NEWS |
Friday February 26 2021 - Business by Vitisphere

2019, or the year of the coronavinous

The wine is designed as a pop-up label: “I hope we won't be talking about it in 3-4 months’ time. It would be worrying if we were still talking about it in ten years' time! Our intention is not to capitalise on it”.
Thursday February 25 2021 - marketing by Vitisphere

Champagne winegrowers use grape varieties as a point of difference

The Petit Meslier single varietal has a “novel and slightly salty taste” and a €79 consumer price tag.
Wednesday February 24 2021 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

Savoy all-set to trial 7 heirloom vine varieties for appellation wines

A first group of winegrowers have said they want to trial the heirloom varieties.
Tuesday February 23 2021 - marketing by Vitisphere

Loire Valley trade fair, Levée de la Loire and Greniers Saint-Jean postponed until 2022

Connecting the Loire Valley Wine Fair and its fringe events was a new initiative for 2021 and is still on the agenda for 2022.
Monday February 22 2021 - Wine people by Vitisphere

“Young people can be passionate about wine and talk about it in an accessible way” (to 300,000 followers on TikTok)

“Young people can be passionate about wine and talk about it in an accessible way” explains Émile Coddens.
Friday February 19 2021 - Business by Vitisphere

Bordeaux co-operative puts Rhone varieties in its Vins de France

The new label’s retail price is €6.40 /bottle.
Thursday February 18 2021 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

A more environmentally-friendly way of combatting frost

This relatively clean system has been added to the CIVC's “sustainable winegrowing in Champagne” standard.
Wednesday February 17 2021 - Business by Vitisphere

Covid causes postponement of Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône until 2022

The event planned by Inter Rhône in May 2021 for the general public has also been postponed until May 2022.

Tuesday February 16 2021 - Market conditions by Vitisphere

€11 billion surplus for French wines and spirits in 2020

The French government raised the issue of a moratorium on the Trump taxes, which César Giron believes “is the only measure that can secure the development of our industry in the medium and long term”.
Monday February 15 2021 - Market conditions by Vitisphere

A New Year, and a new start, for Bordeaux wines in China

“Just because we've just had three very good months compared to the previous nine doesn’t mean we’re heading for a fantastic period like 2010-2011”, says Roland Coiffe.
Friday February 12 2021 - Business by Vitisphere

One Corsican winery decides to innovate with orange wine and smoked grapes

6,300 bottles of each wine have been produced in the Vin de France category with a retail price tag of 13.50 euros.
Thursday February 11 2021 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

Médoc winegrowers want to get a taste of four new grape varieties, from the South and the past

According to Alix Combes (left), Arinornoa is very tannic and Marselan is particularly easy to manage, whilst Touriga Nacional has the advantage of displaying low alcohol content. Lack of ripeness can imply worthwhile potential for adaptation.
Wednesday February 10 2021 - Industry issues by Vitisphere

American taxes on wine “are one of France’s top priorities”

A confident Bruno Le Maire, France’s Minister of the Economy, says he is “hopeful that we can get the ball rolling over the coming weeks”.

Tuesday February 09 2021 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

Good news - Esca has no effect on wine quality

The researchers blended wines from diseased vines with wines from healthy vines to ensure that the grapes harvested from the vines showing symptoms could be reincorporated into the rest of the crop.
Monday February 08 2021 - Business by Vitisphere

France’s first wine with cannabis comes from Bordeaux

To placate the critics – and respond to disbelief as some people thought it was an April fool’s joke – the first vintage of the ‘Burdi W’ range was tasted by renowned consultants Alain Raynaud and Michel Rolland.
Friday February 05 2021 - opinions by Vitisphere

Vineyard irrigation is becoming a priority for the Côtes-du-Rhône

Due to recurrent water stress, “it will take 10 years for new plantings to become established, compared with 4 to 5 years in the past”, claims Denis Guthmuller.

Thursday February 04 2021 - opinions by Vitisphere

Consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt calls on negociants to get proactive over Bordeaux bashing

“Up until now, we have been selling wine. Now we have to sell ideas, and Bordeaux has that”, says Stéphane Derenoncourt.

