On your knees

Wine glass. Chateau Liot, Barsac, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

(Or rather: On my knees. A lot of knee-bending to get all levels (wine, reflections...) right in this shot.)

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Château Liot, Sauternes, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Liot is in the appellation of Sauternes in Bordeaux. It produces luscious sweet white wine from grapes that have been affected by noble rot, the famed botrytis cinerea, which affects the grapes in the vineyard. When this rot comes late in the season, just before harvest, it is beneficial and causes the grapes to shrivel on the vine and become more concentrated. It can also attack the vines at other times and then it can cause great damage as 'grey rot'.

Chateau Liot is a 20 hectare property with most of the vineyards lying on the mostly flat land around with winery and chateau. It is located in the commune of Barsac, on the plateau of Haut-Barsac, whose wines are often sold under the Sauternes appellation. The vineyard is planted with 85% sémillon grapes, 10% sauvignon blanc and 5% muscadelle. Winemaking is traditional, with the fermentation taking place in various style vats, mostly stainless steel. The wine is aged in oak barrels (barriques) for up to 18 months. Part of the casks are new but most have seen one or more wines. The grapes are harvested when over-ripe and when they have been affected by the noble rot.

The chateau belongs to the David family, and is managed by Jerry David. The family also produces a red and white Graves wine (not sweet, but dry) at another property, the Chateau Saint Jean des Graves.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Bordeaux Sauternes Chateau Liot stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Reaching out

Wine tasting. Wine glasses. Chateau Guiraud, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France.

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Château Guiraud, Sauternes, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

THIS IS ONLY A SELECTION OF SAMPLES. Use the image SEARCH function to find more relevant photos.

Chateau Guiraud is in the appellation of Sauternes in Bordeaux. It produces luscious sweet white wine from grapes that have been affected by noble rot, the famed botrytis cinerea, which affects the grapes in the vineyard. When this rot comes late in the season, just before harvest, it is beneficial and causes the grapes to shrivel on the vine and become more concentrated. It can also attac the vines at other times and then it can cause great damage as 'grey rot'.

Chateau Guiraud is on the higher part of the Sauternes appellation, the plateau. It is neighbour to e.g. the Chateau d'Yquem. It is one of the bigger properties in the appellation with its 100 hectares, of which 85 ha are planted with vines. The vineyard is planted with the white grape varieties sémillon (65%) and sauvignon. The grapes are of course harvested by hand (the only option for a sweet white wine like this). At chateau Guiraud they use a lot of new oak barrels (barriques) for the aging and maturation.

The chateau building is modest in size and design (but not by any means small). However, it has a very impressive tree lined allée leading up to it.

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Bordeaux Sauternes Chateau Guiraud stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Was this your Christmas wish list?

Wine shop. Sign outside with Chateau Petrus various old and expensive vintages. The town. Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France

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Château Petrus, Pomerol, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Petrus is in the commune Pomerol on the "right bank" in Bordeaux. It is a small vineyard but it makes one of Bordeaux' most expensive wines. It is part of the Moueix family wine empire.

The vineyard extends over some 12 hectares planted almost exclusively with merlot grapes. The only other grape variety used is cabernet franc but it only accounts for 5%, and is not always used in the final blend.

The "chateau" itself is really nothing but an admittedly rather grand looking wine cellar. It was recently renovated and fenced in, perhaps understandably considering the number of people who stop outside to look each year. On can from the outside admire the carved stone statue of Petrus, of course, and also a rather more frivolous statue of two naked ladies and a satyr (?) harvesting wine. This latter is somewhat more difficult to access.

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Bordeaux Pomerol Chateau Petrus stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Ionic or Doric wine?

Oak barrel aging and fermentation cellar. Chateau Nenin, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France.

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Château Nenin, Pomerol, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Nenin is in the commune Pomerol on the "right bank" in Bordeaux. It is situated just on the edge of the small village of Pomerol. The main chateau is very small (as is the norm in Pomerol) but the winery, vat hall and barrel cellar are substantially more impressive. The facilities have recently undergone substantial renovations and it is evident that a lot of money and effort has been invested.

