Life is too short to drink bad wine

Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore 2005 has been named best Italian bubble by  Top delle guide vini 2017 , the prestigious ranking edited by   Civiltà del Bere , which combines the data published by the major Italian wine guides with the aim of identifying the best wines and wineries in Italy. The only Italian bubble ever to receive six excellence mentions in the eight guides taken into account by the ranking is Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore 2005, confirming the success recorded by the previous vintages of this wine. Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore is a wine produced only with the best vintages obtained from selected grapes harvested in the vineyards of Maso Pianizza, located on the slopes of the mountains surrounding Trento.  The 2005 vintage, harvested after a hot summer that featured a marked temperature difference between day and night, provided Chardonnay grapes with a faultless balance between sourness and sugar content, combined with a magnif...

IGT wine from the Tuscany region based upon 100% Sangiovese from the hills nearby Florence. Dark red colour with brick rim. Dark fruit on the nose with cherries, vanilla, dried fruit and old barrels. Powerful wine , full bodied, but also lots of fruit and round nice tannins with a beautiful balanced aftertaste. A lovely wine. Notes are from blind tasting, score 18.20 Testamatta 2007 Tuscany IGT Ca 50€

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 Novar...

This is a highly unusual wine from the Valle d'Aosta DOC (or Val d'Aoste DOC, in French ) located in the northwest of Italy. Surrounded by the Alps , the Valle d'Aosta is home to the highest  elevated vineyards in all of  Europe. The principal winemaking region of the Valle d'Aosta is found along the eastern banks of the Dora Baltea(fr, Doire baltée ) river with the city of Aosta serving as the central winemaking location. Donnas is a local co-operation who has created this silky and well balanced  Alpine Rosso. A blend of 85% Picotendro (the local name for Nebbiolo) and the rest split up between local varieties Freisa and Neyret. This wine complements its demanding tannins from the Nebbiolo grape with pure red fruit, provided by the other two components. Grown in rocky soils on steep slopes, this Rosso is considered to be the Barolo or Barbaresco of Vallee d’Aosta. Aged for at least two years in 25 HL oak casks, the wine gives a beautiful nose full of ...

Wine # 1 Medium purple coloured wine with purple rim. Somewhat closed on the nose, but with some notes of red fruit and hints of spices and chocolate. Very juicy and fruity taste and virtually tannin free taste. The acidity is not overwhelming, but still very much present. A decent wine for every day drinking. Panel somewhat lost between Pinot Noir and Sangiovese with Barbera discarded due to lack of colour. Barbera d'Alba 2012 Bruno Giacosa Score 15.90 Ca 250 NOK Wine # 2 Medium red colour with a red rim. Massive and impressive nose of flowers, dark fruit, spices, tar and licorice. The taste is really demanding and the wine certainly require food to blossom. An enormous acidity and also firm tannins that play together quite well at this stage. Definitely a Nebbiolo. Oops wrong again as it is 100% Aglianico from Taurasi in south Italy. Massive wine. Radici Taurasi 2006 Score 17.60 Ca 330 NOK Wine # 3 Very similar to the wine number two which again le...

Wine exploration continues and this time a white wine from the island of Ischia just outside Napoli. The weather is still fantastically warm and sunny for being September and this white was just perfect on the terrace after work. The grape is Biancolella and has great acidity despite being from such a warm climate. Great stone fruit on the nose as well as white flowers. A very fresh and lively white wine. Tenuta Frassitelli Casa d'Ambra  Ischia Medium price

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

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€ 

First wine in an adhoc tasting. Light red wine with a slight brown rim. Lots of cherries, plum and dark berries on the nose. Very juicy taste with lots of fresh fruit and a lively acidity. Panel lost, but Frappato is an unusual grape from Sicily so they are excused. Overall a very red currant like wine. Il Frappato 2008 by Occhipinti Delicioud despite the 16.40 score..

Oaky and somewhat dusty smell. Well balanced and "slim" wine. Very nice acidity. Panel in doubt but question about the possibility of a Nebbiolo grape pops up. It is indeed a Nebbiolo, but from Lombardia and not Piemonte. In addition it is made from dried grapes (like the Amarone)! Very difficult! Sforzato de Valtellina 2006 Score 15.30

This wine is from Sicily and is made from old vines of Mascalese and Mantelkato (40-140 years). Caldera Sottana is grown at 700 m altitude and is wonderfully rich and spicy. A charming lovely wine with hints of minerals and a lovely smooth finish. Great redcurrant smell and balanced acidity and tannins. Not unlike a red Burgundy on the taste. Would probably work with red meat. Ca 25€. Tenuta delle Terre Nere, Etna Rosso, 2009, Calderara Sottana  

This wine is out in a new vintage. The same high standard as for the 2009. Occhipinti has made a elegant wine from the two grapes Nero d'Avola and Frappato. The smell is filled with sweet cherries and dried fruit. The taste is fruity, a bit like a well balanced redcurrant drink with soft tannins. Should be drunk young, but that's not a problem ..... SP68, Sicilia 2010, low price 177NOK Drink slightly chilled. Goes with red meat and lamb.

