BKWine Blog

Is it outrageous that a bottle of wine can cost 1000€ or more?

>> Friday, February 25, 2011

You can ask the question differently (many do): “should we all be able to buy e.g. classed growth claret at reasonably affordable prices?” surprisingly often you get the answer “yes” to both questions. Many seem to be upset about the extraordinary prices that the best (or at least most expensive) wines in e.g. Bordeaux have reached recently. But is it really unreasonable? Is there anything that says that we should be able to buy the wines we bought yesterday also in the future?

Many consumers see in a nostalgic light the bottles they bought years ago without too much pain inflicted on the wallet. Many wine writers have been outraged over the price rises in recent years. One who just shrugs the shoulders is Robert Joseph, a well-respected British wine writer. His view is that today some wines have become pure luxury goods, and there’s nothing wrong with that. “the $1,000 bottle is no more crazy than the $10,000 handbag“. We agree.

For the rest of us, who don’t want to pay 1000€ for a bottle of wine, or not “even” 100€, there are plenty (more than ever) good and excellent wines to buy at reasonable prices. And the producers of those wines probably needs our money more than those who make the diamond studded wines. Read all of Robert Joseph’s article here Plus ça change

Must-have thing of the month: remove sulphur with SO2GO

>> Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Some say that the headache you get from wine is due to the sulphur the wine contains rather than to the volume consumed. Apparently you can actually be allergic to sulphur but we tend to believe that the headache mostly is due to the volume issue. But if you don’t think it is there is now a solution. So2go is a liquid that you pour into the wine and that eliminates the sulphur.

A small vial of 3 ml is enough to remove the sulphur in one bottle of wine (how can one know, since the sulphur contents varies greatly?). It costs a mere £1.50 a pop. So2go contains hydrogen peroxide that is also used as bleach, as an antiseptic and (according to Wikipedia) as rocket fuel.

If you prefer to remove the sulphur in the wine without bleach and rocket fuel you can pour the wine into a decanter and aerate it a bit. It works too. And it is free. (As a matter of fact So2go releases oxygen when added to the wine. So in practice it does noting different than a decanting.) More www.so2go.co.uk

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Greek winemaker becomes mayor of Greece’s second city

Yiannis Boutaris was recently elected as mayor (a politically important role) in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second biggest city. Yiannis Boutaris is part of the same family that has given its name to the famous Greek wine producer Boutari (without the s). But in the 90s Yiannis Boutaris choose to go his own way. He left the family firm and launched a new winery in the region of Naoussa in northern Greece (Macedonia) under the name of Kir-Yianni.

Today the winery is run by Yiannis’ son Stelios Boutaris. Kir-Yianni has in spite of its short life take a place among the most quality conscious wine producers in Greece. We were quite impressed when we were there some while back.

In fact, there are a lot of interesting developments in the wine regions in northern Greece today. Perhaps the next new wine tour destination? Let us know if you are interested.

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Can a Swedish resident import wine for personal consumption, without having to go through the monopoly?

>> Monday, February 21, 2011

This is a question that pops up quite often, both from Swedish residents and from wine producers / wine sellers. This is a first version of the answer, perhaps not 100% exact (it is difficult to be that) nor 100% to be taken as legal advice:

Yes he can. Under certain conditions.

Since a few years it is OK for a Swedish resident to buy wine from a seller outside of Sweden but inside the EU. This is a result of EU competition laws. However, this is legal only under certain conditions. Read the details here Can Swedish residents import wine for personal consumption?

Delicatessen and wine shop in Bordeaux

We are in no way neutral in this case: Chateau Lestrille is a small, family-owned chateau in the Entre-deux-Mers region in Bordeaux, one of those “small and little known”, as opposed to “big and classed growths”. But this is the category where you can find many well-made and interesting wines at very reasonably prices (certainly a fraction of classed growths).

Lestrille is run by Estelle Roumage who took over the winery from her father a few years back. She is full of ideas and she has now opened a wine shop (selling not only her own wines!) and delicatessen. A wine bar and restaurant is in the pipe-line for next season. If you are a small family producer you have to have lots of energy as well as ideas!

