Life is too short to drink bad wine

The Schug winery in Carneros lies to the south of Sonoma and Napa valley.The vines are impacted by the  early morning fog from the bay and Pacific Ocean. Their Carneros Pinot Noir is a blend of many different parcels in Carneros. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks with with daily punch down. The wine is transferred to big oak casks for malolactic fermentation before it spends 9 months in French oak out of which 20% is new oak. The result is wine which is dominated by red fruit cherry, some smoky flavours and hints of spicy new oak. Beautifully balanced taste with a smooth silky finish. Will probably improve with 2-3 years of storage. Try with lamb, game and cheese. Schug 2016 Pinot Noir Carneros ca 24 usd or 270 NOK

Georg Mosbacher in Pfalz, Germany has a wide selection of Rieslings. This is one of the basic versions which gives a very nice impression of what dry Riesling is all about. Pale straw yellow colour with hints of green. Green apple, citrus and hints of tropical fruit on the nose. Attractive soft and well balanced taste. Medium + acidity of the kind sort. At only 140 kr or 7€ this is a very good quality price ratio. Try with sushi, fish, spicy food and seafood. Riesling trocken 2016 Georg Mosbacher Pfalz

There were severe frosts over the entire region on the nights of the 22 nd  and the 29 th  April (you might remember, we experienced the same thing in the UK). These were primarily located in the Côtes de Castillon, Côtes de Blaye, St. Emilion and Pomerol. This is on the Right Bank. On the Left, the frosts affected the areas of vineyard situated outside of 1 kilometre from the river. The good news is that very few of the big estates have been affected, if anything it is the lesser vineyards of these that might have had some damage – those that supply the second or the third wine. This is with the exception of Ch. Angludet in Margaux – a Berry Bros. & Rudd customer favourite. Sadly, this Château, although situated far from the river, had 100% of its crop decimated. We usually open our EP campaign with this Château, often selling out in minutes, but this year we regret to inform, there will be none available. In Pessac, the vineyards have also been affected, more so tha...

Inspired by a recent trip to Piemonte we opened a bottle of Barbaresco made by Michele Chiarlo. Quite a medium pale red colour with a brick red rim. Nose is dominated by dried fruit, red fruit and rose petals. Extremely balanced taste with super soft tannins and a long velvety finish. Vinification in steel tanks with storage 18 months in big oak casks. From an area in Barbaresco that has a more sandy soil. Barbaresco "Reyna" 2009  Michele Chiarlo Ca 30€

There are many different Barbera on the market. These are normally easy drinking wines. The cheapest ones are quite basic while the more expensive ones are normally more complex. The two main areas are Barbera d'Alba and Barbera d'Asti. Normally the difference between the two are tricky to discover but I have been positively surprised by the wines from the Asti region lately. This single plot Barbera from Agliano Terma caught my eye at a tasting at Vietti. It must be one of the best Barberas I have ever tried. The oldest part of the La  Arena   vineyard was planted in 1932 in a loam-clay type of soil, with a southern exposure. The total surface is about 6 hectares. Fermentation lasts around couple of weeks in open-top stainless steel, with mechanical punching downs, délestage and many open-air pumping overs. After this, the wine macerates for another week, then it is racked and it is moved to oak for malolactic. The wine is aged in b arriques, big oak vats and steel t...