Life is too short to drink bad wine

Down at the cabin for the weekend rounding the week off with old an favourite. Red brown colour with a nice smell of cherries, autumn leaves, dried fruit and wood. Long smooth velvety taste with firm acidity and great balance. Aldo Conterno makes some great Barolos, this is in the middle price range. The most expensive the Cascina Francia is double the price, but is also "bloody" good! Barolo 1999 "Bussia", Aldo Conterno, simply great stuff, 40 to 50€. Poderi Aldo Conterno - The Vineyard Picture from Monforte d'Alba where Conterno is located

An evening with wines from Piemonte. The producers got stranded in their home country thanks to the ash from Iceland. We started with two white wines made by Giovanni Almondo; -  Roero Arneis 2009 by served quail and foie gras, dry crispy & sitrus not matching the foie gras very well - Roero Arneis 2008 "Bricco delle Cillegie" served with lobster, scallops and raw prawns, the white wine had more depth with better acidity and matched the food perfectly Then the red show started - Dolcetto and Barbera d'Alba by Renato Ratti served with turbot, both of them a good match but the Dolcetto was "singing" with the fish..Personally I found the Barbera slightly disappointing and somewhat atypical Barbera. - Barbera d'Alba "Valbianchera" 2005 by Giovanni Almondo served with breast of veal, very good match with a wine full of firm acidity crying out for food. Great wine. - Barbaresco 2005 "Montestefano" and "Ovello" by Pr

Its a wine festival this week and below follows an example of what can be sampled over the next four days. The menu below is in Norwegian, but basically they try to match wine with oysters, lobster, scallops, white fish, veal, deer, cheese and chocolate. All wines are from Piemonte in Italy and the producers will be present too. Life is tough and probably expensive, but I am worth it.... Østers fra Kvitsøy på 2 fasonger Champagne Mandois Brut origine Vaktel galantine pinjekrem med syltet steinfrukt Roero Arneis Vigne Sparse 2008, Giovanni Almondo, Piemonte, ”Smak av kysten” selleri, hummer, kamskjell og råreker anis og vanilje Roero Arneis Bricco delle Ciliegie 2008, Giovanni Almondo, Piemonte, Piggvar Bordelaise Artiskokker og hvitløkskrem Dolcetto d’Alba Colombé 2008, Renato Ratti, Piemonte, Barbera d’Alba Torriglione 2008, Renato Ratti, Piemonte, Terte med kalvebryst,Brissel, morkel og asparges Barbera d’Alba Valbianchera 2005, Giovanni Almondo, Piemonte, Dåhjor

I ts been quite a lovely spring time lately, with warm sunny weather and beautiful sunshine. With the sun heating up the house indoor temperatures reached Provence levels and a nice cool white was required to enjoy a perfect day. Lequin-Colin has quite a selection and now the "Les Baudines" from Chassagne Montrachet was tried.  Medium pale yellow colour with a perfect nose of lime, minerals and butter was just perfect! Quite fresh in the mouth with a fruity dry quite long lingering acidic finish. Also good overtones of minerals on the taste as well. Gentle and subtle stuff that is easy to continue drinking if it was not for the fact that the bottle actually was empty after a while. Hmmm. Chassagne Mont rachet 2007 "Les Baudines", Lequin-Colin", 25 to 40€, yummy elegant dry white for glorious days!

Barbera is one of the dominant grapes in Piemonte belonging either to the town of Alba or Asti. This Barbera was tried out at a posh Italian restaurant the other day. Its a very versatile wine as it can be used with either fish or meat. Deep dark colour with purple rim, very typical Barbera, with a nice nose of dark cherries and flowers. Very juicy with good acidity and as as expected no tannins what so ever... This is very drinkable stuff and also quite affordable. Its just like a dog; always friendly always eager to please. Barbera d'Asti "La Tota" 2006, 25€ (perhaps only 8€ in Italy), Marchesi Alfieri, every restaurant owners friend! Marchesi Alfieri

Big dinner Thursday night in Oslo Holmekollen hotel. Lovely stuff that was rounded off with a chocolate terrine dessert with rhubarb sorbet and raspberry coulis. This being matched with a dark sweet red wine from Maury in Rossilon. Fantastic combination to have a slightly chilled sweet red filled with beautiful fruit, lovely aroma of dark plums and chocolate matched with a chocolate dessert. The wine is 100% Grenache and surprisingly fresh with good acidity. Mas Amiel 2006, Maury 14€ to 30$€ (Norway), great red dessert wine !! 2006 is stunning!

It's still summer and sun, but also Good Friday. Even more chocolate. After the traditional Friday pizza, a Masala Chai Dark Chocolate created by the Waterford Estate in Stellenbosch (South Africa) to match their Shiraz was opened. The wine had a mature floral bramble spicy smell with good fruit and acidity. The chocolate was dark with spicy taste of cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon matching the dry Shiraz perfectly. No wonder its called Good Friday! My God! finally a chocolate and wine that match (except for sweet red wine...) Waterford Estate Kevin Arnold Shiraz 2006, €14, perfect on Good Friday... http://www.waterfordestate.co.za/

Its Easter and chocolate time! and with dark chocolate sweet red wine is the thing. In the cave here in Antibes (it is still sunny and 19c) I found some half bottles with no label. We bought these at Lynx winery last year in South Africa, it was some left over Shiraz grapes they had forgotten and which they then harvested and made a sweet red Shiraz wine out of! Not many, not planned, thus no labels. And I seem to remember it was 2007.... Truly great stuff (raisins, choco, good acidity and sweetness) and perfect with the Easter chocolate! lets the Easter bunny come! Lynx sweet Shiraz 2007, 8€, labels not required, but chocolate necessary!

Summer has returned to Provence on the last day of March. Its time for some Italian salami napoli and rose wine! Pibarnon has a lovely property in Bandol and makes excellent wines. The rose has a lovely terracotta colour with a dry lively fruity taste. Rolls Royce rose both in quality and price. Grapes used are Mourvedre and Cinsault 50/50. Ch Pibarnon 2007 rose , 18€, for quality moments on the terrace (19c on 31 March!)