A rather expensive modern cross-flow Pall filter machine (Delas, Rhone)

tangential cross flow pall filter delas freres tournon-s-r rhone france

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Delas Freres, Tournon, Rhône Valley, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Delas is one of the bigger wine producers and négociants in the northern Rhone Valley. They are based in the town of Tournon, just across the river from Tain l'Hermitage. Delas freres (as is the full name) was founded in 1835 by Charles Audibert and Philippe Delas. In 1977 Delas was bought by the Champagne house Deutz and it became the property of Champagne Roederer in 1993 when Roederer bought Deutz. Still today Delas (and Deutz) are managed as separate entities. (Roederer also owns Roederer Estate and Scharffenberger in California, Ramos Pinto in Portugal, Domaines Ott in Provence, as well as Chateaux de Pez, Haut Beauséjour, Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande and Bernadotte, all in Bordeaux).

Delas Freres owns 14 hectares of vineyards in the northern Rhone valley. Adding vineyards under contract they manage some 30 ha of vines. They supplement their own production with their négociant activity - primarily in the southern Rhone appellations. Their production covers essentially all the appellations of the northern Rhone wine districts, for example: Hermitage, Cote Rotie, Condrieu, Saint Joseph, Crozes hermitage, Cornas, and Saint Peray.

Their winery in Tournon is big enough to take care of most of their vinification needs. It is a mix of the latest vinification technology and traditional wine making techniques. Some of the wines are aged in oak barrels - they have some 600 barrels in the cellar. The winemaking is in the hands of the very able winemaker and oenologist Jacques Grange.

http://www.delas.com

All pictures © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Photos may not be used without our permission.


Rhone Tournon Delas Freres - stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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So this looks like what? (Adega Cooperativa de Borba, Portugal)

outside fermentation and storage tanks adega cooperativa de borba alentejo portugal

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Adega Cooperativa de Borba, Alentejo, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Adega Cooperativa de Borba is a co-operative winery in the Alentejo region in Portugal, east of Lisbon. It was founded in 1955 at a time when few people outside the region had heard of Alentejo wines. Today the Alentejo wine region has become one of the best known wine producing areas in Portugal, no doubt helped by the closeness to Lisbon.

The winery is impressive in size and has in recent years invested heavily to create a modern and well equipped winery. If you visit their facility you will see both the latest vinification equipment an traditional cellar techniques with e.g. old wooden vats and barrels.

The vineyard extend over some 2000 hectares planted with both red and white grape vines. They are planted primarily with traditional varieties, such as aragonez, trincadeira preta, castelao and alicante bouschet for the red wines, and roupeiro, rabo de ovelha, arinto, and antao vaz for the white wines.

They make a wide range of wines from every-day drinking wines to premium cuvees.

http://www.adegaborba.pt

All pictures © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Photos may not be used without our permission.


Alentejo Adega Cooperativa de Borba - stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Drug production? (Tain l'Hermitage, Rhone)

vineyard red poppies hermitage rhone france

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Tain l’Hermitage, Rhône, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Tain l’Hermitage is the small town that is the centre of the Hermitage appellation in the northern Rhone Valley. It is a twin city with Tournon that lies straight across the Rhone river. The two towns are linked with two bridges, one that is a historic chain bridge and the other is a modern, heavily trafficked bridge. The river is still actively used for transportation with barges.

Tain l’Hermitage lies at the foot of the Hermitage hill, producing the famous Hermitage wines. It is mainly a source for full-bodied spicy red syrah-based wines, but a small quantity of white wine is also made. You will have an excellent view of the vineyards if you cross the river to Tournon.

From the village you can walk up the hill to the Hermitage chapel. You can either walk straight through the vineyards – there is a walking path that takes you up some rather steep slopes – or you can take the road that is not quite as strenuous. In that case you will walk past the co-operative which is an important wine producer in the appellation.

Tain l’Hermitage is not only known for its wines but also for its chocolate. It is the home of Valrhona, the producer of luxury chocolate.

There are a number of other, famous and less famous, appellations in the region: Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas, Saint Peray to mention only the most important.

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


Rhone Tain l'Hermitage - stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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This looks like a very nice thing to do (Gigondas, Rhone)

wine shop caveau du gigondas rhone france

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Gigondas, Rhône, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Gigondas is a wine village in the southern Rhone Valley. Today it is one of the village appellations, having the right to label it’s wines as AOC (AOP) Gigondas. It was one of the first village got receive that right, after having been one of the most highly regarded Cotes du Rhone Villages villages.

The village is a beautiful holiday destination; it is small, perched on the hillside, with a view over the vineyards. There are many wine shops and a few good restaurants in the village.