The vat hall has all the latest vinification technology, including conically shaped stainless steel fermentation tanks, to improve extraction, with, of course, complete temperature control. It is shining and impressive in its modernity. The barrel cellar is no less impressive, with its graphic design with "antique" columns and spectacular lighting.

It is one of the bigger vineyards in the Pomerol region with around 30 hectares. The vineyard is planted with 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. They also make a second wine called Fugue de Nenin.

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Bordeaux Pomerol Chateau Nenin stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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On the little hillock

Chateau Lafite Rotschild, Pauillac, Medoc, Bordeaux, France

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Château Lafite-Rothschild, Pauillac, Médoc, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Lafite-Rothschild is in the commune Pauillac in northern Medoc in Bordeaux. It is one of the chateaux that was classified as a premier grand cru (first growth) in the antique-ish 1855 classification. It is owned by a different branch of the Rothschild family than the neighbouring Mouton-Rothschild.

The property has just over 100 hectares of vineyards, planted with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, and petiti verdot, mainly on gravely soil. The winery building was recently rebuilt. the main barrel storage cellar has a famous circular design and is occasionally also used for concerts.

The chateau is perhaps more modest in size than some of the others (albeit much bigger than Mouton that is not much more than a 'simple' house) but is located beautifully on a small hill overlooking a pond and (unfortunately for the owners, fortunately for passers by) also the main road, La Route des Chateaux.

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Bordeaux Pauillac Chateau Lafite Rothschild stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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There is something rotten in the vineyard (Wine Tech Gallery: noble rot)

Hand picked noble rot grapes. Semillon. Chateau Nairac, Barsac, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France.

Christmas time is when we bring out the sweet wines! Not only the port wines but perhaps also some "nobly rotten" wines?

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BKWine Wine Tech Galleries

This is the fourth gallery (below) to show a specific "technical" aspect of vine growing and wine making: our Wine Tech Galleries. This time we take a look at rot in the vineyard, of the noble kind. How does noble rot actually look - the face of nobility!

Our current Wine Tech Galleries:

• Noble rot
  
• Pumping over (remontage)
• Machine harvesting grapes
• Grape sorting and selection

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Noble rot or botrytis cinerea, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Noble rot is what makes some sweet wines what they are. Noble rot, or botrytis cinerea (or pourriture noble in French), is a kind of fungus, a mushroom, which can develop on the grapes in the vineyard under certain conditions, when the weather is humid.

In the right conditions it becomes noble rot. The winemaker lets the grapes hang on the vines in the vineyard for a little bit longer so that the rot has time to develop. It starts with the grape looking a little bit darker, brownish yellow. Then it changes colour completely to brown, reddish or even purple, and something that looks like mould develops on the grape skin. The grape then starts shrivelling and may end up looking like a mouldy raisin. During that process several things happen, the two most important being that water evaporates from the grape (the mould is said to make tiny perforations in the grape skin that quickens evaporation) and the rot also affects the taste of the grape juice, giving a much more concentrated, sweet and flavoured grape juice.

The rotten grapes must be harvested by hand. The harvesters, the pickers, may go over the same vines in the vineyard several times, only picking parts of the bunches or even individual grapes, that have developed sufficient noble rot.

The noble rot attacks different grape varieties to different extent. The semillion grape, the dominant grape in Sauternes, is prone to this rot. Noble rot appears in various districts: Sauternes, Barsac, Loupiac & Cadillac in Bordeaux, Tokay in Hungary, Anjou and Vouvray in the Loire Valley, and many more.

If the fungus is unwanted it is called grey rot. This is a common and dangerous vineyard disease but technically the same thing.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Vineyard noble rot botrytis harvest stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson


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Spacious?

Oak barrel aging and fermentation cellar. Chateau Phelan-Segur, Saint Estephe, Medoc, Bordeaux, France.

When the finished barrels have been moved out and the new harvest has not yet arrived - empty!

