Cognac with tea?!

So-Yang is a newly launched drink that is a blend of cognac and green tea. It was originally created by a French woman in her kitchen in Cognac. It is actually much better than what it might sound, I must admit. You serve it as a refreshing drink or aperitif, simply on some ice cubes. Light, refreshing and pleasingly aromatic. Actually a quite elegant mix of cognac and tea aromas, mixed with a hint of citrus and peaches. It’s just launched so you’ll have difficulties finding it in a shop near you (unless you live near Drugstore Publicis Etoile), but they’re looking for distributors internationally. so-yang.com

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Why do it the simple way when you can make it complicated

The Swedish monopoly retailer Systembolaget (who also likes to take on a particularly responsible attitude when it thinks that the citizens are not quite up to it) has a project to introduce level indicators on Bag-in-Box wines so that the consumer can see how much is left in the plastic bag inside the box. Unfortunately, as they note in their latest newsletter “the proposals that have so far been presented have all incurred a substantial cost for the packaging”, but they continue their quest. Perhaps they don’t think that the consumers are willing to pay a substantial premium to get the gauge on the box. Which seems entirely reasonable, considering that you can check the level by simply lifting the box and feel its weight. For no extra cost. But why choose a simple solution?...

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World’s best Syrah

The wine competition Syrah du Monde recently honoured 36 wines with the Gold Medal. Wines from all over the world participated in the competition. Here is the list of winning wines: syrah-du-monde.com

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The world’s most powerful brands

The magazine The Drinks Business makes a yearly review of the world’s most powerful brands, weighing in things like brand recognition as well as sales volumes. Here are this year’s top 10 brands.

- Smirnoff
- Bacardi
- Johnnie Walker
- Martini
- Stolichnaya
- Hennessy
- Absolut
- Jack Daniel’s
- Chivas Regal

And here’s “the wine list”, the list of the top ten wine brands (overall ranking in parenthesis)

- Gallo (17)
- Hardys (21)
- Concha y Toro (24)
- Robert Mondavi (36)
- Yellowtail (43)
- Jacob’s Creek (47)
- Lindemans (50)
- Sutter Home (56)
- Blossom Hill (65)
- Rosemount (80)

One can perhaps note that none of the wine brands originate in Europe, although Jacob’s Creek is owned by the French company Pernod Ricard.

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EU launches propaganda campaign for wine? Outside Europe...

Agricultural commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel will present the project for wine sector reform om July 4. One of the elements in the project is a proposal to invest substantial amounts in a marketing campaign to promote European wines. But only outside of Europe. Fischer Boel says that it may involve “very significant figures … people will be very surprised”. financialexpress-bd.com

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The world’s best sommelier is Swedish

Andreas Larsson recently won the title as the world’s best sommelier at the championship in Greece. His daily job (or perhaps nightly) is at the restaurant PM & Vänner (PM and Friends) in the small Swedish town of Växjö. www.matodryck.se

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Great uncertainty (and apprehension?) re. prices on Bordeaux primeurs

What will happen with the prices on the primeur wines (“release prices”) from Bordeaux? Many people, both buyers and sellers, seem to look at it with a certain concern. And many chateaux seem reluctant to announce the prices. The prices will certainly be below those for the 2005 vintage that were extremely high. But how much lower? Some (Mr Parker among them) predict that it is a vintage that will not much interest the American market. For economic reasons and because fo the weak dollar. First to release the price was Léoville-Barton who announced a price that was certainly lower than for 2005 but still quite high according to some observers. Other chateaux seem to wait (hesitate?) with the prices… Is it the beginning of market reaction on the very high prices of recent years? We will see. Read more: decanter.com

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500 wineries in Washington

Sweet Valley Wines in Walla Walla claims to be the 500th winery in Washington State. The state has 31,000 acres of wine (13,000 hectares). Production has grown steadily from not more than 20 wineries in the 70s. winemag.com

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Record (small) harvest in Australia

In contrast, in Australia this year’s harvest will be the smallest since 2000 – only 560,000 tonnes (~400 M litres of wine). It is almost 30% less than last year. Perhaps not entirely unwelcome though, since Australia has had large surplus volumes of wine recently. wine-business-international.com

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Record harvest in Argentina

The harvest volume in Argentina 2007 is expected to increase with 6.5% compared with 2006. It will be the largest volume since 10 years. A contributing factor is that many new plantations in the Mendoza region this year produces wine for the first time. vinimarket.com

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Napa Valley officially recognised by the EU

