BKWine Blog
Whatever old vines mean for the quality of the wine (a disputed topic), it’s hard not to be impressed if they’re 200 years old. The vines for Santa Cruz de Coya from the Chilean wine
The weather during the harvest in France has been sunny and warm in many places. Despite the problems during the spring and summer, many are optimistic about the new 2021 vintage. Severe weather conditions do
A wine importer in Sweden recently launched a wine in a bottle mainly made from recycled glass. Is this something to write about? Yes, apparently, many wines are bottled in new glass bottles or in
During the late afternoon/early evening Happy Hour, the French cafés offer lower prices on beer and cocktails, and if you look around, mojito seems to be the most popular drink right now. But the fact
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable and now also regenerative agriculture. Are all just variations of the same theme? Torres, the producer from Catalonia who is also an environmental warrior, organized a symposium on regenerative agriculture earlier this
We have already heard of Portuguese grape varieties in Bordeaux and Greek ones in Provence. Now the turn has come for Cypriot grape varieties to (maybe) help Australia’s wine industry meet the climate challenges. Studies
Sometimes “terroir” does not matter so much. The Australian wine giant Treasury Wine Estates, which owns Penfolds and other brands, has taken drastic measures to survive the high tariffs imposed by China on Australian wine.
This year, the wine producers in many parts of the world have had severe weather problems: heat, fires, floodings, frost, diseases. Spring frosts affected almost all wine regions in France for several nights in April.
An essential phase in grape ripening is what the French call le véraison. For lack of a better one, many other languages use the same word. Véraison means that the grapes change to their final
The EU has long had restrictive regulations regarding de-alcoholising wines. This is about to change. Non-alcoholic (de-alcoholised) “wines” will probably soon be allowed to call themselves wine. And they will be allowed to keep their
The producers of Provence are ready to try new grape varieties that are more resistant to drought and disease. By 2022, several new ones will probably be allowed in limited quantities. One of them is
Washington-based Sainte-Michelle Wine Estates has recently been sold. The tobacco company Atria (which owns Philip Morris, among others) has owned the company for 40 years but has now sold it to a venture capital company.
The Growers’ Association (Syndicat Général des Vignerons, SGV) in Champagne decided on July 29 to allow vineyards with lower planting density from 2023. Today it is mandatory to have at most 1.50 meters between the
Classification of wine estates is notoriously tricky. (And of debatable or no value to consumers.) In 2022, Saint Emilion will update its classification, and the drama has already started. When the application for participation in
It’s fun when the “printed” press pays attention to what we do. The other week it was a double, in both Helsingborgs Dagblad (HD) and in the sister magazine Sydsvenskan, two regional papers in the
In July every year, the houses and growers in Champagne agree on the year’s harvest yield. A curious regulation in this region. In 2021, it will be 10,000 kilos per hectare (approx. 64 hl/ha). The
The discussion about sulphites in wine has been going on for a long time. Sulphites are added to most wines to stabilize them and protect them from premature oxidation and defects. How much you add
Earlier this year, Wine Intelligence conducted a market survey on consumer trends in the Swedish wine market. During a webinar, some of the results were presented. Ulf Sjödin, category manager at Systembolaget, the Swedish retail
Wine lovers enjoy looking at maps of their favourite districts. Austrian Wine has now launched a digital atlas of the country’s wine region, the first in the world. The atlas shows all the regions, from
The battle for sustainability labels in France is intensifying. France’s first such label, Terra Vitis, has increased significantly in the past year. They have doubled their membership and now have 1,800 members with 45,000 hectares,
Which rootstock you choose for grafting does not affect the taste of the wine. But the rootstock provides the roots, so it must be compatible with the soil and the local climate. As part of
Customers want to make sustainable choices, and therefore Systembolaget (the Swedish alcohol retail monopoly) will introduce its own sustainability label in 2022. This was announced by Ulf Sjödin, category manager at Systembolaget, during a digital
Swedish wine producers have created a new trade association called Swedish Trade Organization for Oenology & Viticulture (SBOV). Emma Serner, the founder of Långmyre Winery on the island of Gotland, is the new association president.
