France’s vibrant café and restaurant life has begun to return to normal. The outdoor cafes opened on May 19, and on June 9, we are also allowed to sit inside. The French are happy. According
Wine producers in France and other parts of Europe were hit hard by several cold nights in April with temperatures far below zero. The warm temperatures earlier this spring had led to early budding in
The house M. Chapoutier was founded in the 19th century and has always been respected for its good quality. But the real leap from good quality to exceptional was taken when the dynamic Michel took
During the webinar “Vinosphere Burgundy” at the end of February, researchers discussed various possibilities to tackle climate change. The question was: Will Burgundy be forced to abandon pinot noir and chardonnay? The reassuring message was
In 2009 the EU implemented a wine reform that structured wine in a few different groups. The intention was, and is, to harmonise the different systems that exist in the member countries. How this has
Philippe Bernard at Clos Saint Louis in Fixin in the Côte de Nuits has sent a greeting and some information about how the vine is on the brink of a new growing season. “2021 has
We have recently had the opportunity to taste wines from two excellent producers in the southern Rhône Valley that we were not familiar with before: Domaine Mas des Volques in the appellation of Duché d’Uzès
Water is vital for the vine. It should come in reasonable quantities. Whether it then comes naturally from above in the form of rain or from an irrigation system does not matter for the wine’s
Grenache was the first grape variety I ever harvested. It was in Banyuls in southern France, a beautiful vineyard by the Mediterranean Sea. Big bunches with ripe grapes. Maybe that is why I like it
Provence is beautiful, sunny and colourful. The Mediterranean is blue, the mimosa is yellow, the lavender is purple. And the wines are pink. Yes, but not all of them. The success in recent years of
Can a small grower compete with big champagne houses? Yes, they can. First they must, of course, make good wine. And then they “only” have to find the right customers. Which, of course, is one
It is interesting to look at the statistics showing how big a portion of the different wine regions in France is organically certified. The differences between the regions are partly due to climate and weather
Vines are also affected by viruses. The most difficult one in France since several decades back is court-noué, which is also found in other countries. In English, it is called grapevine fanleaf virus. It is
A successful and adventurous journey across the United States in the midst of the phylloxera crises in the 19th century helped save the French vineyards. Pierre Viala, a French botanist, had been sent to find
France is not like Italy, where vines grow in every region. But France is not far behind. In fact, there are more vineyards in France than in Italy. France has 794 000 hectares of vineyards,
In France, there are lots of small wine shops, but the majority of all wine is sold in supermarkets. This is especially true of Champagne as Christmas approaches. Which brands are the bestsellers? Here is
Wild yeast or cultivated yeast? That is the eternal question right now, or at least one can get that impression in certain discussions. It seems as if the wild yeast is gaining ground, but that
22 “climats”, a vineyard or a vineyard plot in Burgundian parlance, in Pouilly-Fuissé in southern Burgundy can from now on put “premier cru” on the label. It has taken ten years since the process started,
Perhaps this will be the first major wine fair post-Covid-19. If nothing unforeseen happens. Millésime Bio is scheduled to take place on January 25-27 in Montpellier in the south of France. It is a very
There has been a lot of writing about “vin méthode nature”, the natural wine method, a new phenomenon in the French natural wine world. This has sometimes been affected by misconceptions or ambiguities, so here
The “vin de france” category was introduced in 2009 when the EU did a restructuring of the various wine categories. “Vin de table” was renamed “vin de france”. A more attractive name for sure and,
It has been a warm spring and summer in northern France in 2020. It is rumoured that the harvest in Champagne will start as early as around August 20. Therefore, it is urgent to determine
Bastien Jolivet is young winegrower in the Northern Rhône Valley. In 2014 he decided to start to make his own wine. He took the family vineyards out of the local cooperative and presented his own
We often think of “natural” wine producers as rebellious. They go their own way. But still, a debate about having rules for natural wines has been going on ever since the natural wine trend started.