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Château Phélan-Ségur, Saint-Estèphe, Médoc, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Phelan-Segur is in the commune St Estephe in northern Medoc in Bordeaux. It is regarded as one of the best of the not classified (in the 1855 classification) properties in the Medoc. It is however classified as a Cru Bourgeois, albeit this classification is currently contested legally. The main chateau building and winery are impressive and beautiful and overlook the Gironde. They have 64 hectares of vineyard planted with vines of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet grape varieties.

the winery is modern, with stainless steel fermentation tanks and all other equipment that any self-respecting quality chateau in the top echeleons in the Medoc today has. It uses a grape sorting table at the grape reception at harvest time, of course, sorting entire bunches, it ages its wines for an extended period in oak barrels.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Bordeaux Medoc Ch Phelan Segur stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Pick-me-up (Wine Tech Gallery: sorting)

Hand selecting the bad grapes at a sorting table. Merlot. Chateau Paloumey, Haut Medoc, Bordeaux, France.

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BKWine Wine Tech Galleries

This is the third gallery (below) to show a specific "technical" aspect of vine growing and wine making: our Wine Tech Galleries. This time we take a look at sorting and selecting the grapes and sorting tables.

Our current Wine Tech Galleries:

• Pumping over (remontage)
• Machine harvesting grapes
• Grape sorting and selection

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Winery: grape sorting and selection stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

THIS IS ONLY A SELECTION OF SAMPLES. Use the image SEARCH function to find more relevant photos.

Grape sorting is a technique to improve the quality of the wine. It can take place in the vineyard, on the vine, or after harvest. Here we look at the grape sorting and selection after the harvest, at the winery.

The idea is to eliminate undesired grapes, for examples unripe or rotten grapes, and other material (branches, leaves, snails etc, sometimes called MOG, material other than grapes), and keep only the best grape raw material for the vinification. Thus it is also a way to somewhat reduce the yield.

Grape sorting is usually done by hand at a sorting table (table de trie). It can be done by sorting grape bunches, or by sorting the individual grapes (berries) after destemming. Some chateaux / wineries do both. The grapes are emptied onto a conveyor belt: the sorting table. On each side of the sorting table people inspect the grapes and remove those that are not of top quality. The grapes then continue to the crusher (fouloir) and to the normal vinification process to, hopefully, produce a better quality wine.

The latest generation of sorting machines are automatic. There is one model that separates the berries (grapes) in a liquid (must) with a well defined density, some grapes float, others sink (Tribaie or Triebaie). Another type of machine uses high speed image recognition to analyse an electronic image of the grape. If the grape is not “good looking” it is ejected by a pulse of compressed air. An older generation of automated sorting table simply sorts the grapes according to size.

The grapes that are removed in the sorting are simply discarded. They are never used for vinification.

Some argue that sorting is needed only if one has not tended the vineyard properly.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Winery: grape sorting table stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Just the right size

Chateau Kirwan, Margaux, Medoc, Bordeaux, France.

(Just the right size for a house in the country...)

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Château Kirwan, Margaux, Médoc, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Kirwan is a classed growth (cru classé) property in the commune of Margaux (and appellation controlee) in the Medoc wine district in Bordeaux. It is owned by the Schyler family (today headed by Yann) of the négociant Schroder et Schyler. The vineyards are planted with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot vines. The winery has much of the latest equipment, much like all the major chateau in the Medoc: sorting table, cuverie stainless steel fermentation tanks, pneumatic press, etc. And they age their red wine in oak barrique barrels of course.

They make a Grand Vain, the Chateau Kirwan, a second wine called Les Charmes de Kirwan, and even a rosé wine, Bordeaux Clairet.

The chateau building has harmonious proportions and is situated in a beautiful park. It is famous for its rose flower plantation.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Bordeaux Margaux Chateau Kirwan stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Oh,oh, this will not be enough (Chateau Malartic Lagraviere)

Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Wine glasses. Chateau Malartic Lagraviere, Pessac Leognan, Graves, Bordeaux, France

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Château Malartic Lagravière, Pessac-Léognan, Graves, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere is a big winery in the Pessac-Leognan appellation. Pessac Leognan is just south of Bordeaux city, part of it is actually in the suburbs. A few decades ago it "declared independence" from the greater appellation of Graves of which it was previously a part. It is a bit like the story of someone thinking the club was not good enough for them so they created their own club - all the best known chateaux in Graves are in Pessac Leognan (which is still considered part of Graves too).

