Portugal is a wonderful wine country in many ways. Not least because it is unrelentingly focusing on Iberian grape varieties. The only French grape that is included in the top-10 list is Syrah, and it
The most important grape in Argentina is Malbec and it has doubled its acreage in the last 15 years. It has now 18% of the vine surface in the country. Syrah has also increased its
Germany is a small but important wine country. Steep slopes and a cool climate give us wines that are difficult to copy. The most planted grape is Riesling but nowadays one should also look out
Nowhere else is the dominance of a few grape varieties as big as in Australia. Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay account for almost 60% of the total vineyard area of 149,000 hectares. Syrah alone accounts
It gets warmer and drier in Languedoc, says Christophe Bousquet at Domaine Pech Redon in La Clape. This cannot completely be compensated for by irrigation. That’s why Christophe this summer is going to plant grape
Few wine countries, if any, can compete with Italy in terms of the number of grapes used for wines. The ten most planted grapes account for only 38% of the total plantings. In France the
In South Africa, around 100 different grape varieties are grown on an area of approximately 117,000 hectares (table grapes not included). This is quite impressive, although of course many of the varieties are grown in
Unusual grapes can pop-up when you least expect it. On one of our tours in Chablis in the spring, a little-known grape called sacy made an appearance during the tasting of Domaine Frédéric and Céline
It will hardly surprise anyone that Chardonnay and Cabernet are (still) the most popular grape varieties in the USA. The exiting newcomer on the podium is Pinot Noir that is now solidly in third place.
Nine new grape varieties have been approved to be planted in the French vineyards. Five of them are old, almost extinct and forgotten grape varieties from the Southwest, from Gaillac, Fronton and other southwestern appellations:
France has 806,000 hectares planted with vines. This area includes about 70,000 hectares used for Cognac. Three grape varieties take up one third of this area: Merlot (112,000 hectares), Ugni Blanc (82,000 hectares, which is
Chardonnay? Cabernet? Syrah? Or if you have done your homework (some while ago), airen? No, no, no, and no. But one might say that it is (to some extent) a trick question. The world’s most
Cognac has a long-term plan to reduce the spraying in the vineyards. Currently, four different hybrids are being tested in the vineyards. All four grape varieties have good resistance to both downy mildew and powdery
In the previous issue of the Brief. we wrote about myths in the wine world. Some of our readers have contacted us with comments. Among others, William H. Shoemaker, retired horticulturist from the University of
In Napa Valley they like Cabernet Sauvignon. The grape accounts for 40% of the Napa grape surface and 60% of the value of its wines. Now, says Chris Carpenter, cabernet specialist and winemaker, this dependence
Frequent readers of the Brief know that we are very fond of Grenache. It is one of the world’s most widely planted grapes but it is very much a grape that works behind the scenes.
So you want to be (like) a pro ampelographer? That’s what they call someone who is a botanic specialist focussed on the grape vine. Or maybe you don’t? Maybe you just want to know how
Grenache is one of the world’s most widely grown grape varieties. And one of our favourite grapes.It is found mainly in southern France and in Spain (Garnacha), but also in several other countries such as
Wine consumers love Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Sauvignon Blanc. Or don’t they? There is a lot of talk nowadays about grapes that are forgotten, local, unusual, indigenous, you name it. Suddenly wine geeks are
Where do all the vines come from? In most cases they are purchased from nurseries. Some wine growers take cuttings from their own vineyard, but it is unusual. In France, nurseries have a total of
If you are a winemaker, be it “conventional” or organic, you have to spray the vineyards with treatments against diseases. You don’t really have much of a choice. The vines would barely survive and certainly
For more than a decade there has been research going on in France in order to obtain grape varieties that are resistant to the fungal diseases oidium and mildiou. The research organization INRA believe that
Champagne Louis Roederer has, as one of the few wine producers in France, been approved as a “pepiniériste privé”, ie as a private nursery for vines. Roederer will now grow their own American root stocks.
There are a few grape varieties that are more or less unique to a country or that has for some reason become emblematic. Chile has its Carmenere, Argentina has Malbec, and Uruguay has Tannat. Portugal
The large wine company Torres of Catalonia in Northern Spain continues its work with so-called forgotten grape varieties. Torres has been working on this project in Catalonia for 30 years now. One reason for the
There is much talk right now in the world of wine of the need for new grape varieties. There are actually two reasons for this. One is the fear that the expected climate change requires
In the U.S., people drink more and more wine. In 20 years, from 1993 to 2013, the volume of wine that Americans are buying doubled. The average American spends USD 8.06 per bottle of wine.
