Wine defects. No-one wants them. But what is it really? Numerous things can spoil a wine. No doubt many wines were spoilt back in the old days when wine producers had little knowledge of wine
Making wine is pretty straightforward. Or rather, it was, once upon a time. Today it is more complicated. The fermentation, not least, requires the winegrowers to think carefully. They know that yeast turns the sugar
Researchers continue to search for suitable yeasts that produce lower alcohol. Such yeast has already been identified, but a side effect is higher levels of glycerol in the wine, which is not always desirable. L’Institut
Making wine environmentally friendly is seen by many today as a matter of course. However, the extent to which producers are involved in the environment varies, not least depending on their financial situation. Sustainable viticulture
Oak barrel ageing is today important when it comes to a certain category of red and white wines in the upper echelons. If you talk about quality improvements in a wine district, oak ageing is
We meet many fantastic and talented winemakers on our wine tours around the world. (You can watch video interviews with many of them on the BKWine YouTube channel.) One of them is Tiago Alves de
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
What is natural wine? Are there rules? Is it good or weird? The concept of natural wine has emerged in recent years. It has been covered in media and bated. Many people have never drunk
Being biodynamic is not the same as being organic, even though they have many things in common. Only a tiny proportion of organic growers are also biodynamic. But their number is growing. If you want
Organic wine is becoming increasingly popular. Many consumers look for it and many producers convert to become organic. But what is it really, organic wine? On this web conference video masterclass we explain what it
Although organic farming is increasing, it is still what we call conventional agriculture that dominates, where you can use synthetic chemical products. Therefore, organic producers need to be able to prove that they work organically
If we buy table grapes to eat, we most certainly rinse the bunch under running water before we eat the grapes. But have you ever seen a winemaker rinse his grapes with water after harvest?
We often hear organic wine growers saying that the organic way of thinking should continue in the cellar. But what does that mean? The rules for organic wine in the cellar has to do with
Does the wine taste less oaky if the ends of the barrel, the heads, are made of polyethylene instead of oak? Yes it does, apparently. The ingenuity has no boundaries when it comes to making
Some people see red when they hear someone say “added yeast”. But that does not prevent most wine producers from choosing cultivated (selected) yeast over wild yeast. There are over 200 varieties of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
In 2012, the EU introduced rules for organic vinification, 21 years after the rules for organic farming were established. Small changes have been made since then with regard to (mainly) additives. In 2021 further changes
The latest technology to obtain more aromas in the wine is to use ultrasound. The method will probably soon be approved for winemaking. Ultrasound can be used on both white and red grapes in order
Will there soon be a requirement for wines to list the ingredients on the label? The issue has been debated in recent years. (Just to be clear: it is not forbidden to have a declaration
Sometimes people at wine tastings try and impress with opinions like “this wine tastes as if it has been in an egg-shaped concrete tank”, “this must have been kept in a stainless steel tank”, “you
Only 2% of the world’s wines are aged in oak barrels. (Ed.: Only?) But for these 2% quite a few barrels are needed. France produced 670,000 barrels in 2018, an increase of 2%. 68% of
Organic wines are becoming more and more popular with French wine consumers. 48% of them would like to see a larger range of organic wines in the stores where they normally buy wine. The fact
There seem to be no limits to the creativity of winemakers. Diemersdal Estate in Durbanhill in South Africa has recently launched its third vintage of its Sauvignon Blanc Winter Ferment. For this wine, the grapes
A wine’s sulphur content is increasingly scrutinized. Sulphur dioxide is added to the wine as an antioxidant and stabiliser. But its use has diminished, rather drastically I think, in recent decades, in part thanks to
The new “no sulphur” trend There is a new trend, still in its infancy. But it will – most likely – increase. You see it in France and probably in other wine countries as well.
