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restaurant review

Fantastic meat at JJ’s in Paris

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There is one city in the world where you can enter almost any restaurant and be served a decent meal (according to me) – namely PARIS 🙂

Then there are of course different price levels, different styles of food, different levels of ”price-worthiness” etc etc, but most of the time you get a very good meal for the money spent!

It is impossible to list all the fantastic restaurants that I have been to, but recently when I was I Paris I jumped into JJ restaurant late on a Tuesday evening and got the last seats available and a very very nice meal!

First of all, it is NOT big – but you really get this genuine feeling of French bistro in the small but cosy and nicely furbished restaurant. It is also well situated, not far from the Champs-Elysées: 34 Rue de Penthièvre in the 8th arrondissement.

The choice of dishes is great, most of them written on a small wooden chalkboard (but there are also menus in English)… and the choice of wines also by the glass is great – and pairs really well with the food! We chose meat with fantastic blue cheese sauce and mashed potatoes, simple – straight – no fuss… but super good! We give JJ restaurant 94/100!

Austrian white wines, Uncategorized

Price-winning Riesling from Kamptal

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In Austria, in the region of Niederösterreich, we find the prestigious district of Kamptal – around 50 km northeast of Vienna. Here in the Langenlois area the family run producer Weingut Jurtschitsch make fantastic fresh and mineral-driven Riesling – like the Jurtschnisch Riesling Platin 2023 that we have tasted. The price at Systembolaget is 149 SEK, and the nr is 20102.

We understand why this wine has won prices like Gold medal at ”Årets vinare-galan” 2024 in the category ”This year’s white novelty”!

On the nose there are fresh herbs, lemon, apple, pear and melon notes and on the palate we find similar notes as well as steely mineral long finish. Very brisk acidity and well-balanced and intense stone fruit.

Weingut Jurtschnisch has a history going back to the 17th century, and the grapes are hand picked, fermented in stainless steel for freshness and also kept on the lees for a fuller body. The wine is organic.

This wine with its fruity notes and high acidity is perfect to pair with fish, seafood, vegetarian dishes as well as chicken and lamb. The high acidity is also a great combination with creamy sauces and soups! We give it 90/100!

restaurant review

Tasty burgers in iconic Student city

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Uppsala, situated 70 kilometers north of Stockholm, is a major University city with the oldest university in the Nordics founded in 1477. It is also the church centre of Sweden, and its old cathedral from the 15th century.

At Dragarbrunnsgatan, close to the train station, the burger restaurant Tugg is serving really fantastic burgers for all kind of taste preferences: smokey, chili,cheezy, chutney, classic and much more. The crunchy breads are a perfect match, as well as really crispy French fries.

Even though we were a big group we were served quickly, and in a very friendly manner. Easy to order at the table with smart phones as well.

To drink there is a wide choice of both sodas, beers, wines, bubbles, ciders and cocktails. At this specific occasion they also served a fantastic Shake called Semla – namned after the special bun with almond paste and whipped cream that Swedish people enjoy this time of the year 🙂

All in all, everyone was very satisfied and the prices were mid range and all the burgers and extras were well worth their price. We give it 90/100!

French red wines

Spicy full-bodied red from Rhône

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From the Rhône valley in France we try Domaine des Pasquiers Plan de Dieu, 2022, which is spicy and herbal with notes of blackberries and liquirice as well as some violet notes on the nose.

In the Rhône valley, and like this Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages in its southern part, red wines are often made from the so called GSM-blend meaning 3 grape varieties typical of this region. This specific wine is made of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre – GSM.

In southern Rhône, 20 villages have the right to add the village name. Plan de Dieu is one of them. Domaine des Pasquiers was founded in 1935 by Paul Lambert and is now run by Paul’s grandsons, brothers Jean-Claude and Philippe. Jean-Claude and Philippe replanted the vineyards in the 2000s, partially replacing the cultivation of Grenache with growing more of Syrah and Mourvèdre. The brothers have been farming organically since 2010.