And why are we not neutral? French Estelle is married to Spanish-Swedish Martin, and Martin is one of the wine guides for BKWine’s wine tours. You can hardly get a better insight into wine than that!

Read more bordeauxwinenews.blogs.sudouest.fr

Protection against bad times for Armagnac? Condom from Condom…

Condom is, believe it or not, the main town in the Gascogne region that produces the delicious spirit called Armagnac. It is a three hours’ drive south from its cousin Cognac. But Condom is of course also something else. Some clever marketing people have launched “the Condom from Condom”. Clever, no? The town sages are apparently not convinced, since according to a report in Sud-Ouest they are considering legal action. But who can fail to see the charm with arguments like “the first luxury condom, chic and elegant, with this particular ‘French touch’”.

Just like wine (or armagnac) it is even available in a six pack bed-side table box: “you will be proud of displaying it!” (we assume ‘it’ refers to the elegant jewellery-inspired box). Local businesses seem to have caught on more than the municipality. There’s even one who has started to sell armagnac-based cocktails with inspired names like “la turlutte”, “le gratte-cul” ou “la coucougnette aux figues” (look it up on Wikipedia!). Can we hope for a combined gift box, including a bottle of armagnac, a tin of delicious foie gras (another local speciality) and a luxurious condom box? Who can resist? Read more in Sud-Ouest Sud-Ouest, more on armagnac and more on the condom from Condom www.theoriginalcondom.com. The most surprising thing is that no one has done it before!

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Freedom to the vines? Should planting rights be abolished?

>> Friday, February 18, 2011

A few years ago the EU countries agreed a big reform of the wine production sector. A big part of this was the abolishment in time of the “planting rights” system. (It was also suggested that chaptalisation, adding sugar to increase the alcohol level, should be forbidden but winemakers protested too much.)

The planting rights system means that you must obtain a permit to plant new vines and these “rights” are severely limited. Instead, it was agreed, people would be allowed to plant vines more or less as they want. On the other hand – if they couldn’t sell their wines they should not expect subsidies. (The current/old system provides subsidies for unsold wines.)

The whole reform was created to make the European wine industry more internationally competitive. Now, some politicians are starting to say that planting rights should be maintained and that the government(s) should continue to control and “manage” vine plantings. The last one out was president Nicolas Sarkozy in France. Last year it was chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany.

Just recently an organisation called AREV has joined in the choir. AREV is an organisation that brings together various wine regions around Europe. They have a habit of supporting measures that protect the wine growers from competition and from change. But that rarely benefit the consumers.

The French wine writer Hervé Lalu has written a very interesting article on his blog that argues that this is a bad idea; that the wine industry and the wine consumers will be better off if the system with planting rights is abolished. In fact, maintaining planting rights is just one way for the “old-generation” current wine producers to try and protect themselves from competition.

We agree with Hervé Lalu, that that position is outdated, wine consumers and wine producers will be better off without the old protectionist system. Down with planting rights! Read Hervé’s article here (Use Google Translate if you don’t read French!): Droits de plantations, la polémique continue... mais est-ce la bonne?

Most planted grape varieties in Austria

According to Austrian Wines / Statistik Austria, Vineyard Survey 2009 these are the most planted grape varieties in Austria.

Whites first:

Grüner Veltliner 29% (+)
Welschriesling 8% (-)
Müller Thurgau 5% (-)
Weißburgunder 4% (?)
Riesling 4% (=)
Chardonnay 3% (?)
Sauvignon Blanc 2% (++)
Gemischter Satz 2% (-)
Neuburger 1% (-)
Muskateller 1% (++)

And reds:

Zweigelt 14% (+)
Blaufränkisch 7% (+)
Blauer Portugieser 4% (-)
Blauburger 2% (+)
St. Laurent 2% (+)
Pinot Noir 1% (+)
Merlot 1% (++)
Cabernet Sauvignon 1% (++)
Blauer Wildbacher 1% (-)
Roesler 0.3% (?)

Percentages are of total planted area in 2009. + or – signifies changes since 1999. Whites in total have gone from 75% of the total area to 66%, and thus reds from 26% to 34%. Curious to see that reds are progressing so strongly in Austria. The total area planted with vines is now 46,000 ha, which is a decrease with 5% since 1999.

