Wine News Archives

Vignobles Bonfils announces new luxury wine tourism complex in Languedoc “Château Capitoul”

Vignobles Bonfils has just announced the opening of Château Capitoul, a luxury wine tourism complex at the heart of AOP La Clape in Languedoc.

The family-owned group is one of the largest vineyard owners in France, with 1,600 hectares under vine. Vignobles Bonfils also maintains 17 châteaux and estates in Occitania and 4 wine tourism sites.

Since 2011, through its alliance with Domaine & Demeure, Bonfils has jointly brought 3 of Languedoc’s flagship estates back to life: Les Carasses, Saint-Pierre de Serjac and, in 2021, Capitoul. In Roussillon, they have achieved the same with the inspirational Château l’Esparrou.

Laurent Bonfils, company CEO, said of the complex: “Being a wine tourism practitioner implies creating an emotional bond and becoming a region’s ambassador.”

The estate was purchased in 2011 and after a three-year renovation, the showpiece of 19th-century winery architecture has been restored and transformed.

The 93-hectare estate encompasses garrigue, olive groves, grounds and 62 hectares of unbroken vines while being nestled amidst the unspoilt countryside in Languedoc’s largest national park and Natura 2000.

Eco-Friendly and sustainable practices have been employed to protect the natural surroundings, especially the site’s water resources. Around the edges of the vineyards, a dry-stone wall habitat has been built for ocellated lizards.

The 62 hectares of Grenache noir and blanc, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Marsanne, Roussanne, Bourboulenc and Cinsault vines surround this iconic property in AOP La Clape, Languedoc’s first appellation to be granted village-designated status, for reds and whites. The re-opening of Château Capitoul coincides with a complete overhaul and redesign of the range. Under the La Clape appellation, it boasts 6 reds and 5 whites along with 3 Languedoc rosés.

#ChâteauCapitoul #madeinfrance #frenchwine #Languedoc #Roussillon #france #winelovers

#vin #Cinsault #winetourism #winetourismfrance #vineyards #redwine #whitewine #instawine #Syrah #winenews #winetrends

2021 Vinitaly “Special Edition” Closes This Week

This “Special Edition” was a strategic event for consolidating growth in the sector, and profiled incoming buyers from 35 countries.

With attendance of over 12,000 operators, and 2,500 buyers (about 22% of total) from 60 countries: the special and extraordinary edition of Vinitaly closed this week, in Verona, as the third and last Italian stage in the run up to 54th edition scheduled 10-13 April 2022.

“This result goes far beyond our expectations,” said the President of Veronafiere, Maurizio Danese. “Companies, consortia, agricultural and supply chain associations and operators rewarded this business initiative project with a high rate of contacts and sales, as well as a unanimous index of satisfaction. The third event attended in person with Vinitaly today,” Danese concluded, “is part of a scenario of impressive acceleration of Made in Italy exports and Italian wine on all the main target markets, including the domestic market thanks to collaboration activated with Fipe and Vinarius. We are experiencing a strong recovery in which Veronafiere plays a fundamental driving role for the internationalization of SMEs and Italian wine, with a commitment towards increasing the value of sales.”

The map of countries taking part in Vinitaly Special Edition sees Europe (with Northern countries, Germany and Franca in front), Russia, the United States and Canada lead demand for Italian wine at the trade fair, followed by Eastern Europe (Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic), the United Kingdom and China, returning to Verona again. “This geography,” commented Giovanni Mantovani, CEO of Veronafiere, “is perfectly aligned with the growth figures seen on international markets which, in the first 7 months of this year, posted an overall leap ahead of 15% compared to the same period last year. We upheld our declared commitment to organise a highly qualified Special Edition thanks also to the support of ICE Trade Agency,” Mantovani went on, “with international operators arriving precisely from the areas where Italian wine is growing significantly. “Now,” Mantovani concluded, “we are aiming to achieve a great 54th Vinitaly in 2022.”

Areas of interest among operators and buyers saw those dedicated to organic wines achieve a surge in attendance. Over the three days, 42 exhibitors in this segment saw their agendas crammed with b2b appointments, especially with buyers from Northern Europe and Germany. And in relation to new trends, the Mixology Masterclass calendar was sold out.

