German white wines

Fresh Riesling Trocken

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Fruity fresh dry Riesling från Pfalz in Germany. This is a dry crispy wine with high acidity and fruity flavours of green apple, lemon, peach, herbs and flinty notes. The alcohol level is 12 %, and the price 129 SEK (nr 72093 at Systembolaget).

The producer Reichsrat von Buhl was founded in 1849, and this wine is labelled as ecological. Riesling is a popular grape variety, especially in Germany where it is made in a great variety of styles – from dry to sweet. Is is very good to combine with vegetarian dishes and dishes with fish and seafood. It also goes well with many Asian specialties, that math its crispy acidity and fruitiness. This wine gets 84 points!

French red wines

Spicy enjoyable red from Languedoc

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Southern France has for some been known for mass-produced wines, but good quality wines are made and the quality in general is rising. This wine comes from Château L’Hospitalet, La Clape – close to Narbonne by the Mediterranean Sea.

The grape varieties used are the GSM-blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. The producer is the famous Gerard Bertrand, who owns and co-operates with many co-operatives and growers in Languedoc-Roussillon region. The price is 189 SEK, and the nr 73142 at Systembolaget.

This is a very pleasant wine, which has been oak matured for one year in French barriques giving notes of cloves, vanilla and chocolate and very integrated but still present tannins and structure. There are lovely notes of lavendel, black plums and blackberries as well as bay leafs, figs and black pepper with hints of licorice.

This wine has a full body, with very nicely integrated acidity with its pronounced flavours and pleasant finish. It is easy to combine with both spicy vegetarian dishes and most meat dishes. Very good with grilled or oven cooked meals with creamy spicy sauces. I give this wine 93 points and find it very enjoyable!

Italian red wines

Well-structured Italian red from Basilicata

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From the South of Italy, in the region of Basilicata, this pleasant red wine made from the grape variety Aglianico shows good balance and notes of dark cherries, spice and dark olives.

It has a good balance between acidity and tannins that are high and grippy but still well integrated. This makes it a wine that is easy to combine with many dishes with structure and spices, since the wine is not overwhelmed when combined. Grilled meat or halloumi as well as vegetables with herbs is a perfect match!

On the palate you will get dark cherries and plums, rosemary and peppery notes with cloves, olives and vanilla from oak aging for two years on old French vats. The name Teodosio comes from the old Roman emperor, and the producer Basilisco was established in the 1990s. The price in Sweden is 119 SEK, nr 2458 at Systembolaget. I give this wine 86 points – well balanced and well worth its price!

Spanish white wines

Medium-sweet Spanish with exotic touch

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From the region Penedès close to Barcelona we find this fruity medium-sweet wine called René Barbier Vina Augusta, made from the grapes Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel-lo and Moscatell. The level of sweetness is 33 g/l, and alcohol 12 %.

The level of acidity is medium and the flavours on the nose is fruity with yellow apples, white peaches and melon. On the palate the flavours are similar with a sweet touch and apples, peaches, nectarine and melon. It has medium body and finish.

I give this wine, which has nr 2670 at Systembolaget, 81 points. Is is worth its price of 43 SEK (375 ml) and is well-balanced and gives an exotic touch! Combine it with desserts, white chocolate or even your favorite blue cheese 🙂

Spanish red wines

Torres San Valentin – easy to like and worth its price

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Spain has a long wine history, and has gone through lots of modernisation lately. It is one of the world’s largest suppliers, and its most famous grape varieties are white airén and the black tempranillo and garnacha (grenache).

Torres San Valentin Garnacha (79 SEK, nr 12755 at Swedish Systembolaget) is made of 100 % garnacha (black grape variety) and has an alcohol level of 14 %. The producer is the Torres family, DO Catalunya, and this is one of the world’s most well-known wine producing families, active since the seventeenth century. The sweet thing is that this wine was created by Miguel Torres Carbó as a gift to his wife Margarita on Valentine’s day – hence its name!

The grapes are harvested in September, and the wine is fermented in steel tanks with some skin contact.

On the nose there is a lot of cherries, plums, raspberries and some liquorice and toffee notes. It has a youthful tone with medium intensity. It has a purple red colour, and on the palate you get a medium-bodied taste of red fruits like cherries and plums, with some liquorice and soft acidity.

This wine gets 89 points – mainly because it is well-balanced and well worth its price! To be served at 16-18°C, mainly with vegetarian dishes or light meal dishes. It can also be enjoyed on its own, or with several kind of cheeses like Gruyère.

Austrian red wines

Wildwux Austrian pleasant cuvée

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Austria is quite a rare experience for me, but it is getting more common now in Sweden to find nice Austrian wines. This cuvée from Burgenland called Wildwux (2015) is spicy and well-balanced  and worth its price of 120 SEK (nr 2911). I give it 84 points.

The cuvée is made of 30% Zweigelt, 27% Sankt Laurent, 27% Merlot, 11% Blaufränkisch and 5% Pinot noir black grapes. Both Zweigelt, St Laurent and Blaufränkisch are typical Austrian grape varieties. This cuvée gives a mix of spices, herbs, bramble, raspberries and oak on the nose. The alcohol level is 13 %. Half of the wine has been matured in oak vessels for a year (50 % in French and 50 % in Austrian oak barrels).

Wildwux is produced by Birgit Braunstein KG, who took over the family vineyard in Burgenland in 2001 (in the area Neusidlersee). The family has grown grapes in these fields from 1632. The focus has for a long time been long term sustainability, and from 2016 it is biodynamic certified.

