Life is too short to drink bad wine

Nero d'Avola Nero d'Avola is an Italian black grape that grows predominately in Sicily and is perhaps the most important grape there. It is sometimes combined with another Italian grape called Frappato, but it gives a delightful wine when on it's own. It is named after the town Avola south on Sicily and on it's own I believe it is close to a "heavy" Pinot Noir in style. What to expect from the colour The colour is medium to deep dark purple or red. What to expect from the Smell The smell is often somewhat mixed with a ripe fresh redcurrant as one of the items and dark plums as the other. Often very fresh and attractive.  What to expect from the Taste The style of the grape is often a refreshing one with a high acidity. This is a light bodied wine with a lovely fruity taste like home made redcurrant juice. Delightful and fresh. Best regions for …. The best Nero d'Avola is likely to come from Sicily, although there are some gr...

This is a delightful white Burgundy. Pronounced smell of lime, butter and minerals. Perfect balance with a balance between fruit and acidity. Simply great stuff and a must buy if you ever comes across a bottle at your local wine shop. Try with white fish or as pure meditation.... Meursault 2010 Ch. de Puligny-Montrachet Ca 40€

This is a wine from Sicily by the young and very promising producer called Occhipinti. The grape is called Nero d'Avola which means dark from Avola, I believe. The wine has a medium deep purple red colour with a nice intensity. The bouquet is super lovely packed with red fruit like redcurrant, plum and a bit of spice. When drank slightly chilled the taste is very seductive and juicy with soft tannins and a beautiful acidity. Gourgeous stuff! Siccagno 2010 Nero d'Avola Occhipinti, Sicily Ca 20€ or 250NOK

This is the second wine of Ch Smith Haut Lafitte in Pessac Leognan , Bordeaux. This Chateaux makes wonderful complex wines which you can get without emptying your bank account. This 2010 has a great dark colour and a lovely fruity and seductive taste. Wonderful balance and smooth but firm tannins. If you can get hold of some, just buy and stock up…. Les Hauts de Smith 2010 Pessac Leognan Ca 25€

I just love Rose Champagne! The beautiful colour which reminds you of a rose wine on a warm summer night on the terrace (or in the garden) mixed with bubbles are just a great combination. This Rose by Bollinger is very fruity and full bodied and should really be enjoyed with food. Yeast and redcurrant on the nose and a complex full-bodied long fruity taste. A truly wonderful Champagne….but oh so expensive…. Bollinger Rose  Champagne Ca 40-60€

This is a super lovely Hermitage which is drinking beautifully already now. Dense dark fruit with a small hint of spice (pepper) on the nose. Delightful full bodied taste packed with delicate dark fruit and a velvety long finish. This is just sooo delicious! Expensive , but this must be one of the top Hermitage available outside France. Hermitage 2010 Domaine du Colombier Ca 40-60€

Sauvignon Blanc is a green grape which is widely grown. It is used alone in bone dry whites in Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume,  New Zealand, Chile and South Africa. It is blended in Bordeaux where it is made into a sweet or dry white wines. What to expect from the Colour Pale lemon green colour What to expect from the Smell Herbaceous aromas like grass and blackcurrant leaves. Gooseberries. Warmer climate wines tend to have more passion fruit and grapefruit. What to expect from the Taste Sancerre and pure Sauvignon Blanc wines are bone dry white wines. Very zingy and zesty flavors with  crispy fruity taste. Fruity and high acidity. Best Regions for Sauvignon Blanc There are really good Sauvignon Blanc from many parts of the world. In France the two best regions are Poilly-Fume and Sancerre in Loire. In New Zealand,  Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough is legendary, while coastal regions in Chile and South Africa also produce excellent Sauv...

Regnard makes two cheap unoaked Bourgougne Rouge and Blanc, which makes it easy to understand the grape character. Nice to buy in connection with winetastings, but simple wines. This one though is from the great white Burgundy village of Meursault and it has all hallmarks of a wonderful Meursault. Lime and butter on the nose and a big solid glycerine "fat" taste. A nice minerality is also noticeable. Avery good wine indeed. Meursault "Terres Blanches" 2009 Regnard Ca 40-50€.

Some good white Burgundies as well at the tasting. This Beaune 1er cru from the plot called Clos des Mouches, also well known red plot, was a delightful example. Pale lemon  green colour. Nice bouquet of citrus, ripe apples and minerals. Medium body with a nice balanced Burgundy texture with a long crispy aftertaste. The dry whites by Seguin-Manuel are most of the time direct, crispy, clean and mineral like in the style. More Chablis like in a way…. If you are a fan of "fat" Burgundies then this producer may not be the wines for you. Beaune 1er cru 2011 Clos des Mouches Domaine Seguin-Manuel Ca 50-60€

The best red Burgundy was however my old favourite , Chambolle Muisgny. A premier cru by Domaine Taupenot-Merme. Very attractive nose of red fruit, vanilla and cherries. A just amazing balance with an aftertaste that goes on and on. A shame really to drink such wines a in small tasting glass as such wines truly need a big Burgundy glass to attract all the flavors. Chambolle-Musigny 1er cru " La Combe d'Orveau" Domaine Taupenot-Merme Ca 70-80€