#ICETradeAgency #Italianwine #Italy #winetourism #vinitaly #2021Vinitaly #instawine #winelovers #wine #wineevent #winebusiness #winetrade #mixology #cocktails #winemarketing #verona #redwine #whitewine #winenews

Beaujolais Nouveau Prices Increased by 50%

The Beaujolais Nouveau sales campaign got off to a flying start this week, taking negociants by surprise! The trade expects prices to be capped at 250 euros/hectolitre for Beaujolais Nouveau and €270 /hl for Beaujolais Villages Nouveau, one operation launched this year’s ‘blitzkrieg’ with prices of €300 /hl for Villages primeurs.

As co-operative wineries began selling their wines, the campaign remained firmly on track at these launch prices. Initial market price lists issued by the Beaujolais wine marketing board show that the prices of Primeurs are in excess of €280 /hl for Beaujolais Nouveau and €300 /hl for Villages, an increase of 50 % compared to the ceiling price of €190 /hl which led to winegrower demonstrations last year. After the frost and mildew, “the crop is small and there is nothing to panic about”, said David Ratignier, chairman of the producers’ organisation, in a bid to put the hikes into perspective. He claims that “prices are not skyrocketing but increasing due to a small crop (barely 35 hl/ha for Beaujolais and 30 hl/ha for Villages). Constrained yields are compounded by lack of inventory and record sales”.

Compared to last year’s downward pressure on pricing, Olivier Richard, secretary of the Greater Burgundy wine brokers’ organization, claims “we’re going from one extreme to the other. I’ve never seen anything like it – a quota system for Primeurs. There are so few wines and so few unspoken-for volumes that even if the trade is reluctant to pay the prices, the ball is in the court of the winegrowers”.

#BeaujolaisNouveau #BeaujolaisNouveau2021 #Beaujolais #redwine #Frenchwine #madeinfrance #burgundy #winebusiness #winenews #BeaujolaisVillages #wineeconomics #instawine #winelovers #wine #gamay #vin #winetasting #winestagram #rhonealpes #destinationbeaujolais #rhone #vino

Bolgheri, a wine territory in the pursuit of excellence – Filippo Magnani

The first edition of “Bolgheri Divino” celebrates a unique and cohesive vision of the producers….

On September 4^th, 2021, the Consortium of Bolgheri and Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC gathered 65 vintners of the DOC to tell their story of the land and its winemaking excellence, through personalities and productions. The event was named “Bolgheri DiVino.” It was a magical day to celebrate an extraordinary and cohesive wine territory in the pursuit of excellence. The first edition aims to become a must-attend occasion for dedicated oenophiles from all over the world who love this wine pearl on the Tuscan coast: Bolgheri.

The day began with an exclusive tasting held at Castello Della Gherardesca, in the morning, in Castagneto Carducci where I took part with other selected Italian and international journalists of the wine sector. The morning was dedicated to the preview of Bolgheri Superiore DOC 2019 vintage. A unique occasion since the tasting anticipates nearly 4 months to its release on the market.

The wines of 2019 generally showed deep colour, ripe fruit, with good aromatic intensity. An appropriate level of natural acidity guaranteed freshness and good fragrance. Apart from certain cases, where I perceived generous, firm tannins also due to the young fullness, the majority of wines I tasted were graceful, well-made with harmony from start to finish.

In the afternoon, we participated in a further tasting at 7 selected wineries where we had the chance to taste the promising 2020 vintage of Bolgheri Rosso. As I tasted the wines, I noticed they were fruity with a good structure and with lively acidity, while showing great potential for aging.

Like those overwhelming love stories, Bolgheri is the result of the harmonious relationship between an extraordinary land and the genius of man. A “little Italian miracle”, said the President of the Consortium Albiera Antinori in the closing evening of Bolgheri DiVino, in front of nearly 1,000 international guests seated for a beautiful dinner at a 1 km-long table on the iconic “Viale dei Cipressi”, a landmark of the Bolgheri landscape.

