BKWine Blog
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
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
Green harvest (or cluster thinning, crop thinning) is when the grower removes some grape bunches in the middle of summer, before they are ripe (sometimes later), to lessen the harvest volume. Some years ago, this
The fact that wine is a lot about chemistry has probably not escaped anyone. (After all, everything is chemistry.) However, you don’t need to know anything about chemistry to enjoy a wine. But sometimes you
Integrating algae into cooking is popular with some star chefs. Algae are nutritious, albeit with a slightly peculiar taste. They can be used for many things, which is good because there is a lot of
Does the state of the world discourage people from opening a bottle of champagne? That is what Maxime Toubart, one of the two presidents of the Comité Champagne, thinks when he comments on the decline
The South African wine industry fared well compared to many others in 2024. According to the trade association Wines of South Africa (WoSA), wine exports grew by 4.3% in value in 2024, reaching USD 562
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
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
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
Green harvest (or cluster thinning, crop thinning) is when the grower removes some grape bunches in the middle of summer, before they are ripe (sometimes
The fact that wine is a lot about chemistry has probably not escaped anyone. (After all, everything is chemistry.) However, you don’t need to know
Integrating algae into cooking is popular with some star chefs. Algae are nutritious, albeit with a slightly peculiar taste. They can be used for many
Does the state of the world discourage people from opening a bottle of champagne? That is what Maxime Toubart, one of the two presidents of
The South African wine industry fared well compared to many others in 2024. According to the trade association Wines of South Africa (WoSA), wine exports
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
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