The foil on the neck of a champagne bottle no longer compulsory The Comité Champagne has just decided to make it optional for producers to have the familiar foil around the neck of the bottle. This foil has long been a hallmark of champagne bottle identity, and it has been mandatory to include it. But […] Continue reading: Is the foil on the champagne bottle really necessary? --- The post Is the foil on the champagne bottle really necessary? was originally published on BKWine Magazine and ...| BKWine Magazine
Are the rules and regulations of the French appellations keeping pace with climate change? At least Château Lafleur doesn’t think so, as from this vintage, 2025, it will leave the Pomerol appellation and sell its wines as vin de france, the lowest category, the one that was previously called table wine. The reason is said […] Continue reading: Outdated appellation rules make the famous Pomerol Chateau Lafleur leave the appellation --- The post Outdated appellation rules make the famous P...| BKWine Magazine
The Chinese have never been particularly fond of white wines. They mostly buy and drink red wine, not least because red is considered the lucky colour in China, but also because red wines have been associated with prestige. If you are going to give wine as a gift, you give a red wine. However, a […] Continue reading: New Zealand makes the Chinese drink white wine --- The post New Zealand makes the Chinese drink white wine was originally published on BKWine Magazine and written by Britt Karl...| BKWine Magazine
Richard Smart passed away recently at the age of 80. He was from Australia and one of the world’s most famous viticulturists. He had consulting assignments all over the world and taught many wine growers the importance of taking care of their foliage and adapting the size, thickness, and other factors to the climate and […] Continue reading: Richard Smart, an influential viticulturist, has passed away --- The post Richard Smart, an influential viticulturist, has passed away was originally...| BKWine Magazine
Europe has been hit by an unusually high number of forest fires this summer. So far this year, there have been twice as many compared to the same time in 2024. In early August, violent fires started in Corbières, one of the major wine regions in Languedoc. Although there is still no clear overview of […]| BKWine Magazine
In Champagne, the yield for this year’s harvest, 2023, has now officially been set. It is negotiated every year. The Comité Champagne recently announced that the growers can pick 11,400 kg per hectare (73 hl/ha) at harvest time, which this year will be the first half of September. It is a reduction compared to last […]| BKWine Magazine
In Champagne, the permitted harvest for 2024 has now been determined. It is estimated that the harvest will begin around September 12. The determined harvest output has been set at 10,000 kilos per hectare (ca 64 hl/ha), slightly lower than last year’s 11,400 kg (ca 73 hl/ha). Sales figures have been pointing downwards 2023 and […]| BKWine Magazine
It has been a warm spring and summer in northern France in 2020. It is rumoured that the harvest in Champagne will start as early as around August 20. Therefore, it is urgent to determine this year’s maximum allowed yield. Every year, the houses and the grape growers together decide how many kilos of grapes […]| BKWine Magazine
In 2021, it will be 10,000 kilos per hectare (approx. 64 hl/ha) in Champagne. The harvest is expected to begin in the 2nd week of September.| BKWine Magazine
In Chronique (souvent) Bordelaise you can read about the evolution of harvest yields in Champagne. When the appellation was created in 1935 the maximum yield was defined as 7500 kg/hectare. (In Champagne they count in kg/ha instead of the measure hectolitres/ha used in most other districts. 7500 kg/ha corresponds to approx 50 hl/ha.) By 1998 […]| BKWine Magazine
There are a few wine regions around the world that have not been affected by phylloxera, the dreaded vine louse. This depends on various factors, such as the soil composition (for example, a high sand content) or a protected location (as in the case of Chile). The Canary Islands are one such region. However, the […] Continue reading: Phylloxera threatens the old ungrafted vines of the Canary Islands --- The post Phylloxera threatens the old ungrafted vines of the Canary Islands was original...| BKWine Magazine
“Volcanic origin is not a marketing concept,” says Jean-Baptiste Deroche, referring to the fact that wines can now be certified “volcanic origin” by the Vinora association of which he is chairman. Perhaps not the origin itself. However, for a few years now, this branding has been undeniably transformed into a marketing concept. And it is […] Continue reading: Volcanic wines, myth or truth? | New Brief #264 --- The post Volcanic wines, myth or truth? | New Brief #264 was originally p...| BKWine Magazine
— Volcanic wines, myth or truth? — “Volcanic origin is not a marketing concept,” says Jean-Baptiste Deroche, referring to the fact that wines can now be certified “volcanic origin” by the Vinora association of which he is chairman. Perhaps not the origin itself. However, for a few years now, this branding has been undeniably transformed […] Continue reading: BKWine Brief nr 264, August 2025 --- The post BKWine Brief nr 264, August 2025 was originally published on BKWine Magazine...| BKWine Magazine
