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Some wine sites that you might enjoy visiting:
Micèle Shah
Mitchell Beazley £9.99
An almost pocket sized book that is easy to carry with you on the trip. Each Italian wine regions gets a short introduction which is followed by a listing of the appellations and a selection of producers, all with a short description. Not a book to read from cover to cover but it will certainly help you get an initial understanding of Italy. Perhaps, as a travel companion, one would have wished for more detailed maps but that may be too much to ask for in such a small book on such a big region.
Click here for more book reviews on my site or to buy the books.
By Peter Moser
Falstaff Publications, €19.90
The bulk of the book is a listing of Austrian wine producers. Each producer is described in detail and the wines are rated. It is virtually a catalogue of Austrian winemakers. But the book also contains good introductions to each of the wine regions as well as a couple of chapters on Austria and its wines and grapes in general. Several good maps too. In other words, an aptly chosen title. www.falstaff.at
Click here for more book reviews on my site or to buy the books.
The Journal of Wine Economics (JWE)
American Association of Wine Economists
This is not a book but a specialist, peer reviewed, scientific journal. The JWE is published by the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE). In the first issue you can read about, for example, how to interpret the result of wine tastings, what is influencing the price of wine (objective or sensory analysis), an analysis of the importance of the “en primeur” price for wines and more. In other words, very scientific but interesting reading for the specialist. www.wine-economics.org
Click here for more book reviews on my site or to buy the books.
A decision last year by the US Supreme Court lead to the opening of the internet market for wine (internet sales had previously been very restricted). Pressure groups argued that this would lead to teenagers getting easy access to alcohol. A study recently published by the Teenage Research Unlimited in Illinois has show that very few teenagers have taken the opportunity to by alcohol online. Ironically the study was commissioned by the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, one of the pressure groups against the change. Tom Riley, spokesman for the White House Office of National Drug Control says that online alcohol sales to teenagers is not a major problem, but adds that that could change. As reported in: USA Today and TechDirt.com
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Apparently there is wine grown in every state but one in the USA (no prizes for guessing which state has no wine). Here are some examples:
So this month it is not a gadget but actually a drink. A drink made from a base of wine that is then flavoured with chocolate. It is recommended e.g. as an aperitif, in sauces, or “during society parties”. We have not tasted it but our impression is that it is a not a joke but a serious initiative. More info: Vino Cacao
Read more...Perhaps a bit cryptic as a heading. Many people probably think that what is referred to as Robert Parker’s ratings (and comments) come from the famous wine critic himself. Of course, that is partially true, but he actually has a staff of collaborators who work (and taste) for him: Pierre-Antoine Rovani writes e.g. about many parts of France, Daniel Thomases writes about Italy and David Schildknecht about German and Austrian wines. Changes will come though. Rovani is leaving “the firm” and also Thomases will be leaving. Schildknecht, however, is staying on. Latest news is that Schildknecht will take over much of France (except “core” regions that stay with Parker). There will be two new staff: Antonio Galloni who will cover Italy and Jay Miller who will write about much of the world outside of Europe plus Portugal. Read more in The Wine Enthusiast and Decanter.com
Spanish authorities have decided to introduce a new category of wine called Vinos de la Tierra de los Viñedos de España. It will be a notch below the category that today is called DO (Denominacion de Origen).
Read more...An NZ government agency estimates that the production this year will increase by 20% and that it will continue to increase by 10% per year until 2010. This years production is estimated to 185 000 tonnes. 55% of the production is exported. Exports are estimated to be worth $1 billion by 2010. The largest variety is of course Sauvignon Blanc, followed by Pinot Noir that has recently overtaken Chardonnay as number two. More info theage.com.au
Read more...Until 1987 there were vineyards planted in the northern Iraqi region of Dohuk. then they were all destroyed by the war. Mohammed Saleem, then winemaker, has now replanted his vineyard in the Kurdish village Beri Bahar. Read more in Middle East Online
Read more...Len Evans was one of the most emblematic persons of the Australian wine industry. He wrote several books and contributed greatly to the advancement of the Australian wine production. He passed away in August at the age of 75.
Read more...California represents 95% of the wine production in the United States. These are the main regions:
The WineWorldTour was launched by two young wine enthusiasts in Bordeaux. They have travelled around the globe and visited almost 200 vineyards in 17 countries. They have created a site that tells the story behind their trip (you have to navigate around the site a bit to find the info) and are currently working on a book on their odyssey. Read more on their site www.wineworldtour.com. You can also read about some of their visits on BKWine’s guest writer page.
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Randall Grahm, cult wine maker at Bonny Doon Vineyards in Santa Cruz, California, has sold two of his most popular wines, Big House Red and Cardinal Zin, to The Wine Group LLC. He keeps, and will continue to produce the remaining range of wines, e.g. Le Cigar Volant, his famous Châteauneuf copy. WineBusiness.com and LATimes.com
Read more...At least, that is the thesis of a paper written by the two American scientists Orley Ashenfelter and Karl Storchman (Using a Hedonic Model of Solar Radiation to Assess the Economic Effect of Climate Change: The Case of Mosel Valley Vineyards). Their reasoning is that the climatic changes will have a direct impact on the solar radiation and thence the hedonistic appreciation of the wines and land valuations. In other words, warmer weather in Germany will make the German wines better and more expensive (perhaps I am oversimplifying?). As you can guess, it is a scientific paper , 39 pages in all, and you can read it all here. If the full paper is a bit too much for you you can read the article in Forbes Magazine
Read more...Exports are going up but the investments in new wineries are decreasing. Land prices have gone up sharply and have now reached around 15 000 USD per hectare for virgin wine land and between 20 000 and 35 000 USD/ha for vineyards in production. With a grape price around 1.2-1.3 USD/kg it may take up to 30 years to amortise an investment (on the top quality land grape prices may of course be higher). According to Vitishpere.com
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Enough Stockholm for now!