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Bordeaux court fines Italian wine producers for economic parasitism

>> Thursday, February 17, 2011

At the last Vinexpo, the world’s biggest wine fair that took place in Bordeaux in 2009 the Italian wine producers were absent. Instead they had rented a big “party tent” (600 m2) at a hotel nearby the exhibition where they presented their wines. They did not participate in Vinexpo “proper” due to a conflict with the organisers regarding e.g. the placement and the size of the planned Italian stand.

The organiser of Vinexpo were very upset when they discovered the Italian tent, what in French they call an “off” event (not linked to the official fair). The were so upset that they took the Italian tent organisers, Ital Assist, to court. The court has now decided in favour of Vinexpo and fined the Italians 150,000 euro for “economic piracy”.

We can’t help thinking that what Vinexpo has done is not only silly, but also wrong. In reality, all those “off” events at a trade fair bring a lot of value added to the event itself. If the result will be that there will be fewer off events then Vinexpo will be the loser, since the off events certainly make the fair more interesting and bring more visitors. We can only hope that Vinisud, the second biggest French wine fair, who has also been critical of off events, will not try and do the same thing! Read more www.vitisphere.com and www.vitisphere.com

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More extraction with higher pressure – or lower. Flash detente and Delta Extractys

Perhaps you are familiar with 'flash detente'. If you are not you should read our book A Wine is Born (unfortunately not yet available in English - Ett vin blir till). Basically, it is a method to extract more from the grape skins by heating up the grapes and then rapidly subjecting them to a vacuum. It is a big machine sold by Pera.

Another big vinification equipment manufacturer, Bucher-Vaslin, has now invented another process which is different but that does essentially the same thing: Delta Extractys. It uses high pressure instead of low. After heating the grapes to around 60 degrees C (in e.g. a thermo-vinificator) they are transported to a pressure chamber. The grapes are put under high pressure, up to 4 bars, and then rapidly returned to normal atmospheric pressure.

The effect is very similar to what happens in flash detente: the grape skin membranes are damaged so that the extraction of polyphenols is more intense. It supposedly increases the fruit and body of the wine and gives them a better tannic structure. Most likely to be used by cooperatives and other large producers of not too ambitious wines. And not cheap: 35,000 to 90,000 euros. (Source: La Vigne, Bucher Vaslin).

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Not all yeasts are created equal

>> Wednesday, February 16, 2011

It is common practice to add cultured (sometimes called artificial) yeast to the must to control the ferementation of wine. Just like for “natural” fermentation it is Saccharomyses Cerevisiae that converts the sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide (for beer it can be Saccharomyses Carlsbergensis).

A new type of has now been launched that is not a Saccharomyses. It is called Torulaspora delbrueckii. The benefits are said to be that the wines get more pleasing aromas and more fresh fruit.

A test on chardonnay in Burgundy showed that Torulaspora wines had more aromas of citrus fruit, flowers and spices whereas Cerevisiae wines had more notes of tropical fruit like pineapple. The “T” wines also gave the impressions of being more full bodied. However, Torulaspora cannot completely finish the fermentation since it dies at 8-10% alcohol. The winemaker has to add Saccharomyses Cerevisiae yeast at the end to finish the fermentation. (Source: La Vigne)

Portugal dominates cork production

17 billion wine bottles were sealed in 2009. 11.3 billion (66%) used “natural” cork, 3.1 bn used screw cap, and 2.9 bn used synthetic corks. The by far biggest producer of 'natural' cork is Portugal. Here are the major cork producers (source: La Vigne, Apcor):

Portugal: 157,000 tonnes (52%)
Spain: 88,400 tonnes (29%)
Italy: 17,000 tonnes (5.6%)
Algeria: 15,000 tonnes (5%)
Morocco: 11,000 tonnes (3.6%)
Tunisia: 7,500 tonnes (2.5%)
France: 3,400 tonnes (1%)

Fighting vine diseases organically – copper and sulphur the only weapons?