The event has shown the world that Bolgheri has climbed the “Olympus of Italian wines” in just a few decades. Its land has always been a sitting gold mine for the potential of the agricultural district. This territory, in its fairy tale appearance, is a wonderful symbol of the “Italian Bel Paese”.

A small pearl embraced by the “Macchia Mediterranea”

The area of the DOC Bolgheri is delimited by the municipality boundaries of Castagneto Carducci village. It is a small wine area that measures 13km from the southernmost point to the northernmost one, while the west-east extension is about 7km. The total vineyards are of DOC are 1359 hectares, positioned at an altitude ranging from 10 metres to 380 above sea level. The so-called “Macchia Mediterranea” stretches all along the coast, Bolgheri is literally embraced by this thick dark green forest.

The amphitheatre of Bolgheri is exposed to perpetual light and aerated by continuous sea winds from the Tuscan archipelago. Exposure and natural aeration, in addition to preventing many plant diseases, gives the wine an exuberant freshness and incredible elegance. However, most fascinating is the extraordinary and varied type of soils. A miscellaneous of soils composition; mainly sandy towards the sea, more clay-sandy alluvial, clay-silty in the vineyards located on the foothills, and gravellier in the hills belonging to Colline Metallifere (metallic hills). To better understand the richness of the soils for wine production, the Consorzio has conducted an accurate zonation research, a ten-year study on the potential of this territory. Up to now 27 units have been identified, not grouped into macro areas though because in a few metres the composition of the soil can change incredibly.

A “chair at the table of the prime Italian wines”
earned in just a few decades

Between the hundred-year-old stories of the famous Tuscan wine areas, well known and affirmed in the wine world scene, a place is reserved for the “young” Bolgheri district. The first red was produced around the 1940s, by the brilliant intuition of Marquis Mario Incisa of Rocchetta, founder of the estate Tenuta San Guido to plant red French varieties in the hills. Particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc. The first real success production comes indeed from a blend of these two varieties, and first labelled as Sassicaia in 1968, and lately proclaimed as one the best wines of the world with the 1985 vintage.

After an initial period of white and rosè wine production for local consumption (regulation of 1983), the path tracked by Tenuta San Guido and its Sassicaia was followed by a small group of pioneer producers that invested and interpreted the possibility of producing fine red wines in this area.

From the second half of 1980’s Bolgheri became an area extremely vocated to the production of red wines. Rapidly those wines were recognized worldwide as so, called “Super Tuscan” by famous wine writers, showing off not only the outstanding potential of the land but also the commitment of the estates in pursuing the brilliant intuition of this group of winemaker pioneers.

The cohesive effort of the producers led in 1994 to the first DOC Bolgheri red wines regulation, together with the creation of Sassicaia subzone delimited by the proprieties of the Tenuta San Guido. In the last 25 years the endeavours to look for quality with no compromise has made Bolgheri a symbol of Tuscan wine excellence.

Another significant moment in the strengthening of Bolgheri wines among the world of premium wines was the recognition of the Doc Bolgheri Sassicaia in 2013, conferring its own appellation. A remarkable occurrence since Bolgheri Sassicaia is the first and only Italian denomination dedicated solely to an estate and its cult wine.

Land of Innovation.

In Bolgheri, wine production has always innovated and is still continually developing with a common vision of the pioneer producers. Following this trend, an update of the wine regulation has been approved by the Consorzio Doc Bolgheri and will be effective soon. The first modification is related to the base ampelographic of Bolgheri DOC white:

The first modification is related to the base ampelographic of Bolgheri DOC white, which will give more space to the productions of Viogner, Sauvignon Blanc and Vermentino (already widespread).

The second intervention on the specification concerns the labelling. In particular for all DOC Bolgheri wines, it is mandatory to have the word “TOSCANA” on the back of the label. It will then be up to the producers to include the word “TOSCANA” on the front-label as well. Today in Bolgheri there are three types of DOC red wines: DOC Bolgheri Rosso, DOC Bolgheri Rosso Superione, DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia and three additional Doc, one for Doc Rosato (rosè) and two Doc Bianco (white)

DOC Bolgheri red wines are a blend or monovarietal produced with Cabernet Sauvignon or Franc and Merlot. Often the blends include Syrah, a small percentage of Petit Verdot and in certain occasions Sangiovese.

