Life is too short to drink bad wine

Nebbiolo from Piemonte by the co-op di Barbaresco. Medium dark red with brick red rim. Cherries, dried fruit and tobacco on the nose. Lots of acidity and a great length.  235 Nok or 20€. Fantastic with lamb. Barbaresco, Produttori Barbaresco Great co-op with great quality wines

A nice Riesling from Nahe in Germany.  Pale colour, hints of yellow/green.  Floral smell of apples and lime.  Nice fruity taste with good acidity.  A bargain at 113 nok or ca 6€. Not oaked. Dønnhoff Riesling 2011, Nahe, Germany Cheap dry Riesling, fish, sushi or on the terrace

This is just a wonderful red Crozes Hermitage from the great 2009 vintage. Cuvee Louis Belle is a truly fine cuvee year after year, but this 2009 excels in quality. The wine has an incredible dark inky colour. Truly wonderful in the glass. Packed with complex and ripe brambles on the nose. Enormous fruit and a big mouthful. Big dense taste, but at same time elegant and inviting. Truly great stuff! Crozes Hermitage 2009, Cuvee Louis Belle Good value for the 205NOK or roughly 15€ elsewhere.

A very strange wine! Dark red purple rim. Smell of dark berries and old cellar. Big, but short taste. Lacks fruit. Panel totally confused. Combination of Barbera and Cabernet. Score 16.00 Cinquefile, Tenuta dei Fiori,  Strange stuff, difficult to connect.

Dark red purple rim (typical Barbera colour). Chocolate and cherries on the nose. Fruity and acidic taste.  Panel in Barbera d'Alba which proved to be right.  Score 16.10 Barbera d'Alba 2008, Renato Corino Typical Barbera and recognisable.

Medium red colour with brickred rim (Barolo comes to mind). Sweet cherries, liquorice and chocolate on the nose. Long well balanced taste which agian reminds the panel about Barbera. Panel in doubt. Barbera?  Barolo 2007 is the answer...25€. Score ca 17 Barolo 2007 "Arborina" by Renato Corino How can Barolo taste like Barbera?

So the host brings in chocolate cake for the last wine just to confuse the shit out of the panel. Deep blue-red colour.  Mint, chocolate and sweet berries.  Sweet long fruity taste that fits wonderfully with the cake.  Score 17.40  Panel totally lost Deepwood Ruby Cabernet 2010 , California What's 25 years wine experience got to do with it?

Jean Louis Chave is a young producer who makes astonishing red and white Hermitage. Those wines are rather expensive (around 140€) so I was ever so pleased when I came across this Cote du Rhone made by him. Probably the most expensive Cote du Rhone I have ever bought (20-30€) but by far the best and most complex Cote du Rhone I have ever sampled. Dark color, packed with fruit and "Bordeaux" like smell. Big solid taste that is fruity, dense and perfectly balanced. Simply great stuff from a difficult vintage (2006). Could be difficult to get hold of.... Cote du Rhone 2006 by J L Chave Rolls Royce Cote du Rhone

Domaine Huet is one of the best producers of both dry and sweet Vouvray. The "moelleux" versions can last for 20-40 years while dry ones should preferably be drunk young or up to 10 years old. The grape is Chenin Blanc giving a wine of medium body with a decent floral smell of apples and pears. Smooth and rich on the palate balanced with a good acidity and lovely elegant taste. Vouvray 2010 "Le Mont" sec Loire white at it's best

Had this wine at restaurant Glou in Paris the other day. Condrieu wines are like pure nectar in the glass. It's a full-bodied dry white which is powerful, elegant and exceptionally perfumed. This one had it all as well. Packed with yellow fruits on the nose and an incredible fruity big taste. Perfect with white fish but also 2 year old Comte which I had after the dinner.... Stunning combination! Condrieu "Chery" 2009 by Andre Perret Yet another favorite..around 25€ per bottle.

This is a generic white from Burgundy but with grapes (Chardonnay) predominantly from Meursault. Lovely butter and lime on the nose with a great dry balanced taste. A very nice wine, far better than others classified as a general Burgundy. Bourgogne Chardonnay by Fabien Coche-Bouillot 2009 Reasonable and very good. Ca 15-25€.

This is one of my favourite wines. The village Chambolle Musigny by Patrice Rion is always good and the 2009 vintage is better than ever. Slightly darker red color than normal, medium dark red with purple rim. Lovely smell of sweet cherries and chocolate creates an urge to zip the wine and the taste will not disappoint you. Great seductive velvety taste with a firm but soft acidity. Thank God it's Friday! Chambolle Musigny 2009 by Patrice Rion, €27 Very drinkable now but will develop further if you have the patience....

This is the basic Riesling by Leitz from Rheingau. The wine has seen no oak and has an attractive nose of apples and peach. The taste is fruity with hints of apple and lime. Perfect as an aperitif or with fish and shellfish. Leitz Riesling 2011, Rheingau NOK 120 Simple but a very cheap and attractive Riesling