What is the best qualification to have when drinking wine? Well, curiosity.
Not a good nose or amazing taste buds. It is worth much more to be curious at what other producers are doing, in other regions and in other countries. Wine can taste so incredibly different and it is a shame to always drink the same wine, no matter how much you like it.
Well, actually it is difficult to drink the same wine for too long. A vintage runs out and you start with the next one. Most wines are vintage wines, even though that word, at least some years ago, had an exclusive air to it. Vintage wines were noble. I guess people at the time meant Bordeaux wines in particular. But actually most wines are vintage wines. At least today. Maybe not 30 years ago when half of France’s production was simple table wines without either origin or vintage.
Today, these table wines are called “Vin de France” and can put both origin, grape and vintage on the label. Most of them come from Languedoc, where normally the weather is quite warm. Vintage variations are not huge. But it does not matter. Vintage is prestige.
Some big brands do their best to smooth out the vintage differences. Customers should not notice any difference in the wine even though the year has changed, is their idea. No surprises even though it happened to rain a bit too much one summer or shine too much hot sun another. It sounds terribly boring. These wines are not bad. Only impersonal. And boring.
A vintage wine, however, sounds refined. Like something from the old world. A wine carefully decanted over a candle and leaving a brownish deposit along the sides. Because a vintage wine is always old, isn’t it?
In this month’s Brief you can read about our new wine tours. About Piedmont wine. About hens in Bourgueil, an organic wine tasting, reds in China and much more.
Britt & Per
PS: Recommend to your friends to read the Brief!
What’s on at BKWine Tours
- South America: Chile and Argentina, 1-16 February 2014
- South Africa, 28 February – 10 March 2014
- Douro Valley, Portugal, 14-18 May 2014
- Bordeaux, September 17-21
- Douro Valley in Portugal, October 22-26
For more information please contact us on email or on phone (we’re on French time), or go to our wine travel site on www.bkwinetours.com!
We also make custom designed wine tours – on-demand tours for you and a group of friends, for your company (maybe to scout new winegrowers?), for a special event… We can combine winery visits and wine touring with other activities: gastronomic workshops, visit to an oyster farm, truffles hunting, cheese making, and more. More info on the custom designed and bespoke BKWine wine tours and travel here!
Wine tours in Finnish: We also do wine tours in Finnish. And in German, Norwegian, Spanish…
Do you want the latest news and updates on our wine travel activity? Subscribe here! (Second alternative BKWineTours.com)
From the World of Wine
This autumns wine tours sneak preview
We will be launching two new wine tours in the autumn. But already today we can give you the information here. It will be one great classic and one tour to perhaps the wine world’s most spectacular river:
- Bordeaux, September 17-21
- Douro Valley in Portugal, October 22-26
BKWine to host organic tastings at Vinisud
Vinisud is a very interesting wine fair, the second biggest in France. This year it will take place on February 24-26 in Montpellier, as usual. If you are going to the fair and are interested in organic wines, do not miss these two tastings, hosted by BKWine. We were originally asked to do a tasting for the Scandinavian visitors but it became so popular so Vinisud asked us to do a second tasting for all English speaking visitors:
- Monday February 24, between 17.30 and 19, conference room (presentation in English) NEW
- Wednesday February 26, between 9.30 and 11, conference room (aimed primarily at Scandinavians, presentation in Swedish)
The presentations are short however; the tasting is the important part. There will be approximately between 30 and 50 wines at each tasting.
Read more about our organic tasting at Vinisud. Hope to see you there! (And if this is a subject that you are interested in keep a lookout for our book on organic wines. An English edition is scheduled for later this year!)
Red wine successful in China
The Chinese have overtaken both the French and Italians in terms of consumption of red wine. This shows a report made by Vinexpo, the world leading wine fair which will have its Hong Kong edition in May this year. The Chinese (including Hong Kong) drank 136 % more red wine in 2013 than they did in 2008. Ever since 2005, wine consumption has increased in China.
More than 155 million cases of 12 bottles of red wine were sold in China in 2013. This compares with 150 million cases in France. 80% of the red wine that is drunk in China is domestically produced. China is now the fifth wine producing country in the world. But imports are increasing which makes many French wine producers happy. It is no longer just expensive premier cru châteaux from Bordeaux that he Chinese want. Both the lesser known chateaux in Bordeaux and wines from Burgundy and Languedoc-Roussillon are having good times. Vinexpo Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong 27-29 May 2014.
Mangiacane Riserva Chianti Classico 2009 | Britt’s Wine of the Month
I fell for this Chianti Classico instantly. It has typical flavours of the Sangiovese grape, like cherry fruit and some tobacco. The fruit is rich and the tannins are present but well balanced. The grapes are 95 % Sangiovese and the rest is the colorful grape Colorino.
