Life is too short to drink bad wine

With 30c on the terrace in Antibes even Bordeaux wines come straight from the fridge and reach a perfect temperature after just a few minutes. This one, purchased from the local Auchan, was deep dark red with a red/purple rim. The bouquet lovely complex mix of violet, dark fruits and pencil case. Great stuff! With at least 70% Merlot, the taste was compact and dense with soft firm tannins. Lovely! This is a beautiful example of St.Emilion at a reasonable price 27€ (to be St.Emilion that is). Fleur Cardinale 2007 - St.Emilion Grand Cru, when a big and velvety wine is required. Score 18,30 Quail-legs....

After visiting the old town of Mougins we crawled up to the local Auchan to check their wine selection and found this surprising red wine. It has nothing to do with Petrus itself, but they just won a 10 month court case to carry their original name of Petrus Gaia. The chateau is a Bordeaux superior from Entre deux Mers. 85% Merlot the rest Cab Sauv and Cab Franc. The original cost 20€ while No2 can be bought for less than 10€. No.2 is deep dark red with purple rim. Beautiful bouquet of violet, chocolate, tobacco and dark berries and a velvety round fruity taste. This is the ideal every day drinking from Bordeaux and at 9€ an absolute bargain! Ch. Petrus Gaia no.2, Bordeaux, Bordeaux with a great name cat every day prices...

When in Barolo last week we visited Aldo Vajra who has quite a selection of wines in Norway. Before lunch that day we had tried the following wines; Langhe Chardonnay 2009 in stainless steel very floral lively wine Langhe Bianco Petracine 2009 , a Riesling that will develop minerality with time! Dolcetto d'Alba 2009 Coste Fossati , as good as Dolcetto can ever be? beautiful dark purple colour and lovely raspberry jam smell Barbera d'Alba 2007 , standard version, plummy, strawberry and chocolate Barbera d'Alba 2007 Superiore, from Bricco delle Viole, complex smell of blackcurrant, anis, leather, forrest, cherries Langhe Nebbiolo 2008, nebbiolo in stainless steel!, smell of rose petals Barolo Albe 2005, grapes from La Volta, Fossati and Coste di Vergne, fantastic bouquet of roses and dry well balanced taste Barolo Albe 2004 , more mature notes and despite a better vintage we preferred the 2005 as suggested by our host.... Barolo Brico delle Viole 2005 , only 900...

Came across a beautiful pale rose wine the other day. Its called MiP (made in provence) and comes from Domaine Sainte Lucie at the piemont of la Montagne Sainte Victoire (north of Marseille). Dominant grapes are Cinsault Grenache and Syrah. Lovely red fuit aromas with a very good fruity taste and a perfect acidity. A bit pricy as it was around 10€ but worth every penny. "MiP" Domaine Sainte Lucie 2009, Cotes de Provence, 10€, pale rose at its best

I think not! Been in Antibes for two weeks now and this was celebrated by having Chambolle Musigny "Les Charmes" 2004 by Patrice Rion for lunch. Not an ordinary wine, but a Premier cru from Chambolle Musigny. Lovely great flavours of sweet cherries and burnt wood, the taste is complex and beautifully balanced with firm tannins and a long velvety aftertaste that just goes on and on.  How is it possible? This is just great stuff! but it needs more time, maybe next summer it will be even more perfect? Chambolle Musigny 1er cru "Les Charmes" 2004 Patrice Rion 38€ (or 60€ u know where)when u want  time to stand still.....

Moving away a couple of days from Cote d'Azur to the "foggy" hills Piemonte. We stayed again at the lovely small hotel of Corte Gondina in La Morra. Combining summer, wine and food, we basically had two days with lots of sun, food and drinks. The first night we visited l'Osteria del Vignaiolo in a small place in La Morra called St.Maria. If the hotel had not recommended it we would not have found it. And what a lovely place with fantastic food at very reasonable prices. We had a nice botttle of Barbera d'Alba from the very long wine list. Dark dark purple colour, long juicy taste with no tannins, works with nearly all sorts of food. A truly great experience with food at half the cost of Cote d'Azur and twice as good.......  The show went on the next day with lunch in a tiny 5 table restaurant (name below) in Barolo across from the local post office. The owner had not a real menu, he just asked us what we fancied and then it came to the table...

We bought this wine when we visited Fairview last year. Its regarded as one of the top Pinotage in South Africa and it is the very best Pinotage that we have ever tasted. Deep dark red/blue colour with a great smell of ripe brambles packed with dark fruit. The taste is a bit warm due to the 15% alcohol, big solid body crying out for something substantial to eat. Long complex taste packed with lovely dark fruit. Great stuff from Fairview and a very good Pinotage! Grapes from the Perdeberg mountains near Swartland. Fairview Primo Pinotage 2007 - South Africa a perfect example of Pinotage!

