Life is too short to drink bad wine

More 2009 Rhone wines are now available in the shop. These can be drunk immediately or stored for future events. This one by Domaine du Colombier comes from Crozes Hermitage and it is worth every penny despite being at the top of the low price range. Packed with  blackberries (or brambles as they say in Scotland) and pepper this is a lovely Crozes that fills your palate with nice fruit, balanced acidity and soft tannins. Long aftertaste as well from the Syrah grapes (100%). Perfect with red meat or game. 2009 maybe slightly more expensive than previous vintages but the added quality supersedes the additional costs. Crozes Hermitage 2009 by Domaine Colombier, low price 199 (15€), beautiful Crozes from the hills close to Hermitage. Buy before it is too late...

Occhipinti keep on impressing me with great quality wins. This one based purely on the grape Nero d'Avola is again a splendid wine. Nero d'Avola is not a grape I am used to drink but I can easily be convinced if this is a typical example of the quality it possesses. The colour can remind one of a Cote de Nuits while the nose is dominated by a beautiful clean smell of dark plums and berries. The taste is full of fruit, quite a big mouthful, packed with intensity and perfect acidity. Solid stuff with a good and somewhat redcurrant like aftertaste. Best outcome while using Burgundy glasses. Siccagno Nero d'Avola by Occhipinti 2007, Sicily Medium price 230, something perfectly different

In search for the Malbec I had in Oslo the other day I ended up with this version as the Golden Reserve by Trivento was nowhere to be found. This cheap organic wine produced by the frenchman Bousquet is made from 100% Malbec grown in an altitude of 1200 meters. The colour is violet and almost black which is typical Malbec. The nose has typical notes of blackberry, black pepper and blackcurrent. Malbec can be quite "masculine" on the taste but this example is fruity with soft tannins. It's definite step down from the "Trivento" but it gives full value for money as the price is only 115. Malbec 2010 by Domaine Bousquet, Argentine, nice introduction to Malbec .

Found this Malbec from Argentine in an Oslo restaurant during the World Championship Nordic Skiing. A close to perfect day (Norway winning the 4x5 km relay and looking good after first half in the Holmenkollen ski-jump) was rounded off with a good steak and a bottle of Malbec at "New Orleans". The colour was dense and dark as ink. The nose was filled with black berries, coffee, ink, plums,spices etc. The taste was big , solid, dense, packed with dark fruit, coffee, long, well balanced and a monster of a win that was perfect with the steak. Slightly frozen and exhausted after spending 7 hours out in the foggy woods of Holmenkollen this Malbec was just like heaven on earth. Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec, Argentine a Golden Malbec in limited quantities, Low price 149

Nicolas Rossignol wines are almost always firm with a well developed acidity that balances beautifully in the mouth. So also for this Premier cru "Les Lavieres" from Savigny les Beaune. Savigny les Beaune wines are "leaner" than their neighbour appelation Beaune, but can provide good value for money. The "les Lavieres" has a beautiful attractive Pinot Noir nose with hints of cherries and raspberries. On the palate it is as expected quite firm with quite a decent acidity crying out for food. Elegant, but the acidity can be stringent if the temperature and food does not match. Savigny les Beaune 1er cru "Les Lavieres" 2008 by Nicolas Rossignol, "poor man's Burgundy" worth the cash. Medium price 275, but require food like pork or game.

I first came across this wine when visiting Lisbon in 2005 in connection with work. At the time it cost around 15€ for a bottle in a restaurant. Ramos Pinto makes excellent port as well as table wine. The Duas Quintas, which means two vineyards (Quinta de Ervamoira and Quinta dos Bons Ares), is the simplest of his red wines from Douro. The mix of  the grapes Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional gives a refreshing aroma of spices, cinnamon, dark berries and plums. The taste is smooth with silky tannins and it is very easy to drink. Duas Quintas 2008, Douro by Ramos Pinto Low price 144 (or 9€) -easy drinking that goes well with light dishes, carpaccio and grilled meat. ::RAMOS PINTO::

Went to Paris for the winter holiday. Visited the cave, numerous restaurants and had a nice sleep on a sunny warm spring day in the garden of Louvre. If it was the heat or just the nice bottle of the Ch Fieuzal 2004 from Pessac Leognan, I am not sure. Perhaps it was the combination? Anyway the Fieuzal is a dark red wine packed with spices, black currants and hints of liquorice. Great stuff with lots of body, firm tannins and a long solid aftertaste. Drinking well now but will keep easily for another 5 to 10 years. Ch de Fieuzal 2004 Pessac Leognan, 20€, rich and concentrated wine!

The special cod (Skrei) from Lofoten is now around and with that Chablis can be a good choice. Louis Moreau, who I met in Stavanger during last year's Chablis tasting,  limits the use of oak leading to wines packed with nice minerals and good acidity. This village wine from Chablis shows a nice brilliant golden color, while its nose is floral with a hint of white fruit (apple, pear). On the palate you should find expression of  mineral and citrus notes, balanced by its roundness and fineness. To serve cold but not too cold (around 12c). Goes with seafood as well as smoked salmon. Louis Moreau Chablis 2008, Low price 164, crispy fresh Chardonnay http://www.louismoreau.com/louis-moreau.php?change_langue=en

Most people faced a with the choice of merely a specific color of wine to drink will consider their stated preference between the options of red, white, or rose. Having tried La Stoppa, another color of wine has been added to the selection; orange. Perhaps the world ought to acknowledge orange as a legitimate fourth color when it comes to wine. I don't know that I'd go that far, but orange wines aren't easy to come by and they represent an added exciting choice. And this wine is a perfect example. La Stoppa winery began in 1973 with the vision of Rafael Pantaleoni, who purchased the estate with the hopes of making a small amount of wine and an honest living for his family. The land, which occupies a nook in the Piacenza province of Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, has been planted with vines for well over 100 years. The estate's original owners left Pantaleoni and his daughter, who now runs the winery, a gift of some extremely old vines growing both Italian and Frenc...