When wine is too cheap | New Brief #270
2026-03-02
What is the right price for a wine? It depends on the perspective from which you look at it. For the consumer, it is a price that makes them happy. For the producer, it is
What is the right price for a wine? It depends on the perspective from which you look at it. For the consumer, it is a price that makes them happy. For the producer, it is
Swedes are phenomenally good at recycling. Except when it comes to cork stoppers. But now this is about to change, starting in the town of Karlstad. This town will be the first in Sweden, in
It’s not too early to start thinking about Christmas presents! But for this one, it is very early, one year ahead. It is about our latest book that came out in 2023 and that will
In 2022, Voltis became the first fungus-resistant grape in France to be integrated (with restrictions) into the regulations for an appellation wine. The appellation was Champagne. Now, in 2025, three years later, the first real
Verallia, a major glass manufacturer, has a factory strategically located in Champagne outside the village of Oiry, a grand cru village in the Côte des Blancs. Aware that the champagne bottle weighs heavily on the
Are the rules and regulations of the French appellations keeping pace with climate change? At least Château Lafleur doesn’t think so, as from this vintage, 2025, it will leave the Pomerol appellation and sell its
Ardagh Glass Packaging-Europe (AGP-Europe) has recently launched a super-light 300-gram lightweight glass bottle. The idea behind this bottle is to combine a stylish design with high performance. It is crucial to change the minds of
Integrating algae into cooking is popular with some star chefs. Algae are nutritious, albeit with a slightly peculiar taste. They can be used for many things, which is good because there is a lot of
The first impression of a wine is important. So today, focus is as much on the packaging of wine as the contents. For the wine producer, it’s about choosing a packaging that attracts young, trend-conscious
New trends don’t appear just because the calendar says it’s a new year. But at the end of December, many people have a go at predicting everything new that will happen in the wine world.
The wine world is being flooded with labels. I recently read that Champagne Bollinger was awarded the label “Entreprise du Patrimoine vivant” (roughly “a company that keeps historical tradition alive”); I didn’t even know one
South Africa has two world-renowned wine research institutes, the University of Stellenbosch and Nietvoorbij, also in Stellenbosch. The South Africa Wine Research, Development, and Innovation Team has recently presented its “2024 Research Book”. This publication
The French sustainability label Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) was launched in 2012 for all types of agriculture. It gained momentum in 2017 when the interest grew like an avalanche among wine producers in particular to
Verallia, the world’s third largest glass manufacturer, is well aware that the glass bottle today receives a lot of criticism for its environmental impact. Therefore, they work hard to make it more environmentally friendly. The
Casella Family Brands is one of Australia’s major wine producers. It owns Yellow Tail and Peter Lehmann Wines. Recently, the company opened a giant solar panel park that will provide electricity for its largest facility,
During the big wine fair Prowein in Düsseldorf in March, many stands dealt with alternative packaging for wine. But alternative packaging does not just mean cans, plastic, Tetra Pak, or paper. Lightweight glass bottles also
Lightweight bottles are starting to appear even among prestige wines. This is good. Consumers will realise that it is not just cheap wines that come in light bottles. On our recent New Zealand tour, we
Fires in wine regions cause damage to vineyards in different ways. The ripe grapes in vineyards near the fire can be damaged by smoke, which can affect the taste of the wine and, in the
The French company Sun’Agri, a pioneer in ”agrivoltaism”, has just come out with an exciting report. Agrivoltaism involves installing solar panels on top of agricultural crops. It has proven to be interesting also for vineyards.