The European Union has recently officially recognised the denominations “Napa” and “Napa Valley” for wine in a way similar to the European appellations of origin for wine. The president of Napa Valley Vintners comments “It is a significant victory in the permanent fight to protect the name Napa around the world”. Not that we believe that there were many producers in Europe who called their wine “Napa”…vinimarket.com, decanter.com, napavalleyregister.com

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Water in the vineyard

Is it permitted to irrigate the vineyard? It depends on where and when. Many believe that it is forbidden in e.g. France. However, that is not the case. Even in France it is allowed in some districts and under some conditions (at certain pre-defined periods during the year). Usually not for the better wines though. After the extremely dry 2003 there’s been a lot of discussion about a more liberal attitude towards irrigation in France. In the New World the situation is sometimes the opposite. There are no restrictions on irrigation (as a matter of fact, some wine districts would not exist without it). But there are some arguments raised that perhaps it should be used less. Read more about that debate, primarily on the US west coast, in SFGate.

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Austria bets on organic wine

Austria aims to become the leading producer of organic wine. There are today 467 organic wineries in the country, representing 4% of the total production. In 2006 the produced volume of organic wine reached 652,000 hectolitres. harpers.co.uk

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New VDP: Vin de Pays du Val de Loire

On May 11 the official text for the new Vin de Pays du Val de Loire was published. It covers the departements Allier, Cher, Indre, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, Loire-Atlantique, Loiret, Maine-et-Loire, Nièvre, Puy-de-Dôme, Sarthe, Vendée, Vienne and parts of Deux-Sèvres. White grapes: sauvignon blanc, sauvignon gris, chardonnay, chenin, grolleau gris, pinot blanc, pinot gris, melon. Red varieties: cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, gamay noir, grolleau noir, grolleau gris, pinot noir, merlot, pineau d’aunis. The grape variety (varieties) can be mentioned on the label. The previously used VDP du Jardin de la France is thus abolished. Read the full text.

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Sneak release: truffles in February

It's not officially released yet, but we can give you a sneak preview. On February 13-17 we will organise an exclusive Truffles Hunting, Wine and Gastronomy tour (including foie gras) to the Perigord district in South West France. We'll go "hunting" for truffles with specially trained truffles dogs and we'll end the morning with a magnificent all-truffles lunch... An we'll also visit a number of interesting wine producers in the region of course. You'll soon find more info here: bkwine.com/wine_tours/wine_tours.htm

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New guest writing on BKWine.com: Lebanon, Israel, Germany…

First, we have the pleasure of welcoming a new guest writer, Per W Stryger, who is both a wine importer (vinum-bonum.dk) and an airline captain, as well as a wine writer. On the guest writer page he writes three articles on German wine, on drinking wine, and on combining wine and food.

Read Per’s articles here.

We also have new articles from two of our established guest writers: Ester Laushway writes about an interesting and unusual producer in Provence (certainly an unusual love story!), and David Furer writes two articles on wine from Israel and on wine from Lebanon.

Read Ester's och David's articles here

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BKWine Pick: Domaine d'Aupilhac

Domaine d’Aupilhac, Sylvain Fadat, Montpeyroux, Languedoc

Sylvain Fadat prefers to spend his time in the field. That’s where the important work is done, in his opinion. He’s one of the stars in the Languedoc, with Domaine d’Aupilhac that he created in 1989, north west of Montpellier. At that time, Languedoc still had a low-quality, big-volume reputation and Sylvain became one of the pioneers in on the path towards higher quality. He understood the fantastic potential, there to be discovered, in the vineyards around his home village – Montpeyroux. Today he makes a wide range of wines, both white and red, and all have lots of substance and personality. For example, his cuvées from very old vines of Carignan and Cinsault.

Click here for address and more recommendations.

Read about more recommended producers on the site: Favourite Producers

Read more recommendations on restaurants and winebars on my Restaurant and Wine Bar page.

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Wine Tours

Wine Tours

• 26-30 September: Côte d'Or, the heart of Burgundy

Over the course of a long weekend we will take a close look at the heart of Burgundy: la Côte d’Or de Bourgogne, the Golden Slope of Burgundy. Our visits will give you expert insight into the important aspects of Burgundy wines: soil, geology, viticulture, and vinification. More info!

• 17-21 October: Portugal – Alentejo

Portugal have been making great strides in improving wine quality over the last decade and the Alentejo region is one of the most dynamic (albeit one of the least known). There are many ambitious wine makers in the region, both traditional Portuguese "houses" and modern ventures. And this is also where you find the vast Portuguese cork oak forests and the delicious Pata Negra ham. More info!

