BKWine Blog

Thomas Jefferson

>> Sunday, April 02, 2006

Link tip:

About Thomas Jefferson, president, ambassador and wine enthusiast: In Forbes

Winewoman@Bergerac.France

>> Saturday, April 01, 2006

Book Review:
Winewoman@Bergerac.France
Helen Gillespie-Peck, Melrose Books
Wine educator, wine writer and wine maker Helen Gillespie-Peck arrived in France 30 years ago. The book is not so much an autobiography – even if she explains all about the challenges of moving to France, understanding how things work, learning French, dealing with neighbours etc – but more an introduction to the world of wine. She walks the reader through how to grow wine, how to taste wines, understanding different wine regions in France and in other countries etc. All is underpinned by her own personal experiences. Can be read as a “text book” or just as entertainment.

Click here for more book reviews on my site. You will also find links to on-line book shops on that page.

Chablis raises the allowed yield?

>> Friday, March 31, 2006

Reading official French texts can be a challenge if you want to understand the details and the gist. But if we understand things correctly, Chablis has received approval, on a temporary and experimental basis until 2010, to increase the allowed yield with 10 hl/ha. This applies for all appellations: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. It is a bit surprising in today’s situation on overproduction and focus on quality. If someone has more background or more details of what this means we would appreciate.

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Vinisud wine fair completed successfully

>> Thursday, March 30, 2006

The organisers of the Vinisud wine fair, focusing on southern European and Mediterranean wines, are satisfied with the recently finished event: 1506 exhibitors and 31,817 visitors, 23% of which came from abroad.

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New AVA in Washington: Rattlesnake Hills

Rattlesnake Hills is the ninth AVA (American Viticultural Area) in Washington. It covers 1500 acres (~700 ha) planted with vines, reaching an altitude of 1000 meters. The main grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Malbec.
businesswire.com
seattletimes.nwsource.com

Tonnerre new appellation in Burgundy

INAO has also approved a new appellation in Burgundy: AOC Bourgogne Tonnerre. The AC covers 756 hectares and has a maximum permitted yield of 55 hl/ha. All fans of Tintin and Captain Haddock welcomes this new AOC.

Kaefferkopf new Grand Cru in Alsace

>> Wednesday, March 22, 2006

INAO, the French control authority for the appellation system, has approved Kaefferkopf as a new Grand Cru area in Alsace. Permitted grape varieties in the wine are Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris (previously Tokay d’Alsace). The wine can be made from a single grape variety, in which case the name is indicated on the label, or from a mix of grapes in proportions: 60-80% Gewurz, 10-40% Riesling, and maximum 30% Pinot Gris.

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Vinordic opens for consumers

Vinordic is the biggest wine and spirits fair in Scandinavia. It takes place on April 24-27 and is a showcase and contact forum for the wine trade in Scandinavia. In previous editions of the event the general public has been admitted to the event but this year, due to a tightening of the Swedish alcohol control regulations, it was only by a whisker it was finally allowed. The public will now be allowed in the last day of the four and will have to buy “tasting tickets” at the entrance that they can redeem for samples at the exhibitors’ stands. Fondberg & Co, Sweden’s second largest importer, has therefore decided not to participate in the fair since they only want to take part in consumer oriented events.

Wine Fair in Israel

>> Tuesday, March 21, 2006

IsraWinExpo 2006 is the first wine fair in Israel. The theme is primarily Israeli wines and Israeli wine production, so if you want to learn more about wine in Israel this is the vent for you. www.israwinexpo.com

Australian wines expected to continue growing

Australian wine exports are expected to reach almost $5 bn by 2010-11. It is an increase with $2 b: this year exports will reach some $2.9 bn for 749 million litres. Prices, though, are expected to fall due to continued overproduction internationally. All according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
www.theadvertiser.news.com.au

Swedish customs confiscates 35,000 litres of wine in 2005

The Swedish border control customs confiscated 35,000 litres of wines, 39,000 litres of spirits, and 279,000 litres of beer in 2005.

Wine accord between the EU and the US signed

>> Monday, March 20, 2006

On March 10 the agreement on wine was finally signed by the EU Farm Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel and the US Trade Representative Rob Portman. The purpose of the agreement is to facilitate trade in wine by e.g. mutually accepting each other’s wine making practices. As an example, up until now, selling US wines in Europe has required special permissions since it has not been made according to EU norms (and vice-versa). The agreement also means that some “appellations” or region-specific names, such as chablis, burgundy, champagne etc. will be protected and can only be used for wines from those regions. Existing wine brands using those names in the US will be allowed to continue using them though. Wine exports from the US to the EU reached $325 million last year and EU wine sales to the US $2.6 billion.
www.companyannouncements.net
dowjonesnews.com

Interactive vineyard map

Do you want to find out exactly where a winery is located? Then you can go to MapMuse, enter the name of the winery and MapMuse will show you a map of where it is. Here’s the search page for wineries. It also has a feature to search for wine shops. Provided, of course, what you are looking for is located in the US. You can also add new wineries or shops yourself.