>> Tuesday, February 15, 2011

For organic wine farmers the only permitted products are copper and sulphur, it is often said. That is not quite correct, since in organic farming you are allowed to use other products – if they are “natural”. Here's a summary of diseases and treatments for organic wine growing (based on an article from La Vigne):

Mildiou (downy mildew): copper is used preventively, currently maximised at 6 kg/ha (possible reduction to 4 kg/ha in view). Having a well aerated vine is important.
Oidium (powdery mildew): spraying with sulphur preventively. There are trials with some alternative products based on e.g. citrus fruit peels, milk or fenugreek (fenugrec, bockhornsklover) with varying success
Botryts (rot): Prevention by avoiding excessive humidity in the vine is most important. Inconclusive trial with e.g. Bacillus Subtilis, talcum or clay powders have been done.
Insects: the insect that spreads flavesence doree can since 2009 be fought with “Pyrevert”, a product made from Dalmatian Pyrethrum. This replaced a product called Rotenon which was not very effective. Against the grape worm trials are done with an extract of bacteria (e.g. Bacillus Thuringensis).

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At last! La Vigne launches web site

La Vigne is the French wine magazine that you should subscribe to once you have become tired of consumer wine magazines' superficiality. Or quite simply because you are curious about the details behind wine growing and winemaking. La Vigne is actually a magazine for wine growers (and rumoured to be up for sale) but many of the articles are very interesting also for wine “amateurs”. The have finally (enfin!) launched a web site, and it is full of information: articles, weather forecasts, videos, photos etc etc. Go to their web site here: http://www.lavigne-mag.fr

Very, very old vines

Many wine producers make a cuvee 'vieilles vignes' (old viners). Old vine wines are often considered to have superior quality – lower yields producing more concentrated wines. Jean-Armand Bloc, who is not really a vigneron but a nuclear physicist (according to La Revue du Vins de France), has made it his speciality to produce wine only from very old vines, at least 75 years old. He owns no vineyard but finds parcels with old vines in existing vineyards and makes a 'très très vieilles vigne' cuvee in partnership with the owner of the vineyard. To date he has made a TTVV in Beaujolais and in Corbieres. More info: www.ttvv.fr

Spain’s most grown grape varieties

>> Sunday, February 13, 2011

Which is the world's most planted grape variety?

It is a common question in wine quizzes, since few have heard about the obscure grape. It is a Spanish white grape variety (unless it has changed recently, plantings have decreased): airen. It produces large quantities of anonymous wine in central Spain. More interesting and noteworthy are the wines from the biggest red grape variety, tempranillo.

Here are the most grown Spanish grape varieties:

Red grapes:

tempranillo, 207 000 ha
garnacha tinta, 75 000
[update] monastrel/mourvedre, this was missing in the original post. According to OWC it has 63 000 ha and to another source 43 000 ha. (Thanks Vincent!)
cabernet sauvignon, 19 000
merlot, 13 000
graciano, 1 500

White grapes:

airen, 284 000 ha
verdejo blanco, 11 000
pedro ximenes, 9 600
xarel-lo, 8 000
chardonnay, 5 400
albarino, 5 300
trexadura, 840

(Source: Observatoria Espanol del Mercado de Vin, Drinks Business)

”Methode provençale” to make sparkling wines?

Since quite a few year it has been forbidden to use the expression “methode champenoise” on sparkling wines made with a second fermentation in the bottle. In the future we may instead see “methode provençale”. Provence is enjoying the popularity of rosé wines but researchers have now developed a “new” method to make bubbly that is supposed to keep the wines fresher and lighter than other methods. Generally when making sparklers one adds some sugar (and yeast) at the end for the second fermentation. That is what they do in Champagne. If you do that you will inevitably increase the alcohol contents making a potentially heavier wine.

In the Provence method you start the winemaking by removing part of the must before fermentation. It is put in cold storage to avoid fermentation. When the wine has finished the fermentation that must is added back in, instead of adding sugar as you would traditionally. The result is that after the second fermentation the wine has the “normal” alcohol level, just like the still wine. In traditional sparkling wine making the sparkling wine will have a higher alcohol contents than the still wine due to the added sugar. The Provence method is still at an experimental stage and the wines do not have an AOC/AOP. They are simply called “vin mousseux de qualité”. In the future they hope for an appellation “rosé effervescent de Provence”. Around 70 wine producers are taking part in the experiment.