Chateau Malartic Lagraviere was acquired in 1997 by the rich Belgian family of Michèle and Alfred-Alexandre Bonnie. They have invested massively in the winery and in the vineyards, as well as in the beautiful chateau itself, located in a small park. Today it is run by the son, Jean-Jacques Bonnie, and his wife Séverine. All the installations have been renewed: new vat-room, new fermentation tanks (stainless steel), now cellar equipment, substantial investment in new oak barrels every year etc etc. They also experiment with various new "technologies", e.g. 'vinification integrale' (fermentation of red wine in the barrel, and oak casks (barriques) of wood other than oak, e.g. acacia.

The vineyard is partially next to the winery, with typical gravely soil. It is planted with vines of the classic Bordeaux varieties: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, and petit verdot. they also make a white wine from sauvignon blanc and sémillon grapes.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Bordeaux Graves Chateau Malartic Lagraviere stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Gobble, gobble, gobble. (machine harvesting - Wine Tech)

Machine harvest. Semillon. Despagne Vineyards and Chateaux, Bordeaux, France

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This is the second gallery (below) to show a specific "technical" aspect of vine growing and wine making: our Wine Tech galleries (do you have a suggestion for a better name than that?). This time we take a look at harvesting grapes by machine. You will see a series of photos illustrating machine harvest in the gallery below.

The first Wine Tech gallery was on pumping over (remontage).

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Vineyard: mechanical wine harvest stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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A winegrower can either harvest manually with people in the vineyard, or do mechanical harvest with a machine. Mechanical harvest is done with a dedicated harvester or with a module attached to a vineyard tractor.

Is manual harvest better than machine? The received wisdom is that manual harvest is better. The romanticism around vineyards often makes people think so. We have even heard some supposedly serious wine taster claim that he could taste the difference between hand-harvested and machine-harvested wines. Many vine growers say that it is better to harvest with machine. In reality it is not simple. It is a question of circumstances and the conditions under which the winery works. Manual harvest can be gentler with the grape bunches and permits for some selection in the vineyard. Machine harvest also permits a selection of the grapes, both because the machine, if well adjusted, can leave unripe grapes on the vine; it can also be equipped with a grape sorting mechanism. A machine makes it possible to harvest much faster, at optimum ripeness and you can even harvest grapes at night, a benefit in very hot climates (difficult with manual harvest). The machine is expensive but if the vineyard is big it can be much cheaper to harvest with tractor. 60% of French wine is machine harvested.

The harvesting machine works by straddling the row of vines and then shaking the vines with bars mounted on each side of the vine. Ripe grapes fall off the vine and land on a plastic or rubber conveyor belt close to the ground. The conveyor belt works a bit like a zipper. It transports the grapes to a container. The grape stems ('la rafle') are left on the vine.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Vineyard machine harvest stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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No title. Any suggestions?

Machine picked grapes. Semillon. Despagne Vineyards and Chateaux, Bordeaux, France.

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Despagne Vineyards & Chateaux stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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The Despagne winemaking family is established in the Bordeaux area since over two centuries. Their base is the Chateau Tour de Mirambeau. They own five different properties and make over 1.5 million bottles of wine each year. The company is today run by the three children of Jean-Louis: Thibault, Gabriel and Basaline.

The domains / wineries where they make wine are: Chateau Mont Perat, Chateau Tour de Mirambeau, Chateau Rauzan Despagne and Chateau Bel Air Perponcher. They have a fifth wine label called Girolate which is a project to make an exclusive top-of-the-range wine. Girolate is a 10 ha vineyard planted with merlot on a soil similar to the one found in Saint Emilion. For this wine they spare no effort, e.g. fermenting the wine in oak barrels (which is not easy for a red wine). Their ffull range includes red, white as well as sweet white wines. Their vineyards are planted with the traditional Bordeaux grape varieties: cabernet sauvignon and franc, merlot for the red wines, and sauvignon blanc, sémillon and muscadelle for the white wines. In the vineyards they use both mechanical (machine) harvest and manual harvest. For the vinification in the wineries they use both stainless steel tanks, other types of fermenting vats and oak barrels.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Bordeaux Domaines Despagne stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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1999

Aging dusty bottles, 1999. Chateau Lapeyronie, Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France

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Chateau Lepeyronie Côtes de Castillon stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Lapeyronie is in the sub-appellation of Cotes de Castillon in the Bordeaux wine region. It is a smallish area with just under 3000 ha. The vines planted in the vineyards are mostly merlot, cabernet sauvignon and franc, and malbec grape varieties.

