Many wine regions are doing research to better understand the challenges posed by climate change. In the recently inaugurated Bragato Research Institute in Blenheim, Marlborough, in New Zealand, 84 small fermentation tanks and a lot of other necessary equipment, some in miniature format, will enable various research projects for both viticulture and vinification. After two […]
Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand was famous for its red wines long before Central Otago. Already in 1851, the country’s oldest still existing winery was founded here, Mission Estate. Another prominent pioneer in Hawke’s Bay, founded in early 1900, is Church Road, now owned by French Pernod Ricard. Having been overrun by Central Otago as […]
After having worked for 16 years in France, winemaker Jenny Dobson returned to New Zealand in 1996. Her home country was at the time slowly changing from being only a country of sheep and rugby to being also a country of wine. The region she chose to settle in was Hawke’s Bay on New Zealand’s […]
In New Zealand, wine producers were in the middle of the harvest when the message came on March 25 about a total lock-down of the country. The relief was great when they were told that the harvest, despite everything, could be continued and completed. “Farming and viticulture have been defined as essential industries, so we […]
Now when travel is restricted, some inspiration: In winter we have three lovely long-distance tours to wine countries in the southern hemisphere: Chile, Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand. It is so nice to get away from the cold and dark winter. But more importantly, these are four wine countries that are really charming. Different […]
Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) was founded in 2018 by a number of wine producers who wanted to protect their region’s reputation, which, they thought, was about to be eroded by cheap bulk wine exports. Now AMW is registered as a trademark also in North America, Asia and Europe. The association has 49 members. Although the […]
New Zealand is through with being the new kid of the block. Which is totally natural. They have nothing to prove anymore. Their wines (at least many of them) are world-class and as interesting as they come. All this has happened very rapidly in the last 30-40 years. Of course, there are still things to […]
Is the new trend low-alcohol wines? This is what many producers believe in New Zealand. And a great deal of effort is now made to produce sauvignon blanc wines with alcohol contents of around 10%. Concours Mondial du Sauvignon (which is organised by the big Concours Mondial de Bruxelles) reports on the latest research. The […]
Congratulations! On September 25, 2019 it is 200 years since the first vine was planted in New Zealand. An anniversary well worthy of a celebration, don’t you think? It was the Reverend Samuel Marsden, Chaplain to New South Wales, Australia, who on this day in 1819 planted vines in Stone Store in Kerikeri in the […]
David Hohnen is a renowned winemaker. He first founded Cape Mentelle Vineyards in Margaret River in his native Australia. He then moved to New Zealand and founded Cloudy Bay in Marlborough. The year was 1986. It was a stroke of luck (probably not only luck). Cloudy Bay is today one of the most famous (the […]
There is a new report on New Zealand’s vineyards and grapes. The area has increased by 2% and the country now has 38,680 hectares (~a third of Bordeaux) of which 30,921 hectares are white grapes and 7,758 hectares are red grapes. Sauvignon blanc is still the most important grape with 26,850 hectares, which is 69% […]
We came to New Zealand in March earlier this year, just when the 2019 harvest was about to begin. We saw lots of fine grape bunches and we had the feeling that it would be a good harvest, a great vintage. And it was. In fact, 2019 is an exceptional vintage, in all regions, from […]
China has become Australia’s largest export market. And the things you do to satisfy your customers! You even put natural cork in the bottles, despite the fact that you are Australian. Amorim, Portugal’s (and the world’s) largest cork manufacturer, tells us that the fastest growing natural cork market in the last 18 months has been […]
Many grapes have their own specific day. So, we were not surprised when we heard that this is also the case with Sauvignon Blanc. The International Sauvignon Blanc Day takes place on the first Friday of May, which this year is May 3. Celebrations starts in New Zealand, of course, and then continues in London, […]
A Prosecco debate rages in both Australia and New Zealand. The big question is whether Prosecco should be considered as being a grape variety or a geographical origin. Up until 2009, Prosecco was the name of the grape with which the sparkling wine Prosecco was produced in north-eastern Italy. But then the Italians changed the […]
Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most popular grape varieties in the world. With 123,000 hectares it is in fact the third most planted white variety in the world, after the Spanish grape Airen (218,000 hectares) and Chardonnay (210,000). France has the biggest plantings, followed by New Zealand, Chile and South Africa. It is a […]
Recommendations from an ambitious importer’s selection For a wine enthusiast, it is important to keep an eye on what the various importers have to offer. It is with the ambitious importers that you will find exciting wines, such as the importer Handpicked Wines. The big grocery chains selection is often largely populated by moderately exciting […]
Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough has made New Zealand famous in the wine world. As popularity has increased, the export of bulk wines from Marlborough has also increased. Some producers here are now concerned about the quality of these bulk wines and fear that in the long run, they can destroy Marlborough’s good reputation. These growers […]
We have just launched a new and really exciting travel destination: New Zealand. The country is best known for its white wines made from sauvignon blanc (and perhaps also its rugby team?), but there are many other excellent wines as well, for instance exquisite pinot noir and powerful syrah wines. It is also a country […]
The trend has been there for several years now. Demand for wines with lower alcoholic strength increases. However, it is not that easy to make low-alcohol wines. The simplest method, to stop the fermentation at an early stage, is of course not applicable. It would mean residual sugar in the wine. You can use techniques […]
We have not yet planned all the wine tours on the schedule for next year but you can already book some of them. This is what we have published so far (more will come): Chile & Argentina, January 27 – February 11. Sorry, this is fully booked but will return in Jan-Feb 2019. South Africa, […]
Every wine lover is familiar with some of the well-established wine regions in New Zealand, but they may not always have been so well-defined and protected from abuse. From July 27 new rules govern 18 “geographical indications”. It is far from the complex systems of rules found in the Old World (Italy, France, Spain and […]
The programs for the two winter wine tours, Chile-Argentina in February and South Africa at the end of Feb-early March, are now ready and published. These two long distance tours bring you to wonderful summer climates in the southern hemisphere and most likely it will be when harvest is in full swing. You can find […]
It has become popular with crowdfunding for wine books (Jura, Champagne, aromas and what not). Is it because the publishers are hard to persuade, or that wine writers do not like to work with structured and commercial publishing? Now a new book about New Zealand wines is in the works. It is called Aotearoa Nouveaux: […]
Tasting wines at a wine show can be a challenge. BKWine’s reporter in Gothenburg, Mattias Schyberg, dived right in when the Finnish wine import and distribution giant Altia Corporation came to Gothenburg to present their full range of wines to the press and restaurant people. Here are his favourite picks with some added bonuses. I […]
New Zealand, the country that is as far away from Sweden (and the rest of Europe) as you can get on this earth – what can they offer in terms of wine? A visit by some 20 New Zealand producers in Sweden gave an opportunity to find the answer. BKWine’s reporter Carl-Erik Kanne was there […]
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 […]
Vinovativa’s 10th anniversary and grand tasting: Austria, Barolo, Bordeaux, Cahors, Douro Valley, New Zealand, Piedmont, Priorat, Saint Emilion, sherry, Tuscany, Germany, and more! Wine importer Vinovativa has over ten years positioned itself as one with a wide range of wines with wines from the world represented. At the same time, they focus mainly on smaller […]
Sauvignon blanc is grown around the world today but from the beginning it was Sancerre in the upper Loire Valley that made this grape famous. We have visited the Domaine Henri Bourgeois, a well-known family in the Sancerre appellation. Their home is in the small village of Chavignol. Chavignol is only a few kilometres from […]
New Zealand is very well know for its internationally very successful sauvignon blanc wines, sauvignons that are very aromatic to the point of sometimes being overpowering. The focus on sauvignon has perhaps been so strong that other grape varieties have suffered behind it but there seems to be a trend today towards “rediscovery” of other […]
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