When she was a teenager, Nea Berglund travelled from Finland down to Bordeaux to pick grapes at her father’s chateau at harvest time. Now she is in charge of the estate, lives here fulltime and,
Between 2012 and 2017, the organic wine surface increased dramatically in Europe. In Italy, it increased by 84% and in Spain by 32%. Italy now has 106,400 hectares of organic vineyards, of which 30% is
Like the other major wine countries in Europe, France’s wine industry has undergone major changes in recent years. From the 1960s, the vineyard surface declined for many years. However, since a couple of years, it
The vineyards of the Southern Rhône Valley are in the region of Provence. This is the western part of Provence where you find towns such as of Avignon, Orange and Nîmes. Names filled with the
Wine consumers around the world drink sparkling wines like never before. The message from producers and wine writers has been clearly understood. Bubbles can be drunk at all times and not just when you are
The last two years have seen a lot of commotion in the French wine fair world. World leading Vinexpo has long been firmly rooted in Bordeaux. So, the decision to move Vinexpo to Paris this
France’s vibrant café and restaurant life has begun to return to normal. The outdoor cafes opened on May 19, and on June 9, we are
Wine producers in France and other parts of Europe were hit hard by several cold nights in April with temperatures far below zero. The warm
The house M. Chapoutier was founded in the 19th century and has always been respected for its good quality. But the real leap from good
During the webinar “Vinosphere Burgundy” at the end of February, researchers discussed various possibilities to tackle climate change. The question was: Will Burgundy be forced
In 2009 the EU implemented a wine reform that structured wine in a few different groups. The intention was, and is, to harmonise the different
Philippe Bernard at Clos Saint Louis in Fixin in the Côte de Nuits has sent a greeting and some information about how the vine is
We have recently had the opportunity to taste wines from two excellent producers in the southern Rhône Valley that we were not familiar with before:
Water is vital for the vine. It should come in reasonable quantities. Whether it then comes naturally from above in the form of rain or
Grenache was the first grape variety I ever harvested. It was in Banyuls in southern France, a beautiful vineyard by the Mediterranean Sea. Big bunches
Provence is beautiful, sunny and colourful. The Mediterranean is blue, the mimosa is yellow, the lavender is purple. And the wines are pink. Yes, but
Can a small grower compete with big champagne houses? Yes, they can. First they must, of course, make good wine. And then they “only” have
It is interesting to look at the statistics showing how big a portion of the different wine regions in France is organically certified. The differences
Vines are also affected by viruses. The most difficult one in France since several decades back is court-noué, which is also found in other countries.
A successful and adventurous journey across the United States in the midst of the phylloxera crises in the 19th century helped save the French vineyards.
France is not like Italy, where vines grow in every region. But France is not far behind. In fact, there are more vineyards in France
In France, there are lots of small wine shops, but the majority of all wine is sold in supermarkets. This is especially true of Champagne
Wild yeast or cultivated yeast? That is the eternal question right now, or at least one can get that impression in certain discussions. It seems
22 “climats”, a vineyard or a vineyard plot in Burgundian parlance, in Pouilly-Fuissé in southern Burgundy can from now on put “premier cru” on the
Perhaps this will be the first major wine fair post-Covid-19. If nothing unforeseen happens. Millésime Bio is scheduled to take place on January 25-27 in
There has been a lot of writing about “vin méthode nature”, the natural wine method, a new phenomenon in the French natural wine world. This
The “vin de france” category was introduced in 2009 when the EU did a restructuring of the various wine categories. “Vin de table” was renamed
It has been a warm spring and summer in northern France in 2020. It is rumoured that the harvest in Champagne will start as early
Bastien Jolivet is young winegrower in the Northern Rhône Valley. In 2014 he decided to start to make his own wine. He took the family
We often think of “natural” wine producers as rebellious. They go their own way. But still, a debate about having rules for natural wines has
When she was a teenager, Nea Berglund travelled from Finland down to Bordeaux to pick grapes at her father’s chateau at harvest time. Now she
Between 2012 and 2017, the organic wine surface increased dramatically in Europe. In Italy, it increased by 84% and in Spain by 32%. Italy now
Like the other major wine countries in Europe, France’s wine industry has undergone major changes in recent years. From the 1960s, the vineyard surface declined
The vineyards of the Southern Rhône Valley are in the region of Provence. This is the western part of Provence where you find towns such
Wine consumers around the world drink sparkling wines like never before. The message from producers and wine writers has been clearly understood. Bubbles can be
The last two years have seen a lot of commotion in the French wine fair world. World leading Vinexpo has long been firmly rooted in
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