An iconic wine destination with unique charm

In the last 20 years, in this area of the shore that I proudly call home, I personally witnessed the incredible evolution of high-end wine tourism. International wine travellers, thrilled for Tuscany and its beauty, are nowadays considering it a “MUST” to visit the cellars of Bolgheri, and to taste the fine wines of those producers. The wind of sudden success of Bolgheri wines has also marked a significant development and attitude to the organized hospitality at the estates. When I began my activity in the early ‘90s in Bolgheri just a few estates were open and ready to welcome visitors. Today, almost all the cellars have opened their doors to wine enthusiasts and wine professionals. A unique range of hospitality proposals at the estates, offered by small familiar properties and legendary wineries.

The diversification of the wineries, both in their own stories and their production, under the libertarian philosophy of the DOC cited above, permit the interpreters to tell their very personal interaction with the environment.

The word “diversity” is important, starting from the natural factor. Bolgheri is a territory that knows how to touch all the sensory spheres, perfumes, flavours, charming hamlets in perfect harmony with the landscape and, most certainly, land of great wines. From the gentle hills, in a matter of a few kilometres the land gets lost in a beautiful natural sea reserve.

“Diversity” in the cuisine; it is ideal to enjoy different styles, from family and traditional cookery to gourmet, from dishes based on meat and vegetables in the countryside, to other locations to enjoy a fresh fish menu by the sea. The countryside around Bolgheri’s town walls is overwatched by other ancient, hilltop villages. Where Village life is livened up by artisan boutiques, open-air markets, taverns, and cosy accommodation where travellers can still closely appreciate the authentic tranquil Tuscan lifestyle.

We’ve been talking a lot about Bolgheri and its extraordinary terroir, but I find the human factor is of extreme importance If Bolgheri has been included today among the hall of fame of the Italian wine destination it is thanks to the outstanding production of each producer, but also by the new strategic vision of the Consorzio Doc and its Presidency who always considered quality wine tourism as a fundamental aspect in social and territorial development.

That’s Bolgheri and its wine!

WSET, a valuable partner for Bolgheri

I’d like to proudly underline that the Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini DOC Bolgheri e DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia has recently become the first-ever Italian appellation WSET Corporate Patron. I am sure this collaboration will bring a great value in terms of education and qualifications to inspire and empower all the actors of the Bolgheri wine territory.

#WSET #BolgheriSassicaia #Bolgheri #Sassicaia #winetourism #italy #italianwinelovers #BolgheriDivino #bolgheriwine #bolgheridoc #bolgherisassicaiadoc #Sassicaia #consorziovinibolgheri #Toscana #vino #wine #sommelier #winelovers #instawine #redwine #wineeven

@CBolgheri

Archaeologists discover a 1,500-year-old Wine Factory in Israel

The wine factory was recently uncovered by archaeologists in Yavne, south of Tel Aviv includes 1,500-year-old wine presses, ageing and bottling warehouses as well as kilns for firing amphorae in which the wine was stored, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

The site, according to the IAA, dates back to the Byzantine era, which is the 4th-5th century CE, this will make the winery the largest known to exist from that period.

The directors of the excavation Dr. Elie Haddad, Liat Nadav-Ziv and Dr. Jon Seligman said in a joint statement: “We were surprised to discover a sophisticated factory here, which was used to produce wine in commercial quantities. Furthermore, decorative niches in the shape of a conch, which adorned the winepresses, indicate the great wealth of the factory owners.”

They added: “A calculation of the production capacity of these wine presses shows that approximately two million litres of wine were marketed every year, while we should remember that the whole process was conducted manually.”

Each wine press at the Yavne site covered an area of about 225 square metres, with a treading floor where the grapes would be crushed underfoot surrounded by separate compartments and vats for fermentation and win

The plan is for the site to be preserved and later opened as an archaeological park with tours being offered.

#wine #winelovers #winepress #winehistory #winenews #israelwine #wine #kosherwine #israeliwine #israel #israeliwines #kosherwines #kosher #winelover #wineisrael #winetasting #israeliwinery #vineyard #winery #redwine #israelagriculture #passover #instawine