Finnish Wine Tours - Viinimatkoja Ranskan viinialueille!

Tours on the schedule (in Finnish):

• 26.-30. syyskuuta: Viinimatka Alsaceen. More info here!
  
  
• 17-21 oktober: Portugal – Alentejo. More info here!

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BKWine Brief nr 47, June 2007

Here in Paris we had a wonderful month of April. We sat on the balcony until late in the evenings enjoying 20+ centigrade. Then May arrived with the total contrast: cold and rain. In our building they turn of the heating on May 15 (no matter what) and we’ve rarely been freezing so much inside as this May.

In many parts of France the pattern was similar: wonderful April, horrible May. So, what does this has to do with wine? Well, the early heat and sun made the vines virtually explode with energy early on in the season. Some say the growth is two weeks early, other say the plants are a month or more ahead of time.

But then we had rain and cold in May that messed things up. The result? Poor flowering, uneven pollination, colure and other problems. This will probably lead to a small volume harvest and it will also be difficult to choose the right moment to pick the grapes. Grapes on the same bunch will have different maturity (due to uneven flowering) and ideally you should harvest in successive ‘tries’, like in Sauternes, only the ripe berries. But that will be too expensive. In other words, it seems to be a year when the work in the vineyard will be very important and when the skills at harvest time will make a big difference. We will see.

Slovenia – A new wine country to discover!

I was recently in Slovenia and it proved to be a very pleasant discovery, both regarding wine, food and beautiful countryside. A landscape that seems to be a mix between Tuscany and Austria (try and imagine!), an exciting and creative cuisine, and wines that we certainly of good quality and often original. Some of the whites you have to get a bit accustomed to – skin contact for six months is not unusual! – but once you’ve recovered from the first shock the wines are certainly very drinkable and interesting. And the world of wine could do with a few more surprising wines. Indigenous grape varieties coexist with the internationally well known. Even if Slovenia is best known for its white wines we found several reds that impressed, for example the Pinot Noir from Marjan Simcic and Rofosk from Uros Rojac. In this neat little country with 2 million inhabitants they are also very keen on growing their vines organically, or, as the dynamic Vesna Krisancic at Movia, even biodynamic. We will no doubt see more of it in the future.

Find out for yourself

Why not come and see for yourself how the harvest turns out? We have an exciting wine tour to Burgundy in September and a tour to Portugal in October. Register now for your autumn wine tour! More info: http://www.bkwine.com/wine_tours/wine_tours.htm

Book reviews

Just a reminder that you can find wine book reviews on our site. Perhaps good for some inspiration for summer reading or travel: http://www.bkwine.com/vininformation/wine_books.htm.

Britt

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Link Tips

Some wine sites that you might enjoy visiting:

• On Italian Syrah wines: sfgate.com
• On Hans Vinding-Diers, a Danish-South African-Italian wine maker: winespectator.com
• Wine comments from the US, including some Wine Spectator videos: vin-cache.com
• One of the most silly sites we’ve seen in recent times, somehow created out of the ashes of the defunct wine magazine Wine-X (explains perhaps why it didn’t survive…). We’re not quite sure if it’s serious or if it’s irony: JustWinePoints.com
• A wine merchant specialised in rare wines: rare-wine.com
• A Californian wine blog written by Victoria, a Swede: TastesOfLife.blogspot.com

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Go for good or great Gigondas

Gigondas is a small appellation in the southern Rhône valley that has almost become a little bit forgotten. For a while it has perhaps not been among the most dynamic of wine regions but more recently it has seen something you could almost call a renaissance. Today there are several interesting producers in Gigondas. Raspail-Ay is probably the best known but there are many others. If you are curious to find out a bit more about them (plus a few truths about the 2003 vintage) you should read Mark Williamson’s (Willi’s Wine Bar) commentary here

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Laroche opens boutique hotel in Chablis

A year or two ago Laroche opened a wine bar and restaurant in an old renovated mill and now (after quite a long wait) it’s time for the hotel. It is a very small and luxurious hotel above the restaurant. Seven rooms (two suites, one with a large terrasse) await the guests. Almost minimalist design, very low-key and elegant with a discrete African theme (perhaps inspired by Laroche’s new vineyard in South Africa). Goes well with a Grand Cru in front of the fire place in the hotel living room.

