Learn more about wine with our fact-filled articles under the heading ”wine school”. On how to make wine, on wine regions, on grape varieties, on tasting wine and much, much more. Facts about the wonderful world of wine. Everything from in-depth technical articles on viticulture and winemaking to tasting tips to learn more about flavours and characters.
2021 has been a good year for the US wine industry, even great for some. Sales have, in some sales channels, recovered from the difficult 2020. This is one of the conclusions from the Silicon
From being a fairly unremarkable additive in most wines, sulphur dioxide has recently turned into a burning topic of discussion for wine enthusiasts. SO2 is added to the wine to protect it from premature oxidation.
The story of Champagne’s price-fixing “l’échelle des crus” system and how it was abolished Grand cru and premier cru are famous words. You see them on many champagne bottles. Probably, most people take it as
Per capita wine consumption Big countries drink a lot of wine, but which nations are the most enthusiastic wine drinkers? In other words: how much wine is consumed in a country per person. In the
How much wine did we drink in 2020? Much more due to covid? Which are the countries that drink the most wine? Or rephrasing: which are the biggest markets for wine in the world? The
How much output you get from a certain input is what we usually call productivity. In the wine industry we usually talk about yields, often in hectolitres per hectare. This article explores the productivity/yields in
3.4 litres per person. That’s how much wine is made in the world. A back-of-the-envelope calculation of how much wine is made per person in the major wine producing countries can give us a rough
In 2020 the world’s wine production increased a little to reach 260 million hectolitres. This is slightly below the long term average. Italy is still the biggest wine producing country, followed by France and Spain.
The biggest vine-growing countries in the world The world’s vineyard acreage (the planted surface area) has been slowly declining for several years. 2020 was no different; the vineyard plantings declined, but only slightly. There is
Here’s your introduction to Armenian wines. Armenia is a small wine country, but one with a long history. Wine production here almost disappeared during the Soviet era. But a new generation of winemakers is reviving
Chenin blanc is one of the world’s top white grape varieties. Yet, sometimes chenin wine producers in Vouvray are frustrated. Selling a chenin blanc is not as easy as selling a sauvignon blanc, they say.
The international trade in wine grew a lot in the first half of 2021, the latest numbers from the OIV reveal. This was expected, considering the difficulties of world trade in 2020. But even compared
It seems everyone is talking about sustainability these days. We’ve recently been in at least three webinars on sustainability. Wine regions are announcing sustainability programmes. Wine producers and other wine industry companies (retailers, for example)
One of the charms of exploring the world of wine is to discover new wines, wines that may surprise you. Or simply wines that you didn’t know existed, but that you put on your to-drink
This time of the year we usually get the first estimates of the current year’s wine production, 2021 is no different. It is the OIV that assembles the statistics of global wine production. This time
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable and now also regenerative agriculture. Are all just variations of the same theme? Torres, the producer from Catalonia who is also an environmental warrior, organized a symposium on regenerative agriculture earlier this
Savoie is better known for its cheeses than for its wines. Everyone knows the names of at least some of the cheeses: reblochon, beaufort, tomme de savoie, abondance… But does anybody know what grapes they
Sardinia has once again impressed us. This time we have tasted wines from carignano and bovale sardo. Behind these local Sardinian names are Spanish grape varieties. Carignano is a synonym for cariñena/mazuelo in Spain (carignan
Austria is not just white wines. Increasingly its red wines grab our attention. We have tasted wines from Neusiedlersee DAC in Burgenland in easternmost Austria. Lake Neusiedl has long been famous for its noble sweet
The Growers’ Association (Syndicat Général des Vignerons, SGV) in Champagne decided on July 29 to allow vineyards with lower planting density from 2023. Today it is mandatory to have at most 1.50 meters between the
Classification of wine estates is notoriously tricky. (And of debatable or no value to consumers.) In 2022, Saint Emilion will update its classification, and the drama has already started. When the application for participation in
Predicting the future of organic wines may seem easy. The number of certified hectares is steadily increasing in Europe. Small wine growers convert, as well as famous Bordeaux chateaux. Consumers increasingly buy organic wines. Bulk
The French South-West, Sud-Ouest To hold on to one’s identity If you look at wines from the so-called New World, you can easily get the impression that there are no other grape varieties than chardonnay,
The battle for sustainability labels in France is intensifying. France’s first such label, Terra Vitis, has increased significantly in the past year. They have doubled their membership and now have 1,800 members with 45,000 hectares,