Chateau Lapeyronie is owned and run by Helene Lapeyronie, who is both winemaker and cellar master. It's a small vineyard with only some 2.5 ha of vines. She has acquired a solid reputation of making high quality wines in this otherwise rather unknown appellation. The winemaking is very hands on. A small team of harvest workers bring in the grapes. Harvest is manual - grapes are cut with secateurs. Grapes are crushed and then put in small stainless steel fermentation vats where fermentation and maceration takes place. This is followed by some time for the wine in oak barrel.

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Bordeaux Cotes de Castillon Chateau Lapeyronie stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Reflected glory?

The capital of Bordeaux wine - Bordeaux city.

Place de la Bourse. The new fountain Miroir d'Eau, Water Mirror, making reflections. Bordeaux city, Aquitaine, Gironde, France.

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Bordeaux city stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Bordeaux, the city, is the capital of Bordeaux, the wine region, and of the Gironde district. It has a bit over one million in population. It is a magnificent travel destination, partially of course since it is the center of the wine country and a good base camp for visiting vineyards. But it is certainly a city that one should take a day or two to visit in itself.

It is beautifully situated on the Garonne river, flowing out to the Gironde. The whole key-side, river front, is a spectacular architectural ensemble: the Place de la Bourse with it’s unique fountain Le Miroir d’Eau, the Porte de Bourgogne, the Pont de Pierre bridge, Porte Cailhau etc etc. And one should not forget the old wine trader quarters, the stretch that is called Quai des Chartrons wich is now transforming into a fashionable residential area. Each Sunday there is a charming marché, farmers market, where one can browse for food, or perhaps have an early lunch on local oysters and white Bordeaux wine.

The Grand Theatre, which is also called the opera, is an architectural master piece, the best view is when you arrive on the Cours de l’Intendent lined with luxury shops. The old town has some winding streets almost medieval in character (were it not for all the tourists). The Catehdral Saint Andre on the Place Pey Berland. And much more. The historic part of the city is now on the UNESCO list of World Heritage.

There are many restaurants to satisfy your hunger, from the simple bistro to the gastronomic palaces – but curiously, until recently, it has been very difficult to find a good wine bar. If you want to go shopping for wine you will easily find some good wine shops. but it is perhaps more fun to go directly to the vineyards and the wineries to do you shopping for wine!

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Bordeaux City stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Part 2 of the interview with Luis Seabra, the Niepoort winemaker

Part 2 of the interview with Luis Seabra, the Niepoort winemaker is now available here! Luis talks about the red wines, the strategy for the future, the mistakes that the wineries have made in Priorat, and a glimpse of port wine.

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BKWine TV: Niepoort

New wine video on BKWine TV: an interview with the Niepoort winemaker Luis Seabara, on the terrace of the Niepoort winery in the douro valley.

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Not your average little artisanal winery

Fermentation tanks. Tsantali Vineyards & Winery, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Greece.

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Greece Macedonia Wine & Vineyards Stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Macedonia is a region in Northern Greece, bordering to Macedonia-FYROM and Albania. It is one of the premier quality wine regions in Greece. It has seen many young and ambitious winemakers bringing established wineries to new levels or by creating new vineyards. There are several different wine producing sub-regions. The most famous vineyards are perhaps in Naoussa. One should not forget Drama, Amyntaio, Kaval, Epanomi and others. Most wine is red, often made from local indigenous varieties. Some traditional grape varieties that we find here are xinomavro, malagousia, agiorghitiko, mavrodaphne for red and for white wine assyrtiko, malagousia, moschofilero and roditis...

Some of the best known quality wine producers are: Alpha Estate, Ktima Pavlidis, Wine Art Estate, Ktima Kir-Yianni Estate, the Amytaion Co-operative (also making much rosé and sparkling), Domaine Gerovassiliou, Ktima Biblia Chora, and the Boutaris Winery, to mention just a few. There is also a small vineyard run by the Tsantali winery on the famed monastic peninsula Mont Athos.

