Welcome to the BKWine Brief nr 60, July 2008

A new issue of the BKWine Brief is out!

Summer is in full swing even if our weather here doesn’t quite live up to it. A few nice wines will always help to cheer up the gloom. From near and from afar. The other day we drank a wine from Georgia – an interesting mix of Cabernet and Saperavi. Oh, and it's the country Georgia in Eastern Europe, not the US version. The very same day I happened to see that the Systembolaget, the Swedish monopoly retailer, will be launching not just one but two Georgian wines in September. For one of them they have bought 14,000 bottles. The Systembolaget (who is the monopoly retailer) must be counting on that there is a great demand for Georgian wines in Scandinavia. They should know, I guess. They have a market research department that makes a three year strategic plan for future launches and all… But why shouldn’t a wine made from Saperavi sell well? It’s a very expressive grape variety and many wine drinkers are curious to try new things. But perhaps the Georgians wouldn’t quite agree to that label (“new”). After all, in that part of the world the first wines were made some 7000 years ago. It is said.

Here’s something to think about while your sipping your wine in the shade: Can you tell if a wine has been made by a male or female winemaker? I was talking to a wine person the other day (a man as it were) in Bordeaux and he was convinced that men and women make different wines and that the winemaker puts a very personal touch on the wine. On the latter part I think we can all agree. But he also said that women make lighter wines and men make more aggressive wines… A controversial thought perhaps.

If you read this during your vacation perhaps you have some time to spare to read a book. In this Brief we have two rather original books to review, one that is a poetry book on wine and the other that is on health. It is written by a doctor and researcher who has concluded that wine is good for your health. So I would urge you to take a look at our wine tour program. There are places still available on the wine and gastronomy tour to Champagne in November and I’ve just put up the dates for next seasons tours (Portugal, and Wine, Truffle, and Foie Gras). Sign up for one of our tours and perhaps you can put it down on your medical expenses account!

Enjoy summer if you’re on vacation – or if you’re not!

Britt

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