Villa Mangiacane is a magnificent Renaissance villa surrounded by vines, cypresses and olive trees. Tuscany in a nut shell. And Florence is not far away. The vineyard is 43 hectares. In the cellar you will find French oak barrels. This Riserva has been 12 months in barrels of which a very small proportion, around 10%, are new. The wine is balanced and very good to drink now.
Champagne Veuve Clicquot fights for its orange colour
Admittedly, they have said that they are not going to sue but still, the whole affair is exaggerated, to say the least. It is about champagne house Veuve Clicquot and their zealous eagerness to defend their orange colour.
A tiny producer of sparkling wine in Campania in southern Italy has a label that is orange. But we do not think it looks at all like the orange colour of Veuve Clicquot and to believe that any consumer could be confused is plain silly. Veuve Clicquot, however, thinks otherwise and is using “friendly” pressure to make the Campania producer change its label. Compare the two labels here.
The champagne houses clearly have too much money if they can afford to have their lawyers dealing with things like this.
Read also what our colleague Jim Budd thinks about the Veuve Clicquot “friendly talk”.
Hens pecking in the vineyards of Bourgueil
All things are permitted if you want to be eco-friendly, right? A producer in Bourgueil in the Loire Valley allows 220 hens to stroll around in the vineyard. This way he hopes to avoid using both herbicides and insecticides. But when the grapes begin to ripen, they will have to leave. The risk is that hens consider grapes as a gastronomic delicacy.
The winegrower in question, Philippe Boucard, has for years belonged to the organization for sustainable viticulture, Terra Vitis. He also installed bird houses in the vineyard to attract great tits and bats that like to feast on insects.
We have seen geese in the vineyard at Viña Emiliana in Chile. And we know there are wineries that use lambs in the vineyard to avoid herbicides in the spring. More: www.lavigne-mag.fr
A Pinot Noir Shootout | Ulf’s Wine(s) of the Month
Two pinots, both alike in dignity, in fair new world, where we lay our scene… A few months ago I accidentally stumbled upon a wine blog pointing to New Zealandian 2011 Schubert Marion’s Vineyard Pinot Noir as wine of the year. Almost simultaneously I got a newsletter from a wine site I normally do not pay much attention to, drawing focus to South African producer Hamilton Russell Vineyards and their world class pinot noirs. Surely a coincidence, but I saw the sign – is that a match-up I see before me?
Obviously they had a lot in common, and separating them was not easy. But the most refreshing outcome of this tasting was that they were so good. Fantastic mouth-feel, complex aromas, lingering finish. Heaven can be sought for in Burgundy, but I am definitely buying more of these two. (The wines: Schubert Marion’s Vineyard 2011 Pinot Noir, Wairarapa and Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir)
Machine Harvest in Champagne, soon a reality?
In Champagne everything is harvested by hand in order not to risk that the must is coloured by the blue grapes. But last year discuss begun about the possibility of introducing machine harvest in the region. The reason was that the government greatly increased employer contributions for seasonal workers. But the problem is that so far there is no harvesting machine that can ensure that all grapes are kept unbroken.
But the champagne growers have not given up hope. And perhaps such a harvester can become a reality in the near future. Research is ongoing and harvester manufacturers are intent on solving the problem. It should not be rocket science, right? More: www.lavigne-mag.fr.
Jacob’s Creek designs wine for Japanese market
Is a wine that has been created for a particular market or for a certain taste a lesser wine than a so-called terroir wine that comes from a specific, well-defined vineyard? No, not necessarily. But probably it is a little less interesting for a wine enthusiast. Many wines are blended together to acquire a certain taste, there’s nothing strange about it. Champagne, if anything, is in fact a very blended wine.
Jacob’s Creek, the famous wine company in Australia, has created a red wine for the Japanese market. The wine is named WAH Red and is supposed to match Japanese food such as yakitori. It has been created in cooperation with the Japanese chef Toru Hashimoto. Last year they launched Wah White, designed to go well with sushi. The description of Wah Red, “blend of vibrant fruit, savoury aromas and soft tannins”, can easily fit many red wines we drink. So if you are fond of Japanese food but cannot get hold of Wah Red, which will only be sold in Japan, there is no need to despair. More: www.thedrinksbusiness.com
Ethical labelled wines at the Swedish Systembolaget
Systembolaget, the Swedish state monopoly for wine and other alcoholic beverages, adopted a few years back a so-called code of conduct. This means that they demand that wines purchased from risk countries come from producers who comply with certain rules regarding conditions for people working in the vineyard. Risk countries are South Africa, Chile and Argentina, and also now Bulgaria which was recently added to the list by Systembolaget.
The goal for Systembolaget is to have certified ethical wines (Fairtrade or Fair for life) in all price ranges between 70 and 120 SEK from relevant countries. Sales of wines with ethical label has increased by 5 % in 2013. They now account for 10% of the sales from these countries.
Systembolaget’s long-term goal is that 20% of sales from the relevant countries should be ethically labeled by 2020. Working with ethical questions is a long process. Systembolaget inspects both those producers who are certified and those that are not. The monopoly may well continue to work with producers who do not have a certification but still comply with the rules. But it rewards those who have the certification as some requests for quotations are addressed only to ethically certified producers.
