Life is too short to drink bad wine

This is sweet white from Soave. 100% hand-harvested Garganega grapes from the heart of the Soave region. The ripest bunches are put in small wooden cases and brought to the "fruttaio" where they are hang in special nets. During the following period (called appissemento) the imperfect grapes are removed before the dried grapes are pressed and fermented the following March. The result is a golden colored sweet white with a lovely perfume of apricots, honey, nuts and spices. The taste is sweet with a lively acidity and great balance. A delicious and seldom dessert wine (or blue cheese). Recioto di Soave Le Sponde 2007 Coffele in Soave Ca 25€ for 50 cl

Jean -Michel Comme, the technical director at Pontet Canet, has been instrumental in converting this chateaux into pure biodynamic mode. All the vintages from 2005 has been un this status but the rise in quality has been increasing ever since the conversion started in 2001. This 2006, not the best of years in Bordeaux, has an amazing deep dense colour and a powerful complex nose of dark fruit, brambles, spices, raspberry, cedar and cassis. Stunning stuff! The taste is rich, pure, big and solid with big tannins that are well integrated. A truly masculine Paulliac and a massive handful. This 2006 costs a mere 120£ at a local restaurant, in stark contrast to the present prices that are roughly the same, but this is first growth quality at price that one sometimes may afford!

I think I must have a preference for the blanc de blancs Champagne. They seem to be richer with more mousse and less acidity than the mixed ones. So also this one with a crispy fruity nose of lime and wet bread. Great balanced taste with a perfect level of acidity. Ulysse Collin started making his own Champagne just ca 10 years and should definitely continue to do so… Ulysse Collin Blanc de Blancs Champagne Ca 35€

This is a very solid and big red from Alentejo in Portugal. Despite the warm climate, the wine has a surprising complex and fresh taste. Dark fruit, spices and  full bodied concentrated finish. Alicante Bouschet is the predominant grape with small volumes of Tricnadeira. One of Portugal's top wines. Mouchao 2005, Alentejo, Portugal Ca 30-40€

I have never been a big fan of oaky Californian Chardonnay's but here in this case I had to surrender… Medium lemon colour with green reflections. A wonderful complex aroma of tropical fruit, citrus fruit and minerals. Very different from white Burgundy but oh so seductive. The taste was bone dry packed with fruit and a surprising acidity. Quite elegant actually! Ridge Monte Bello Chardonnay 2010  Santa Cruz Mountains, California 50€

Yet another beautiful Meursault premier cru from the plot Charmes on the border to Puligny-Montrachet. Pale-medium lemon colour. Gorgeous rich smell of lime, butter and nuts. A big lovely balanced mouthful with a long aftertaste. Perfect harmony between acidity and fruit. Yet another great example of what Meursault can bring. Meursault Charmes 1er cru Coche-Bouillot Ca 50€

A truly delightful white premier cry Burgundy from Meursault! Pale lemon colour and an elegant bouquet of butter, lime, minerals and nuts. A complex long well balanced taste and with a lovely minerality in the finish. A very elegant and feminine Meursault indeed and perfect with the fried cod. Meursault-Perrier 1er cru 2006 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Ca 80-100€

Standard Chambolle Musigny from 2010 by Ghislaine Barthod. 2010 is a great vintage and Barthod makes Burgundy of sublime character. Perhaps not as silky as for example Rion but with a more distinct acidity and complex taste. A wine for the great occasions (like lunch at 4 Roser in Harstad)… Chambolle Musigny 2010 Ghislaine Barthod Ca 35€

Cava is perhaps not as good as Champagne but at 1/3 of the price of cheap Champagne it deserves to be tested out. Loxarel cava is from Penedes and is a mix of the local grapes called Xarel-lo, Macabeu and Chardonnay. Pale straw colour with small bubbles. Apples, lime and wax on the nose (cava seldom has the Champagne notes of yeast, bread etc). Dry taste with a nicely balanced acidity. Loxarel 2009 Reseva, Cava, 130NOK or 7€. Perfect as an aperitif.

