Life is too short to drink bad wine

This wine made from 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah is created by Andre Brunel which is well known for his delicous Chateau Neuf du Pape. Dark red colour with lots of dark berries and plum on the nose. The 2009 is a very hot vintage and with so much Grenache the taste is quite fullbodied with a warm low acidic finish. Red meat and game. Cote du Rhone 2009, Andre Brunel, NOK 150, perfect for cold nights..

Wine #1 Dark red some purple colour. Big smell of dark berries and chocolate. On the taste lots of alcohol no tannins and quiet juicy and fruity. God but short taste. Nice every day wine. Panel in doubt but goes for Piemonte..(wrong but atypic Shiraz...) D'Arenberg 2007 Footbolt Shiraz, McClaren Vale 20£ Score 15,6 Wine#2 Dark red colour with purple rim. On the nose deep and solid smell of brambles and sweet mint. Very nice flattering taste with good length and some pepper. Well balanced and a relaxing wine. Panel definitely on Shiraz now. Domaine Tournon 2008, Victoria, Chapoutier, 22£ Score 16,7 Wine #3 Really deep dark red color almost black. Intense bouquet of pepper, sweet dark berries and mint. Enormous taste of pepper, soft, elegant and very drinkable. Soft tannins but this wine is craving for food. No doubt that once again we talk about Shiraz. Bloody good wine. Craggy Ranch Shiraz 2008, New Zealand 22£ an absolute bargain Score 18,0 Craggy Range - W

Delightful light and attractive Pinot Noir at a reasonable price. What more can you want ? Nice bouquet of red berries and vanilla. Very pale red colour. Great fruity mouthful with a "warm" finish but good enough acidity. Simple, cheap and very nice. Clifford Bay Pinot Noir 2009, Marlborough, Low price 150 but good quality Clifford Bay | Home

Had forgotten that I had a couple of these in a friends flat in Paris. Ch Citran is reasonable cru bourgeois (<20€) and this 2004 is drinking really well right now. 2004 is not a big year, but the wines are very approachable and easy drinking. Great balanced wine with smell of red berries and pencil case. Elegant taste. Gives you the "Bordeaux- kick". Ch Citran - 2004 , 20€ and drinking beautifully now...

Visited Patrice Rion last Saturday just as they were finishing off harvesting the grapes. Despite busy times we were allowed to taste some of the 2009 vintage which is practically the only wine left on the pricelist. The Chambolle Musigny was lovely as always while the Nuits St George "Clos des Argillieres" was just perfect. Clos des Argillieres is the vineyard you can see on the picture just across the street from Patrice Rions property. Three cases were of course purchased, difficult to resist such smooth silky wines created by this property..... Apparantly the 2010 is going to better than the 2009 while the 2011 would be something in between the 2008 and 2009.

Found this Malbec from Argentine at Copenhagen airport. This is a big wine with a fantastic deep purple colour. On the nose it is packed with dark fruit, ink and brambles. Lovely stuff. The taste is solid with a big structure but still smooth thanks to some Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the mix. The wine is crying out for entrecote or steak. Fabre Montmayou Grand Vin, Argentine, no wimpy wine within low price range.

Beaujolais wines are normally light and very drinkable. Perfect for lunch on those warm days out in the garden or terrace. This Cote de Brouilly is however quite a dark and dense Beaujolais, but it does the trick. Lots of jammy raspberries and a good mouthful packed with fruit and balanced acidity. Brun has a special style from this domaine called Terres Dorrees in Charnay.   Drink slightly chilled (never above 15c) to get the right flavours. Cote de Brouilly, Beaujolais by J P Brun, Low price ca 160 or 6€.

This is the optimum Pinot Noir from New Zealand. Pinot grown on the Calvert Vineyard in Central Otago on the south Island. This vineyard is situated inland and the wine is different from many other New Zealand wines as the Felton Road Calvert is less "sweet" and has more acidity. Lovely smell of violet, raspberries and pomme granite. The taste expresses silky fruit with a long firm and perfect finish. It is crispy clean with great acidity and minerality. Yummy yummy but expensive (around 40-50€). Felton Road Pinot Noir "Calvert" 2009, Central Otago, a commanding Pinot Noir from down under. 40-50€.

Julicher is situated on the north island on New Zealand not far from Martinborough. Medium red wine with a bouquet of raspberries, cherries and strawberries. It's not a light Pinot Noir, rather on the "heavy" side with a sweet warm velvety taste with just enough acidity to avoid a "cooked" taste. Packed with fruit all the way and very very easy to like and drink.... Julicher  99 Rows Pinot Noir 2009, Martinborough, always good to drink...ca 30$ New Zealand pinot noir, Martinborough wine, wineries, vineyards

Only 3000 bottles made every year of this exclusive Champagne. Only white grapes, 100% Chardonnay, with 30% of the wine aged in oak. Yellow colour with a big smell of wet toast, butter and sweet apples. The taste is big but light bodied and quite overwhelming to be a sparkling wine. Wonderful complex and stylish. Can be enjoyed as aperitif or with fish. Jacques Salosse Blanc de Blancs, a big Champagne, around 100 € or £ Champagne Selosse

Medium dark red with brown rim. Shy smell of old cherries, leather and wood. Strong alholic taste with good length and acidity. Very drinkable everyday wine. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Tempranillo. Torres Gran Coronas Penedes, 144 NOK, Score 16,20 Attractive ordinary wine which goes with most red meat.

This Riesling comes from Rheingau in Germany, the heart of  production of lush juicy ripe white wines. Peter Jakob Kuhn makes consistently good wines and this one which is a "Charta" wine (like a First Growth) is no exception. Charta wines are recognised by the three Romanesque double arches on the front label. Beautiful pale lemon colour and attractive nose of peach fruit, apples and minerals. The taste is silky fruit all along, with sort of a "creamy" smooth touch. Impossible to dislike even you are not used to dry white wines. Riesling Mittelheim St.Nikolas 2008, Rheingau by Peter Jakob Kuhn. NOK 290 (medium price). A wine absolutely worth while trying. Weingut Peter Jakob Kühn - St. Nikolaus

Found this Pomerol at l'Ecluse in Paris the other day. It welcomes you with open arms into a seductive aroma and taste picture of red berries, earth and velvet fruit. Beautiful balance. To be enjoyed with food or just on it's own. Any time.... Ch Croix de Gay 2006 Pomerol, 29€, generous and relaxing Merlot.

This Rose wine from Sancerre has a great wild salmon colour. The wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir and has a discrete floral smell with hints of raspberries. The taste is dry with a nice freshness and fruit. Normally Sancerre Rose are quite expensive, but this one is not. Goes with white meat, exotic dishes and sweet savoury dishes. Serve cold max 10c. Sancerre Rose, Joseph Mellot, Low price 135 (7€) high enjoyment.