With the end of the world due next week according to some interpretations of the Mayan Calendar some enterprising wine makers have been busy making the most out of the situation. At the beginning of 2012 I wrote about the little village of Bugarach near Carcassonne in France which is supposed to be one of … Read more
Last year news broke that the Royal family were establishing a vineyard in Windsor Great Park, which was for many centuries the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle. More than 16,000 vines were planted and the grapes grown are Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, in order to make Sparkling Wine. The first vintage should … Read more
I read two pieces recently that have summed up what I have been thinking about for a while now. What is ‘wine’? Wine made from grapes that is, and not parsnips or elderflower (no matter how delectable they may be). How do you classify it a ‘wine’ – does it have to contain a set … Read more
The Off Licence News is reporting that the UK faces a cut in wine funds as tough trading conditions take their toll and new markets look more appealing: “the heads of leading wine marketing bodies have warned that support for the UK will be significantly reduced amid tough trading conditions and pressure from producers to explore new export … Read more
Chateau Brane Cantenac in Margaux has announced that it is using Carménère in its Grand Vin as a result of climate change. Carménère is a famous “long lost” grape which was thought to have disappeared in Bordeaux after the Phylloxera plague in 1867 which nearly destroyed all the vineyards of Europe. Carménère was particularly affected as … Read more
Henry Samuel has an interesting report in the Telegraph on Parisian winemakers seeking recognition for their vineyards and wines. The Île-de-France is the metropolitan region around Paris and was named for the historical province that existed before the French Revolution. Between the Middle Ages and the end of the 17th century each little town or village in … Read more
Canadian researchers have found that the name of a wine can have an effect on it’s taste. Antonia Mantonakis, associate professor at Brock University in Ontario, and her research group gave 134 test subjects identical wine under the same conditions in Brock’s consumer perception and cognition lab. One group were told that their wine was from … Read more
Having recently written about the Chinese smuggler who was given a life sentence for illegally bringing top flight Bordeaux to mainland China it seems that we should be looking a little closer to home. The Press Association is reporting that Customs officials have no idea how much wine fraud costs the taxpayer each year and are not doing enough … Read more
I am all for cutting down on our carbon emissions but I was astonished to read some new research from Australia today. A study by Dr Peter Moate from Victoria Department of Primary Industries has discovered that cows fed the stems, seeds and skins that were left over from making red wine, (known as grape marc), the methane … Read more
I was surprised to read that a South African winery has begun to sell their wines at En Primeur. Selling wine by the barrel is not generally done in South Africa but it has been adopted by Dormershire, a boutique winery situated near Kuils River on the Stellenbosch Wine Route. On closer investigation it turns out … Read more
