the opinion

Simonit & Sirch, the pioneers of pruning for the well-being of the vine plant

Simonit & Sirch, the pioneers of pruning for the well-being of the vine plant

By Marco Simonit and Pierpaolo Sirch We know everything about the life of the soils and on which type of soil the vine plant prefers to develop, about the climate and climate change, about the management of fertilization and phytosanitary treatments ... but how much do we actually know about the health of vines? Wouldn't it be time to stop uprooting vines that are not even “of age” and to rethink proper pruning for their well-being? And if they are sick, why not treat them? They seem trivial questions, but not many (or…Read more
Picasso’s Kitchen

Picasso’s Kitchen

By Emmanuel Guigon An exhibition on Picasso’s kitchen and cooking? Why not? There is nothing at all incongruous in the idea, because cooking is a subtle revelation of Picasso’s art: painting, sculpture, ceramics, poetry and theatre. What is more, we should not neglect the role of the restaurant as a meeting place for the avant-gardes, from Quatre Gats in Barcelona to Au Lapin Agile on Montmartre, where the bohemians of the time and Picasso’s little entourage would share a table. Food, utensils and places related to cooking have a tremendous power to evoke…Read more
Bordeaux 2019: How Covid boosted sales

Bordeaux 2019: How Covid boosted sales

By Andrew Black The 2019 harvest in Bordeaux today seems a long time ago, after the events the world has gone through these past months. That vintage was another fine one for the region, and during the ensuing winter months the top Bordeaux châteaux began their usual preparations for the annual showcase event -primeurs week, when wine buyers and critics from all over the world descend on the Bordeaux region and its châteaux to taste the new vintage. Despite the promising quality of the 2019 vintage, the mood among producers in early 2020…Read more
Bride Valley Vineyard and the future of English sparkling wine

Bride Valley Vineyard and the future of English sparkling wine

By Steven Spurrier Probably the most recent entry to wine categories around the world, barely quarter of a century old, is that of English Sparkling Wine.  Made in the traditional method and mostly from the three ‘Champagne grapes’ Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, its success has been remarkable and investors with deep pockets have been boosting the acreage under vines across southern England at the recent rate of 240 hectares – one million vines based on an average of 4,000 vines a hectare – over the past three years.  Over the last…Read more
Tuscany’s drought, 2017

Tuscany’s drought, 2017

This year we suddenly had frost in May for three nights. We lit wood fires lit every twenty meters in the plains; the thick low smoke freed the high pressure in the vines. Compared to all the burned and bare valley bottom vineyards in Chianti (and up to Chablis, we’ve all seen the pictures of what they have had to do there for frost), the freeze was very minor, so the vineyards are now as tall and green as any year. The freeze of the spring passed over a land that was already…Read more
The Opinion by Iñaki Lz. De Viñaspre

The Opinion by Iñaki Lz. De Viñaspre

The Txuletón in Basque Cuisine. The story of an old, fat cow The origins We don’t know exactly since when Txuletones have been eaten in the Basque Country, we do however know that since the XVIII century it has been a whole gastronomic and festive event in certain rural areas of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa. Bovine animals, both female and male, had a very clear role in the economy of the homestead: females would dedicate their lives to give birth and most of them to produce milk. This would be done in micro-exploitations, meaning…Read more
Jacques Thienpont on Pomerol – An interview for Vila Viniteca

Jacques Thienpont on Pomerol – An interview for Vila Viniteca

How would you describe the Pomerol landscape? You can divide Pomerol into three distinct zones. There is the highest point of Pomerol, the plateau, which includes all of the top estates –Pétrus, Vieux Chateau Certan, L’Evangile, La Conseillante, Le Pin, Trotanoy and Eglise Clinet; then you have the slopes that go from the plateau down to the plain where you find excellent chateaux such as La Croix de Gay, Gazin, Feytit Clinet, Nenin and finally there are the chateaux which are on the sandier soils such as Clos de Réné, Chateau de Sales,…Read more