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Short answer: both, and the interesting part is which bottle is which. The substance is centuries old – red and white grapes fermented or blended together is one of the oldest thin…
Short answer: it’s early, it’s hot, and most of what you’ll read about it is a headline wearing a lab coat. The grapes came in weeks ahead of normal across France, the wines will b…
Short answer: most of what a wine label tells you is true within a tolerance you were never told about. The alcohol can be a point and a half off. The vintage can be a tenth some o…
Short answer: the question is whether the glut you keep reading about makes this a buyer’s market. Yes, with conditions attached. The world is drinking less wine than at any time s…
Short answer: France’s agriculture ministry says the country will make 33.9 million hectolitres of wine this year, about 4.5 billion bottles. That’s 6 percent under last year, 17 p…
From Winey Opines, the newsletter. Every answer below is quoted from a published post, and every post is linked.
Is blouge a real wine style?
It’s a real practice with a new name – red and white grapes fermented or blended together. No legal definition, no single style.
Is blouge just rosé?
No. Rosé is usually red grapes only, with brief skin contact. Blouge involves white grapes too, and often tastes more like a light red than a pink.
Should I age it?
No. Drink it cold, drink it this year.
Read it in full: Blouge: hype or substance?
Is 2026 the earliest harvest ever in Burgundy?
For actual picking, it beat 2020 by one day. The 1556 figure is a record for the official permission date, not for picking.
Is 2026 the earliest ever in Bordeaux?
No. The Bordeaux wine council says 1893 was earlier.
Does an early, hot harvest mean bad wine?
It means uneven wine – riper, softer, stronger and more variable between producers. Some of it will be very good.
Should I buy 2026 futures?
Not on a headline. Wait for the 8 September estimate, then wait for names.
Read it in full: France picked in August. Here’s what that means.
Can the alcohol on the label be wrong?
Legally, yes: up to 1.5 points either way in the US for wines at or under 14 percent, one point above that, half a point in the EU and 0.8 for its sparkling, fortified and long-aged bottles.
Does “2022” mean all the wine is from 2022?
No. At least 95 percent for an American appellation, 85 for a state or country, 85 in the EU.
Does “Cabernet Sauvignon” mean it’s all Cabernet?
At least 75 percent in the US, 85 in the EU.
Does “reserve” mean anything?
Not in the United States. “Estate bottled” does.
Read it in full: The label says 13.5%. The wine can be 15%.
Is there really a wine glut?
Yes. Consumption is at its lowest since 1957 by the OIV’s count, vineyards are being pulled out, and Italy, Australia and California are holding far more wine than they can sell.
Are wines cheaper because of it?
Some. Bulk-sourced wines, store brands and anonymous bottlings from big regions, yes. Famous names, no. European imports in the US carry a 15 percent tariff that eats much of the discount.
What should I buy?
Wines from 2022 to 2024 that shops are closing out, sold on region and grape rather than a name, by the case when the value is there.
Should I buy to invest?
No.
Read it in full: A once-in-a-lifetime buyer's market, with conditions.
How big is France’s 2026 harvest?
The first official estimate is 33.9 million hectolitres, 6 percent below 2025 and 17 percent below the five-year average, provisional.
Is Champagne really down by half?
The ministry says 49 percent below last year. The houses hold reserve wine for exactly this; expect thinner reserves later, not empty shelves now.
Will French wine get more expensive?
The famous names will use the year as a reason. The south, which grew, has no reason at all.
Is a tiny harvest a great vintage?
Sometimes. Concentration and cooking come from the same heat. Read it bottle by bottle when it lands.
Read it in full: France's number landed. Here's what it means for your next bottle.