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Crowds in the vineyard – 17,000 vines per hectare

Chateau de Tracy has just launched a new cuvée called “Haute Densité”, or simply HD. 2004 is the first vintage of the peculiar wine from one of the best estates in Pouilly-Fumé. The wine comes from a 1 ha vineyard on Kimmeridge soil. It is planted with a density of 17,000 vines per ha! Quite extraordinarily dense; generally, vineyards are considered to be densely planted with “just” 8-10,000 vines per ha. Why plant so densely? The winemaker Laurent Pataille answers: “It increases the competition between the vines and gives the wine more concentration since we only have two bunches of grapes per vine”. The result? An elegant wine with flowery aromas, very mineral, and a long and powerful taste (45 euro at the estate). Impressive for vines that are only a few years old. chateau-de-tracy.com

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Bring you own wine to the restaurant

Sometimes one thinks that it’s a pity that one can’t afford to drink some really nice wines in a restaurant. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to bring with you to the restaurant that wine-candy you have in the cellar at home? Well, in the UK that is quite possible. The ambitious wine site Wine-Pages have now done a list of restaurant that allows you to bring your own wine. You can find this BYO (Bring Your Own) list here wine-pages.com. Including a few restaurants in the US.

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Next Vinisud takes place on 18-20 February 2008

Vinisud in Montpellier is a trade show focusing on wines from the Mediterranean basin. It has grown rapidly in recent times and is today a must for those who are interested in wines “from the South”. Many exhibitor come from France – naturally – but all the countries around the Mediterranean are represented. The next edition will take place on February 18-20, 2007. To note in the agenda! www.vinisud.org

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Soave – combining wine and food

During Vinitaly the Consortio of Soave launched a new information leaflet on combining Soave wine with food – specifically with Scandinavian food. The booklet contains recommendations and recipes from famous Scandinavian chefs and how to combine it with Soave wine. It is written by Magnus Saccone in English with an Italian translation. To order the booklet send an email to press (at) ilsoave.com

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OIV – what is it?

In the last issue of The Brief we mentioned that Montenegro has joined the OIV. Unfortunately we were a little bit imprecise in explaining what OIV is. Federico Castellucci, general secretary of the OIV, has asked us to clarify that OIV stands for Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin, or in English: International Organisation of Vine and Wine, and that OIV is an intergovernmental organisation of a scientific and technical nature and a recognised competence for its works concerning vines, wine, wine-based beverages, table grapes, raisins and other vine-based products. It is composed of 43 member countries who have an economic interest in wines and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic products derived from grapes. Clarification now done. More info on their site: www.oiv.int

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Château la Roque in Pic-St-Loup (Languedoc) changes hands

Château la Roque, one of the best known properties in the successful appellation Pic-St-Loup in Languedoc has just changed hands. The new owner is the ex-industrialist from Normandy, Jacques Rivette. the property covers some 80 ha, 32 of which are planted with vines. vitisphere.com

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It’s official: AOC Languedoc is born

In a text published on April 30 AOC Languedoc has been officially announced. Technically, it is not a new appellation but a modification of the existing AOC Coteaux du Languedoc. To create a new AC takes many years and the growers were more impatient than that. So instead they opted to change the existing AC Coteaux du Languedoc so that it a) changes name, and b) includes both the Languedoc and the Roussillon. The intention is that it will make it easier for consumers. Laudable of course. The AOC Languedoc may be used from the 2006 harvest. The old one can still be used during a transition period of five years. journee-vinicole.com

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New-old conflict over Margaux appellation

First it was the Cru Bourgeois classification that was annulled. Then it was St Emilion. Is Margaux next? Philippe Raoux, owner of Ch d’Arsac, has recently won a new step in a long running court battle against the INAO over the borders of the Margaux appellation. He bases his argument on geological studies that he claims shows should broaden the appellation. (Do we need to add that it would then include d’Arsac?...) INAO, meanwhile, has defined its own new (proposed) borders of Margaux. It would include some new land but would exclude some of the existing properties. We can easily imagine how the owners of that land will react… Perhaps it is time to let the consumers decide what wine is good and what is not good, rather than giving that task to bureaucrats? More in wine-business-international.com

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Champagne Thiénot buys into Dourthe