This is a wonderful dry white wine from the small town of Soave in Italy. Pale straw colour with nice flavors of apple, lime and some minerals. The taste is well balanced with a surprising acidity and minerality with a medium body. Lovely stuff by Coffele in the volcanic hillside of Soave. It probably needs 3-4 years of storage to reveal the best and complex aromas. Soave Classico 2012 Coffele Brilliant white at only 150 NOK or ca 10€ 

I was introduced to the 2009 vintage of this wine while visiting Harstad last week. This is a great Riesling from Nahe in Germany. Riesling grown on the volcanic soils of Felsenberg produce stunning Rieslings with big body and elegance. Great apple, lime and petroleum smell and a super lovely balanced taste with a great minerality. This is top Riesling that should be kept some time, but it's difficult to wait before drinking such lovely dry whites. Riesling Felsenberg, Nahe 2010 Schaefer-Frohlich  NOK ca 400 or ça 35€

This is a very silky wine from Priorat near Barcelona. A mix of grapes dominated by Carinena and Garnacha with minor amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Most of them from old vines. Deep purple colour and a lovely aroma of vanilla and blackcurrant. Very smooth and silky taste with soft firm tannins and a very good length. Impossible to dislike and very attractive. Les Terraces 2010 Velles Vinyes Priorat, Spain ca 20€ or 300 NOK (200 taxfree) 

A very elegant Champagne from a producer that we have tried before. Small bubbles and an attractive nose of apples, yeast and toast. Light crispy well balanced dry taste with the 100% Chardonnay style shining through. A great Champagne that fits as an aperitif  or with sushi and seafood. Champagne Grand cru Andre Jacquart Blanc de Blancs Ca 30€ or 320 NOK

Have you ever wondered what wine to have with the Norwegian traditional dish called Pinnekjøtt (dried rck of lamb). Well look no further. The Ripasso from Veneto has all the fruit and juice to survive the combination and is probably the most suitable red that will fit the bill. Packed with blackcurrant and sweet dark fruit and a very nicely balanced taste with enormous fruit and juice. Very drinkable indeed. Valpolicella Ripassa 2010 Veneto Ca 15€ or 200kr Bring on the Xmas dinner….

Deep purple red wine made from 100% Tempranillo. A dark wine packed with dark fruit, spices and some liquorice. Well balanced firm taste with apparent oak flavours. A reasonable and good wine that has been 12 months in french oak. Try with lamb or red meat. Celeste 2010 Ribera del Duero Ca 155 NOK or 12€

Albert Morot has quite a selection of Beaune premier cru wines and his prices are on the reasonable side. This one from 2009 and the plot Toussaints is a very seductive and smooth example of what the terroir around the city of Beaune can provide. Medium red colour with a nose dominated by raspberries, strawberries and some chocolate. Silky smooth tannins and a wonderful balance with lots of ripe red fruit. A delicious wine. Beaune 1 er cru Toussaints 2009 Ca 25€ Bring it on !

I had this one in a restaurant in London some time back and I have copied the notes of BBR below to tell about the wine: "As one might expect, proprietor Jean Gautreau has produced an uncompromisingly, potentially enormously long-lived 2005 that is as good as most Medoc cru classes. Based on previous vintages, it will undoubtedly require 10-12 years of cellaring. Its saturated blue/purple color is followed by a sumptuous bouquet of blueberries, white flowers, and minerals. Fresh, full-bodied, well-defined, and already revealing plenty of nuances, this intensely concentrated, impeccably pure effort is a classic vin de garde. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030+."  92-94/100 points. (Robert Parker) Ch. Sociando Mallet 2005 Haut-Medoc Ca 35£ which is an acceptable price.

This is a very rare and robust red wine made from tempranillo 90% and Syrah. It belongs to the "table wine" category and is from Tudela de Duero in the western part of Ribera del Duero. BODEGAS MAURO  was founded just two years before Ribera del Duero became an officially recognized denomination of origin, and it falls just beyond the DO's official boundaries.  Mauro has been able to define a unique style featuring small productions of fruity yet powerful wines known for their unmistakably Spanish style and an ability to age well. Renowned winemaker Mariano García was the founder and he spent the first 30 years of his career making wines for the mythicical  Vega Sicilia winery). His sons are now captains of the Mauro flagship  -- that have earned a devoted following in Spain and beyond for their satisfyingly complex blends of toasted oaky notes and nuances of ripe fruit. With a continental climate that offers a wildly swinging range of te...