The other month, we wrote in the Brief about rules and regulations in the wine industry. The other day, I had reason to ponder this subject again when discussing how to interpret a wine label
Our heads are spinning right now from all the impressions from the autumn wine tours, the wine regions we visited and above all the many growers we met. The Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Champagne, Tuscany, Ribera
Rules are helpful, but some of them are unnecessary. – Sometimes, we are asked if there is a lot of cheating among winegrowers. Our answer is no. Besides the fact that most of them are
Much has been written about the anxiety one feels when having to choose a wine at a restaurant. How do I avoid choosing the “wrong” wine? How will it go with the food? What if
History always repeats itself. Now it is time for crisis distillation again in Europe. It has been a while since the last time. We remember Languedoc’s overproduction during large parts of the 20th century with
It will soon become a reality, what some have been waiting for a long time for and which some will not care about at all. List of ingredients on wine bottles. In December this year,
A long time ago, when I started doing wine tastings for groups, I noticed some strange perceptions among the participants about certain things. One was that white wines are not as serious as red, so
At what point can you be considered a wine expert? Is it when you have such good “theoretical” knowledge that you can place Bordeaux chateaux on a blind map and know which river flows through
The Old World and The New World. The wine industry has lived with these expressions for quite a few years. And it is convenient. It was natural to call the countries outside Europe The New
Waiting for the umami moment. — Will you taste umami in your Christmas food? For sure, if it’s savoury. And it often is. I recently learned that umami means savoury. And at the risk of
Sustainability is important. But sustainability is a vague concept. And what is considered sustainable or not can quickly change. This became apparent to wine producers that are certified HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) when the rules
Two months of wine tours to different European countries have given us many opportunities to talk about the laws and regulations in various wine regions. I met a wine grower in the Loire Valley in
Wine is basically a luxury product. It’s not vital. In the past it was probably more vital, when the water that was available was not always healthy to drink. But today the main (only?) purpose
It is easier to compare the price of a kilo of tomatoes than of different wines. Too many factors affect wine pricing. This is not the only thing that separates viticulture from other agriculture. In
Reducing the world’s carbon dioxide emissions is a gigantic task. Making wine bottles lighter is a drop in the ocean. But everything counts. Every industry needs to take action. Making bottles requires a lot of
This is about Swedish alcohol politics, about how the Swedish monopolist Systembolaget is attacking the emergent online wine retailers selling to the Swedish market. But since I know some of our readers are interested in
In the summer, we leave our most prestigious wines in the cellar. At least for dinners on the balcony. If you drink wine outdoors, it can be difficult for the wine to compete with the
Say Andalusia and I’ll start thinking about olive trees. There are an estimated 70 million olive trees in Andalusia on just less than two million hectares. On a recent trip between Malaga and Cordoba, it
There was a time when people were worried that wines would become uniform, taste the same, become streamlined. What instead happened was that wines that had been on the verge of being faulty disappeared thanks
We were in Hungary last week, and it was a reminder (if we needed one) of how big the wine world is, how many wines there are to discover and how much we have still
I recently read that wine investors are buying a lot of wine at the moment. They fear that the specific character of various wines will soon be a thing of the past, that new weather
A colleague in the industry that I spoke to the other day said when we discussed spraying the vineyards, “Can’t they just ban everything dangerous?” Yes, that sounds like a good idea, in theory. But
Every little detail matters, whether it is for the environment, the taste of the wine or the sales figures. We have heard it many times from many wine producers. The details will play an even
It seems everyone is talking about sustainability these days. We’ve recently been in at least three webinars on sustainability. Wine regions are announcing sustainability programmes. Wine producers and other wine industry companies (retailers, for example)
The importance of wine tourism is not that it can be a tool for producers to sell more wines. Although you sometimes get that impression when wine tourism is discussed. It is often talked about
Our travel season is in full swing! We are so happy to see our travellers, the wine producers and the vineyards again. Many of the wine producers we visit are almost embracing us with joy,