The Champagne house Thiénot (Thiénot, Canard-Duchène, Joseph Perrier, Marie Stuart, Malard) has bought a stake in the Bordeaux négociant CVBG Dourthe Kressmann. Dourthe is a major négociant in Bordeaux and also owns (or manages) several estates: Château Belgrave, Ch La Garde, Ch Pey La Tour. It is said that the intention from Dourthe is to assure the long term capitalisation of the company. The turn-over of the combined group is expected to reach 275 million euro in 2007 and it will manage some 725 hectares of vines in Bordeaux, Champagne and the Languedoc. decanter.com, journee-vinicole.com

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New American AVA: Outer Coastal Plain, NJ

The latest addition to the list of AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) is Outer Coastal Plain in New Jersey. The region covers almost half of the state: 2.25 million acres (0,9 million hectares) – all are not planted with wine though. There are 20 wine producers growing a variety of grapes, e.g. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc. appellationamerica.com

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What will happen with Tocai Friuliano?

Since April 1 it is no longer permitted to use the name Tocai (in Italy) or Tokay (d’Alsace, in France) following an EU agreement that reserves that name for wines from Hungary. The Italian government has, however, decided that Tocai Friuliano can be used for at least one more year, contrary to the EU ruling. This is the result of an Italian court ruling that decided that ‘Friuliano’ will not be permitted as the new name for the grape. In Veneto, on the other hand, they have already started to use another name for Tocai: Tai… (It may be worth noting that Tokay d’Alsace and Tocai Friuliano are entirely different grape varieties: Tokay d’Alsace is Pinot Gris (or Ruländer in German) and Tocai Friuliano is Sauvignonasse. In addition, Tocai (now Tai) in Veneto is a third, unrelated grape.) wine-business-international.com

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Record year for Spanish wine exports

2006 was a record year for wine exports from Spain: they reached 1.64 bn euro which is up 3.9% from previous year. Looking further back, over ten years, since 1995, the Spanish exports have doubled. wine-business-international.com

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Californian grape acreage increases

The acreage for grapes in California grew in 2006 to 350,000 hectares (860,000 acres). That is about the same size as Bordeaux (100’) and Languedoc (250’) together. But only 60% of that is used for producing wine: 213,000 hectares (527,000 acres), up 1% from previous year – so roughly, California wine land is about twice the size of Bordeaux. Most widely planted grapes were Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. capitalpress.info

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South Africa feels the pinch of the world wide wine glut

South Africa is arguably one of the most successful “new” wine countries in recent times, coming from virtually nowhere to now commanding a substantial market share, at least on some markets. But now even South Africa is starting to feel the pain of the word wide wine surplus. Exports are down for the first time in 12 years. Prices are also down (13%) and wineries come up for sale. Read more: iol.co.za

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Prices rise on Australian wine?

There’s been exceptionally dry weather in Australia, and coupled with spring frosts this has reduced this year’s harvest. Now, trade sources estimate that the reduces volumes will lead to price increases for the consumer of between $2 and $8 per bottle. This might be a relief for the Australian wine industry that has suffered from over-production, sometimes to the extent that grapes have been left hanging on the vine or tanks have been emptied from unsold wine to make room for the new vintage. brisbanetimes.com.au

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EU spends 415 M euro on wine support – 159 M euro goes to Spain

The EU has a relatively substantial budget to support and develop the wine sector. Primarily it is targeted at decreasing the surplus of cheap, low quality wine, e.g. by grubbing up vines, by changing grape varieties, and in other ways improve wine production. For the budget year ’06-’07 some 425 million euro will be spent on this program. 159 of those millions will go to Spain which is the country with the biggest land surface planted for wine production: 1.2 million hectares. This is one of the things that you can learn from the recently published “Spain Food and Drink Report Q1 2007” from Research and Markets. researchandmarkets.com

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Laroche increases turnover with 17%

The Laroche Group, led by Michel Laroche, increased sales for the year ended on March 31 from 26.1 M euro to 30.7 M euro, an increase with 17%. Laroche is best known for it’s Chablis wines but are today also making wines across the globe – in the Languedoc, in South Africa and in Chile.

