Welcome at Flying Wine Writer | Jan Rook

The affair Geens, the biggest fraud in the history of Bordeaux, do not continue. The fraud of the Belgian group Geens where tens of millions of bottles of wine with a designation of origin - that are unlawful marketed - will no longer be prosecuted because Roger Geens is in poor health (77). Read more...

Innovative idea designed by Trevor Strydom, partner and Managing Director of Audacia Wines is increasing attention after KWV actual partner in this project launched Pinotage Earth’s Essence this week. Rooibos wine combines Rooibos & Honey Bush wood to replace oak wood and Sulphur Dioxide in the wine making process. Strydom explained the concept during an interview at Capetalk 567 Read more...

Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, who died on August 22, 2014 choose the illustration of the vintage 2012. It is a representation of the Chateau’s historical emblem. You see two rams giving the ilussion of two animals in fight symbolizing that the balance of a great wine, already present in nature, still challenge the work made by human hands. The artist is the Catalan Miquel Barceló born in 1957. He has an extensive career in painting and sculpture as well. More about...

2014 will go down in sparkling wine history as a milestone for the Austrian Sparkling Wine sector. At the highest category of bottle-fermented sparkling wine, the grapes may be picked only from a single wine community (such as Poysdorf, Langenlois, Gols and Gamlitz), whereby vineyard site designations are possible. After bottle fermentation, the sparkling wine in this category may be released on the market at a minimum of three years following the harvest including maturation on lees for at least 30 months. Read more...

Michael Baum, an american entrepreneur stablished in Silicon Valley, has bought Château de Pommard. News announced by Bien Public.

Epicenter about nine miles south wine country's Napa at 3.20 am with a 6.0-magnitud on the Richter scale. It was the largest earthquake since 1989, it lasted 10 to 20 seconds. The earthquake surprised wine cellers, smashing costly bottles. On the other hand, the central region of Chile is hit by an earthquake 6.4-magnitud for 30-40 seconds, 12 hours before. The Casablanca area had no electricity power after the earthquake. There are no mayor damages of injuries reported. More about Napa at ABC news... Read more about Chile

New Zealand’s wine industry starts this year the largest research programme aims to produce high quality lower alcohol and low calorie wines naturally, called “Lifestyle Wines”. It takes seven years and an investment of 17 million NZ dollars. The trend has more than 30 years, now New Zealand wants a slice of the pie in this category focusing more on producing wines around nine percent. The commercial partners are NZ winegrowers and 15 contributing wineries. Villa Maria, Mt Difficulty, Giesen and Accolade Wines are participating. The estimated potential economic benefits to NZ are $285 million per annum by the end of 2023. Click here Ministry for Primary Industries NZ...

The top drop: Opus One

At the luxury Okura Hotel in Amsterdam is presented a unique vertical tasting Opus One. The greats years are 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010. It was organized by Le Vin en direct at the 23th floor where we enjoyed the clear and shiny weather in the Netherlands. There were around 40 wine professionals attending the event. Read more...