The world drinks more and more rosé wine, a fact that probably hasn’t escaped anyone. The rosé wine market has been revolutionized over the past 20 years. We recently listened to Gilles Masson, CEO of
Txakoli is a special type of white wine from the Basque Country in northern Spain. It is always refreshing, sometimes slightly fizzy. You drink it as an aperitif or with fish and seafood and always
A definite sign of spring was the start of the Bordeaux primeur campaign in April. Now, several chateaux have also “released” their primeur prices for the 2020 vintage. We have seen both increases and reductions
We certainly like small organic and sustainable producers, but for the overall result, it is essential that also the big ones make commitments. Therefore, it is a good thing that Mouton Cadet is now launching
A few suggestions for wines to explore now when summer is getting going. Château de la Liquière 2019, Faugères, Languedoc, ~12 euro. Grenache, syrah and carignan from the famous schist soil in Faugères, elegant and
The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) has presented preliminary figures for the 2021 harvest for the southern hemisphere. In the April Brief, we wrote about Argentina, estimated to produce 10.1 million hectolitres, decreasing
More than twice as many young winegrowers have settled in the Loire Valley in recent years, compared to the Rhône, Bordeaux and Provence, which is actually not strange. The prices are probably a big reason.
Whatever old vines mean for the quality of the wine (a disputed topic), it’s hard not to be impressed if they’re 200 years old. The
The weather during the harvest in France has been sunny and warm in many places. Despite the problems during the spring and summer, many are
A wine importer in Sweden recently launched a wine in a bottle mainly made from recycled glass. Is this something to write about? Yes, apparently,
During the late afternoon/early evening Happy Hour, the French cafés offer lower prices on beer and cocktails, and if you look around, mojito seems to
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable and now also regenerative agriculture. Are all just variations of the same theme? Torres, the producer from Catalonia who is also an
We have already heard of Portuguese grape varieties in Bordeaux and Greek ones in Provence. Now the turn has come for Cypriot grape varieties to
Sometimes “terroir” does not matter so much. The Australian wine giant Treasury Wine Estates, which owns Penfolds and other brands, has taken drastic measures to
This year, the wine producers in many parts of the world have had severe weather problems: heat, fires, floodings, frost, diseases. Spring frosts affected almost
An essential phase in grape ripening is what the French call le véraison. For lack of a better one, many other languages use the same
The EU has long had restrictive regulations regarding de-alcoholising wines. This is about to change. Non-alcoholic (de-alcoholised) “wines” will probably soon be allowed to call
The producers of Provence are ready to try new grape varieties that are more resistant to drought and disease. By 2022, several new ones will
Washington-based Sainte-Michelle Wine Estates has recently been sold. The tobacco company Atria (which owns Philip Morris, among others) has owned the company for 40 years
The Growers’ Association (Syndicat Général des Vignerons, SGV) in Champagne decided on July 29 to allow vineyards with lower planting density from 2023. Today it
Classification of wine estates is notoriously tricky. (And of debatable or no value to consumers.) In 2022, Saint Emilion will update its classification, and the
It’s fun when the “printed” press pays attention to what we do. The other week it was a double, in both Helsingborgs Dagblad (HD) and
In July every year, the houses and growers in Champagne agree on the year’s harvest yield. A curious regulation in this region. In 2021, it
The discussion about sulphites in wine has been going on for a long time. Sulphites are added to most wines to stabilize them and protect
Earlier this year, Wine Intelligence conducted a market survey on consumer trends in the Swedish wine market. During a webinar, some of the results were
Wine lovers enjoy looking at maps of their favourite districts. Austrian Wine has now launched a digital atlas of the country’s wine region, the first
The battle for sustainability labels in France is intensifying. France’s first such label, Terra Vitis, has increased significantly in the past year. They have doubled
Which rootstock you choose for grafting does not affect the taste of the wine. But the rootstock provides the roots, so it must be compatible
Customers want to make sustainable choices, and therefore Systembolaget (the Swedish alcohol retail monopoly) will introduce its own sustainability label in 2022. This was announced
Swedish wine producers have created a new trade association called Swedish Trade Organization for Oenology & Viticulture (SBOV). Emma Serner, the founder of Långmyre Winery
The world drinks more and more rosé wine, a fact that probably hasn’t escaped anyone. The rosé wine market has been revolutionized over the past
Txakoli is a special type of white wine from the Basque Country in northern Spain. It is always refreshing, sometimes slightly fizzy. You drink it
A definite sign of spring was the start of the Bordeaux primeur campaign in April. Now, several chateaux have also “released” their primeur prices for
We certainly like small organic and sustainable producers, but for the overall result, it is essential that also the big ones make commitments. Therefore, it
A few suggestions for wines to explore now when summer is getting going. Château de la Liquière 2019, Faugères, Languedoc, ~12 euro. Grenache, syrah and
The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) has presented preliminary figures for the 2021 harvest for the southern hemisphere. In the April Brief, we
More than twice as many young winegrowers have settled in the Loire Valley in recent years, compared to the Rhône, Bordeaux and Provence, which is
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