BKWine Pick: Domaine Gerovassiliou, Thessaloniki, Greece
>> Monday, August 30, 2010
Domaine Gerovassiliou, Thessaloniki, Greece
Click here for address and more recommendations.
BKWine Pick: Château de la Dauphine, Fronsac, Bordeaux
Château de la Dauphine, Fronsac, Bordeaux
Click here for address and more recommendations.
Welcome to the BKWine Brief nr 85, August 2010
>> Sunday, August 29, 2010
This is nice:
”World’s Top Wine Tours”! That’s what the worlds biggest travel magazine says about BKWine. We’re very proud!
Travel and Leisure Magazine has recently published a web feature on the world’s best wine travel operators. It’s written by T+L’s highly respected wine and food editor Bruce Schoenfeld (“an acclaimed magazine and television journalist” says Harper Collins). BKWine is one of a handful of tour operators that Schoenfeld puts on his list. In the T+L feature he gives BKWine top score for being the best choice if you want to meet with winemakers and have a really personal wine tour experience. We are, as you might imagine, quite proud. The world’s best wine tours! And we hope that we will have the occasion to see you, dear reader, sometime soon on one of our wine and food tours.
Along with quality (e.g. of wine tours) there are other subject matters in this Brief that may be worth some thinking and reasoning. For example, fairness and justice.
Take fairness.
There’s a big row (well, relatively speaking) on how the 400 bottles of super-luxury wines from the Domaine de la Romanée Conti should be sold in Sweden. (Going for a market price of up to €4000 per bottle.) “What do you mean, how they should be sold?” you may justifiably asked. Well, there’s a monopoly. Previous years, on the day the DRC wines were released, what you had to do was to prepare yourself for long waiting in line in front of the shop entrance the night before the release. The last time it was more a question of luck than of patience: if you happened to be at the store where they opened the doors two minutes before the official opening time so you could rush to the order desk before anyone else. None of this was of course quite fair to those who did not get a bottle.
This time they hope to solve the “fairness” problem with a clever new shop IT system for ordering. How that will work we do not know. You won’t be surprised, we think, if we say that the problem can never be solved, as long as there is a monopoly. How can 400 very sought after bottles be sold “fairly” to 9 million consumers? Read the details in this month’s Brief. Do you have any ideas how to solve the difficult issue with the DRC bottles? (If there actually is one.) Write us a line or post a comment in the blog!
Another philosophical problem is justice and research in genetically modified plants.
A group of activists has destroyed an experimental plantation in Alsace, ripping up 70 GM vines. Is that a reasonable way to do things? Last time it happened (yes, it’s not the first time) authorities hardly reacted. This time the response seems much stronger both from the government and from others.
The activist mean (we assume) that it can be dangerous with GM research. On the other hand, it might lead to that growers need to use fewer chemicals in the vineyard, or that it reduces the problems with incurable vine diseases. Perhaps a difficult balance? And one can wonder if the activists also refuse to dress in cotton, or perhaps also attack the clothes stores in town. 43% of all cotton comes from genetically modified plants (according to gmo-compass.org). What’s your view? Write us a line or write a comment in the blog!
But back to the beginning, the wine tours. We will soon be launching the wine tour program for 2011 so keep your eyes open. For us right now, it is this years most intensive travel season that is just beginning. Over the next two months we will be at home on Mondays and Tuesdays and travelling the rest of the week.
Enjoy the Brief!
Britt & Per
PS: Recommend to your friends to read the Brief or forward it to them !
More on wine:
Read the whole BKWine Brief here and subscribe for free to the newsletter!
BKWine TV: [E] Domaine Duseigneur part 1, farming the vineyards w Frederic Duseigneur
>> Thursday, August 26, 2010
http://www.bkwine.com/wine_tours/wine_tours.htm --- Interview (part 1) with Domaine Duseigneur (Rhone), Frederic Duseigneur. Domaine Duseigneur is a small family wine producer in the southern Rhone Valley just across the river from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, run by the brothers Frederic and Bernard (they also work with the famous French sommelier Philippe Faure-Brac).
Frederic sees himself more as a farmer than a winemaker. The most important thing is what happens in the vineyard, that you have life in the vineyard, healthy vines. There is a big difference between traditional farming and organic farming. Biodynamic farming is one more step, as done at Domaine Duseigneur since many years.
In biodynamics they use two preparations: 500 which is specially prepared cow manure, diluted in water and sprayed in the vineyards in the autumn; 501, a finely ground powder of quartz. It is also sprayed, but in the spring. This helps the flowering of the vines.