Tsipouro is another local drink, a distilled spirit flavoured with aniseed, much like the French pastis (anisée) and ouzo.

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All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Greece Macedonia Wine & Vineyards stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Big shoppers, this way.

Except, Latour, like many of the big Medoc properties, does not have a shop and do not sell any wine to visitors.

Chateau Latour, sign for lorry / truck deliveries, Pauillac, Medoc, Bordeaux, France

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Chateau Latour, Pauillac, Medoc stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Latour is one of the four wine chateaux categorised in 1855 as a First Growth (Premier Grand Cru – a fifth was added later). This “1855 classification” is curiously still considered important among wine drinkers and wine merchants. The Chateau Latour is located in the commune of Pauillac in the Medoc in the Bordeaux wine region.

It gets its name from the tower next to the chateau building itself. The main building is a rather humble affair compared to many other exclusive and exuberant chateaux in the region. The tower lies on a small hilltop in the middle of the vineyards. From there you have a view over the river Garonne. The vineyards extend over some 78 hectares, not all in one plot. They make a “grand vin”, the Chateau Latour, and a second wine called Les Forts de Latour. The grape varieties grown are cabernet sauvignon (some 80%) and merlot, with a few vines of cabernet franc and petit verdot.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Bordeaux Pauillac Chateau Latour stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Would you pour me some please? Stop, stop, that's enough.

Pumping over. Chateau Liversan, Domaines Lapalu, Haut Medoc, Bordeaux, France

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Chateau Liversan, Medoc stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Château Liversan is part of the Domaines Lapalu group and is in the Médoc appellation. It is part of the group of wine domains that has the label Cru Bourgeois, a classification that has been annulled for reasons of legal wrangling and disagreement between proprietors.

The Château Liversan was bought in 1995 by the Lapalu family. They also own four or five other châteaux in the Médoc. The château and cellars have been beautifully restored. The Domaines Lapalu now includes, apart from Liversan, the châteaux Patache d’Aux, Lacombe Noaillac, Lieujean, Le Bosq, Fonpiqueyre, Lagrave, Les Rives de Gravelongue, Les Traverses la Franque, Le Borderon, and Larrivaux.

It is located quite far north in the Medoc. It is surrounded by the vineyards. In the wine cellar there has been some experimentation with “vinification integrale”, i.e. fermenting the red wine in barrels to increase the complexity and smoothness of the wine. The grape varieties uses are mainly cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Bordeaux Medoc Chateau Liversan stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Shopping list?

Wine shop. Sign outside with Chateau Petrus various old and expensive vintages. The town. Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France.

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Saint Emilion medieval village, Bordeaux stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

The village of Saint Emilion is one of the most picturesque in the Bordeaux wine country. It’s on the “right bank” of the Dordogne river. The village is dominated by the tower Tour du Roy and by the church tower. The church is one of the main tourism sites in the town. It is a “monolithic” church, meaning that it is carved out of the underground rock. Only the tower is visible above ground.

In the middle of the village there is a charming town square with cafés and restaurants. The whole town is actually full of restaurants and cafés so there is plenty to choose from. There are also many wine shops where you can buy bottles from the Saint Emilion region or from other parts of the Bordeaux district. In a few places you can buy the typical ‘macarons de Saint Emilion’ small, succulent almond bisquits. Saint Emilion is on a steep slope and has many winding cobble stone streets that can be quite dangerous to negotiate when it is raining. From the upper part of the village, close to the tourist office, you have a beautiful view over the town and over the surrounding vineyards and landscape

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Bordeaux Saint Emilion Town stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Glasses and corks

Wine tasting. Wine glasses. Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, pauillac, Medoc, Bordeaux, France

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Chateau Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac, Medoc stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, generally called Pichon-Lalande, is in the commune of Pauillac in northern Medoc, Bordeaux. It is one of the most sought after second growths, sometimes referred to as a ‘super second’, implying that it would merit to join the first growths (in case you still believe in the validity of the 1855 classification). It was for a long time run by the dynamic grand old lady May-Eliane de Lencquesaing who greatly contributed to (if not created) the chateau’s reputation. The vineyards and the winery are just next to Chateau Latour. One has a nice view over the Latour tower from the Pichon Lalande terrace, a terrace that also is the roof of the recently constructed winery and wine cellar. It was recently sold to the Rouzard family of Champagnes Louis Roederer. However, the winery is still managed by Mme de Lencquesaing’s nephew Gildas d’Ollone.