In June, we had a few wonderful days on the Portuguese Atlantic coast. But we weren’t there to swim and sunbathe, or even to taste wine. We were in Cascais because the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards having its awards ceremony for the best books in food and drink in 2024. And we won first prize […] Continue reading: Our book “The Wine for the Future” won the award as the world’s best book on sustainability in Gourmand International --- The post Our book “The Wine for the Future” ...| BKWine Magazine
As in several other wine regions right now, it is whites and sparkling wines that are gaining ground in Languedoc-Roussillon. White wines increased by 5% in 2024, and sparkling wines from Limoux, especially Crémant de Limoux, increased by 12.2%. The category has increased by 40% in five years. Red wines decreased slightly (-3%). Languedoc still […] Continue reading: Languedoc status report: white and sparkling wines are on the rise, and premiumisation is paying off --- The post Languedoc s...| BKWine Magazine
The 2025 wine-growing season looks promising in Champagne. The vineyards are relatively homogeneous thanks to generally mild weather conditions that have limited fungal diseases. While the vineyards offer promising prospects, the global economy is still characterised by uncertainty and instability. Consumers are also increasingly unpredictable. That is why the Comité Champagne recently announced that the […]| BKWine Magazine
In 1955, Systembolaget, the Swedish alcohol monopoly stores, started selling Mateus Rosé. For 70 years, this legendary, unpretentious rosé wine has been on its shelves. In other words, drinking rosé wine is not a new trend in Sweden (or anywhere else for that matter). In 1955, Mateus Rosé was just over 10 years old. Fernando […]| BKWine Magazine
How times have changed. In the past, higher alcohol content was a mark of quality—an indicator of ripe premium grapes. But it is time to rethink that, at least according to a survey conducted by IWSR on behalf of the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB) across seven key markets. The survey shows that […]| BKWine Magazine
Swedes can now purchase Italian wines from Vino.com, an e-commerce company founded in 2014 by four Italian friends with a shared passion for wine and digital innovation. The company is today Italy’s largest player in online wine sales and is active in 13 European markets. And now they are investing in Sweden, where online sale […]| BKWine Magazine
A grapevine can live for many years. In Barossa Valley, some vines are 250 years old—but that’s extremely rare. (There are several claims around the world for “the world’s oldest vine”; Slovenia – 400 years! – Bordeaux, England etc.) Occasionally, we see individual vines that are 100–120 years old in southern France and Spain. How […]| BKWine Magazine
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The severe drought in Catalonia over the last three years has considerably reduced the production and supply capacity of the D.O. Cava. Thankfully, the rain did come at last this winter, and hopefully, the producers can look forward to a normal growing season in 2025. In 2024, the D.O. Cava sold 218 million bottles, a […]| BKWine Magazine
In France, wine producers can now plant three new white grape varieties that could be interesting from a sustainability perspective. The grapes are: mourvèdre blanc, mourvèdre gris and exelys. The first two are mutations of the better-known mourvèdre noir, grown in southern France (and elsewhere, a.k.a. monastrell, mataro). The mutations do better during droughts and […]| BKWine Magazine
Ipsos, an expert in market analysis, conducted a market survey in March in connection with the presentation of the new edition of the Michelin Guide. Ipsos asked the French people which French dishes they considered most iconic of France. The answers were a cavalcade of French specialities. The three most emblematic dishes were bœuf bourguignon, […]| BKWine Magazine
This past spring, we have been to Champagne and Bordeaux, among other places. Wine regions that are undeniably masters of their respective wine styles. They have a lot in common, not just the fact that they are both famous and sought after. They are also both specialists in blending.) The concept of blending is often […]| BKWine Magazine
A little while back, we returned from this year’s wine tour to South Africa. It is a fantastic wine country and on-site you experience what a dynamic country it is with lots of exciting things happening, e.g. a new unique white grape called chenel (chenin blanc x ugni blanc), or the wine-growing area that is […]| BKWine Magazine
In Champagne, you often classify producers as either “houses”, or “independent growers”. The houses are big and often rather anonymous companies owning little or no vineyards, buying grapes from small growers. The “independent producers” are smaller family-owned wineries that own their own vineyards and make wine from grapes they have grown. Champagne Duval-Leroy is somewhere […]| BKWine Magazine