The wines from the Gigondas appellation are typical southern Rhone wines. They used to be quite austere, with high acidity and tannin but modern winemaking techniques have made them more approachable already when young. They are made from a blend of grape varieties: grenache is often the dominating one, with syrah and mourvèdre and a few others also permitted. The Gigondas appellation covers around 1230 hectares of vineyards.

The village and the vineyards are beautifully situated in the Vaucluse department at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail mountains.

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


Rhone Gigondas Village - stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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A pinch of barrel aging (Domaine le Sang des Cailloux, Rhone Valley)

concrete vats group of visitors domaine sang des cailloux vacqueyras rhone france

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Domaine le Sang des Cailloux, Vacqueyras, Rhône, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Domaine le Sang des Cailloux is a winery near Vacqueyras and Sarrians in the southern Rhône Valley. The estate produces mainly wines in the appellation Vacqueyras. It is run by Serge Ferigoule, always sporting an impressive moustache.

The vineyards cover some 17 hectares of Vacqueyras, planted with grenache, syrah, mourvèdre and cinsault grapes. The vineyards are farmed organically and are on the way to becoming biodynamic. The winery is very spacious, filled with tanks in raw concrete. The wines are not filtered or clarified. Some aging is done in oak barrels.

The main red wine produced at Domaine le Sang de Cailloux is a Vacqueyras. The name, confusingly, changes every year, or rather, the name rotates between Cuvée Floureto, Cuvée Doucinello and Cuvée Azalais – for no other reason than that those are the names of Serge Ferigoule’s three daughters. Domaine le Sang des Cailloux also makes a prestige cuvee called Cuvee de Lopy from old vines and a Cuvee Oumage.

http://www.sangdescailloux.com

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


Rhone Gigondas Domaine Sang de Cailloux - stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Time to put some water in the wine? (Kir-Yianni Estate, Greece)

Drip nozzle. Irrigated vines. Unripe grapes. Kir-Yianni Winery, Yianakohori, Naoussa, Macedonia, Greece

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Kir-Yianni Estate Winery, Naoussa, Greece, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Ktima Kir-Yianni Estate is located in the region of Naoussa in Macedonia in northern Greece. It is a small family run winery. It was founded by Yiannis Boutaris and is now managed and run by his son Stellios. They have a talented female winemaker / viticulturist called Haroula Spinthiropoulou. Naoussa is one of Greece's leading quality wine producing areas and Kir-Yianni has established itself as one of the leading producers in Naoussa, and in all of Greece. The vineyards are located on an altitude of between 300 m and 700 m, on the slopes of Mount Vermio. They are very keen on the Greek red variety xinomavro from which they make powerful wines. But they also use other varieties: syrah, merlot etc.

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


Greece Kir-Yianni, Naoussa - stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Some underground work here (wine cellar at Domaine Doudet-Naudin, Burgundy)

barrel aging cellar domaine doudet naudin savigny-les-beaune cote de beaune burgundy france

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Domaine Doudet-Naudin, Savigny-les-Beaune, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Domaine Doudet-Naudin is a mid sized wine estate in Savigny-les-Beaunes in Côte de Beaune in burgundy (Cote d'Or). It was founded in 1849 and is still in the hands of the same family. Today it is to a great extent Isabelle Doudet who is in charge of wine making, together with Emmanuel Berteloot.

The vineyards of Domaine Doudet-Naudin are primarily in the Cote de Beaune, in a number of different appellations, for example: Savigny-les-Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses, Beaune, and Aloxe Corton. They also make Bourgogne Aligoté and Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune, and a grand cru Corton. Chardonnay and pinot noir are of course the main grape varieties.

They make wine both from their own vineyards and from bought in grapes and must, thus being both a vine grower, wine maker and négociant. In the vineyards they practice 'culture raisonée' spraying as little as possible but not excluding treatments if need be. They do not use chemical weed killers but prefer mechanical de-weeding with ploughs. they limit yields with strict pruning and debudding early in the season. The grapes are harvested by hand and sorted at two sorting tables. After fermentation most of the wines are aged in oak barrels. The time in wood depends on the vintage and on the appellation. In their cellar they also have a 'library' of older vintages, aging slowly in bottle, for future generations.

http://www.doudet-naudin.fr

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


Bourgogne Savigny les Beaune Domaine Doudet Naudin - stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Inside a concrete fermentation vat (Domaine Aimé Stentz, Alsace)

fermentation tank interior with cooling curtain aime stenz & fils wettolsheim alsace france

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Domaine Aimé Stentz, Wettolsheim, Alsace, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Domaine Aime Stentz is a family wine estate in the village Wettolsheim in Alsace in France. Today it covers some 15 hectares of vineyards. Sometimes they seem to prefer to write they name of the winery as Domaine Aiméstentz. Several people of the family are involved in the winery: Lous Stentz in the vineyards, Etienne Stentz in the wine cellar, Jocelyne Stentz with clients and the restaurant and Fabienne Stentz with foreign clients. The fifth generation Stentz, Marc, is progressively taking over the responsibility for the winemaking.