The wine is spicy and well-balanced. You can sense the oak, and some chocolate notes. Raspberries and blueberries are present – and the typical peppery sour cherry notes from Blaufränkisch! I personally enjoy it also on its own, at around 16° C, or with a cheese like soft white mold cheese. It will also combine well with lamb or pork dishes. Enjoy!

French red wines

Xavier Grenache vieilles vignes

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Rhône is one of the most famous wine regions of France, and the red grape varieties you find there are typically Grenache and Syrah. Xavier Grenache vieilles vignes Organic 2015 (nr 2151, 95 SEK at Systembolaget) is produced from 85 % Grenache and 15 % Syrah, and it is organic. I give it 81 points.

The producer Xavier Vignon is famous for using the terroir (soil) of the grapes to enhance their flavours, and this wine is a great example of this. The wine is made of a selection of grapes from more than 50 years old vines, called ’vieilles vignes’.  The deep roots give mineral salts from deep down which results in rich tastes of dark fruits like cherries and raspberry, spices, lavender, cinnamon and minerality. The local tones with herbs and lavender from this region is also called ’garrigue’.

The alcohol level is 14,5 %, and it is best served at 16-18° C.

CHEESE: The spicy notes from this wine go very well with the Corsican cheese called Brin d’Amour. It is a goat/sheep cheese rolled in spices like Rosemary, Chili and other local spices/herbs. You can also use soft cheese and roll it is spices and herbs to get this effect, and it goes very well with the fruity and spicy character of this wine! But this wine would also go well with cheeses that are salty, a bit acid and have some spices/complexity – like the Swedish cheese ’Västerbotten’ or the French Gruyere!

FOOD: This wine can be enjoyed on its own, but is goes very well with spicy and grilled dishes (meat and/or vegetables).

Chilean white wines

Novas Chardonnay from Chile is fresh and crisp

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Chardonnay is such a fantastic grape variety – you simply never know exactly how it will taste when you try a wine from a region that you never tried before! So when I sipped the first little mouthful of this Novas Gran Reserva 2014 from D.O Valle Casablanca (Aconcagua), Emiliana Organic Vineyards, I experienced something slightly new and very fresh!

Emiliana Organic Vineyards lies in Chile, and was founded in 1986. It is now one of the world’s largest producer of ecological wines. The grape variety is as mentioned 100% Chardonnay, and 30% of the wine has been oaked in French barriques for 4 months.

On the nose this wine is very fresh and fruity, with tropical hints of mango, pears and grape fruit as well as hazel nuts from the oak. On the palate the wine has rather high acidity, with quite a full body. It is well balanced, with notes of lemon, tropical fruits like grape fruit and melon as well as pears. It also has a pleasant finish. I give it 85 points – especially considering its price! In Sweden you can buy this wine at Systembolaget at the price of 89 SEK.

This wine is perfect with tasty fish and chicken dishes, with grilled vegetables for example. It would go well with most kinds of sea food as well. Or it can be enjoyed just as it is 🙂

novas

Californian white wines

Magnificent Bonterra Chardonnay

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Oh my….I am stuck right now in that ’Oaked Chardonnay obsession’ that many wine lovers seem to go through at one stage or the other….and then this completely magnificent organic Bonterra Chardonnay 2013 comes my way….and makes me completely happy!!! 🙂 This wine gets 86 points!!!

At Bonterra, Mendocino county, California, wines from 100% organic grapes have been produced since 1993. All their grapes are grown using certified organic practices, such as composting, cover crops, and biodiversity. These organic practices produce grapes that offer a quality of fruit and vibrancy of taste that allows the creation of wines that express the purity and intensity of each varietal’s unique character. Please see:

Bonterra

The Bonterra Chardonnay 2013 has an alcohol level of 13,5%. On the nose you get a very fruity aroma of citrus and apples, tropical fruit as well as cinnamon and butter, nuts and vanilla. 🙂

On the palate the wine gives you a very fruity flavour of tropical fruit, apricot, butter and nuts. A perfect vanilla creaminess from subtle barrel ageing in French oak.

This wine can very well be enjoyed on its own 🙂 But also with food – especially barbecued fish dishes or light meat. You can buy it at Systembolaget in Sweden (nr 16632) at 139 SEK – totally worth its price!!

Enjoy my friends….with awe 😉

Bonterrachardonnay

Austrian white wines

Organic Grüner Veltliner Biohof Pratsch

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I visited Austria about a year ago – and that made me really appreciate their main  high-quality white grape variety called Grüner Veltliner, GV (30 % of all plantings in Austria are of Grüner Veltliner). I think that for some people you must take some time to get used to the sometimes special taste of the GV, and it can also give a broad variety of flavours: green grapes, salad, white pepper, honey, toast…depending on the soil and age etc.

Now I have tasted the organic Grüner Veltliner Biohof Pratsch 2014 (nr 2922 at Systembolaget, price 89 SEK). It is from Weinviertel in Niederösterreich, and the Biohof Pratsch has been producing wine in an organic way for more than decade – see:

Biohof Pratsch

The alcohol level is 12,5%. On the nose this wine has notes of green fruit like pear, stone fruit like peach and herbs. On the palate you sense a fresh acidity with citrus fruit, pear, gooseberry, pepper, nuts, and a crisp ending.

This wine can be enjoyed without food – but also goes well with Asian food, fish, seafood – but also with sausages and ham for instance! I would say that is expresses the grape variety Grüner Veltliner in a pleasant way – and I give it 88 points.

gruner