This was one of the absolutely best Burgundies during the tasting. Delicious elegant flavors of cherries, chocolate and liquerice. A super balanced velvety long taste that begs for the glass to be refilled. Great stuff. Just buy…. Nuits St George "Clos de la Marechale" J F Mugnier Ca 70€

This premier cru from Monthelie by Leflaive also raised a few eyebrows. It was however getting bit late at this stage, but the taste was beautifully balanced and long. Dark fruits rather than red fruit on the nose with an overall complex style. Monthelie 1er cru Sur la Velle Leflaive Ca 40€

More top reds from Burgundy: This was a selection of the 2010, 2009 and 2008 from Volnay. Volnay just south of Pommard with big fat red silky Burgundies can sometimes be challenging due the less accommodating acidity in the early years. The 2010 was young, strict, firm and straight forward giving away no velvety flavors in either direction. The 2009 was similar on the nose but had opened up on the palate which was more approachable and velvety with a firm finish. The 2008 however was starting to opening up both on the nose and palate. Dark fruit with a hint of wet wool. A firm well balanced taste with a smoother and slimmer after taste. Volnay 2008 Mostue ca 40€

This red Burgundy is one of the highlights from the Vinforum tasting in Stavanger yesterday. This Corton grand cru from Domaine Seguin-Manuel was stunningly well balanced with  lovely integrated acidity and tannins. Pale red colour, lots of red fruit and vanilla on the nose. Long smooth aftertaste. Well done! Corton Grand Cru 2010 Seguin-Manuel ca 70-90€

Characteristics This is a thin skinned black grape which is difficult to grow. It thrives in cool climates, but is prone to diseases due to the thin skin and the tightly bunched together grapes. It spuds and ripens early and give low yields. Most of the time it is bottled as 100% Pinot Noir but may occur as a blend like in Champagne. What to expect from the Colour  Pale to medium red and purple colour. What to expect from the  Smell The aromas are often towards red fruit like cherries, strawberries, raspberries, redcurrant and vanilla due to the oak. Sometimes flowers and spicy as well. Older vintages can give What to expect from the Taste The Pinot Noir wines are light, feminine, seductive and elegant red wines. PN wines are not very tannic, but often have a medium to high acidity. This depends on the style of the producer. Best Regions for Pinot Noir The best wines come from Burgundy, France but also cool climate areas in California (Son...

This is a delightful PN from the Russian River in California. Medium red colour with beautiful and attractive aromas of sweet red raspberries, cherries and chocolate. The taste is extremely smooth and well balanced. No opposition what so ever, just silky fruit all along. Enormously difficult to dislike and ever so easy to drink. Most enjoyable! Scherrer Pinot Noir 2007 Russian River Ca 40-50€

While at the Decanter wine fair in November 2013, we had two great and impressive Priorat wines from Clos del Portal. Both dark fruit on the nose and taste. Big dense wines with attractive tannins and beautiful balance. Super delicious stuff…. The first Tros de Clos was made in 2009 from old Carignan bush vines on the Licorella slate so typical of Priorat. Only 1000 bottles produced. A big wine with lots of tannins and depth. Impressive stuff from Alfredo Arribas. Tros de Clos 2011 Clos del Portal Priorat  Ca 45€

The Somni by Clos del Portal is a mix of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah. Again a stunning wine such depth and complexity that makes you realize that Spain is now really up and coming…. Explosion of Syrah on the nose. Very jammy, sensual, sexy with a great minerality. A truly lovely wine called dreams…..(somni) Somni 2011 Clos del Portal Priorat Ca 34€

One of my favourite red Burgundies that is so seductive and decadent that food may not be required, time for reflection and meditation really. Found this one at the the Restaurant 4 Roser in Harstad Norway. It's drinking perfectly right now packed with ripe red fruit and soft silky taste. Lovely. Morey St Denis 1er cru Aux Cheseaux 2006 Domaine Arlaud Ca 400 NOK or 40€

This is a very reasonable and good Champagne. It's made from 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnnay from Grand cru areas in  Mailly. It has been aged for four years and is a powerful and rich sparkling with nice fruit of lemongrass and honeysuckle. Beautiful limy balanced taste. BBR Grand Cru Champagne Brut, Ca 26£

Boxing day and a depressive outcome of the football matches so why not just dig into bit of detailed wine drinking…? So we concentrated our efforts on Nuits St George and Gevrey Chambertin in Burgundy… Clos de Argillieres a bit more clay dominated while the soil in Lavaux St Jacques is more red clay soil. Both Pinot noir of course and both produced by Patrice Rion. Both medium red colour, with perhaps the Gevrey Chambertin slightly darker. The nose very different with the Clos des Argillieres more dominated by dark fruit and pomme granite while the Lavaux Saint Jacques is dominated by red fruit and wet wool. On the taste the Nuits St George is powerful with a lovely balanced and a nice minerality. The Gevrey Chambertin got more body and softness to it (perhaps because its two years older) with a lovely smooth finish. The 2009 has more tannins although they are very elegant and soft. Both delicious wines, the Gevrey Chambertin is drinking well right now whil...