Alcohol 14,5 %. Price in Sweden at Systembolaget 159 SEK, nr 2298. Serve at 16-18°C with dark meat dishes, like venison roast and grilled lamb with a creamy sauce.

We find this wine very well-balanced and a good representative from this region with its dark berry notes and spiciness. It has a long and pleasant finish and a full body. It gets 85/100 points, well worth its price and so easy to match with many food dishes!

Italian red wines

Fruity and floral red from Bardolino

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Northern Italy offers some of the most well known red grape varieties grown in the country, including Nebbiolo, Barbera and Corvina which is the main grape used in Amarone and Valpolicella wines.

One of the most important regions in Northern Italy is Veneto in the northeast, and here close to the Garda lake we find Bardolino. The wine we try now is La Corte del Pozzo 2023 from Fasoli Gino, nr 2340 at Systembolaget at 109 SEK.

Fasoli Gino has produced wine according to ecological principles since the 1990s, and all the vineyards are certified. Today the company is led by Matteo Fasoli.

The wine has a pale ruby red colour, and on the nose we find youthful red berry notes like cherries, strawberries and raspberries, which are accompanied by herbal notes and on the palate we sense similar notes with crisp acidity and smooth quite light level of tannins and medium body.

This wine is very easy to drink even without food, and also enjoyable served quite chilled. It is however very easy to also pair with food, such as vegetables, chicken, lighter meat dishes but also fish dishes because of the high level of acidity combined with low level of soft tannins. The wine goes superbly well with creamy herbal sauces which pair greatly with the high acidity as well!

All in all, a very priceworthy wine and we give it 82/100 points.

restaurant review

Jack’s Burger review

Just outside Näsbypark centrum, Täby, you find Jack’s Burger with really delicious burgers and a couple of decent white and red wines plus beer in the bar. When we visited there was an organic cava on the meny – a great bonus 🙂

The burgers are served in many styles, at good prices and if you are not super hungry there are awesome milkshakes on the meny as well as different styles of fries, salads and many side orders such as mozzarella sticks. It gets 79/100 points!

Sparkling wines

Riesling Sekt with honey and stone fruit

Delicious yellow stone fruit, honeydew melon, minerals and moist earth combined with lingering bubbels – an organic sparkling Sekt from the Mosel producer Stafetter Hof in Germany, vintage 2019.

Sekt is a German word for Sparkling wine, and this wine is produced in the same way as Champagne through the traditional method. This means that the bubbles are created in a second fermentation in each bottle, creating very integrated mousse and the wine is then left on its lees after the second fermentation (in this case at least 9 months).

On the nose I get elegant hints of honey, yellow stone fruit and melon as well as moist earth and some automatic toasty notes. On the palate I get brisk acidity and on top of the aromas also notes of mirabelle plum and peach rounded off with mineral impressions. It has a long finish and a balanced rounded body with fruit concentration matching the high acidity level. Slightly sweet finish in the Brut style, meaning a maximum of 12 g/l – for this wine the sweetness is 9,2 g/l. The alcohol level is 12,5 % abv.

The Mosel producer Stafetter Hof Winery in Kröv has produced wine since 862, so the tradition goes a long way back! Now they are very involved in sustainability issues and the biodiversity in their soils and vineyards. They can already produce 80% of the energy they need and plan to buy sheep to integrate in their soils management, among other things.

This wine, with its integrated mousse combined with its honey and steely notes is very pleasant both on the nose and the palate – so it gets 92 points! In Sweden it can be bought at Systembolaget at the price of 242 SEK, and the nr is 73484.

This Riesling Sekt, with concentrated fruit notes and its elegant high acidity goes very well with many food dishes. Try it with leak cream soup, fish fillet with creamy sauce or veal ragout – as well as creamy cheeses and salads with cheese and herbs!

Spanish red wines

Smooth raspberries and earth from Terra Alta

From the southern part of Catalunya in Spain called Terra Alta I try the Interstellar Organic Garnacha 2022 from the producer Herència Altès. This wine gets 79 points (Good wine). The price at Systembolaget is 101 SEK, and the nr 20065.

