätburgunders (pinot noir). Gunter told me that there are documents showing that spätburgunder has existed in the Rheingau since the 12th century. However, Weingut Künstler’s history in […]
Pierluigi Tolaini bought a one-way ticket to Canada when he was twenty years old. When he returned to Tuscany it was for making wine. Of the highest quality. Join us on a journey between Tuscany and Canada. BKWine Magazine’s Åsa Johansson tells the story. Pierluigi Tolaini was only 20 years old when he left Tuscany […]
A winery in Gothenburg sounds like an April Fool’s joke, but it is not. Nor is it a result of that the feared climate change has made farming conditions favourable in our dear Rainy City, which would be almost as scary as prevailing world politics. This is something completely different. Wine made in Gothenburg, but […]
Lorenza Scianna is a winemaker at the wine producer Il Fondo Antico in western Sicily, not far from Marsala. She was one of the first to believe in the characteristics of the grape grillo and since 2002 she makes a wine with a hundred percent grillo called Grillo Parlante (the talking grasshopper). At the end […]
Could it be that Tokaji is more than “just” sweet botrytis with points (puttonyos)? After a tasting of a number of Chateau Cloche’s products, I can say that the answer to that question is YES! BKWine Magazine’s reporter Henrik Stadler reports from an exciting Hungarian tasting. Chateau Cloche is located in the town of Szerencs […]
The Loire Valley is short on “locomotives”, producers with an international reputation for quality. There are many, many top-quality small producers and also a few big houses and co-operatives, but none with a significant international reputation. Perhaps Ackerman is on the way to turning up the steam to pull Loire Valley wines forward. Ackerman has […]
—Piromàfo means fighting fire in Greek says Elio Minoia. It’s a stone used for ovens in the past because it resists the heat so well, he continues. Elio Minoia is a low-profile winemaker and a big smile at the winery Valle dell’Asso. The winery is located in Galatina, just outside Lecce in Salento, at the […]
Some of the most exciting wines in Bordeaux are made by the smaller chateaux, not so well-known internationally. It can be worth a small effort to seek them out and taste their wines. One such winery is Château Bernateau in Saint Emilion. It is a small family-owned winery that is both organic and high-tech. They […]
The Australian wine producer Penfolds has since 3 years launched the “wines of the year”, the year’s new launches, at one and the same time, coordinated all over the world. This year, 2017, this happened on Thursday, October 19th. When Penfolds’ representatives presented a number of this year’s wines in Stockholm, BKWine’s reporter Wilhelm Arnör […]
On October 26 Caviste launches three wines from Ferdinando Principiano on the Swedish market. The wines can certainly be interesting for wine drinkers also in other countries. It is question of three different grape varieties: dolcetto, barbera and nebbiolo. Ferdinando Principiano tries to work as naturally as possible but is not so interested in certifications. […]
A key figure behind establishing South Africa’s Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) sparkling wine is Pieter “Bubbles” Ferreira, cellar master at Graham Beck Wines in Robertson. Champagne-trained, South African inspired, Ferreira favors an elegant, crisp ‘house style’ that compliments the region’s diverse cuisine. Read the interview with Pieter Ferreira of Graham Beck here on BKWine Magazine. […]
South Africa’s magnificent sparkling wine, Methode Cap Classique If Champagne has a sibling, it may be méthode cap classique. Specific to South Africa, cap classique employs the same “traditional method” used to make champagne, whereby the second fermentation occurs in bottle. And if South Africa’s méthode cap classique sparkling wine has a ‘godfather’, it’s Pieter […]
Talking with Bruwer Raats, winemaker in South Africa The ghost of Gaston Huet looms large in the life of Bruwer Raats (pronounced brew-vay rahts) of Raats Family Wines in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Huet, an unbreakable French vigneron, survived a World War II Nazi concentration camp, then walked three days non-stop after release to make harvest […]
Domaine de Marcoux is a family property in the northern part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In addition to the exclusive chateauneuf wine, they also make côtes du rhône and vin de france, all of very good quality. On September 14, a triplet of Marcoux wines is launched on the Swedish market by Caviste, but the wines are […]
Importer Domaine Wines invited to a tasting of a red Corton from the excellent vintage 2015, bottled by the Burgundy Négociant Patriarch Père & Fils. The wine was Corton Cuvée Docteur Peste from Hospices de Beaune. First a few words about Hospices de Beaune which history starts back in 1443, when Nicolas Rolin (Chancellor of […]
Carmenere is the signature grape of Chile. Given that, one would think that it is an easy grape to grow all over Chile. But that is not the case. It is a grape that can give green or harsh characters to the wine if it does not ripen properly or is on the wrong type […]
It’s quite possible to make exciting, interesting and characterful wines from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in South Africa! Everything depends on the temperature – and the winemaker of course (as well as a whole lot else). During a visit to Paul Cluver last spring I noticed an interesting map of temperature differences between the various […]
Franschhoek can almost be too quaint, too pretty as a wine region. The wineries are dotted along the main road – the only road – along the valley like pearls on a string. They are surrounded by beautiful real estate developments where the villas have stunning views over the mountains. The village of Franschhoek itself […]
If you’ve never tasted the wines of South Africa, you need to start – now! Arguably one of the globe’s most overlooked wine regions, South Africa hammocks the continent of Africa between the Atlantic Ocean on the west, and the Indian Ocean on the East. As an emerging New World producer, South Africa enjoys some […]
It is not that much of an exaggeration to say that Ntsiki Biyela is a South African winemaking legend. She was the first female black winemaker and has been featured for example on CNN and on Forbes (and on BKWine Magazine previously). After many years as winemaker at Stellekaya in Stellenbosch Ntsiki Biyela has now […]
Lauren Ackerman attributes some of the success of Ackerman Family Vineyards in Napa on a Bill Harlan quote. When asked why he bought cult winery Screaming Eagle at a time when most people considered retiring, he answered, ”If I don’t do this now, when will I?” Ackerman, an equestrian-turned-vineyard owner, wine maker, and civic leader, […]
This is a follow-up with tasting notes to accompany the article previously published on The Walls winery: Meeting Ali Mayfield at Walls Vineyards in Walla Walla, Washington. The Walls Martin’s Gold Chardonnay 2015 Alcohol: 13.3 % Suggested Retail: $36 Specs: “Originally brought to America by Paul Masson, Martin Ray planted French Chardonnay in the Santa […]
Blame it on a darn hole-in-one. Attorney Mike Martin wasn’t looking for a bend in the road of life when he and a pal stopped off in Walla Walla a few years ago to play some golf and drink some wine en route to business in Boise. But bend it does. At Walla Walla’s Wine […]
As is tradition, Marchesi Francesco Mazzei visited Stockholm this spring. He brought his good friend Dario Ceccini, the so-called “world’s best butcher”. He orated as usual and made his show in the sign of the big piece of meat, a “bistecca alla fiorentina” of over 1 kg! The Mazzei family has been active at their […]
There are crazy wine projects. Actually, a lot of projects in the wine industry are more or less crazy. It is a business that it is very hard to survive in and it is even harder to make good money. Then there are really, really, really crazy wine projects. Harvesting grapes in Tuscany, putting them […]
“Singular terroir, estate character, noble pedigree” Sometimes a winery doesn’t just surprise you – it knocks you on your palate. I discovered such a winery by happy accident while tasting wines from another country, Achaval-Ferrer of Argentina. Those wines lassoed me with their verve, and vibrancy. Turns out the same team, part of the Stoli […]
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