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Fortified wines

Maury+chocolate= match made in heaven ;)

I might as well admit it at once…I am completely addicted to chocolate, especially dark chocolate. This is the most evident proof of the time I spent working at the European Parliament in Brussels some years ago, and I am now convinced that it will be a lifelong affliction 😉

However, it is quite tricky to find wines to match dark chocolate, especially green wines! So I was so happy when I found out that Domaine Pouderoux produces a green Maury from Languedoc-Roussillon in the south of France!

This wine gets 90 points. It is a red fortified wine from 2012, made in a way similar to the Portuguese Port wine (halting the fermentation by adding brandy to create a sweet alcoholic wine by leaving ”natural” residual sugars). The Maury AOC is normally made of the grape Grenache noir (Garnacha), which is the case for this wine as well. The Domaine Pouderoux is situated in the heart of the Maury appellation 20 km from Perpignan, and have been winegrowers for more than six generations (www.domainepouderoux.fr).

The wine has a dark ruby colour. On the nose the wine has a spicy and fruity tone, with plums and blackberry – as well as black pepper and a sweet note.

On the palate you both sense the alcohol (15 per cent) and the sweetness (110 g/l), as well as quite a complex mix of flavour characteristics like black fruit – prunes, dark cherries, combined with crystallised orange, chocolate and vanilla.  It is a well-balansed wine, full-bodied and with both good tannins and a long finish.

Food: Serve this wine at 14-16°C with matured cheeses or chocolate desserts.  Maury is also very suitable as an apéritif, or with duck or fois gras. But my own favourite would be to simply have some delicious dark chocolate pralines, preferably Belgian 😉

You can find the Domaine Pouderoux in Sweden at Systembolaget’s normal assortment (nr 7806) for the price of 101 SEK (500 ml).

Enjoy!!!

Maury

Italian red wines

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – spice and chocolate

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Italy is such a fantastic wine country, producing some of the best wines in the world. 🙂 The climate is also good for producing green wines, and I will now introduce you to the Valle Reale Montepulciano d’Abruzzo  DOC from 2010 which is an organic wine. The region of Abruzzo lies to the East of Lazio (where Rome is situated), and one of the region’s DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) wines is the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, made from the grape variety Montepulciano (not to be confused with the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG from Tuscany).

The Valle Reale vineyards are situated in a national park known for its wild wolves (you will also find a wolf on the label of this wine), and the quite harsh nature and climate give the grapes extra richness.

This wine gets 84 points. On the nose it has a pungent, spicy and fruity character, slightly gamey as well and hints of oak. Dark cherries and chocolate. On the palate it is a dry red wine with high acidity and quite high levels of smooth tannins. The alcohol level is 13,5 %. The flavour characteristics are spices, with dark cherries and plums. Oak and chocolate as well as herbs.

Food: The high acidity and levels of tannins, as well as the strong character of this wine, makes it perfect for spicy dishes of lamb and beef/red meat – preferably with herbs.

This wine can be found at Systembolaget’s ordinary assortment (nr 2355) for the price of 109 SEK.

valle reale

German white wines

A perfect sushi wine – Riesling from Pfalz

Many people find it a bit difficult to choose a wine that goes well with sushi – if you don’t like to drink sparkling wine or beer with sushi or just want to try something new! Fortunately there are several good wines that you can try – I personally think that this Riesling from Pfalz in Germany is a very good match 🙂

A Christmann from 2013 (ecological) gets 85 points. On the nose you find the typical Riesling notes of floral and citrus, pears and peaches. A slight hint of petrol so common for many Rieslings is also there! It is a dry wine, but as many Rieslings there is a slight sweet note of honey.

On the palate you get a crisp and almost slightly frizzy tone of lemon, pears and green apples, together with mineral notes. It has a high level of acidity, which makes it a perfect combination not only with sushi – but also other seafood and lighter fish dishes. The very floral and fruity character makes it also very good as an aperitif. 🙂

This wine is found at Systembolaget in Sweden in the normal assortment (nr 5882), for the price of 129 SEK.

christmann

French red wines

Tempting Crozes-Hermitage

I really appreciate the red wines from the Rhône valley (Southern France) in general, and particularly wines from the Northern part made of the grape variety Syrah (which is called Shiraz in Australia).

From Laurent Habrard I have tasted a red from 2012 called Crozes-Hermitage Domaine Habrard, which is an organic wine. Domaine Habrard is located in a little village in the heart of the Crozes-Hermitage appellation area. The Habrard family has cultivated the vines there for 5 generations! Their objective is to produce and sell wine with minimum impact on the environment 🙂 The vines are 30-60 years old, and the harvest is made by hand.

For me this is a very typical Crozes-Hermitage wine, that I give 88 points. The Syrah grape is small with thick dark skins, which give deeply coloured wines. The aroma characteristics are black fruit, like blackberry, hints of eucalyptus and violet notes – it is both open and complex. The taste is also black fruit, cloves and cinnamon. There are   toasted notes and spice like black pepper, as well as notes of garrigue and violet. It is a dry wine, with medium plus acidity and quite a full body. The tannins are velvety and smooth. The alcohol level is 13 %.

Food: This wine is perfect with grilled red meat, lamb and game but it also goes well with the French marvellous cheese Brillat-Savarin!

You can buy it in Sweden at Systembolaget (ordinary assortment nr 2861) at the price of 119 SEK.

Crozes-HermitageHabrard

French white wines

Charming Pouilly-Fumé

The Loire Valley in France has many great white wines to offer, and in the Pouilly-Fumé district lies the Domaine du Bouchot. I just tried the ecological white from 2013, and it was a pleasant experience. On my 10-graded wine tasting scale I give it 88 points.

It is made from 100 % Sauvignon Blanc grapes, and is very typical for its region. It has a light lemon colour, and on the nose it is aromatic without being too strong, with hints of lemon, pears and peach. It also has some tones of grass and nettles, which is typical of Sauvignon Blanc. The smokey and mineral tones that can often be found in the Pouilly-Fumé wines are also there!

On the palate it is a dry white wine, quite high in acidity. The alcohol is 13 %. The flavour characteristics are mainly fresh crisp aromatic tones of lemon, pears and peach – as well as green apples, gooseberries and a mineral note. It is well balance and goes very well with the French goat cheese Crottin de Chavignol from the nearby region of Sancerre, for instance. Concerning food: The aromatic tones paired with the high acidity of this wine also go well with most seafood dishes and fish dishes – especially boiled fish with fresh herbs that match the aromatic green notes. The high acidity level as well as the green and aromatic notes also make this a wine that would go well with sushi 🙂

In Sweden you can buy the Domaine du Bouchot 2013 at Systembolaget (nr 2238) for the price of 189 SEK (ordinary assortment).

vinpuillyfume

About Green Wines

Why Green Wine selection?

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For me there are moments in life that are kind of magic. It is really important to try to catch these moments! Experiencing really good wines (of course in moderate quantities) with really great combinations of cheeses and chocolate (and other dishes as well of course…) is for me such a magic moment. I also think that sharing is what life is all about – therefore I will start sharing with you small suggestions from moments that I experience – and I hope that these suggestions will add something to your life as well 🙂 Since I also believe that wines that are made in a way that is as good as possible from an environmental point of view are also better for our bodies (and for our planet) – I will focus on green wines – it will hereby be my Green Wine Selection 🙂

Carpe diem!

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