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
The Canary Islands have sun, beaches, volcanoes and tourists. But they also have wine. In fact, they have an important place in the history and evolution of world-wide wine growing. On the Canary Island they
I remember my first cabernet franc in France, many years ago. The restaurant served it freezing cold. It was customary at the time to keep the wines from Chinon and Bourgueil in the fridge with
Germany introduces a wine hierarchy based on geography Germany has introduced a new “classification” system for its wines, under the name Qualitätswein. It creates a hierarchy of wines – Area, Region, Village and Vineyard –
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
Sauvignon blanc is a popular grape. It has increased enormously in the last 20 years. A dozen countries have significant plantings, and another ten have a smaller, but growing, surface. Sauvignon blanc grows best in
2021 has been a good year for the US wine industry, even great for some. Sales have, in some sales channels, recovered from the difficult
From being a fairly unremarkable additive in most wines, sulphur dioxide has recently turned into a burning topic of discussion for wine enthusiasts. SO2 is
The story of Champagne’s price-fixing “l’échelle des crus” system and how it was abolished Grand cru and premier cru are famous words. You see them
Per capita wine consumption Big countries drink a lot of wine, but which nations are the most enthusiastic wine drinkers? In other words: how much
How much wine did we drink in 2020? Much more due to covid? Which are the countries that drink the most wine? Or rephrasing: which
How much output you get from a certain input is what we usually call productivity. In the wine industry we usually talk about yields, often
3.4 litres per person. That’s how much wine is made in the world. A back-of-the-envelope calculation of how much wine is made per person in
In 2020 the world’s wine production increased a little to reach 260 million hectolitres. This is slightly below the long term average. Italy is still
The biggest vine-growing countries in the world The world’s vineyard acreage (the planted surface area) has been slowly declining for several years. 2020 was no
Here’s your introduction to Armenian wines. Armenia is a small wine country, but one with a long history. Wine production here almost disappeared during the
Chenin blanc is one of the world’s top white grape varieties. Yet, sometimes chenin wine producers in Vouvray are frustrated. Selling a chenin blanc is
The international trade in wine grew a lot in the first half of 2021, the latest numbers from the OIV reveal. This was expected, considering
It seems everyone is talking about sustainability these days. We’ve recently been in at least three webinars on sustainability. Wine regions are announcing sustainability programmes.
One of the charms of exploring the world of wine is to discover new wines, wines that may surprise you. Or simply wines that you
This time of the year we usually get the first estimates of the current year’s wine production, 2021 is no different. It is the OIV
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable and now also regenerative agriculture. Are all just variations of the same theme? Torres, the producer from Catalonia who is also an
Savoie is better known for its cheeses than for its wines. Everyone knows the names of at least some of the cheeses: reblochon, beaufort, tomme
Sardinia has once again impressed us. This time we have tasted wines from carignano and bovale sardo. Behind these local Sardinian names are Spanish grape
Austria is not just white wines. Increasingly its red wines grab our attention. We have tasted wines from Neusiedlersee DAC in Burgenland in easternmost Austria.
The Growers’ Association (Syndicat Général des Vignerons, SGV) in Champagne decided on July 29 to allow vineyards with lower planting density from 2023. Today it
Classification of wine estates is notoriously tricky. (And of debatable or no value to consumers.) In 2022, Saint Emilion will update its classification, and the
Predicting the future of organic wines may seem easy. The number of certified hectares is steadily increasing in Europe. Small wine growers convert, as well
The French South-West, Sud-Ouest To hold on to one’s identity If you look at wines from the so-called New World, you can easily get the
The battle for sustainability labels in France is intensifying. France’s first such label, Terra Vitis, has increased significantly in the past year. They have doubled
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
The Canary Islands have sun, beaches, volcanoes and tourists. But they also have wine. In fact, they have an important place in the history and
I remember my first cabernet franc in France, many years ago. The restaurant served it freezing cold. It was customary at the time to keep
Germany introduces a wine hierarchy based on geography Germany has introduced a new “classification” system for its wines, under the name Qualitätswein. It creates a
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
Sauvignon blanc is a popular grape. It has increased enormously in the last 20 years. A dozen countries have significant plantings, and another ten have
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