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AOC Coteaux du Languedoc Pézenas defined

A new official publication has defined the requirements for adding Pézenas to the AOC Coteaux du Languedoc. The wine must come from the communes Adissan, Aspiran, Caux, Fontès, Fouzilhon, Gabian, Lieuran-Cabrières, Montesquieu, Neffiès, Nizas, Paulhan, Péret, Pézenas, Roujan, and Vailhan, all in the department l’Herault. Permitted grape varieties are Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault. The denomination may be used from the 2006 harvest. journee-vinicole.com

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Bernard Magrez makes wine in Japan

Bernard Magrez is one of the most successful wine “industrialists” in recent times. He has amassed a wine empire including some 35 wine estates. He has recently established a joint venture with Yuji Aruga of Katsunuma Winery. The wine that they will make together will be sold on the international market (outside of Japan) through the Magrez distribution organisation. decanter.com

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BKWine Pick: Weingut Manderschied, Pfalz

Weingut Manderschied, Pfalz

Young Martin Manderscheid owns 15 hectares in Pfalz (Palatinate) in Germany. He took over the property from his father three years ago. 60% of the production is white wines, the rest is red and rosé. We’ve had the opportunity to taste three of Martin’s wines and were duly impressed. Grauburgunder 2005 Spätlese Trocken is a very good, aromatic wine, quite full-bodied with a nice fresh acidity. A completely dry wine with only 2.3 gram of residual sugar (4.6 euro from the property). The red Dornfelder Trocken 2004 has lots of red fruits and berries and is quaffable – quite a dark colour with a touch of spiciness (3.9 euro). This seems to be a property with a bright future. Prices are very reasonable. If you drive through Germany this summer Weingut Manderscheid is certainly worth a stop.

Click here for address and more recommendations.

Read about more recommended producers on the site: Favourite Producers

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Wine Tours

Wine Tours

• 26-30 September: Côte d'Or, the heart of Burgundy

Over the course of a long weekend we will take a close look at the heart of Burgundy: la Côte d’Or de Bourgogne, the Golden Slope of Burgundy. Our visits will give you expert insight into the important aspects of Burgundy wines: soil, geology, viticulture, and vinification. More info!

• 17-21 October: Portugal – Alentejo

Portugal have been making great strides in improving wine quality over the last decade and the Alentejo region is one of the most dynamic (albeit one of the least known). There are many ambitious wine makers in the region, both traditional Portuguese "houses" and modern ventures. And this is also where you find the vast Portuguese cork oak forests and the delicious Pata Negra ham. More info!

Finnish Wine Tours - Viinimatkoja Ranskan viinialueille!

Tours on the schedule (in Finnish):

• 26.-30. syyskuuta: Viinimatka Alsaceen. More info here!
  
  
• 17-21 oktober: Portugal – Alentejo. More info here!

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Special offer: Portugal

Portugal has developed into a very exciting wine country. That’s why we do one more wine tour to Portugal this year. Just in time for that trip a new book on wine and food from Portugal will hit the shelves. It’s The Wine & Food Lover's Guide to Portugal written by Charles Metcalfe (ex-editor and co-founder of Wine International) and his wife Kathryn who have written it. In co-operation with Charles we are happy to be able to offer to the readers of the BKWine Brief to buy the book at a preferential price directly from Metcalfe. Let us know if you are interested and you will get the book delivered as soon as it is off the presses (Sep/Oct). And we hope that you’ll come on the Portugal tour too! (But the book offer is open to anyone who’s interested – you don’t have to come on the tour.)

But don't forget the Burgundy trip that also is scheduled for this autumn. It promises to be very interesting!

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Link Tip

Marquis de Griñon – a technology savvy wine producer: CNN.com

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Book Review: How to build and start your own wine cellar

How to build and start your own wine cellar
By Chris Miley
Redwine Publications, www.redwinepublications.com, www.winecellarsecrets.com

An ebook (pdf) on wine cellars. It actually includes some general wine and wine history sections but most of it about how to build a wine cellar. It’s not quite a DIY manual of how to build it. Rather it is a collection of tips and recommendations on things you should think of and things that are important for a wine cellar. For example, there’s a chapter on cooling units and how to choose a good one. A short but useful ebook if you want some inspiration for building your cellar.

Don’t forget that we have a whole section on the site with reviews and recommendations of good wine and food books. Pages full of inspiration for the wine and food lover: the book shelf.

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Book Review: Rare Malts, Facts, Figures and Taste

Rare Malts, Facts, Figures and Taste
By Ulf Buxrud
Quiller Publishing

Initially, I was a bit hesitant. Is it more of a promotional book? – All whiskeys come from the same company, Diageo and their “Rare Malts Selection”. Then I said to myself, if you can write a book about, say, Château Margaux, why not about an outstanding whiskey producer? So, shedding my hesitation, the book is a fascinating read: a long list of whisky distilleries are described and their whiskies tasted and commented. Some of the distilleries no longer exist so to book is also in sorts an historical account. All written by Ulf Buxrud who is an exceptional whisky enthusiast. The illustrations are perhaps not always up to par, and I’d h appily remove some of the pictures of bottles and bottle boxes and have space for some more illustrations of the places and environments, but I might be nitpicking. To read and to savour for the dedicated whisky lover.

