November is a magical moment for natural wine lovers, wine festivals, glühwein, and of course Beaujolais Nouveau and other primeurs. You see, every year, on the third Thursday of November, we get the juiciest wine from the vineyards of Beaujolais, France. The wine is light, fruity, and juicy and it is a moment of celebration and fun. Now, if you’re in Amsterdam around this time (lucky you!), you’ll find some seriously cool events celebrating this young and vibrant wine.

Did you know, that the form of glass you are certainly using when tasting wine is very recent, it comes from the 70s. Every professional or amateur wine taster uses this style of glass. Restaurants, bars, and other places where wine is important use it too. This glass seems to be the ultimate tool when it comes to tasting wine. How can it be? How and why this simple glass form dominates the wine-tasting world.

This Autumn promises to be rich in natural wine event. Several events are already announced and November is the Beaujolais Nouveau and Primeur wines month. More updates soon. The Grape Escape Beaujolais Nouveau When: 16th November, 6PM Where: Hoston Hotel What to expect: Wine, Snack and DJ sets link Bojo Nouveau 2023 When: 16th November, 4PM Where: La Dilettante Amsterdam What to expect: Beaujolais Nouveau, Snack and DJ sets link

The Chenin Blanc variety is one of the top international grape varieties. From the Loire Valley in France, Chenin was adopted in many countries around the world with more than 35000 hectares planted in the world. Chenin is reputed to be difficult to work with, but it did not impair its popularity. Maybe because of Chenin’s ability to produce a large variety of wines, sparkling, dry wine, orange wine, and even sweet wine.

The sensory evaluation of the wine could be divided into 3 parts, the color and the clarity of the wine, the aroma and finally the taste itself. The first one uses our sight, the second use our capacity to identify volatile compounds, and the last one identifies the mechanical action of the non-volatile constituents of wine. In this post, I will talk about the last one, sensation that wine give you when it comes to your mouth.

Wine faults are a very complex and multidimensional matter. There are different wine faults, and different ways to talk about them. And not all wine faults are created equals. Some are very distinctive, and some are more subtle and only experienced noses could detect them. But there is more, some faults can become part of the personality of a wine or a terroir or can ruin a wine. Because there is always a threshold.

On the 8th of December 2023, a tiny revolution will appear in the wine world. At least in Europe, well the European Union. The European Union decided to review what should be put on the label of a bottle of wine. There are some rules already in place for what you can put or not on the Label. The name on the label should not mislead a consumer or usurp a protected appellation.

Strangely enough, yes, wine is produced in Paris. The production yields fewer than 2000 bottles per year. The most know vineyard is situated in Montmartre, behind the Montmartre Museum, other vineyards are located in Belleville, in Bercy, in the XVIII arrondissement, and a secret one near Les Buttes Chaumont. The wine is confidential and often made with Pinot Noir, Gamays, Pinot Menier, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay, though other varieties can also be included.

Recently, I was talking to some people about how you can divide French wine regions. Various approaches can be employed to elucidate the organization of wine regions in present-day France. Excluding Brittany, Normandy, and the Nord regions from France’s viticultural map, vineyards are spread throughout the rest of the country. With nearly 400 distinct appellations, where can we begin? ok there are some vineyards in Brittany and also an IGP appellation for wine from Calvados.

Last summer, I was in Bordeaux, exactly in the Côtes de Bourg vineyard. I remember the intense heat and the blazing sun, not the typical summer weather I use to enjoy in the past. While it’s important not to conflate isolated extreme weather events with broader climate patterns., but there is one reality climate change is real, and it will have consequences in the wine world. Let’s take a look at some of them and also at how winegrowers and winemaker can adapt their practices to the changing climate.