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Click here for address and more recommendations.
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There are more pictures in our photo gallery.
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Northern Spain - How to find great wines off the beaten track
Susie Barrie, text; Tory McTernan, photo
Mitchell Beazley Tuscany - How to find great wines off the beaten track
Monty Waldin, text; Tory McTernan, photo
Both books follow the same formula: The author makes a short introduction to each region and its wines, followed by recommendations of wine growers to visit, restaurants, hotels, and sights. The books are ideal companions for travelling, also thanks to the handy and small format. But also perfect to start travelling already on the couch in the living room. There are also some tips and suggestions as to what to do, and what not to do – e.g. wear a shirt and not a T-shirt in Tuscany, don’t try and schedule any visits over lunch time in Spain, always call ahead etc. Quite good maps with suggested itineraries.
Click here for more book reviews on my site. You will also find links to on-line book shops on that page.
Hubert Perrodo has just bought Chateau Marquis d’Alesme Becker for an estimated €25-30 million. Perrodo already owns Ch Labégorce and Ch Labégorce Zédé. The deal includes everything except the main chateau building that remains in the hands of the seller, the Zuger family, who has owned it since the 1950s. Read more on Decanter.com.
Read more...The German wine export grew by 11% in value and 4% in volume over the 12 month period ending in April ’06. It is the popularity of the Riesling grape that is driving demand for German wines. The United States has seen the most positive performance but the United Kingdome remains the biggest market. Read more journee-vinicole.com
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The collaboration between the different wine regions in southern France is being reinforced. This is no doubt due to the increasing international competition and a desire to pool resources. And it may also be a good idea to have more collaboration rather than competition in face of the international market. So, “Inter Sud de France” has just been created (“Inter” is the trend word in French wine producers’ organisations these days – making reference to the term “interproffessionel”, i.e. producers’ association). Inter Sud de France is the result of the merger of CIVL (Languedoc), CIVR (Roussillon), Inter’Oc and Anivit. It will represent a total production of some 15 million hectolitres, which is about the same as the total production of Argentina.
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The next edition of the wine fair for organic (and bio-dynamic) wines, Millésime Bio, will take place on January 15-17, 2007 in Narbonne in the south of France. It is the 14th edition of the event! More info www.millesime-bio.com
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Some statistics selected from the briefing material released when EU presented it’s discussion proposal for new wine policy: Europe counts for 40% of the world’s wine acreage and 60% of world wine production. It also accounts for 60% of consumption. Average production (of EU 25) is 178 million hectolitres, worth €16.1 billion.
One of Stockholm’s old classics! Classic food, classic building, classic surroundings (in the park of a royal palace). Very well made, excellent cooking and beautiful surroundings. And also the wine selection is leaning to the classic with an emphasis on France even if there is a reasonable selection of wines from other countries too. And Ulriksdal also has something really unique: a collection of the six top Bordeaux chateaux Margaux, Mouton-Rothschild, Lafite-Rotschild, Haut-Brion, Latour and d’Yquem including almost all vintages from the beginning of the (last) century. Ask if you can take a peek when you are there!
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I can’t claim to be an expert on Italian restaurants in Stockholm but this one must be high up on the list of the top ones. But first you have to find it: it is on a small, obscure street but not far from Skanstull, the metro station. In the husband and wife team he does the cooking and she takes care of the guests. The interior decoration is cool, low key and elegant. Food is excellent and exceptionally good value for money. The wine list is ambitious (if oversized in format) and has lots of information about the wines. Definitely worth a visit. And they have just opened a small wine and grappa bar where you can have a drink while waiting for a table.
Click here for address and more recommendations.
Click here for address and more recommendations.
Many chateaux in Saint-Emilion are very humble abodes and hardly merits the term chateau. For Chateau de Pressac the case is the opposite. The main building is on a hilltop and reminds you of a medieval knight’s castle and it actually dates from the 15th century (at least in parts). Jean-François and Dominique Quenin bought the chateau in 1997 (after a previous life in the corporate world) and started a new life as vignerons. The chateau is surrounded by all of its 30 hectares of vines and the wines are excellent. The chateau may well be included in the new classification for Saint Emilion, that is under preparation, and if it is not it is not due to the quality but to that the Quenins have been there for “only” nine years.
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Vine Growing and Wine Making
The original Swedish title is "Ett vin blir till" meaning A Wine is Born. It is a unique description of the work in the vineyard and in the wine cellar. Published in 2009. More info on the web site for A Wine is Born.
Languedoc
Wines, vineyards and winemakers in Languedoc in the south of France, one of the most dynamic wine regions in France, and in the world. Published in 2007. More info on the site of the Languedoc book.
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