Why does a wine cost what it costs? It is never easy for a producer to put a price on his wine. It requires reflection. Not least, he has to decide how to position himself
Saint Emilion is updating its classification. But Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau Ausone no longer want to be part of it, which is fine. It is voluntary to take part in the new update (scheduled
For many, the month of July means sun and holidays. A few weeks to relax and do whatever you like. And what about the wines? Shouldn’t they be undemanding as well? Probably, and the good
There is something called heroic viticulture. It is, for instance, vineyards on steep slopes, at high altitudes, on narrow terraces, on dry, windy islands. Here the wine world’s superheroes toil. The more difficult the terrain,
The other month, we wrote in the Brief about rules and regulations in the wine industry. The other day, I had reason to ponder this
Our heads are spinning right now from all the impressions from the autumn wine tours, the wine regions we visited and above all the many
Rules are helpful, but some of them are unnecessary. – Sometimes, we are asked if there is a lot of cheating among winegrowers. Our answer
Much has been written about the anxiety one feels when having to choose a wine at a restaurant. How do I avoid choosing the “wrong”
History always repeats itself. Now it is time for crisis distillation again in Europe. It has been a while since the last time. We remember
It will soon become a reality, what some have been waiting for a long time for and which some will not care about at all.
A long time ago, when I started doing wine tastings for groups, I noticed some strange perceptions among the participants about certain things. One was
At what point can you be considered a wine expert? Is it when you have such good “theoretical” knowledge that you can place Bordeaux chateaux
The Old World and The New World. The wine industry has lived with these expressions for quite a few years. And it is convenient. It
Waiting for the umami moment. — Will you taste umami in your Christmas food? For sure, if it’s savoury. And it often is. I recently
Sustainability is important. But sustainability is a vague concept. And what is considered sustainable or not can quickly change. This became apparent to wine producers
Two months of wine tours to different European countries have given us many opportunities to talk about the laws and regulations in various wine regions.
Wine is basically a luxury product. It’s not vital. In the past it was probably more vital, when the water that was available was not
It is easier to compare the price of a kilo of tomatoes than of different wines. Too many factors affect wine pricing. This is not
Reducing the world’s carbon dioxide emissions is a gigantic task. Making wine bottles lighter is a drop in the ocean. But everything counts. Every industry
This is about Swedish alcohol politics, about how the Swedish monopolist Systembolaget is attacking the emergent online wine retailers selling to the Swedish market. But
In the summer, we leave our most prestigious wines in the cellar. At least for dinners on the balcony. If you drink wine outdoors, it
Say Andalusia and I’ll start thinking about olive trees. There are an estimated 70 million olive trees in Andalusia on just less than two million
There was a time when people were worried that wines would become uniform, taste the same, become streamlined. What instead happened was that wines that
We were in Hungary last week, and it was a reminder (if we needed one) of how big the wine world is, how many wines
I recently read that wine investors are buying a lot of wine at the moment. They fear that the specific character of various wines will
A colleague in the industry that I spoke to the other day said when we discussed spraying the vineyards, “Can’t they just ban everything dangerous?”
Every little detail matters, whether it is for the environment, the taste of the wine or the sales figures. We have heard it many times
It seems everyone is talking about sustainability these days. We’ve recently been in at least three webinars on sustainability. Wine regions are announcing sustainability programmes.
The importance of wine tourism is not that it can be a tool for producers to sell more wines. Although you sometimes get that impression
Our travel season is in full swing! We are so happy to see our travellers, the wine producers and the vineyards again. Many of the
Why does a wine cost what it costs? It is never easy for a producer to put a price on his wine. It requires reflection.
Saint Emilion is updating its classification. But Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau Ausone no longer want to be part of it, which is fine. It
For many, the month of July means sun and holidays. A few weeks to relax and do whatever you like. And what about the wines?
There is something called heroic viticulture. It is, for instance, vineyards on steep slopes, at high altitudes, on narrow terraces, on dry, windy islands. Here
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