At what age is a vine at its best? When visiting wineries in New World countries you are sometimes surprised. The wine producers there talk about replanting a vineyard after only 20 years. It is
There are several hundred grape varieties that can be used by winemakers in different countries. But the major well known varieties are very dominant. 30 varieties account for about 70% of world wine production. The
If you are interested in wine, grapes and statistics, then you are in for a treat. The University of Adelaide has published a book by Kym Andersson and Nanda R Aryal called Which Winegrape Varieties
Portugal is a wonderful wine country in many ways. Not least because it is unrelentingly focusing on Iberian grape varieties. The only French grape that
The most important grape in Argentina is Malbec and it has doubled its acreage in the last 15 years. It has now 18% of the
Germany is a small but important wine country. Steep slopes and a cool climate give us wines that are difficult to copy. The most planted
Nowhere else is the dominance of a few grape varieties as big as in Australia. Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay account for almost 60% of
It gets warmer and drier in Languedoc, says Christophe Bousquet at Domaine Pech Redon in La Clape. This cannot completely be compensated for by irrigation.
Few wine countries, if any, can compete with Italy in terms of the number of grapes used for wines. The ten most planted grapes account
In South Africa, around 100 different grape varieties are grown on an area of approximately 117,000 hectares (table grapes not included). This is quite impressive,
Unusual grapes can pop-up when you least expect it. On one of our tours in Chablis in the spring, a little-known grape called sacy made
It will hardly surprise anyone that Chardonnay and Cabernet are (still) the most popular grape varieties in the USA. The exiting newcomer on the podium
Nine new grape varieties have been approved to be planted in the French vineyards. Five of them are old, almost extinct and forgotten grape varieties
France has 806,000 hectares planted with vines. This area includes about 70,000 hectares used for Cognac. Three grape varieties take up one third of this
Chardonnay? Cabernet? Syrah? Or if you have done your homework (some while ago), airen? No, no, no, and no. But one might say that it
Cognac has a long-term plan to reduce the spraying in the vineyards. Currently, four different hybrids are being tested in the vineyards. All four grape
In the previous issue of the Brief. we wrote about myths in the wine world. Some of our readers have contacted us with comments. Among
In Napa Valley they like Cabernet Sauvignon. The grape accounts for 40% of the Napa grape surface and 60% of the value of its wines.
Frequent readers of the Brief know that we are very fond of Grenache. It is one of the world’s most widely planted grapes but it
So you want to be (like) a pro ampelographer? That’s what they call someone who is a botanic specialist focussed on the grape vine. Or
Grenache is one of the world’s most widely grown grape varieties. And one of our favourite grapes.It is found mainly in southern France and in
Wine consumers love Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Sauvignon Blanc. Or don’t they? There is a lot of talk nowadays about grapes that are forgotten,
Where do all the vines come from? In most cases they are purchased from nurseries. Some wine growers take cuttings from their own vineyard, but
If you are a winemaker, be it “conventional” or organic, you have to spray the vineyards with treatments against diseases. You don’t really have much
For more than a decade there has been research going on in France in order to obtain grape varieties that are resistant to the fungal
Champagne Louis Roederer has, as one of the few wine producers in France, been approved as a “pepiniériste privé”, ie as a private nursery for
There are a few grape varieties that are more or less unique to a country or that has for some reason become emblematic. Chile has
The large wine company Torres of Catalonia in Northern Spain continues its work with so-called forgotten grape varieties. Torres has been working on this project
There is much talk right now in the world of wine of the need for new grape varieties. There are actually two reasons for this.
In the U.S., people drink more and more wine. In 20 years, from 1993 to 2013, the volume of wine that Americans are buying doubled.
At what age is a vine at its best? When visiting wineries in New World countries you are sometimes surprised. The wine producers there talk
There are several hundred grape varieties that can be used by winemakers in different countries. But the major well known varieties are very dominant. 30
If you are interested in wine, grapes and statistics, then you are in for a treat. The University of Adelaide has published a book by
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