The vineyards extend over 75 hectares, including some vineyards in Saint Julien, grapes from which are curiously still used in the Grand Vin under the Pauillac appellation. They also own Ch Bernadotte, previously Le Fournas Bernadotte. The grape varieties used are cabernet sauvignon and merlot, plus some cabernet franc and petit verdot. Winemaking is of course modern with all the latest technology (as is general in the more luxurious estates in Bordeaux): stainless steel fermentation tanks, extensive barrel aging etc.

The chateau in itself is a very elegant structure, just across the street from 'the other Pichon', Chateau Pichon Baron. It is in a beautiful and well tended park decorated with various sculptures, a Bacchus aptly included.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Bordeaux Pauillac Chateau Pichon Lalande stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Remontage - Pumping Over

Pumping over, fermentation tanks. Chateau Malartic Lagraviere, Pessac Leognan, Graves, Bordeaux, France

This is a new experiment: Below is a slide show that shows different details of pumping over (remontage). The idea is to describe in pictures how pumping over is done. (Thank you to Christian David, L'Expansion, for the idea for this type of "illustrative" slide shows.)

The idea is to make slide shows like this on different subjects, say, pruning, pigeage, fermentation types, soil, ... If you have any suggestions for subjects, please let me know: write a comment or send me a mail.

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Winery: pumping over, remontage - Images by Per Karlsson
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Winery technology and vinification: Pumping over or remontage

"Pumping over" (called remontage in French) is a technology used in the winery to increase extraction. The winemaker performs it by emptying fermenting must from the bottom of a tank and then pumping it to the top of the tank. A tube is attached to a must pump and the must is sprayed over the top of the must in the same tank. This is done in order to soak the floating "cap" (chapeau). The cap is mostly grape skins that have floated to the top of the must due to the release of carbon dioxide. It is a semi-solid layer that needs to be kept wet.

By doing the pumping over (remontage) the winemaker increases the extraction of tannins and colours from the skins. The pumping over can be done by letting the must flow out into a trough and then pump from there. This gives added oxygenation. Alternatively the tube is attached directly to the tank. The must is then sprayed over the cap manually or with a spraying device.

A similar, but different, vinification technique is "rack and return" (called delestage in French). In that case the liquid part of the must is emptied from the fermentation tank and then pumped back over the solid parts that remained in the tank. This gives an even stronger extraction of anthocyans and polyphenols.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.

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Don't trip over - that's 10,000€ worth of wine on your back

Harvest workers picking grapes. Carrying grapes in a basket. Chateau Margaux, Bordeaux, France.

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Chateau Margaux, Medoc stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Margaux is located in the Margaux appellation, in the Medoc wine region, just north of the city of Bordeaux. It is one of the five Grands Crus Classés 1855. It is also well known for its beautiful chateau, of harmonious proportions, built by the architect Louis Combes, in a style similar to, and inspired by, the Grand Theatre in the city.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Bordeaux Medoc Ch Margaux stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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How do you become a better photographer?

FastMediaMagazine.com has asked its readers, and anyone else who's inclined to respond, to a (not so) simple question:

What is the single most important thing you have done that made you a better and/or more successful photographer?

Share your views at their post Call for photographers.

If you're curious what my response is you'll have to read the comments to their post.

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To the manor born?

A very unusual architecture for being in the Medoc in Bordeuax.

Vineyard. Chateau Cantenac Brown, Margaux, Medoc, Bordeaux, France.

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Chateau Cantenac Brown, Margaux, Medoc stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Cantenac Brown is in the commune of Margaux in the Medoc region in Bordeaux. It is one of the "classified growths", classified as a troisième cru (third growth) in the ancient classification of 1855. The vineyards extend over some 54 hectares, mostly around the chateau in the Cantenac area. It is planted with cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. The chateau itself is one of the more unusual of the grand Medoc chateau, built in brick (or at least it looks as if it were) and more looking like a British mansion rather than a bordelais wine chateau.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.

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Bordeaux Medoc Ch Cantenac Brown stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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