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Wine technology: wine with gum Arabic

>> Saturday, February 12, 2011

Gum Arabic is, technically, a polysaccharide and a resin like substance from an Arabic acacia tree. Its use is permitted in winemaker. Nothing particularly strange about that. It is a regular food additive with the code E414.

So what is it good for? It has two primary effects in wine: The first is to stabilise the colour, i.e. to avoid unwanted colour changes of the wine. Generally, it is to keep a darker colour of the wine. the other effect is to give the wine somewhat softer tannins and a rounder mouth-feel. It is normally only used in the making of simpler red wines made to be drunk young.

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South Africa’s grape varieties: chenin blanc still in the lead

Chenin blanc is not so often called steen, as it used to be, but it is still South Africa’s most grown grape variety, albeit decreasing. Quite a lot of it goes to making the very respectable, sometimes excellent, South African brandy. Pinotage, the exclusivity of south African vineyards, often considered an emblem of SA grape growing, accounts for only 6% of the surface.

These are the most grown grape varieties (2009, % of surface):

Chenin blanc, 18.4%, - (=decreasing)
Cabernet sauvignon, 12.3%, -
Colombard, 11.8%, =
Shiraz (syrah), 9.9%, +
Sauvignon blanc, 9.3%, +
Chardonnay, 8.3%, +
Merlot, 6.5%, =
Pinotage, 6%, -

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South Africa’s wine country is organised in three levels

>> Thursday, February 10, 2011

Much have changed in South African wine production over a few decades. Today they use a classification system called Wines of Origin (WO) based on three levels:

regions,
districts, and
wards.

There are four regions, with varying number of districts. Each district can have several wards. It is questionable if today there are any distinct differences in character between wards (and perhaps even districts and regions) but perhaps that will develop over time. It may be more likely that some regions, districts as well as wards will become well known names. It is, after all, a young wine country. Here aare the districts and their regions:

Districts in Coastal Region
- Swartland
- Stellenbosch
- Tygerberg
- Cape Point
- Constantia (ward)
- Tulbagh
- Paarl
- Darling

Klein Karoo region:
- Kalitzdorp
- Langeberg-Garcia

Olifant River region:
- Lutzville Valley
- Citrusdal Valley
- Citrusdal Mountain

Breede River Valley region
- Breedekof
- Worcester
- Robertson
- Swellendam

Districts that don't belong to a region: Overberg, Walker Bay, Douglas, Cape Agulhas, Plettenberg Bay

Wards that don't belong to a region: Ceres, Cederberg, Prince Albert Valley, Swartberg, Lambert's Bay, Lower Orange

However, this listing should be read with a certain caution. The WO system seems not yet quite stable and different (official) documents have different listings. Here are e.g. two sources with different details: www.wine.co.za (pdf) and www.wosa.co.za.

South African wines' biggest export markets

South Africa is making progress in its wine exports. Total exports are on the increase. Great Britain is the single biggest market but the Scandinavian countries are also performing very well, in particular Sweden that conquered the third place from the Netherlands in 2009. Here is the list of the top ten export markets:

– Great Britain: 126 million litres (up from 111 Ml in 2008)
– Germany: 71 Ml (67 Ml 2008)
– Sweden: 37 Ml (28,7 Ml)
– the Netherlands: 27 Ml (29,3 Ml)
– Denmark: 16 Ml (16 Ml)
– USA: 14 Ml (17 Ml)
– Canada: 12 Ml (14 Ml)
– Belgium: 8,8 Ml (8.8 Ml)
– France: 8,7 Ml (8.4 Ml)
– New Zealand: 7,1 Ml (11 Ml)
– Total top-10: 329 Ml (311 Ml)

(Source: South Africa Wine Industry Statistics and Drink Business)