At Domaine Duseigneur they also use some further preparations, homeopathic infusions made from plants and herbs, eg nettles, horsetail, thyme, rosemary or other. These help the plants to fight diseases themselves. This is done instead of spraying with chemicals (sulphur or other). In biodynamic farming one is allowed to use both copper and sulphur, but in smaller quantities. These preparations are also believed to help the vines to better survive difficult weather (hot, cold, wet etc, that happens in the Rhone Valley).
It is difficult to prove the effect of biodynamic farming, Frederic Duseigneur says, but one can see the effect on the vines. And the final proof is also in tasting the vines.
More info: http://www.domaineduseigneur.com/
By BKWine, http://www.bkwine.com. Interviewer: Per Karlsson, BKWine. © Copyright BKWine, Per Karlsson.
Music: Johan Stertman & Patrik Lundin, with permission
See all our wine videos on our BKWine TV: http://www.youtube.com/bkwine
Yoga for wine lovers
>> Wednesday, August 25, 2010
BKWine makes "World’s Top Wine Tours" according to Travel and Leisure Magazine
>> Monday, August 23, 2010
Press release
BKWine makes ”World’s Top Wine Tours” according to Travel and Leisure Magazine
Paris, August 23, 2010
BKWine has just been singled out as one of the world’s best wine tour organisers by TravelAndLeisure.com (T+L). In their latest web feature T+L lists the “World’s Top Wine Tours” and BKWine is one of a handful of travel operators selected by Travel and Leisure. T+L singles out BKWine as the tour operator who is best for the traveller who wants to meet the winemakers and who wants to have a personal and unique experience. The full feature can be read here: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-top-wine-tours/3. TravelAndLeisure.com is the internet version of the American travel magazine Travel and Leisure Magazine with around 4.5 million readers.
Britt Karlsson, founder of BKWine, comments: “We were very excited, happy and honoured when we heard that we had been selected by Travel and Leisure. What T+L says also underlines the things that we work hard to achieve: that our travellers should get a very personal and unique experience. I personally visit some 200 different wineries and winemakers every year so I know where the visits will be exceptional. And in a way, it makes me especially proud that an American travel magazine has selected us, a Swedish tour organiser, as one of the world leaders on wine tours!”
BKWine is a Paris (France) based Swedish niche tour organiser specialised in wine and food tours. BKWine organises around 30 wine and gastronomy tours each year to destinations in France, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Portugal and other wine regions. The wine tours are designed both for the enjoyment of individual wine lovers and wine enthusiasts, as well as for professional training and corporate events. All tours are led by BKWine’s wine experts and take the traveller “behind the scene” of the vineyards.
More information on the wine tours: http://www.bkwine.com/wine_tours/wine_tours.htm
---
More information:
- About BKWine: http://www.bkwine.com/international/about_bkwine.htm
- Press photos: http://www.bkwine.com/diverse/press.htm (Additional press photos from our 20.000 picture library are available on request)
Press contacts:
- Britt Karlsson, ph 00 33 6 80 45 35 70,
- Per Karlsson, ph 00 33 6 83 51 12 53,
Press photos are available. Please contact us.
About BKWine AB:
51, rue du Chevalier de la Barre, F-92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux (Paris), France, + 33 6 80 45 35 70, http://www.bkwine.com
BKWine AB is run by Britt and Per Karlsson and has four main activities:
- Wine & food tours
- Wine journalism
- Wine photography, wine stock image library: http://www.bkwinephotography.com
- Wine consulting
BKWine was founded in the 90s by Britt Karlsson, a Swede living in Paris. In the early ‘00s she was joined by her husband Per Karlsson in the business that now encompasses several different wine related activates. The main business is organising wine tours for wine enthusiasts and wine professionals who want to visit wine regions to learn more about wine. Each year BKWine organises some 30 wine tours. BKWine also publishes an online newsletter on wine, The BKWine Brief, which reaches some 20,000 subscribers. Britt and Per are members of the British Circle of Wine Writers (CWW), the International Wine Writers Federation (FIJEV), the French Wine Press Association (APV), the International Wine and Food Society (IWFS) and several other wine and gastronomic organisations.
Red wine helps reduce cardiovascular diseases and obesity
>> Friday, August 20, 2010
Two new studies have shown that reveratrol, that can be found naturally in many red wines, have positive effects to fight cardiovascular diseases, which was well known previously, and also obesity. According to the World Health Organisation obesity affects 1.6 billion people. The two reports were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Now, if one does not want to drink red wine one can get resveratrol nutritional additive as pills too. Read more: www.biotivia.com
Discover the Rhone Valley
>> Thursday, August 19, 2010
An excellent opportunity to get to know the Rhône producers better. But you have to make sure you have your own transportation so that you can get from one event to the next.