How many grapes in the glass?
I am sure that you have often wondered how many grapes that are needed to fill a glass of wine? As a benchmark, we often say that one vine produces one a bottle of wine. However, in the case of Sauternes and other high-quality sweet wines, one vine produces only a glass of wine.
But, how many grapes does that amount to? Do you like math look at this exciting calculation: www.winesur.com
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New Wine Fair in Copenhagen
We have been informed that a new Wine Fair will take place at Dansk Vincenter outside of Copenhagen in Denmark on Friday May 23rd and Saturday May 24th.
Wine producers are invited to participate. The first day is for professionals where the producers will meet wine importers, distributors, HoReCa and wine journalists. The second day is for consumers and wine clubs where the exhibitors have the opportunity to present and also sell their wines and spirits face to face with the Danish consumers.
According to the organisers this is a new kind of wine fair. See more about the idea, the program and prices etc. on www.dennyvinmesse.dk.
Michel Laroche is back with Domaine d’Henri
Michel Laroche is a legendary wine producer in Chablis. He built up his wine business from scratch to a major wine producer with vineyards and wineries on three continents. In 2009 his company merged with Jeanjean and Michel had the choice to more or less retire. But that was not for him and now he is back in the wine business with Domaine d’Henri.
Britt met Michel and tasted his first vintage. Well, first vintage of Domaine d’Henri. Read what she has to say: Michel Laroche returns with Domaine d’Henri in Chablis.
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Taylor’s, world famous ports
Young port vs. old port? What about the tawnies? Is vintage port always superior? And why are most port wine houses named after ancient Englishmen? What makes the Douro valley wines so special?
Jorge Ramos straightens it all out with a little bit of help from Taylor’s range of port wines. BKWine’s Ulf Bengtsson reports: Taylor’s, a pioneer and a traditionalist in Port wine.
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Domaine Louis Chèze, delicious Rhône valley wines with varietal character
Maison Louis Chèze is a young wine producer in the northern Rhône Valley who makes excellent wines. If you are fond of the syrah grape you will loves these wines. And we are sure you will also like the different Condrieu and the white Saint Joseph.
BKWine’s Britt reports from a meeting with Alexandre Poinard at Louis Chèze. She has also tasted several of their wines.
Read more about what Britt says about Louis Chèze.
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Affordable Bordeaux
Our reporter Magnus Reuterdahl went to a wine tasting at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm and tasted wine from around 40 Bordeaux chateaux producing affordable Bordeaux wines. Bordeaux is not only Grand Cru Classé, fortunately.
Read about Magnus’ favourite wines from the tasting and how he feels about Bordeaux as a wine region.
Read also the tasting report from Carl-Erik Kanne who also was at the Bordeaux event.
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Goodies from Piedmont
Britt has tasted some good wines from Piedmont in northern Italy. A beautiful region. Not least Barolo with its steep slopes is fantastic. The producer of these wines is Michele Chiarlo. She tasted Barolos, Barberas and also the sweet specialty Muscato d’Asti.
Read about Michele Chiarlo’s wines.
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A wine condom as protection for … the wine
One can be justified to wonder what a wine condom should be used for. There is an ongoing crowd funding project to develop a commercial product called a wine condom. No, it is not a protection specially designed for those who may have a little bit too much wine. It is a clever (?) device to reseal an opened bottle of wine. Read more here (and learn what a wine balloon is used for): Protect your wine with The Wine Condom.
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Fact-filled source with statistics on grape varieties
If you like facts and figures (and wine) then you will like Which Winegrape Varieties are Grown Where. It is a new book published by the University of Adelaide that is filled with statistics on which grape varieties are grown where. You can buy a paper version of it for $77 or you can download it for free! Grape growing and wine-grape varieties world-wide.
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Entertaining wine videos
A lot of the videos on wine that are published on Youtube and other sites on the internet are only modestly entertaining. It is actually not at all easy to make good videos on wine. Often it simply turns into someone sitting talking about a wine with a glass in the hand with a wine that you have not. One who has succeeded is Lolita Sene. She has made a series of videos that are both entertaining and enthusing. There is only one catch: it helps if you understand French. More: Fun and unusual wine videos: Jaime ton wine.[divider_flat]
A new wine film on Etna to be crowd-funded
One more wine-related project that uses crowd funding is the feature film called Maine’s Vite. It is a film about the wines and the people on Etna. It is an ambitious project that we hope will succeed. More info: Crowd-funding a feature film about Etna wines on Sicily: Maine’s Vite.
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A narrow niche: Czech wines
That is the niche that the new wine importer Morwine has chosen: Czech wines from the region of Moravia. We took that as a pretext to look into what kind of wines they make in the Czech republic. Read more about that here: Czech wine from Moravia from Morwine | New wine importer.
Wine events calendar
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