Life is too short to drink bad wine

Colline Novaresi is a wine region north west in Piedmonte which gained DOC status in 1994. The most used grape is Spanna (Nebbiolo) but other grapes like Barbera, Vespolina and Croatina are used in the wine making. This one is a Vespolina. Vespolina is a low-yielding variety thought to be the offspring of Nebbiolo. It has Nebbiolo's spicy characteristics, although its tannins tend to be softer. As a result, Vespolina is often used to help mellow youthful Nebbiolo-based wines and lift the blend's aromatics with hints of wild flowers, mushrooms and green tea leaves. Only a handful of pure Vespolina wines are produced. This Vespolina by Brigatti has a nose which is aromatic with red fruit, cherries and flowers. The taste is dominated by high tannins and acidity but it all works well together with the fruit and gives a long refreshing finish crying for some food. Very interesting acquaintance. Maria Vespolina 2015 Fransesco Brigatti Colline Novaresi Ca 20€

This Paulliac Grand cru classe is drinking beautifully now. 2008 is not the best of vintages but at least the price was decent as it was the year before the price rocketing years of 2009 and 2010. The colour is medium to dark red with a red rim. Very elegant indeed. The nose is delightful with dark fruit, some red cherries, liquorice, leather and pencil sharpener. Great stuff! The palate is ever so smooth despite the present tannins which fortunately are of the soft kind. Medium body with a long refreshing aftertaste. Grand Puy Lacoste 2008 Paulliac Ca 35€ 

Pago de los Capellanes has invested lots of money in a new modern winery and visitor facilities. They have the 3 different levels of Tempranillo (Crianza, Reserva and Gran R) plus two single plots which are just amazing. The basic version which is enclosed has a lovely medium purple colour. The nose is delicate with lots of red fruit, cherries and hint of oak spices and some liquorice. As far as the taste is concerned it has a very elegant smooth and fruity aftertaste with super soft tannins and a delicious acidity. Nearly Burgundy like. The grapes are harvested in october when the day temperature is around 25c while at night it can be down to 5c (explains the acidity). Lots of new oaks been used but it is perfectly balanced with the fruit and it is thus impossible not to be impressed by their basic wine. Pago de los Cappelanes 2013 Ribera del Duero   Spain Ca 220 NOK or 15 €

Sean Thackrey is quite a special wine person. He makes wine because it should taste nice and in this version he use many different grapes.  In  Greek mythology , the Pleiades were the seven daughters of  Atlas  and thus the wine is said to contain seven grapes (though it might sometimes contain more) and some of the commonly used grapes include  Syrah, Barbera, Carignan, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Sangiovese  and white  Viognier . Thackrey does not measure the percentages of the grapes, using what he feels like, tasting and testing as he goes along. It is a nonvintage wine, each release receiving a new Roman numeral. The Pleiades have intense flavors, complexity and unique character.  They also possess an appealing, earthy gaminess that could remind you of  Burgundy. Pale red colour, a bit like Burgundy. Delicious nose of red fruit, rose  and gingerbread. Lovely balanced taste dominated by raspberry and spicy cake.  Pleiades XXIV California Red Table wine California Ca

Nuits St.George wines in Burgundy have almost always a dark and intense colour. Close Saint Marc is a premier cru which is just across the road from the Patrice Rion facilities. The Clos Saint Marc is just less than 1ha and only 4000 bottles a year are produced from around 60 years old vines. The nose is firm but delicate and dominated sweet raspberries, cherries and some earthy undertones. His wines are biodynamic and all the stalks are removed before fermentation. The taste is wonderfully balanced with lots of elegant red fruit with a long and complex finish. Stunning stuff as always from Rion! Nuits St. George 2009  Clos Saint Marc Patrice Rion ca 40€

I attended a wine tasting in Oslo this week and had the pleasure of participating to a tasting of different Rhone wines. Bordeaux and Burgundy are getting increasingly expensive and Rhone is perhaps one place to look for good values. The Syrah grape are the star grape in this region reds and it must be said that the most prestigious wines from Hermitage, Cote Rotie and Cornas are quite pricy too. St.Joseph and Crozes Hermitage are thus the more reasonable choices. Cornas is dense dark red wine with lots of dark fruit which requires both time and food to excel. This one by one of the new guys in Cornas, Guillaume Gilles, is a big full bodied red   packed with massive approachable tannins and a nice minerality. The nose is very clean and elegant. Guillaume owns 2 hectare in the Chaillot part of Cornas and started in 2008. His wines are honest with a great concentration. The 2012 is probably best in 3-5 years but if you want to drink it now it's probably best to decant it upfr

The wine world keeps surprising me and this time it's a white wine from the warm and sunny Lanzarote that are hitting the headlines. When are you on holiday in the Canary Islands good wines can be difficult to track down as there are a lot of plunk around. El Grifo is the oldest winery on the Canary islands (1775 in fact) and this white wine based upon the pre phylloxera Malvasia grape is very good value for money. Pale and clean straw colour. Aromatic wine with plenty citrus, tropical fruit and white flowers. The wine is bone dry with an elegant acidity and a lovely minerality from the volcano ashes that the grapes have grown in. A real treat for 14€! El Grifo Malvasia Coleccion Lanzarote