Wednesday February 03 2021 - Market conditions by Vitisphere

Champagne revenue plummets by €1 billion in 2020

The Champagne marketing board has just announced its figures for last year which show an 18% drop by volume and loss of one billion euros in revenue – the decline is lower than expected.
Tuesday February 02 2021 - Wine people by Vitisphere

Two female members of the wine trade file a lawsuit in France for sexism and cyber-harassment

An online fund to combat harassment and sexism has been launched to fund the bailiff's reports and legal costs of Sandrine Goeyvaerts and Fleur Godart. Their counsel is Éric Morain, known for his commitment to defending organic, biodynamic and natural winegrowers
Monday February 01 2021 - Business by Vitisphere

Millésime Bio closes its first digital event, only to re-open in March 2021

Re-opening the event will allow award-winners of the Millésime Bio Challenge to be showcased. The competition had to be postponed with the tastings due to be held in February in small groups.
Friday January 29 2021 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

In 2021, Cognac can plant 2,306 ha of vines versus 1.5 ha for Bordeaux and 0.1 ha for Alsace

Nationwide, applications for new planting permits fell by 1,500 ha between 2021 and 2020.
Thursday January 28 2021 - wine Tourism by Vitisphere

AOC Bordeaux invests €4 million to re-launch its tourism facilities

From Sauternes to Libourne, tourism projects are currently burgeoning in Bordeaux.
Wednesday January 27 2021 - Business by Vitisphere

Ridley Scott produces his first wine (and prepares for the next stage)

Known for his blockbusters, Ridley Scott also made a more small-scale production about the vineyards of Provence – A Good Year, released in 2006 and starring Marion Cotillard and Russell Crowe.
Tuesday January 26 2021 - Business by Vitisphere

Crisis-resistant Sancerre winery poised to welcome new members

The co-operative currently markets 12,000 hectolitres of wine, but reportedly has the capacity to accommodate 25 to 30,000 hl of wine.
Monday January 25 2021 - Business by Vitisphere

Bernard Magrez turns focus from Bordeaux to other wine regions and spirits

“I'm not a winegrower, I'm a salesman who tries to understand the consumer”, claims Bernard Magrez.
Friday January 22 2021 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

“Tomorrow’s robots will not be marketed by today’s start-ups” claims Pellenc

In its robotics R&D work, Pellenc focuses mainly on “repetitive tasks such as tillage or containment spraying. We are also planning to automate pre-pruning or even pruning”.
Thursday January 21 2021 - Business by Vitisphere

Grands Crus wine bottles broken by their thieves

As the script of a comedy film, the scenario would probably have us laughing, but for the victims, it is anything but amusing.
Wednesday January 20 2021 - Culture and Wine by Vitisphere

Promoting French gourmet food pairings, wines and sensible drinking, in a positive way

The 100% digital campaign will be rolled out on social media platforms Instagram, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter until the end of February.
Tuesday January 19 2021 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

Agroforestry pioneers Benoit and Delphine Vinet are Vitisphere readers’ personalities of the year

After planting their first trees in 2008, they launched their holistic approach in 2014 and feel it is within everyone’s reach.
Monday January 18 2021 - Winemaking by Vitisphere

A technique for regaining taste and sense of smell after Covid

Including essential oils and equipment, a kit costs less than fifty euros for three months.
Friday January 15 2021 - Business by Vitisphere

France’s first Vaccs'vin is on its way!

Christophe Avi, a winegrower in France’s Brulhois area, is releasing a wine at the end of January that promises to have side effects.
Thursday January 14 2021 - marketing by Vitisphere

Covid or not, En Primeur week will go ahead in Bordeaux and other venues

Although the economic situation under Covid is still very much up in the air, the Bordeaux wine industry is hoping to replicate the success of last year's 2019 En Primeur campaign.
Wednesday January 13 2021 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

A tunnel shelters vines from 80% of plant protection products

The Viti-Tunnel also warded off black rot, dead arm disease and grey rot. To combat powdery mildew, which only requires dampness and wind to spread, the partner chateaux used 2 to 4 kg per hectare of wettable sulphur every 10 to 20 days.
Tuesday January 12 2021 - Wine and Health by Vitisphere

Grape compounds able to block a key enzyme in the Covid-19 virus

In April, a Chinese team synthesised two compounds that inhibit the Mpro enzyme, with good in vivo results in dogs and mice. Their work was published in Science Magazine.
Monday January 11 2021 - Industry issues by Vitisphere

French wine industry continues to be hijacked by aviation issues

There is now no way still wines can avoid the duties – by shipping in bulk or raising ABV to over 14% – and some sparkling wines and spirits are also targeted.
Friday December 25 2020 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

Official endorsement and geo-oenological studies in the pipeline for ‘Volcanic wine’

Pierre Desprat accepts his reputation as the custodian of volcanic wines. His personal vision is that only wines from volcanic plots should eligible for the endorsement.
Thursday December 24 2020 - Market conditions by Vitisphere

Sales of Champagne plummet by 25%

“We need to capture the imagination more and the legend surrounding our appellation. We realised in 2020 that digital technology can also allow us to convey emotion”, says Jean-Marie Barillère.

Wednesday December 23 2020 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

3 % of French winegrowers use horses

68% of estates using horse-drawn farm implements are certified organic.
Tuesday December 22 2020 - distribution by Vitisphere

14 charged with stealing €5 million worth of classified growths in Bordeaux

During their raids, the police and gendarmes found cases from prestigious estates, with bottles ranging in size “up to the Mathusalem (6 litres)”.
Monday December 21 2020 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

Does biodynamic winegrowing produce better quality wines?

