The biggest vine-growing countries in the world. The world’s vineyard acreage (the planted surface area) has been slowly declining for several years. 2020 was no different; the vineyard plantings declined, but only slightly. There are
Champagne Palmer is a fairly small cooperative, counted in champagne dimensions. They have around 400 hectares of vineyards. They are known for the long ageing of the wines and their fondness for magnum bottles. Amazone
Chenin blanc is one of the world’s top white grape varieties. Yet, sometimes chenin wine producers in Vouvray are frustrated. Selling a chenin blanc is not as easy as selling a sauvignon blanc, they say.
Meeting the winemakers adds an extra dimension to the wine and the experience. It makes you better understand what they want to achieve. It gives you even more enjoyment from what you have in your
We have tasted a wide range of the top echelons of red Bordeaux from 2018, the latest vintage released from the big chateaux. 2018 is an acclaimed vintage, but challenging weather meant the producers had
South America is different and very easy to fall in love with. Our wine tour in January takes us to Argentina and Chile, the two most important wine countries in South America. They are close
Château Raymond-Lafon, the chateau and wine estate of the Meslier family, is next door to the legendary Château d’Yquem. Only a few meters apart, the vineyards differ and both chateaux have the same strict selection
Things are going in the right direction. The weather too. We are longing to go out into the vineyards. There hasn’t been much of that in the last year. Only two tours, Britt in the
Sauvignon blanc is a popular grape. It has increased enormously in the last 20 years. A dozen countries have significant plantings, and another ten have a smaller, but growing, surface. Sauvignon blanc grows best in
We talk to Michel Rolland who explains the curious idea behind the success of Clos de Los Siete from Mendoza. Michel Rolland from Bordeaux is the world’s most famous wine consultant. His clients can be
You can find some of Portugal’s best red and white wines in the Douro Valley. A renaissance has taken place in this region in the last few decades, previously only known for port wine. Wine
Chile has its fair share of French wine producers. And who can blame the French for trying their luck here? Chile is a magnificent country for viticulture. In 1994 Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle fell in love
Many things have been said and written about Champagne. We all know various immortal quotes about this praised wine. Is it complicated to make champagne? The best way to find out is to come to
Two exciting wine countries in one big package, Chile and Argentina. A journey filled with wine, food, adventure and South American culture. At the foot of the mighty Andes lies Mendoza, Argentina’s largest wine region,
In South Africa, the first wine was made in the 17th century. As the only New World country, it became known for its quality wines in Europe as early as the 18th century. The wines
New Zealand, the newest of the New World countries, has some of the world’s southernmost wineries. And also the world’s easternmost vineyard, where the sun rises before all others. No vineyard is further than 120
A successful and adventurous journey across the United States in the midst of the phylloxera crises in the 19th century helped save the French vineyards. Pierre Viala, a French botanist, had been sent to find
Bordeaux’s most famous grape variety is cabernet sauvignon, but actually, merlot is much more planted. Merlot is even the most planted variety in the whole of France. Both these grapes are often partnered with cabernet
South Africa has a total of 92,000 hectares of vines. 10,000 hectares are cabernet sauvignon. It is the most planted red grape. The country’s most prominent wine region, Stellenbosch, is also the most important Cabernet
Now you can also experience two of France’s most prestigious wine regions on the same tour. It will be a magnificent 9-day tour of Champagne and Bordeaux. We start with four nights in Champagne, in
Champagne is in the very north-east of France (we have it on our programme too). Bordeaux is almost diametrically opposed, both geographically and style-wise. Bordeaux is in the south-western part of France, quite close to
France is not like Italy, where vines grow in every region. But France is not far behind. In fact, there are more vineyards in France than in Italy. France has 794 000 hectares of vineyards,
Champagne is France’s northernmost wine region. This is where you find the world’s most celebrated sparkling wine, as well as the wine for most celebrations. Racy, elegant wines but with a fantastic diversity, wines that
Pinot noir has a reputation for being a difficult grape, yet it is found in many places around the world. Maybe the grape isn’t so tricky after all if you free yourself from the idea
Malbec is best known for making easy-drinking charming wines but it can also make extraordinary long-lived wines. At Bodega Weinert in Lujan de Cuyo, winemaker Hubert Weber knows exactly what it takes to bring out