A suggestion: focus on the lesser (or less well-known) appellations. In the big & famous you are unlikely to make any new discovery but in the other once that are many exciting producers that are not so well known. Only for professionals. More details in September on www.decouvertes-vins-rhone.com
Organic wine fair in Burgundy on March 19-20
Bag-in-box – a local phenomena?
>> Wednesday, August 18, 2010
1. Sweden: 18% market share, counted in number of units (NB: units, not volume of wine!)
2. South Africa: 9%
3. Australia: 7.5%
4. USA: 7%
5. Denmark: 4%
6. Greece: 3.5%
7. France: 2.5%
8. Russia: 2%
9. Canada: 1.5%
10. The Netherlands: 1.5%
(Source: Euromonitor International, Global Wine: Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Wine Industry)
The glass bottle still reigns supreme, but alternatives grow faster
Bag-in-box actually has less than 2% of the total market (again, in number of units), about the same share as PET-bottles (plastic).
Glass is, however, slowly loosing share: alternative packaging has a growth rate of 4.8% compared to only 1.7% for glass (CAGR estimate ’09-’14).
Looking at packaged volume (instead of units) the picture is a bit different: alternative packaging accounts for 17% and glass for 83%, and BiB is the biggest alternative packaging with almost half of the 17%.
(Source: Euromonitor International, Global Wine: Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Wine Industry)
Does the packaging influence your buying decisions?
Asia Pacific the most important growth market for wine
>> Tuesday, August 17, 2010
North America is expected to have a similar value growth rate but with smaller volume growth (3%) and a much smaller total market size. North America is actually expected to be the second smallest market, beaten only by Australasia for smallest size.
Western Europe is clearly the biggest market in size, but is sagnat both in value and volume. But still biggest… Total volume growth world wide is expected to be 2% (CAGR).
(Source: Euromonitor International, Global Wine: Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Wine Industry)
The world’s biggest wine producers = 15% of the total
It is not always obvious who they are since they sell their wines under a variation of different brands and rarely under their own name. that is perhaps not very surprising since wine brands often try to keep up an appearance of “family estate” or “local” links, even if that is far from reality (cf. for example the note on the biggest brands in the UK recently).
But even so, wine production is far less concentrated than many other industries (say, car production) – fortunately. The worlds’ ten biggest wine producers make in total some 422 million 9 litre cases, which equals to about 15% of the world market. Here are the names (in size order):
1. Constellation Brands, with ca 90 M 9l cases
2. E & J Gallo Winery
3. The Wine Group Inc
4. Foster’s Group Ltd
5. Grands Chais de France
6. Pernod Ricard
7. Peñaflor
8. Viña Concha y Toro
9. Castel Groupe
10. Bacardi & Co
So, do you know which wines hide behind these names? Perhaps something you had last night?
(Source: Euromonitor International, Global Wine: Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Wine Industry)
Internet wine sales is marginal but growing rapidly
>> Monday, August 16, 2010
The second source to buy wine is in specialised wine shops, but those sell less half of the volume of supermarkets (400 M 9l cases) and this is also a stagnant market.
Internet sales are tiny but it is the only winner: the internet only accounts for less than 50 M 9lC but the growth is a phenomenal 20%. (Source: Euromonitor International, Global Wine: Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Wine Industry)
The international wine market: $256 bn, but badly hit by recession
The compound average growth rate (CAGR) over six years is 1.2% growth in volume and 3.3% growth in value. However, from a peak in 2007 (2.3% and 5% respectively) growth has fallen dramatically. Volume growth was virtually 0% in 2009 and in value only around 1.9%. (Source: an interesting report from Euromonitor International called Global Wine: Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Wine Industry)
Best-selling wines (in UK shops)
>> Sunday, August 15, 2010
The list of top-selling wines is not, as could be expected, a particularly inspiring reading. Off License News, the English drinks magazine, makes a survey of the drinks business in the UK every year together with Nielsen. One of the statistics it presents is which wines sell best in British off-licenses (shops). Here are the top selling wines:
1. Blossom Hill (from Percy Fox, 1 first place last year, origin: various…)
2. Hardys (Constellation, 3, various)
3. Gallo Family Vineyards (Gallo, 2, various)
4. First Cape (Brand Phoenix, 9, South Africa)
5. Echo Falls (Constellation, 7, USA)
6. Jacob’s Creek (Pernod Ricard, 4, Australia)
7. Lindemans (Foster’s EMEA, 5, various)
8. Kumala (Constellation, 10, South Africa)
9. Stowells (Constellation, 8, various)
10. Wolf Blass (Foster’s EMEA, 6, Australia)
One can ponder whether it is a good thing or a bad thing that no European wine is on the top-ten list. The first European wines comes 13th: JP Chenet from France.
