Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, 2011
The annual wine competition called Concours Mondial, which adopts a new city each year in which to do its judging, rolled into Luxembourg city in a gloriously warm May this year. Here are the top results
DO + HO = TPO (the new equation for successful bottling)
Forget closure OTR (oxygen transmission rate) for the moment. In closing up a wine bottle, TPO (total package oxygen) is where the TLAs (three letter acronyms) are at, and the bottling operation is the bigger oxygen issue by far.
Managing Wine Quality, volume 2, edited by Andrew G. Reynolds
Volume 2 of this erudite tale moves on to issues of winemaking and their effects on wine quality and style. Further chapters are commissioned from specialists around the world, and a few major yeast, (and other winemaking products) manufacturers also share their expertise.
Languedoc Grands Crus – in the making
A hierarchy of appellations is evolving in the Languedoc. Some of the top ones are reviewed here.
Douro unterraced
While researching a feature on hot climate viticulture in the Douro, I got fascinatingly sidetracked by the complexities of terracing systems in the valley of which there are five different models.
Chapoutier’s Schieferkopf in Alsace
A five-hectare vineyard plot in Bernardvillé forms the core of a new Michel Chapoutier Alsatian joint venture for a series of wines sold under the Shieferkopf label. The first, 2009 vintage, wines were presented in London.
Managing Wine Quality, volume 1, edited by Andrew G. Reynolds
This is self-evidently serious kit for the professional with individual chapters commissioned from senior academicians and researchers at universities and research institutes around the world.
The other Bordeaux
Without the luxury brand power that goes with top classed growth and astronomic A-list status, other Bordeaux producers must put in the hard graft to get their wines noticed.
A watershed moment in sustainable global viticulture
As it becomes more recognised that water is the new gold, stewardship programmes for water management are being created to develop systems of sustainable river basin management, considering issues such as water risk, availability, quantity, quality, and fair-share usage.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
The Fortezza di Montepulciano opened its doors in February 2011, after a long restoration, to host the new release tastings of the new vintage releases – 2008 for Nobile and 2007 for Riserva.
