Wine

A New Romanian Generation Takes the Helm Since the 2010s, new vineyard owners, along with Romanian engineers, managers, and winemakers, have been spearheading a revival of the country’s winemaking traditions. This new generation, trained in Italy, France, New Zealand, and Chile, is fluent in English and brimming with determination, taking control o [...]

Between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, the Balkans are emerging on the European wine scene. A fresh wind of technical mastery is reviving millennia-old traditions. A young country with a long history of shifting borders, Romania is rediscovering its prestigious past. Terroirs influenced by multiple cultures, documented since antiquity, once f [...]

The Charlois group has many customers all over the world, including Greece. A delegation spent a few days visiting Murlin and the group’s various sites in the Nièvre region.   Three days in France, including two full days in Nièvre to discover cooperage, of course, but also forestry and stave mill trades. The program was […]

“Imagine up to 300 years between the growth of a young oak, the drying process, maturation, and the moment when we taste a vintage aged in one of its barrels!”.   It takes 1,500 naturally regenerated seedlings to harvest a single oak tree with a diameter of 80 cm. It takes 1,500 naturally regenerated seedlings […]

He took over from his father, who had taken over from his father. At 22 years of age, Florent Bourgeat is a travelling distiller, going from village to village in the Nièvre department of France.   He is young, talks with a Nièvre accent and is approachable and cheerful. We’re talking about Florent, a licensed […]

With the grape harvest now completed in most French wine regions, initial reports from wine industry professionals suggest that excellent vintages are on the horizon. This optimism comes despite a year marked by numerous extreme weather events, including late frosts, hailstorms, heatwaves, drought, and water stress*.   « A Solar Year Full of Promis [...]

As the grape harvest season is in full swing across many regions, take advantage of the weekend of September 17–18 to (re)discover the treasures of France’s rich wine heritage. To give you a glimpse of the many activities available on September 17 and 18, here is a non-exhaustive list of vineyard tours and cultural sites […]

While barrels have been used for centuries to transport and store beverages, the scientific understanding of oak’s contributions to wine and spirits is relatively recent, dating back to Louis Pasteur’s studies in the 1860s at the request of Napoleon III.   Known worldwide for developing the rabies vaccine, Pasteur, whose bicentennial is celebrated [...]

The practice of protecting wine by burning sulfur inside barrels,(Dutch Match) known as Dutch Match, is a Dutch invention first mentioned in Bordeaux in 1765*.   This process involves sterilizing a barrel without deeply disinfecting the wood. A sulfur wick is lit and introduced through the bung hole, releasing sulfurous gas vapors that kill bacteri [...]

The Menetou-Salon vineyard is located in the Cher department, between Bourges and Sancerre, in a wine-growing region where the presence of vines has been attested since Antiquity. The first historical mentions date back to the 11th century. These are acts relating to donations of vines, in particular to the Clos de Davet, made to various […]

Already in Your Glasses!   As every year, primeur wines will be available for sale starting from the third Thursday of November, which this year falls on November 18. This date serves as an exciting gateway to the new vintage, celebrated in a spirit of conviviality.    The most famous of these wines, Beaujolais Nouveau, […]

In the heart of France, on the banks of the Loire river, stands the famous Sancerre vineyard.   Recognized for its Sauvignon Blanc, the reputation of the wines of Sancerre has been well established for many centuries … In fact, traces of vine culture can be found in Sancerre since Antiquity.   In 582, Grégoire […]