BKWine TV: Denis Dubourdieu, one of the world’s best known wine consultants
New video on BKWine TV:
We talk about what a wine consultant does – in the real world – and about the winemaking at his own chateaux. Watch the video interview with Denis Dubourdieu in Bordeeaux here. Don’t forget that you can subscribe to the video channel if you want to get a notification when we post new videos.
Natural cork hits back
>> Saturday, August 14, 2010
48% of respondents preferred it (up from 27% in 2006). Natural cork was preferred by only 39% (down from 49% in 2006), and plastic cork 11% (down from 24%).
This year (2010) it seems that the improved quality control by the producers of natural cork and their efforts in information and marketing have started to give results. Natural cork has recovered and is now jointly with screw cap the preferred closure, both preferred by 46%.
The big looser in plastic cork that is down to 8%.
3% in France subject to sexual confusion
They are small worms that make tiny holes in the grape skin. Juice seeps out through the holes and cause the grape bunches to rot, potentially causing great damage to the harvest. You can fight the insects with poison but a less dangerous method is to use “sexual confusion”. For the grape worms to appear the male insects and the female insects have to meet and do what the need to do to make baby grape worms.
Since they don’t have Facebook what happens is that the females produce a pheromone that attracts the male. Some clever people at BASF (a chemicals company) invented a way to destroy the insect fun. They make small capsules filled with the female pheromone that the worried vigneron can place in the vineyard. The pheromone from the capsules overpower the females’ own perfume which leads to that the male insects can’t find the females, thus preventing the production of new grape worms (presumably the males cluster around the plastic capsules instead). This has become a popular way to fight the problem.
Today 3% (18,000 ha) of France’s vineyards are protected in this way – varying from an impressive 41% of all vineyards in Champagne to virtually no vineyards in the Cognac region.
Too cruel?
(Source: BASF)
Chateau Rollan de By up for sale
>> Friday, August 13, 2010
Chateau Rollan de By is a chateau in the northern Médoc that has in recent years acquired a certain fame, no doubt not to an insignificant degree thanks to the marketing skills of the owner, Jean Guyon. According to La Revue des Vins de France Guyon has put up Rolland de By for sale, and also his other property in Médoc: Chateau Haut-Condissas. The RVF says that Guyon is not leaving the wine business but is instead looking to invest in a new property in Saint Emilion or Pomerol. Could the record prices for land in northern Médoc (see the Brief #81).
Read more...A wine with a certain body? That will keep in the Wine Rack?
BKWine TV: Denis Dubourdieu part 2 online
>> Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Just a quick note to let you know that part 2 of the interview with Denis Dubourdieu, winemaker and consultant in Bordeaux, is now live on BKWine TV.
Read more...BKWine TV: interview with César Compadre on the future of Bordeaux
Why is Bordeaux 2009 so expensive?
What’s your take?
Many new photos on BKWine Photography
>> Tuesday, August 03, 2010
So, how many grape varieties ARE there in Châteauneuf-du-Pape?
- bourboulenc B,
- brun argenté N (localement dénommé vaccarèse),
- cinsaut N,
- clairette B,
- clairette rose Rs,
- counoise N,
- grenache blanc B,
- grenache gris G,
- grenache N,
- mourvèdre N,
- muscardin N,
- picardan B,
- piquepoul blanc B,
- piquepoul gris G,
- piquepoul noir N,
- roussanne B,
- syrah N,
- terret noir N
All details are available here www.legifrance.gouv.fr
The world’s oldest champagne found on Åland
>> Monday, August 02, 2010
Time to forbid wine writing in Norway? - According to some!
>> Sunday, August 01, 2010
She says that the ban against alcohol advertising in Norway is being eroded. The Norwegian wine writer Heidi Jaksland is of a different opinion. She recently wrote a counter argument in her blog I Glasset (“In the Glass”): “Yes to wine reviews in newspapers” (Google translation). We have not yet seen any other reactions from the Norwegian press.
What do you think?
BKWine in Wikipedia
Some fan (we assume) has been kind enough to write an entry on BKWine, or to be entirely correct, on Britt Karlsson in Wikipedia, the online dictionary. We are very flattered! We must admit that it is in the Swedish version of Wikipedia but we still certainly feel very honoured. Who knows, perhaps we’ll one day even be in the English language one? Here’s the article: http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britt_Karlsson
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