Buy the book: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

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Book Review: The Wine Atlas of Australia

The Wine Atlas of Australia
By James Halliday
Mitchell Beazley

A must if you are hooked on Australian wine. It’s a back-breaker of a book, over 300 pages in large format, but it covers virtually all there is to know about Australian wine. Each chapter is dedicated to a region, starting with a map and a a general introduction (climate, grape varieties, soil etc). then comes a selection of the most important (all?) producers in the region. This section also includes a lot of useful travel information: address (including web address), tasting possibility, if the winery has a restaurant etc. The book is beautifully illustrated with plenty of pictures. As I said, a heavyweight from the southern hemisphere.

Buy the book: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

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Book Review: The Art & Science of Wine

The Art & Science of Wine
By James Halliday & Hugh Johnson
Mitchell Beazley – new edition of a classic

Don’t be put off by the title. It is not an overly technical or scientific book. The two authors – giants in the world of wine writing – are a guarantee that it is a good and informative read. After reading the book you will have a very good understanding of wine, wine growing and wine making. You might not be an expert winemaker, but there are schools for that. The book is split in three sections: In the Vineyard, In the Winery, and In the Bottle. Starting with things like terroir and irrigation, over winemaking techniques for different types and styles of wines, to what makes wine age and the very topical subject of wine closures – this book will give you a lot of insight. It’s actually quite a unique book – no other wine book explains the technical details behind winemaking in such an enjoyable form. Certainly very worth reading.

Buy the book: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

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Altia signs agreement with Constellation

Altia Corporation is one of the Nordic region’s biggest wine and spirits importers in the Nordic region. It is owned by the Finnish government. The state owned company is probably better known under various of its operating subsidiaries: Philipson & Söderberg, Bibendum, Premium Wines, Strøm, etc. Altia has just signed a new cooperation agreement with Constellation Brands, the world’s biggest wine 7 spirits company, to represent them on the Nordic market. The Constellation portfolio includes many well known brands: Hardys, Banrock Station, Ravenswood, Robert Mondavi, Paul Masson, Talus and Nobilo... But can’t help wondering why the Finnish state should run such businesses…

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New AVA: Snake River in Idaho

On April 9 Snake River Valley will officially become an AVA, American Viticultural Area. Snake River Valley is in the state of Idaho(!) and covers a total of some 21,400 square kilometres. The area is described as high altitude, cool desert. But there’s only some 30 wine producers in the whole state though, with a vineyard area of around 1800 acres (730 hectares). That brings the total number of AVAs to 236. pr-inside.com

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Montenegro joins OIV

The new republic of Montenegro (previously part of Yugoslavia) has joined the OIV, Office International de la Vigne et du Vin, the international wine bureau (the cooperation organisation for wine producing countries). Montenegro has a good potential to become a new tourist destination, with a beautiful coast and impressive mountain ranges, which will no doubt drive wine consumption and production. BKWine had the pleasure to visit Montenegro and its vineyards last year – you can see some more pictures from the country and the vineyards here. bkwine.com/wine_pictures/

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Château La Tour Haut Brion ceases production

The wine Château La Tour Haut Brion will no longer be produced. The wine has a history traced back to the Middle Ages when it was called La Tour de Rostaing. Today it is owned by Château Haut-Brion (Domaine Clarence Dillon). The vineyard is 5 hectares. In the future the wine will instead be used for Ch La Mission Haut-Brion’s second wine La Chapelle de La Mission Haut Brion and perhaps later in the La Mission itself. Another illustration of how the Bordeaux classification system is actually more a classification of brand names and not of vineyards… decanter.com

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St Emilion classification annulled

Just as we speculated in the last Brief the new classification of Saint Emilion has been declared invalid by a court in Bordeaux. Like the precedent (the Cru Bourgeois classification whose cancellation we reported last month) the court has judged that the panel who defined the classification was partial: it included representatives for (or advisors to) the estates that were at the same time subject to the decision. Seven chateaux that had been excluded had taken this issue to court. In the French system it is actually quite common that producers judge their own and their neighbours’ wine, e.g. in the agreement tastings for appellations. So even in this case we should perhaps ask – who’s next? Wine Business International, journee-vinicole.com, and decanter.com

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”Les 5 Côtes” – and then there were 4...