We have had several bottles of the very seductive 2006 vintage and the good news are that the 2007 is equally good if not even better. Medium dark red colour with a wonderful elegant bouquet of raspberries, cherries and hint of vanilla. The wine is very seductive something that is supported by the silky well balanced taste. Every zip is most enjoyable and merits full concentration.... Its like time is standing still, but as the wine level in your glass is reduced you are back in reality; I need a refill please! Some of the most pleasant Pinot's must come from Chambolle! Chambolle Musigny 2007- Patrice Rion, seduction in a glass, 25€ to 45€ Score ca 18,50

When visiting Rion we tasted this red Premier Cru and it is just delicious. Medium dark red colour and a lovely beautiful smell of dark berries, cherries, wet wood, anis and lovely "cool" pinot noir fruit. The taste is in perfect balance with the smell; lovely fruit, acidity and big silky mouthful. You take a zip and you want another and another, and woops the bottle is empty... Luckily 5 more in the cave.... This is pure art, what a lovely experience! Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru "Lavaux Saint Jacques" 2006 - Patrice Rion 35€ to 65€ (u know where)- when a visit to the clouds are required .....! Score ca 19

Not many white wines are made in Nuits St George, but Patrice Rion has access to a small plot where he grows Chardonnay and some Pinot Blanc. We bought 12 half bottles when visiting Rion last Friday, perfect pre dinner drink in the hot hot weather. Lovely green yellow colour and a beuatiful smell of lime and minerals. The taste is not so "fat" as other white Burgundies, but again dominated by lime and minerals and a long aftertaste. Hmmm life is good. Thanks to the Rions for this unusual combination! Nuits-Saint-Georges "les Terres Blanches" 2007 - Patrice Rion 25€ (and 50€  u know where)

Visited Patrice Rion in Burgundy on our way down from Paris to Antibes. We had already ordered some wine per email. The temperature was 35c so the visit to the cave was just what was required to cool down. The following wines were tasted (and bought), compared to the prices in Norway these can be bought directly from the producer for half the price. Nuits-Saint-Georges les Terres Blanches 2007 (very rare white with screwcork!) Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru Clos Saint Jacques 2007  Chambolle-Musigny 1er cru Charmes 2004 Chambolle-Musigny 2007   All the wines were wonderful, what a wine maker! Details to follow. Biggest problem was to fit the three cases in the car (not in the boot) due to the high temperatures. In fact we had to move them to the hotelroom over night as well......

This is the second wine of the very famous Lafite Rotschild. At first (the first bottles some time back) this wine was perhaps too oaked but it has now opened up beautifully. Lovely discrete Bordeaux aromas with a punchy solid long taste full of potential. Bought this for 25€ en primeur and its now running at 350€ for some obscure reason. Carruades de Lafite Rotschild 1999, Paulliac should I drink or should I sell?

WC keep giving upsetting results, so again last Friday. First half with full control and lead to Brasil was enjoyed with a nice but somewhat light Pommard made by Vincent Gerardin. Smoky cherries on the nose with velvety taste which was perhaps a bit on the short side. Worth the money, but not overwhelming quality. Pommard Vielles Vignes, Vincent Gerardin Score ca 17,00 Second half turned out to be a fullbodied performance by the Dutch and to match the surprise turn of the game a lovely Pomerol was poured in the glasses. Earth, plum and cherries, silky texture with big well balanced mouthful. Lovely stuff these Pomerol wines, just like a solid Burgundy, but oh so expensive.... Incidently the owner also has a property in Burgundy..say no more Ch Rouget 2004, Pomerol one of the better low priced ones   Ca 18,00 Rouget = mediterranean rock fish...

Its summer, its hot in Bordeaux and its time to clear old stuff to make room for the glorious and expensive 2009. Wine #1 Incredible red brown colour with brown. Must be an old wine, probably from the mid eighties. Typical discrete Bordeaux nose slightly on the "downhill" side. Taste the same, absolutely tannin free, medium body and good taste but start lacking fruit. Probably not a top notch Bordeaux but an old second rated one. Very nice to drink, but must be drunk fast (and most likely not Pomerol...)! Ch Carbonnieux 1986, Pessac Leognan Score 17,30 Against all odds! Carbonnieux Wine #2 Very similar to the first wine but more fruit and body and less old. The colour also slightly less brown. Perhaps 4 to 5 years younger. Could be the same chateau but difficult to say. Not in Pomerol though. Panel slightly surprised by an unknown Margaux called; Ch Segonnes 1989, Margaux Score 17,60 Wine # 3 A much younger wine than the other two with lots of intricate Bordeaux ...

Off to a "tropical island" just 20 min from Stavanger. Flor and Fjære is unique place and experience. Wine selection dominated by South African wines based upon French grapes turned out to be more than acceptable now that the French team has left the World Cup in South Africa a long time ago. Medium red colour with a nice cherry jam smell and lovely silky texture with the right freshness. A very nice Pinot from Elgin (high altitude) in the Cape.