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The Variety of European Wines

by Jan Kohl

-Bulgarian Wines. Bulgarian wines are very popular in many Western European countries, especially in the Benelux, Germany and the UK. They are of a fine quality and are reasonably priced. Since the political changes in the late 1980s  many wineries have been privatized and are now producing some excellent Bulgarian wines, which are exported to a large number of countries.

Bulgarian wines are mainly made in five large regions. These are: Dunavska Rawnina (Northwest of Bulgaria), Thracia (in the South), Dolina na Struma (in the Southwest), Chernomorski Raion (in the East) and Podbalkanski Raion ( in the Central part of the country). The Black Sea region also has its fine white Riesling, Sauvignon and chardonnay wines.In the Danube Valley and on the plain between the Danube and  the Balkan, grapes are grown up to an altitude of 400 m. On the plains, soil conditions are favourable for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Aligoté, Muscat Ottonel and Gamza grapes. The Gamza grape is a local variety which gives some excellent and  very specific Bulgarian wines.

-French Wines.  French   wines are still the most famous ones in the world. And many are among the finest of this planet. The quality of French wines , as with any other wine, depends on following factors: the type of grapes that are used, the (regional) climate and weather conditions (of that specific year), the soil and, of course, the skill and experience of the wine maker.French wines come mainly from following regions: Champagne, Alsace, Burgundy (Bourgogne), Beaujolais, Jura, Savoie and Bugey, the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, the South West, Roussillon, Languedoc, the Rhône Valley, the Provence and the island of Corsica. These regions are spread all over France, but there are proportionally more in the Southern part of the country.

It were the Romans who introduced wine making to France (then called “Gaul”) and other Northern Roman Provinces. Since then grapes have been grown there and French wines have always had their famous reputation. And with good reason. The climate is excellent, the soil favourable  and the wine makers are definitely experts

-German Wines.  Germany really has a large variety of grape races. The most popular is still the very famous Riesling grape.Some of the other popular grape races used for German wines are Müller-Thungau, Spätburgunder, Silvaner, Kerner, Portugieser, Bacchus, Scheurebe, Dornfelder,  Grauburgunder, Trollinger, Schwarzriesling. The list is virtually endless. But Riesling is still used for a large number of German wines.German wines are made all over the country. Some of the interesting wine making regions and areas are: the Ahr region Grosslage, Klosterberg, Ahrweiler Stiftsberg, Ahrweiler Silberberg, Neuenahrer Sonnenberg, Heppinger Gurggarten, etc.). Middle Rhine (Grosslage Marksburg, Grosslage Lahntal, Grosslage Burg Rheinfels, Grosslage Herrenberg,etc.), Rheingau (Grosslage Burgweg, Grosslage Gottesthal, Grosslage Daubhaus, etc.)

More excellent German wines can be found in Nahe (Grosslage Schlosskapelle, Grosslage Sonnenborn, Grosslage Pfarrgarten, Grosslage Paradiesgarten), Rheinhessen (Bingen, Nierstein, Wonnegau), Palts (Grosslage Grafenstück, Grosslage Höllenpfad, Grosslage Rosenbühl, Grosslage Schenkenböhl, Grosslage Ordensgut, Grosslage Königsgärten, Grosslage Guttenberg), Baden  (Grosslage Rittersberg, Grosslage Hohenberg), Württemberg (Grosslage Staufenberg, Grosslage Lindelberg, Grosslage  Stromberg). As elsewhere organic wines are also becoming more popular in Germany too.  

-Greek Wines.  Retsina is, without a doubt, the most famous of Greek wines. It is produced mostly in the wine making areas of Attica, Boeotia (Viotia) and Euboia. In Greece, Retsina is often drunk as an aperitif in bars and restaurants. Another favourite among Greek wines is the moscatel  wine produced on the island of Samos. There is a Samos Doux, a Samos Doux Naturel and a Samos Nectar.Other great Greek wines are Vilana (Crete), Assyrtiko (Santorini and Athos), Robola (Kefallinia), Rhoditis (from Macedonia, Thracia, the Peloponnese) and the Savatiano. For these white wines the Chardonnay grape is mostly used. Actually, wine producers in Greece only use some twenty grape races: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah are some of them.

Among the red Greek wines the most important are: Xynomavro ( in Macedonia and Thracia), Agiorgitiko, Mavrodaphne (Patras, Kefallinia, Achaia), Mandelaria (Paros, Crete and Rhodes) and Limnio. Famous wine making regions in Greece are : the Peloponnese, Crete, Central Greece, Euboia, Epirus, Macedonia, Thessalia, the Ionic Islands, Samos, Lesbos, Chios, Paros, Santorini and Rhodes 

-Italian Wines.   Italian wines are among the most requested and therefore most exported in the world. Over the past 15 years, a lot of Italian wine producers have concentrated on producing a higher quality of wine, which resulted in a lower quantity and an increase in the value. The best Italian wines are red, with a few exceptions, because most of Italy’s climate is too warm for white grapes. The best natural conditions for fine wine can be found in the historical hills at the heart of the peninsula. In the past there was a tendency to overproduce grapes and scientific techniques were undervalued, so the excellent potential was squandered. But today this region is rapidly moving to the forefront of Italian enology to create the finest Italian wines. 

Italian wines derive not only from native wines, which represent an enormous array, but also from a complete range of international varieties. That’s why Italy offers the greatest variety of wine, ranging through nearly every color, flavor and style possible. Tasting these unique wines is an endless adventure in taste.  

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Visit Antwerp, Belgium

by Jean d'Alès

Antwerp is one of the most important economic centres of Belgium. It is the fifth largest harbour  in the world and probably the most productive one. This is no wonder, as the Belgians are the most productive workers of the world per working hour. And the Antwerp harbour workers also score high with yearly productivity. 

Apart from the economic importance Antwerp has always been and still is one of the most important cultural and artistic cities of the country and of Europe. Old masters like Peter Paul Rubens an P. Van Dyke lived and worked there. The city’s cathedral is among the most famous and beautiful of the world. The cathedral and a number of places of the city play a very important role in the famous story “The Dog of Flanders” which is extremely popular in Japan.  

When you visit this city, be sure to visit the famous Antwerp cathedral one of the important masterpiece of European Gothic.. Its construction began in 1352 as a church. But  only in 1559 it became known as the Antwerp cathedral of Our Lady. It is among the finest and exquisite gothic constructions of  Europe. Famous architects worked on it: Jean Appelmans, Herman de Waghemakere, Domien de Waghemakere, Antoon Keldermans II and Rombout Keldermans. What you can see now as a beautiful architectural masterpiece is indeed the work of  centuries. The central nave is flanked by three aisles. Each aisle has 48 pillars. The total length of the Antwerp cathedral is 117 m. Its interior height is 40 m. 

Spanish emperor Charles V also had his influence on some parts of this magnificent construction. The Antwerp cathedral suffered a lot from water damage, wars and plundering, but it has always kept its unique grandeur. When you visit the place, you’ll be able to see three paintings of  Peter Paul Rubens, Antwerp’s most famous painter. They are: the Descent from the Cross , the Elevation of the Cross  and the Resurrection .  

Antwerp has a lot of museums, art schools, cultural centres and academies. It is , like Paris, London and Milan, one of the most important fashion  cities of Europe. In the old beautiful city centre you can find great restaurants, excellent hotels in every price range and typical Belgian bars and cafés with the world famous Belgian beers.

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