BKWine Blog
Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe and is located in an impressive landscape in eastern Sicily. It erupts regularly, often small, and rarely dangerous. Etna is considered a gentle volcano. (Therefore (?), Etna’s
A grapevine can live for many years. In Barossa Valley, some vines are 250 years old—but that’s extremely rare. (There are several claims around the world for “the world’s oldest vine”; Slovenia – 400 years!
Moldova, which joined the organization only three years ago, hosted the OIV’s – the International Organisation of Vine and Wine – annual congress this April in its capital city, Chisinau. Over five days, participants enjoyed
In Languedoc, the number of appellations has increased over the years. There were only a few AOC districts before the 1980s. At that time, Languedoc was more renowned for its quantity than its quality. But
One way to reduce spraying against fungal diseases in the vineyard is to plant fungal-resistant grape varieties. These grape varieties are so-called interspecific hybrids, i.e. crossings between Vitis vinifera and another Vitis species, often American,
The 2024 vintage in Bordeaux, presented to buyers and journalists in April, has already garnered significant attention. 2024 was a challenging year, marked by incredible amounts of rain, hot and humid weather, and severe outbreaks
Cremant d’Alsace is becoming more and more important for the Alsatian wine producers. During our spring wine tour in Alsace, we learned that the sparkling wine now accounts for 35% of total wine sales in
The Loire Valley is all the rage. It’s probably not so much the Loire Valley that has changed as the fact that consumers have finally come to understand what the region has to offer. We
The winter and spring wine tours are over, and we would like to take this opportunity to recommend some wines from producers we have visited on this year’s tours so far. If you don’t find
White wine was forgotten when Bourgueil in the central Loire Valley obtained its AOC in 1937. Now that mistake is being corrected. Many producers in Bourgueil already make white wines from 100% chenin blanc and
South Africa made a brilliant vintage in 2025, as producers we met in February already suspected. The total volume is estimated to be 11.4% higher than in 2024. But 2024 was a tiny harvest, and
Just in time for the first summer month González Byass is launching a new Tio Pepe En Rama. The most famous of sherry houses, González Byass, introduced En Rama to the international market some 15
If you prefer looking for small growers when you buy champagne instead of the big houses, maybe it is time to do the same when you buy Cava, the Spanish sparkling. Cava from the big
The 1855 Bordeaux Classification turned 170 on April 18, 2025. Whatever you think of it, it is an essential component of French wine history. It may be worth considering how it came about. The classification
The severe drought in Catalonia over the last three years has considerably reduced the production and supply capacity of the D.O. Cava. Thankfully, the rain did come at last this winter, and hopefully, the producers
In France, wine producers can now plant three new white grape varieties that could be interesting from a sustainability perspective. The grapes are: mourvèdre blanc, mourvèdre gris and exelys. The first two are mutations of
Ipsos, an expert in market analysis, conducted a market survey in March in connection with the presentation of the new edition of the Michelin Guide. Ipsos asked the French people which French dishes they considered
The world’s wine consumers are demanding more white wines. Red wine sales are declining. But what if your vineyard is planted mainly with red grape varieties? Removing and replanting a vineyard is costly, and it
Global data on the wine sector in 2024 was released at OIV’s (International Organisation of Vine and Wine) press conference on April 15th. John Barker, the director general of OIV, admitted that there are challenges
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
The American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) recently revealed the top 25 US wine suppliers/producers based on sales and market share in 2023. It confirms the dominance of the Gallo Winery – United States’ and
In February when we were on this year’s wine tour in South Africa, the harvest was in full swing. They were just over halfway through and everyone already agreed that 2025 would be a brilliant
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
The Médoc peninsula in Bordeaux is known for its many prestigious chateaux. And for its red wines. The eight Médoc appellations have always been red-only. (Small quantities of white has been made but had to
The Austrian winemakers have now taken stock of the 2024 vintage. Austrian Wine describes it as a “roller-coaster ride”. Frosts, hail storms and violent rain made the growing season challenging. The harvest volume was small
When people talk about the wines of New Zealand, the 1980s is often mentioned as the starting point of the wine industry. However, the country has some famous pioneers who immigrated to New Zealand in
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
Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe and is located in an impressive landscape in eastern Sicily. It erupts regularly, often small, and rarely
A grapevine can live for many years. In Barossa Valley, some vines are 250 years old—but that’s extremely rare. (There are several claims around the
Moldova, which joined the organization only three years ago, hosted the OIV’s – the International Organisation of Vine and Wine – annual congress this April
In Languedoc, the number of appellations has increased over the years. There were only a few AOC districts before the 1980s. At that time, Languedoc
One way to reduce spraying against fungal diseases in the vineyard is to plant fungal-resistant grape varieties. These grape varieties are so-called interspecific hybrids, i.e.
The 2024 vintage in Bordeaux, presented to buyers and journalists in April, has already garnered significant attention. 2024 was a challenging year, marked by incredible
Cremant d’Alsace is becoming more and more important for the Alsatian wine producers. During our spring wine tour in Alsace, we learned that the sparkling
The Loire Valley is all the rage. It’s probably not so much the Loire Valley that has changed as the fact that consumers have finally
The winter and spring wine tours are over, and we would like to take this opportunity to recommend some wines from producers we have visited
White wine was forgotten when Bourgueil in the central Loire Valley obtained its AOC in 1937. Now that mistake is being corrected. Many producers in
South Africa made a brilliant vintage in 2025, as producers we met in February already suspected. The total volume is estimated to be 11.4% higher
Just in time for the first summer month González Byass is launching a new Tio Pepe En Rama. The most famous of sherry houses, González
If you prefer looking for small growers when you buy champagne instead of the big houses, maybe it is time to do the same when
The 1855 Bordeaux Classification turned 170 on April 18, 2025. Whatever you think of it, it is an essential component of French wine history. It
The severe drought in Catalonia over the last three years has considerably reduced the production and supply capacity of the D.O. Cava. Thankfully, the rain
In France, wine producers can now plant three new white grape varieties that could be interesting from a sustainability perspective. The grapes are: mourvèdre blanc,
Ipsos, an expert in market analysis, conducted a market survey in March in connection with the presentation of the new edition of the Michelin Guide.
The world’s wine consumers are demanding more white wines. Red wine sales are declining. But what if your vineyard is planted mainly with red grape
Global data on the wine sector in 2024 was released at OIV’s (International Organisation of Vine and Wine) press conference on April 15th. John Barker,
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
The American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) recently revealed the top 25 US wine suppliers/producers based on sales and market share in 2023. It confirms
In February when we were on this year’s wine tour in South Africa, the harvest was in full swing. They were just over halfway through
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
The Médoc peninsula in Bordeaux is known for its many prestigious chateaux. And for its red wines. The eight Médoc appellations have always been red-only.
The Austrian winemakers have now taken stock of the 2024 vintage. Austrian Wine describes it as a “roller-coaster ride”. Frosts, hail storms and violent rain
When people talk about the wines of New Zealand, the 1980s is often mentioned as the starting point of the wine industry. However, the country
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
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