Schizophrenia is a common affliction when it comes to reasoning around French wine rules and regulations. Yes, you want to cooperate with your neighbouring regions better to promote the wine, and yes you want to have as small and specific (and obscure) appellations as possible. An unusual initiative was when recently five Bordeaux “côtes” appellations (Côtes de Castillon, de Francs, de Blaye, de Bourg and Premières Côtes de Bordeaux) joined forces in view of uniting the five appellations into one with the name Côtes du Bordeaux – easier for the consumer to recognize perhaps. Harmony is no longer – Bourg has pulled out of the collaboration because they did not like the idea that they would no longer have their Côte de Bourg AC, even if they would be allowed to add the name to the new AC (Bourg-Côtes de Bordeaux). Who’s next? As reported in vitisphere.com

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Feminine wine?

Marketing ploy? For sure. But we find it quite interesting how people try and be creative to stand out a bit from the crowd, so we’re glad to offer these ‘ployers’ some space in the Brief. For the international women’s day Yvon Mau, a big Bordeaux négociant, assembled a jury of women wine personalities (sommeliers, oenologists, writers,…). The task of t his all-female jury was to select wine for a new cuvée that Mau will launch called “Premius au Féminin”. We have not tasted the wine unfortunately, but at least Mau (Jean-François, the current generation) seems to be enjoying himself at the centre of the jury. Who knows, next year BKWine might even get to participate in the selection…?

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Vinho Verde – distance learning

Would you be interested in learning more about the Portuguese Vinho Verde? Then you can take the e-course on this Portuguese wine that has just been launched by the Vinho Verde institute in cooperation with a local university and the Minho region. It’s all internet based and the course finishes with an exam and a diploma. The only odd thing, perhaps, is that you actually have to pay a fee to participate in this otherwise clever marketing promotion. More info: vinhoverde.pt/eLearnVerde

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Latest news on the catwalk: clothes from wine; or wet-tshirt-competition as an art form

An Australian researcher has developed a “textile” from wine. If you leave wine in an open container a film develops on the surface. In a similar way the “Micro’be” textile is produced. It still has a few production and utilisations issues though: it smells bad and it has to be kept wet so as not to crack (that though, some might argue, is perhaps an advantage). “Wine ware” has already had it’s premiere on the Paris catwalk. bioalloy.org and cnn.com

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Wine from Myanmar

More unusual wine destinations: Myanmar, or as it used to be called, Burma, has it’s first vineyard. It’s a German business man who have planted grapes in this isolated country. The area is said to be resembling the landscape in Tuscany and the vineyard is planted with various varieties, including Sauvignon Banc and Moscato. We have not yet tasted the wine… (On the other hand, it might also be a question of if you really want to drink wine from this strange country.) CNN.com

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Wines from the Balkans

First, we have made a big picture update on the site with lots of pictures from vineyards and wineries in the Balkans: Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina: www.bkwine.com/wine_pictures/photo_galleries.htm

You can read more about Balkan wines in Business Week that recently had an article on Balkan wines called Make Mine a Macedonian Wine (with the added benefit that they interviewed and quote BKWine in the article): businessweek.com

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Taste Bordeaux 1949

A little envelope arrived the other day. An invitation to a wine tasting of ’49 Bordeaux. Eleven wines: Cheval Blanc, Lafleur, Pétrus, Latour, Lafite, Mouton, Montrose, La Mission,… Nice, we thought, so we checked the agenda for May 11. No problem. Oh, need to check the price. Ah, 2,900 euro. Yes, that’s right. But then it includes a two star dinner at Carré de Feuillant of course. And VAT. If any of you is interested I can make my seat available. More info: www.christies.com

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The “original” Malbec travels to South America

Not surprisingly the Compagnie France Malbec is located in Cahors where the main grape variety is – Malbec. Ghislaine Baltenweck and her husband owns a small vineyard, but their main activity is a ‘négoce’ where they buy grapes from 400 other producers and sell mainly on export. They make three different wines, Impernal, Le Paradis and Malbec de France - Plant du Roy. Their main market in South America and China! There’s already a big “local” production of Malbec in South America – it’s one of the main grapes in Argentina – but the Baltenwecks hope to convince the consumers that “the original” is worth trying, even if they admit that Cahors is still not very well known internationally. For the Cuvée Malbec de France-Plant du Roy they have designed the bottle with an original orange coloured label and capsule, apparently specifically to attract female Brazilian consumers. The wine is quaffable but very well structured – it is after all a 100% Malbec.

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