As many growers in Alsace Stentz makes a wide range of wines. The wines are mainly white of course, ranging from very dry to very sweet vendanges tardives and even selection de grains nobles. They also make smaller quantities of red wine (from pinot noir), rosé, and sparkling (crémant d'alsace). They have a prestige cuvée called Clos du Vicius Romain from the Hengst grand cru vineyard.

Domaine Aime Stentz uses the classic Alsatian grape varieties: sylvaner, riesling, muscat, pinot gris, and gewurztraminer. They are moving towards biodynamic viticulture and plan to become certified in 2011.

http://www.vins-stentz.fr

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


Alsace Domaine Aime Stentz et Fils stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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I'm 9 points on the Clos de Vougeot

clos de vougeot in chalk hand writing on barrel clos des langres ardhuy nuits-st-georges cote de nuits burgundy france

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Clos de Vougeot, Vougeot, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Clos de Vougeot (or Clos Vougeot) is a grand cru vineyard in the commune of Vougeot in the Cote de Nuits in Cote d'Or in burgundy. In its centre there is an old medieval monastery, called the Chateau du Clos de Vougeot.

The Clos de Vougeot has some 50 hectares, which makes it the biggest grand "vineyard" (perhaps more accurately, grand cru appellation) in Cote de Nuits (Bourgogne). It was created in the medieval age by the Cistercian monks from the Citeaux Abbey.

The vineyard is enclosed by a stone wall, hence the prefix "clos". It produces red wines from the pinot noir grape (a small portion of chardonnay, pinot blanc and pinot gris is allowed). Clos de Vougeot is also famous for the large number of owners who each own a plot of the "vineyard". The number varies depending on the source, sometimes quoted as high as 80. Jasper Morris lists 41 in his book on Burgundy. The truth is probably in between. Some of the land owners do not make wine themselves but sell grapes or must to others. Since it is a very well known grand cru appellation many négociant consider it important to be able to offer a Clos de Vougeot wine to their customers.

Each year there is a famous festive dinner given at the Chateau du Clos de Vougeot. It is the Confrerie des Chevalies du Tastevin who gives their great annual dinner.

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


Bourgogne Vougeot Chateau du Clos de Vougeot - stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Bring out the big gun (Domaine des Amouriers, Rhone)

spigot on a tank domaine des amouriers gigondas rhone france

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Domaine des Amouriers, Vacqueyras, Rhône, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Domaine des Amouriers is a family owned wine estate in the southern Rhone Valley, France. It is located in the appellation of Vacqueyras in Sarrians. Domaine des Amouriers belongs to the Chudzikiewicz family (sometimes written Chudzikievicz). It is run by Igor Chudzikiewicz and Patrick Gras. The name Amouriers refers to the mulberry trees that can be found on the property.

The Domaine des Amouriers has some 25 hectares of vineyards; 7 ha (going up to 14) are in the Vacqueyras appellation and the rest is Cotes du Rhone and Vin de Pays. The vineyards are planted with the traditional grape varieties in the southern Rhone Vally: grenache, syrah, carignan, cinsaut and mourvèdre, but they also have some more unusual varieties: merlot, caladoc and aubun.

Vinification is made in the traditional winery: The wine press is an old basket press, the fermentation tanks are solid concrete vats.

The range of wines go from everyday drinking 'vin en vrac' (bring your own container) over Vin de Pay, Cotes du Rhone to the cru wines of Vacqueyras.

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


Rhone Gigondas Domaine des Amouriers - stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Even the grandest chateaux in Bordeaux sometimes do rubbish (Chateau Pavie, Saint Emilion)

gate post rubbish bins chateau pavie saint emilion bordeaux france

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Chateau Pavie, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Pavie is a wine estate in Saint Emilion on the right bank in Bordeaux. It is classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé and belongs to Gérard Perse since 1998. Over the last decade the wines from Pavie have attracted much controversy when some famous wine critics have considered it to be over extracted, over-powering and unbalanced (e.g. Jancis Robinson), whereas others have judged it to be of outstanding quality (e.g. Robert Parker).

The chateau and vineyards are located on the lower lying land below the village of Saint Emilion, towards the railway station. It is, for Saint Emilion, a big vineyard covering 37 hectares of vines. it is planted with merlot (dominant), cabernet franc, and cabernet sauvignon. The vineyards are mainly on limestone and clay, and also some gravel and sand. At harvest a stringent selection of the grapes is done at reception at the winery.