On our Austria tour in September, we visited Birgit Braunstein in Burgenland, a biodynamic producer and tasted some of her delicious wines. Her focus is on sustainability, and her entire range is bottled in bottles
Now it is finally here. The book about the wine of the future, with the title “The Wine of the Future, Sustainable, Organic, Natural, Environmentally Friendly” (in Swedish: ”Framtidens vin, hållbart, ekologiskt, naturligt, miljövänligt”). Both
There is a lot of experimentation going on in the world’s wine regions, all with the aim of tackling the impending climate change. Vinopole in Bordeaux, a research centre, is currently preparing to plant this
The glass bottle entails heavy costs in carbon dioxide emissions to produce and to transport. Changing to lightweight bottles or other packaging may seem obvious. But how people reason differs in different countries. Prowein, the
Since 2010, a champagne bottle weighs 835 grams. It is down from 900 grams which was previously the standard weight. In other words, it is almost twice as much as a lightweight bottle for still
“Sustainable choice” was launched with a lot of advertising by Systembolaget last year, but according to information in DN (a Swedish daily paper), it is already time to scrap it. Sustainable choice has been widely
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
Many wine lovers, us included, are fond of glass bottles. But at the same time, we know that the production of glass bottles is hugely energy intensive. But what if this energy was non-fossil? English
There is a lot of talk about becoming carbon neutral these days. The EU has the ambition to become the first continent with zero emissions by 2050. But wine regions also have similar ambitions (I
In recent months, we at BKWine have appeared several times in the press and in the media. It has been about a few different things, but quite a lot about the environment and sustainability. Which
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
What is the right price for a wine? It depends on the perspective from which you look at it. For the consumer, it is a
Swedes are phenomenally good at recycling. Except when it comes to cork stoppers. But now this is about to change, starting in the town of
It’s not too early to start thinking about Christmas presents! But for this one, it is very early, one year ahead. It is about our
In 2022, Voltis became the first fungus-resistant grape in France to be integrated (with restrictions) into the regulations for an appellation wine. The appellation was
Verallia, a major glass manufacturer, has a factory strategically located in Champagne outside the village of Oiry, a grand cru village in the Côte des
Are the rules and regulations of the French appellations keeping pace with climate change? At least Château Lafleur doesn’t think so, as from this vintage,
Ardagh Glass Packaging-Europe (AGP-Europe) has recently launched a super-light 300-gram lightweight glass bottle. The idea behind this bottle is to combine a stylish design with
Integrating algae into cooking is popular with some star chefs. Algae are nutritious, albeit with a slightly peculiar taste. They can be used for many
The first impression of a wine is important. So today, focus is as much on the packaging of wine as the contents. For the wine
New trends don’t appear just because the calendar says it’s a new year. But at the end of December, many people have a go at
The wine world is being flooded with labels. I recently read that Champagne Bollinger was awarded the label “Entreprise du Patrimoine vivant” (roughly “a company
South Africa has two world-renowned wine research institutes, the University of Stellenbosch and Nietvoorbij, also in Stellenbosch. The South Africa Wine Research, Development, and Innovation
The French sustainability label Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) was launched in 2012 for all types of agriculture. It gained momentum in 2017 when the interest
Verallia, the world’s third largest glass manufacturer, is well aware that the glass bottle today receives a lot of criticism for its environmental impact. Therefore,
Casella Family Brands is one of Australia’s major wine producers. It owns Yellow Tail and Peter Lehmann Wines. Recently, the company opened a giant solar
During the big wine fair Prowein in Düsseldorf in March, many stands dealt with alternative packaging for wine. But alternative packaging does not just mean
Lightweight bottles are starting to appear even among prestige wines. This is good. Consumers will realise that it is not just cheap wines that come
Fires in wine regions cause damage to vineyards in different ways. The ripe grapes in vineyards near the fire can be damaged by smoke, which
The French company Sun’Agri, a pioneer in ”agrivoltaism”, has just come out with an exciting report. Agrivoltaism involves installing solar panels on top of agricultural
On our Austria tour in September, we visited Birgit Braunstein in Burgenland, a biodynamic producer and tasted some of her delicious wines. Her focus is
Now it is finally here. The book about the wine of the future, with the title “The Wine of the Future, Sustainable, Organic, Natural, Environmentally
There is a lot of experimentation going on in the world’s wine regions, all with the aim of tackling the impending climate change. Vinopole in
The glass bottle entails heavy costs in carbon dioxide emissions to produce and to transport. Changing to lightweight bottles or other packaging may seem obvious.
Since 2010, a champagne bottle weighs 835 grams. It is down from 900 grams which was previously the standard weight. In other words, it is
“Sustainable choice” was launched with a lot of advertising by Systembolaget last year, but according to information in DN (a Swedish daily paper), it is
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
Many wine lovers, us included, are fond of glass bottles. But at the same time, we know that the production of glass bottles is hugely
There is a lot of talk about becoming carbon neutral these days. The EU has the ambition to become the first continent with zero emissions
In recent months, we at BKWine have appeared several times in the press and in the media. It has been about a few different things,
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
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