Natural wine is here to stay. And although the EU has said that there will be no official rules for this category, it does not prevent private groups from setting up their own. As, for
We’ve all seen them. (Or perhaps not.) The egg-shaped tanks in concrete or in terracotta. A few years ago, they were a sensation, now it feels like every other winemaker is investing in at least
To use oak chips and oak staves as an alternative to oak barrels has been allowed in France for around 10 years now. And producers do use them. Not so much in the regions 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
The big trade fair Vinitech 2018 took place in Bordeaux in November. Every year Vinitech presents new and innovative equipment for winegrowing and winemaking. This year, for example, a biodynamic oak barrel drew attention. It
The most important factor for making great wines! We can’t control the weather. The weather determines the size of the harvest and, to some extent, also the character of the wine. The overall climate (the
Wine defects. No-one wants them. But what is it really? Numerous things can spoil a wine. No doubt many wines were spoilt back in the
Making wine is pretty straightforward. Or rather, it was, once upon a time. Today it is more complicated. The fermentation, not least, requires the winegrowers
Researchers continue to search for suitable yeasts that produce lower alcohol. Such yeast has already been identified, but a side effect is higher levels of
Making wine environmentally friendly is seen by many today as a matter of course. However, the extent to which producers are involved in the environment
Oak barrel ageing is today important when it comes to a certain category of red and white wines in the upper echelons. If you talk
We meet many fantastic and talented winemakers on our wine tours around the world. (You can watch video interviews with many of them on the
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
What is natural wine? Are there rules? Is it good or weird? The concept of natural wine has emerged in recent years. It has been
Being biodynamic is not the same as being organic, even though they have many things in common. Only a tiny proportion of organic growers are
Organic wine is becoming increasingly popular. Many consumers look for it and many producers convert to become organic. But what is it really, organic wine?
Although organic farming is increasing, it is still what we call conventional agriculture that dominates, where you can use synthetic chemical products. Therefore, organic producers
If we buy table grapes to eat, we most certainly rinse the bunch under running water before we eat the grapes. But have you ever
We often hear organic wine growers saying that the organic way of thinking should continue in the cellar. But what does that mean? The rules
Does the wine taste less oaky if the ends of the barrel, the heads, are made of polyethylene instead of oak? Yes it does, apparently.
Some people see red when they hear someone say “added yeast”. But that does not prevent most wine producers from choosing cultivated (selected) yeast over
In 2012, the EU introduced rules for organic vinification, 21 years after the rules for organic farming were established. Small changes have been made since
The latest technology to obtain more aromas in the wine is to use ultrasound. The method will probably soon be approved for winemaking. Ultrasound can
Will there soon be a requirement for wines to list the ingredients on the label? The issue has been debated in recent years. (Just to
Sometimes people at wine tastings try and impress with opinions like “this wine tastes as if it has been in an egg-shaped concrete tank”, “this
Only 2% of the world’s wines are aged in oak barrels. (Ed.: Only?) But for these 2% quite a few barrels are needed. France produced
Organic wines are becoming more and more popular with French wine consumers. 48% of them would like to see a larger range of organic wines
There seem to be no limits to the creativity of winemakers. Diemersdal Estate in Durbanhill in South Africa has recently launched its third vintage of
A wine’s sulphur content is increasingly scrutinized. Sulphur dioxide is added to the wine as an antioxidant and stabiliser. But its use has diminished, rather
The new “no sulphur” trend There is a new trend, still in its infancy. But it will – most likely – increase. You see it
Natural wine is here to stay. And although the EU has said that there will be no official rules for this category, it does not
We’ve all seen them. (Or perhaps not.) The egg-shaped tanks in concrete or in terracotta. A few years ago, they were a sensation, now it
To use oak chips and oak staves as an alternative to oak barrels has been allowed in France for around 10 years now. And producers
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
The big trade fair Vinitech 2018 took place in Bordeaux in November. Every year Vinitech presents new and innovative equipment for winegrowing and winemaking. This
The most important factor for making great wines! We can’t control the weather. The weather determines the size of the harvest and, to some extent,
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