The vinification is made with the plots vinified separately. After fermentation in tanks the wine is aged for up to 24 months in oak barrels. Much new oak is used. The resulting wine is of course very powerful.

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


Bordeaux Saint Emilion Chateau Pavie - stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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This is must fermenting (Domaine Pelaquie, Rhone)

fermenting must and grapes domaine pelaquie rhone france

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Domaine Pelaquie, Lirac, Tavel, Rhône, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Domaine Pélaquié is situated in the southern Rhône Valley, France. It is in the village Laudun producing the famous appellations Lirac and Tavel – in addition to Cotes du Rhone. It is not far from the historic city of Avignon.

The winery is run by the Pelaquie family, who has been making wine in the Rhone region since the 16th century. Today it is Luc Pelaquié who manages the estate.

The vineyards of Domaine Pelaquie extend over 70 hectares in several plots. It is planted with a number of different grape varieties: grenache, cinsaut, mourvèdre, syrah for the reds (and rosé) and clairette, bourboulenc, grenache blanc, viognier and roussanne for the whites.

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


Rhone Domaine Pelaquie - stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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The big squeeze (Domaine de Cabasse, Rhone)

horisontal vaslin grape press juice squeezing out domaine de cabasse rhone france

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Domaine de Cabasse, Gigondas, Rhône, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Domaine de Cabasse is located near Gigondas in the southern Rhone Valley in France. It is both a winery and a restaurant / hotel. The location of the wine estate is charming, just at the foot of the very picturesque village of Séguret. The Domaine de Cabasse is run by a Swiss couple M & Mme Alfred Haeni.

The Domaine de Cabasse makes a range of wines, both white, red and rosé: The grape varieties for the white wines are a mix of grenache blanc roussanne, viognier and clairette. The reds are made from grenache noir (one of the most important grape varieties in the southern Rhone valley), syrah, carignan, clairette, mourvedre and counoise.

Most of the vineyards are in appellation contrôlée Cotes du Rhône or AC Gigondas. The vineyards are located around the winery an on the hillside.

The hotel-restaurant is a charming countryside guest house in traditional French style – a shady garden, a pool, calm and quiet (apart from the cicadas of course). What more can you want?

http://www.cabasse.fr

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


Rhone Domaine de Cabasse stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Sometimes you need to take a beefy Rhone wine by its horns (Domaine Gilles Robin, Crozes-Hermitage)

silicone bung on barrel bull fight wall painting domaine gilles robin crozes hermitage rhone france

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Domaine Gilles Robin, Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Domaine Gilles Robin is a small winery in Crozes Hermitage in the Rhone Valley in France. It is located in Mercurol, just south of Tain l'Hermitage and the Hermitage appellation. It is run by, unsurprisingly, Gilles Robin. Gilles took over the domaine in 1996 and has been making excellent wines ever since.

When Gilles took over the old family estate in 1996 it had 10 hectares of vines. Today the vineyards extend over 15 hectares with vines of an average age of 40 years (quite old vines in other words).

The majority of the production is of coursed based on the syrah grape variety, the (by far) dominant red grape in the northern Rhone valley. Domaine Gilles Robin has four different parcels of vines. Each parcel is vinified separately in the wine cellar. the resulting wines carry either the Crozes Hermitage appellation or that of Saint Joseph. Gilles makes several different cuvees of red wine. Some are aged in oak barrels in the modern underground cellar for some time. Domaine Robin also produces a small quantity of white wine (Crozes hermitage) made from marsanne and roussanne grapes.

http://www.gillesrobin.com

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


Rhone Crozes Hermitage Domaine Gilles Robin - stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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A good example of an old vine cordon royat (Chateau Curson, Crozes Hermitage, France)

old vine vineyard chateau curson domaine etienne pochon crozes hermitage rhone france

An old vines trained in cordon de royat (or at least similar to cordon spur pruning - it looks a bit old, twisted and deformed though). Probably syrah.

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Chateau Curson / Domaine Etienne Pochon, Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Curson (Domaine Etienne Pochon) is a small wine estate in the Crozes Hermitage district in the northern Rhône Valley in France. They produce both red wines and white wines and the AOC Crozes Hermitage.

The vineyards extend over some 16 hectares, mainly planted with syrah (11 ha) for the red wines. There are other grape varieties for the white wines marsanne and roussanne. The vineyards are spread out with some on the plain and some on the hillside.
In the wine cellar the wines are vinified plot by plot. Some wines get a little bit of barrel aging. Some wines are selected to go into the prestige cuvee.

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


Rhone Crozes Hermitage Chateau Curson Dom Pochon - stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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