An unusual wine from an rare district made in an abnormal way. Not bad.... The grape is Nebbiolo (from Piemonte and among others used in Barolo) which is dried for 3 months before fermentation (like Amarone). The wine can remind one of Amarone as it is packed with dark fruit and smells and taste like blackcurrant tart. Great solid stuff. Sforzato 2006, Lombardia 20-30€ Like a Barolo Amarone blend...

Occhipinti keep on impressing me with great quality wins. This one based purely on the grape Nero d'Avola is again a splendid wine. Nero d'Avola is not a grape I am used to drink but I can easily be convinced if this is a typical example of the quality it possesses. The colour can remind one of a Cote de Nuits while the nose is dominated by a beautiful clean smell of dark plums and berries. The taste is full of fruit, quite a big mouthful, packed with intensity and perfect acidity. Solid stuff with a good and somewhat redcurrant like aftertaste. Best outcome while using Burgundy glasses. Siccagno Nero d'Avola by Occhipinti 2007, Sicily Medium price 230, something perfectly different

Most people faced a with the choice of merely a specific color of wine to drink will consider their stated preference between the options of red, white, or rose. Having tried La Stoppa, another color of wine has been added to the selection; orange. Perhaps the world ought to acknowledge orange as a legitimate fourth color when it comes to wine. I don't know that I'd go that far, but orange wines aren't easy to come by and they represent an added exciting choice. And this wine is a perfect example. La Stoppa winery began in 1973 with the vision of Rafael Pantaleoni, who purchased the estate with the hopes of making a small amount of wine and an honest living for his family. The land, which occupies a nook in the Piacenza province of Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, has been planted with vines for well over 100 years. The estate's original owners left Pantaleoni and his daughter, who now runs the winery, a gift of some extremely old vines growing both Italian and Frenc...

Having tried the SP68 by Occhipinti that was quite attractive I could not resist tasting the Il Frappato by by the same producer. Lovely medium red colour with great smell dominated by redcurrant, raspberries and flowers. Irrisistible! The taste quite Burgundy like with lots of fruit, silky tannins and a lovely long balanced taste which is quite unexpected "cool" despite the hot climate. The wine is lowest on the Italian ranking as it is sold as IGT (Indicazione Geografica Typica) but that one can simply forget, this is wonderful stuff worth every penny. It also contains very limited amount sulphur thanks to old fashioned wine technique applied by the young and promising Adrianna Occhipinti. Il Frappato 2008 by Occhipinti, Sicily, the unusual frappato grape at its best?   http://www.dn.no/d2/d2mat/article1927095.ece

Got this wine from a colleague with the aim to blind taste it. Sort of medium dark red colour with a spicy Beaujolais character (lots of red berries). The taste was very fruity, warm, spicy, juicy  and quite refreshing. Quite an unusual mix, but most likely from warmer climates like Spain or Portugal. Maybe the Grenache grape? Of course all wrong, as the wine was from Sicily and based upon the Frappato and Nero d'Avola grapes. Arianna Occhipinti is a young winemaker that has only produced wine for around 10 years. SP68 Nero d'Avola e Frappato by Occhipinti, Low price level @ 174, worth every penny If your Italian is good here is her blog.... az. agr. arianna occhipinti Arianna Occhipinti | Facebook

This wine must not be mistaken for Vino Nobile Montepulciano or Rosso di Montepulciano which are wines from Tuscany based upon the Sangiovese grape. This wine from Abruzzo on the east coast in Italy is based upon the Montepulciano grape which is a local grape. This is the perfect pizza wine; light, fruity, low alcohol (12,5%) and just 140 NOK or less than 10€ in Italy. Deep red blue colour, lovely dark berries with hints of liquerice and smoke. Quite a fruity and light taste. Zaccagnini is one of the best producers in Abruzzo and the wine is stored in big Slovanian oak casks for 6 months before being bottled. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2008 by Zaccagnini, when simple price and taste are required