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New Guest Writer on BKWine.com: Phil Leventhal

>> Sunday, March 19, 2006

Phil is actually a science write but has a great passion for wine. He has chosen to write about two very different subjects. Read the articles in our Guest Writer Section:

A profile of the Italian wine maker Bettina Rogosky
Why do you get a headache from red wine? It is not the sulphur. (Nor the alcohol.)

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Christie’s celebrates

The British auction house Christie’s celebrates its 240th anniversary since its creation this year as well as 40 years since the wine department was created. The anniversary year will focus on developing the activity in Asia. www.christies.com

The Scandinavian Wine Fair – successfully completed!

On February 11, 32 Scandinavian wine and spirit producers met with some 300 visitors. And for the first time, the Scandinavian producers had the opportunity to “flex their muscles” and measure up against the others in the first Scandinavian Wine and Spirit Competition. Luckily, each of the Scandinavian countries had at least one Medal so peace is preserved in the region. You can see all the medal winners and the story of the wine fair on the site http://www.bkwine.com/winefair/winefair-2006.htm

BKWine Pick: L’Ecluse Restaurant & Wine Bar, Paris

>> Saturday, March 18, 2006

There are six L’Ecluse wine bars in Paris, and that it is a “chain”, albeit small, can by some be seen as a negative. But in this case they are ambitious and focused, without being complicated or sophisticated. They also have excellent opening hours, which can be particularly good for overseas visitors who are not used to French eating times. When almost all other wine bars are closed, e.g. on Sundays, there’s always a L’Ecluse you can go to. The wine list is exclusively Bordeaux, and primarily red (the selection of whites could be improved). many, if not all, are served by the glass. The food is traditional, uncomplicated dishes made from high quality products, be it foie gras, salmon or cheese. For each dish there is a wine recommendation.
Click here for address and more recommendations.

BKWine Pick: Domaine de la Prose

>> Friday, March 17, 2006

Domaine de la Prose, Bertrand de Mortillet, Coteaux du Languedoc-St Georges d’Orques

Domaine de la Prose is beautifully located on a hilltop with a view both over the Mediterranean, the Pic St Loup mountains and Montpellier. Alexandre de Mortillet and his wife had a “coup de foudre” and bought the property in 1989. Today it is their son Bertrand, with a diploma from the wine faculty in Bordeaux, who is responsible for the winemaking. He has a talent that makes you think this will be one of the future stars in the region. And what did he think of getting an education in Bordeaux? Very good he says. There they are better at organising things than “in the south” in Languedoc! The wines are very good, e.g. the white Cadière Blanc made from Vermentino (Rolle) and Grenache Blanc or the Grand Cuvée Rouge made from 90% syrah.

Click here for address and more of our recommendations.

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BKWine Pick: Domaine Rimbert, Coteaux du Languedoc and Saint-Chinian

>> Thursday, March 16, 2006

Domaine Rimbert, Coteaux du Languedoc and Saint-Chinian

Jean-Marie Rimbert is very focused on the soil. The soil where he works is schist and very poor and, in his opinion, it is the key to giving the character to his wines. He created his 20 ha domaine in 1997 on steep terraced slopes. He is very fond of the Carignan grape, an excellent variety in his opinion, provided the vines are not too young. He has 8 ha Carignan and they are over 80 years old. They were the main reason why he bought the property. He makes a vin de table from 100% Carignan, Le Chant de Marjolaine. Grapes are picked very ripe and the yield is, given the age of the vines, very low. The wines can reach 14.5% of alcohol but are still very well balanced without being overpowering, with notes of cherries (~8euro). Le Mas au Schiste (the name is a word play: Mas is a house and Schiste is the soil, and if you say the name in one go you understand the hard work behind the wine) has a powerful fruit and the particular “Garrigue” character reminiscent of herbs, juniper and ripe fruit. He makes an excellent white Coteaux du Languedoc from the Marsanne grape that is full-bodied and nutty. A very interesting property.

Click here for address and more recommendations.

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BKWine Pick: Miguel Torres, Vilafranca del Penedés, Catalonia, Spain

>> Wednesday, March 01, 2006

The most well known producer in Catalonia and probably the whole of Spain. He can as no one else use the different types of micro climates of the Penedes and he is also a fervent advocate of various local Catalan grape varieties. He has some 1000 hectares with a great variety of different grapes, many of them typically Spanish. But he also uses with great talent and success other “imported” varieties, e.g. Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon etc. Across the board very good quality. He is also one of the pioneers in Chile and has a vineyard in California. Most famous perhaps for his Gran Coronas and Sangre de Toro brands and for the flagship Torres Mas La Plana and Grans Muralles (that don’t come cheap).
Click here for address.

Read about more recommended producers on the site: Favourite Producers

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