Wine tourism conference in the Languedoc

”Les assises de l’oenotourisme” is the elegant official name of the event that will take place on February 3 in the Languedoc. It sound perhaps a bit less prestigious if you translate it – the sit-down about wine tourism. But that’s exactly what it is about: sitting down and talking about how wine producers, local food producers and a whole region can work more effectively with wine tourism. We mention it here if someone (a wine producer?) happens to be in the region on February 3. And because BKWine is one of the invited speakers – as an expert on wine tourism! www.winetourisminfrance.com

BKWine Pick: Quinta do Vale Dona Maria, Douro-dalen, Portugal

>> Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Quinta do Vale Dona Maria, Douro-dalen, Portugal

Cristiano van Zeller at Quinta do Vale Dona Maria is a well known person in the Douro-valley. He used to own Quinta de Noval which he sold in the middle of the 1990s to Axa Millésime. In 1996 Cristiano bought Quinta de Vale Dona Maria and spent some time renovating, investing and building a new cellar. The first vintages he had to make in other people’s cellars (friends like Quinta do Crasto or Dirk Niepoort) but in 2001 Cristiano made his first wine in the brand new cellar at Quinta do Vale Dona Maria.

The road up to the quinta is narrow and steep. But once you are up there the reward is an amazing view of the valley and the river. And of course, some very good wines. The estate is about to get its organic certification. ”It’s import for me”, says Cristiano, ”even if the market doesn’t care.” Quinta de Vale Dona Maria 2008 is one of his best wines. The grapes come from the oldest vines. It is 13 different varieties which are foot trodden in traditional lagars. The wine has complex aromas, soft tannins and an incredibly intense fruit. The wine radiates elegance and power at the same time. The elegance is important to Cristiano. “The oak should never overpower the fruit. “

Click here for address and more recommendations.

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BKWine Pick: Château Lagrange, Saint Julien, Bordeaux

Château Lagrange, Saint Julien, Bordeaux

This Grand Cru Classé was bought in 1983 by the Japanese beverage company Suntory which got a lot of attention at the time. A Grand Cru Classé in the hands of the Japanese! Almost a bit of a scandal. But being Japanese hasn’t really done Château Lagrange any harm. On the contrary. An enormous amount of money has been spent on investments, both in the cellar, the vineyard and in the beautiful park. Lagrange, with 115 hectares of vines (157 hectares in total), is one of the biggest estates in Médoc. The investments have paid off; the quality today is very high. Lagrange produces three different wines: Château Lagrange, Les Fiefs de Lagrange (the second wine) and a beautiful white wine called Les Arumes de Lagrange, made of 60 % sauvignon blanc , 30 sémillon och 10 muscadelle. 4 hectares are planted with white grapes. The red grapes are cabernet sauvignon (65 %), merlot (28 %) and petit verdot (7 %). Les Fiefs de Lagrange is one of our favourites, a very good Bordeaux for a reasonable price. We recommend the vintage 2007 of both Lagrange and Les Fiefs.

Click here for address and more recommendations.

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Welcome to the BKWine Brief nr 90, January 2011

(Written at the end of January...)

We are soon on our way to Millésime Bio, the organic wine fair in Montpellier. It is the 18th vintage of this wine show. From a very humble start it has now grown into a quite big (but not huge) show with an important number of visitors – more and more people seem to be interested in organically grown wine (we can say that, can’t we? Even if we’re not allowed to say “organic wine” in the EU). There will be 560 winemakers at the show. Most of them are French, naturally, but several other countries are also represented. Even Egypt! But it is not just the fact that the wines are organic that makes it an interesting fair. It is also a comparatively “democratic” event. Every exhibitor has the same space, each one is provided half a table by the organisers, two chairs and tasting glasses. Nothing more than that. Here it is the winemaker that is the important item. No big booths with bouncers (or pretty girls) for those with big marketing budgets. So there will be an interesting mix of big and many very small producers. We hope to make several new discoveries. And we promise not to taste all the wines.

And next week we will (or at least Britt will) be in Sweden. There is the Swedish sommelier championship (yes there is such a thing!). they have a whole day of events and BKWine is one of the invited speakers and tasting tutors. Fun.

Britt & Per

PS: Recommend to your friends to read the Brief or forward it to them !

More on wine:
Guest writers on BKWine.com
Wine videos: BKWine TV
Wine photography

Read the whole BKWine Brief here!

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