De Haan Altés was founded in 2010 by Nuria Alte and Rafael de Haan, and after having bought grapes they bought the vineyard La Serra and started their own winery in 2013.

This wine is made from the black grape variety Garnacha (which is called Grenache in France). The wine has a medium light ruby colour, and on the nose I sense fruity raspberries, strawberries, cherries, bay leaf as well as earthy notes and medium intense notes of oak like cloves and vanilla. On the palate the wine shows smooth raspberry and cherry notes, paired with spice, vanilla and chocolate.

This wine is dry and has a medium (+) acidity level and a high alcohol level of 14,5 % abv, however the tannins are medium and smooth. The flavors are not very pronounced and the body is medium, so all in all the wine feels fruity and fresh with a medium light finish.

The wine has been matured for 4 months in large Austrian oak barrels, and its smooth texture, balanced acidity and fruity red flavors makes it a good wine to match with lighter meat dishes, such as grilled pork chops with creamy herb sauce or roasted lamb with oven-baked potatoes. Also good with salads with cheese or similar vegetarian dishes.

It is best served at 16-18°C, and is best to drink now and will not improve with bottle-ageing. Surprisingly good though at this price-level!

French red wines

Blackcurrants and herbs from the Loire Valley

From the Domaine des Hauts Baigneux in the Loire Valley in France, we try a fruity red wine made from the grape variety Cabernet Franc in 2022. The wine is called So Franc, it is organic and its number is 93036 at Systembolaget in Sweden (price 179 SEK).

The old friends Nicolas Grosbois (Domaine Grosbois) and Phillipe Mesnier decided in 2013 to buy 12 hectares of vineyards in Azay-le-Rideau together, east of Chinon. They began growing all the vines organically and with an ambitious project to reintroduce the original wines of Azay-le-Rideau. Traditionally, Azay-le-Rideau is known for white wines made from chenin blanc and rosé wines made from grolleau and gamay. Most of the vineyards are located in Azay-le-Rideau in the small area of ”Hauts Baigneux” which has given the domaine its name. The wines are produced without added yeast and the vinification takes place with minimal intervention. Natural and terroir-driven wines!

On the nose we find a fruity and open aroma of blackcurrants, raspberries, blueberries and fresh herbs. On the palate the wine is dry and has a medium-bodied taste with high acidity, smooth tannin structure, concentrated blackcurrants with hints of herbs and a good length with well-defined aromas.

This wine is very price worthy, and is best served at around 16°C with vegetarian or light meat dishes, preferably cold cut and well-aged cheeses. I give it 88 points.

Sparkling wines

Portuguese rosé Pet Nat with herbal notes

Portugal is a fantastic wine country, producing everything from light white frizzy wines to powerful Port wines. Often the grape varieties used are indigenous grapes, that many people do not recognize so well. We have tried Aphros Phaunus Pet Nat Rosé 2021, with nr 94229 at Swedish Systembolaget and at the price 235 SEK.

This sparkling wine, made in the traditional style called Méthode ancestral or Pétillant Naturel – Pet Nat, comes from the northwestern district in Minho called Vinho Verde. It is made from 50% Alvarelhão and 50% Vinhão. The production method means that partly fermented must is put into bottles and the remaining sugar is converted into alcohol and CO2 , providing the effervescence in the bottle (no extra addition of yeast and sugar). The residual sugar in this wine was 12 g/l when it was bottled, and it was kept on the lees for three months. The final alcohol level is 11 % abv, and the wine has a nice effervescence and is dry.

The producer is Adega Aphros Wine, who was started in 2002 by Vasco Croft and the vineyards are kept according to biodynamic principles.

The wine has a pale pink-orange colour, with a fine mousse. On the nose there are notes of roses, red apples, peach, blood orange and wild strawberries. On the palate we also find herbal and mineral notes, fresh high acidity and with a well-balanced and salty finish.

We find this rosé very pleasant and easy to pair with buffets, salads, fish, light meat dishes as well as Asian food! It is also very nice as an apéritif and well worth its price – we give this interesting Portuguese rosé Pet Nat 89 points!