The discussion about the future of glyphosate continues. It is very contested if glyphosate is dangerous or not at all dangerous (when properly used). In 2022, it will again be on the EU agenda, until then it is allowed. But France (at least the government, but not all farmers) wants to ban glyphosate before that. […]
New rules came into force for vinification of organic wines on January 1st, 2019. Six new additives are allowed. Autolysate of yeast: Nourishes the yeast during the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. Inactivated yeast: Nourishes the yeast during alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. Potato protein: Vegetable protein used as a fining agent. Provides a faster and often […]
During our spring wine tours we have visited the small and interesting Champagne house Philipponnat. On our visit in early May we saw people working in their prestigious vineyard Clos des Goisses with knapsack sprayers on their backs. Obviously they were doing some kind of treatment. It turned out to be weed control with a […]
The future in Europe for glyphosate, a substance used in the well-known Round-Up and other herbicides, is uncertain. The EU was supposed to have taken a decision on this issue at the end of October but once again postponed the vote on it as the member states seem unable to agree. The permission to use […]
Some of the worst problems in the vineyards right now are esca and eutypiose, fungal diseases that affect the wood of the vine. There are no pesticides available since toxic sodium arsenite was banned some 15 years ago. But the company Bayer now believes that their product Esquive may be of a certain help to […]
Whether you are organic or not, you have to spray against fungal diseases like downy mildew and powdery mildew. The organic growers use copper and sulphur and the conventional growers use synthetic chemical pesticides. To reduce the use of all these products would be a blessing for both the vineyards and the people that are […]
The debate around glyphosate continues. The product is used as an herbicide, in for instance Roundup. It has been, since a while back, on EU’s list of unsafe products that maybe should be phased out. It is now time to renew the permit for its use (which is done every ten years for pesticides). This […]
Organic producers are criticized for their use of copper in the vineyards. The EU allows 6 kilograms of copper per hectare and per year for organic producers, as we mentioned recently (Organic viticulture: How do you use less copper?). But one of our readers, Gottfried Lamprecht, an organic wine producers in southern Austria, has pointed […]
The European Commission has recently published a list of 26 active substances used in viticulture that should eventually be replaced, because of their danger to people or the environment. On the list are copper sulphate, copper hydroxide, copper oxide chloride and copper oxide. All of these are used for spraying against fungal diseases, especially downy […]
It does not matter if you are organic or not. All vineyards can suffer from various diseases. Against certain fungal diseases, downy mildew for example, you can spray with copper, usually in the form of copper sulphate. Both organic and conventional growers use copper but the conventional ones can also, or instead, use synthetic chemical […]
The making of a wine is much about chemistry. Without knowledge of chemistry it becomes difficult to really understand what is going on inside the winery. It is hard to find good literature about wine chemistry written by people who really know their subject. If you have poor knowledge of chemistry yourself, the books or […]
At the end of May, the EU Commission will decide whether to keep the present levels of copper permitted for organic growers or if the levels should be reduced. Currently, organic growers are allowed to use a maximum of six kilograms of copper per year and per hectare. Or more precisely, it is counted as […]
It can be costly to refuse to spray against the grasshopper that spread the disease flavescence corée. Flavescence dorée is a bacterial disease that weakens the vine. The only thing you can do to prevent the disease from spreading is to remove the infected vines and to use insecticide against the grasshopper that spread the […]
A new must-have (?) wine gadget I just discovered a brand new “device” to keep an opened bottle of wine fresh for a long time: Coravin. A clever little thing that with which you don’t even need to pull the cork out of the bottle. Supposedly you can keep the “opened” bottle of wine for […]
The discussion about organic or not organic is often about the taste of the wine. Maybe there should be a greater focus on the possible harmful effects that pesticides can have on people working with and handling the products. A new French report made L’Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Inserm) […]
Coravin lets you drink the wine without pulling the cork. At a price. There are various devices that you can use to keep your wine longer after you have opened the bottles and a new one has just arrived. Let’s first look at what exists today. Vacuum pumps Some work with a “vacuum” (to be […]
Is it possible to replace the antioxidant and anti-bacterial properties of sulphur with a preservative made from grape seeds? Yes, that is the idea of Intergrapes in Italy after seven years of study. They claim that the preservative is as effective as sulphur and that the wine better retains its natural flavours. Moreover, says Intergrapes, […]
Copper is an effective way to fight the fungal disease mildiou. However, spraying too much copper in the vineyard is not good for the soil and the water and this has been known a long time. Now researchers have discovered another problem with copper. Spraying copper can affect the bacterial flora and the yeast population […]
The use of sulphur to be banned? To disinfect oak barrels by burning sulphur inside is a century old tradition. Now the procedure could become illegal. According to the EU rules sulphur tablets is classified as biocides, which means that they must have obtained an authorization to be allowed on the market. And to get […]
In Vino Analytica Scientia” is an international symposium focusing on wine chemistry and sensory analysis. The next edition will take place on 2-4 July 2009 in Anger in the Loire Valley. They will be calling for papers on related themes: chemical and biochemical reactions and analysis, authentification and traceability, sensors and chemometrics, sensory analysis,… More […]
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