A summary of these trials is due in six months’ time.
Friday December 18 2020 - Market conditions by Vitisphere

Covid puts a dent in revenues of French wine exports

In a globally competitive wine market, the value of French wines suffered far more than the average.
Thursday December 17 2020 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

Electric weeding performs as well as glyphosate beneath the vines

The trials did not cause any burns or damage to the grapes.

Wednesday December 16 2020 - Industry issues by Vitisphere

The French wine industry considers ‘deferred vineyard restructuring’, aka temporary vine pulls

“The proposal by the wine board is based on vine pull and staggered restructuring. The technical details have not yet been decided”, explains Jérôme Despey.

Tuesday December 15 2020 - Wine and media by Vitisphere

A caricature fuels controversy over male chauvinism in the French wine industry

“The wine industry’s “green” revolution is underway, but there is still another Bastille to be stormed and that is its male chauvinism and sexism, which pervade every aspect of the industry”, said celebrated French lawyer Eric Morain.
Monday December 14 2020 - Business by Vitisphere

Loire Wine Show changes dates and combines with fringe events in 2021

With its new format, “the show’s exhibitor numbers would increase from 600 to 1,200, if Dive joins us”, points out Eric Grelier.
Friday December 11 2020 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

Bordeaux is ready to plant its new grape varieties

Although the grapes have been tried and tested, they will remain secondary varieties in Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur production specifications.
Thursday December 10 2020 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

Europe’s largest wine estate offers a shining example of resilience to climate change

Along with its conversion to organic, Domaine Royal de Jarras has also rolled out disease-resistant grape varieties on a dozen hectares.
Wednesday December 09 2020 - Business by Vitisphere

We visited Jack Ma’s vineyard, and… you’ve never seen anything like it!

Jack Ma, Bordeaux vineyard philanthropist or a businessman ahead of the curve?
Tuesday December 08 2020 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

The first yield monitor sensor is on its way

“We are going to roll out the sensor in several vineyards next summer to acquire more data and automate the calibration”, promises Benjamin Boissier.
Monday December 07 2020 - opinions by Vitisphere

“The French wine industry should not rejoice over Chinese import taxes on Australian wines”

“Above and beyond the economic ups and downs, research shows that the Chinese market is set to grow. There are still good prospects in China”, claims Allan Sichel, confident about the market's potential.
Friday December 04 2020 - Land management by Vitisphere

Diam finances the largest planting programme of cork oaks ever rolled out in Provence

Forest maintenance will cost an estimated 15,000 euros per hectare for the first five years.
Thursday December 03 2020 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

Two in three independent French winegrowers belong to an environmental scheme

According to the survey, two in three non-certified winegrowers plan to join an environmental scheme in the coming years.
Wednesday December 02 2020 - Market conditions by Vitisphere

Prices of red Burgundy boosted by a surge in white wine production

For the 2020 vintage, drought over the summer took its toll on juice yields for the reds, with production shortfalls frequently ranging from 20 to 50% across Burgundy.

Tuesday December 01 2020 - marketing by Vitisphere

The lessons learnt from the ‘Covid test’ label for red Bordeaux

Winegrower Jean-Christophe Mauro is not only modernising his labels to engage with younger and less traditional audiences, he is also revisiting the style of his wines.
Monday November 30 2020 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

Budburst occurs during pruning in Bordeaux and Burgundy

When in doubt and to avoid a drop in productivity, Professor Alain Deloire recommends winegrowers wait until the cold weather sets in before pruning short.
Friday November 27 2020 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

Mouton Cadet in search of the Holy Grail of ‘zero pesticide residue’

“The phasing out of CMRs has shown us that many things are possible in Bordeaux”, says Philippe Degrendel.
Thursday November 26 2020 - Wine people by Vitisphere

9 female winegrowers join forces to share their experience of Champagne

The Ennead wants to gradually build a new vision of Champagne, from peer to peer, linking it to a long-standing winegrowing model, divided among several categories, who sometimes struggle, like other families, to get along.
Wednesday November 25 2020 - Market conditions by Vitisphere

“Worry and anxiety on a daily basis” for Alsace winegrowers

“What worries people is that we still don't know when we'll get back to normal. There is no end to this situation, or at least it’s difficult to imagine one”, comments Francis Backert.
Tuesday November 24 2020 - Vine growing by Vitisphere

Cognac approves 2,300 ha of vine plantings for 2021

For the next applications for planting permits, the Business Plan will be reviewed in April 2021, following the appointment of a new BNIC chair.
Monday November 23 2020 - Wine people by Vitisphere

James Suckling: “I definitely think that online tastings can replace physical ones”

At 61, James Suckling is reported to have tasted and rated 225,000 wines since the start of his career.
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