Life is too short to drink bad wine

Looking for a special white wine? A white that is full bodied with lots of fruit and flavours? In Condrieu, which is a small area north in the Rhone valley, they produce delicious and rare white wines based on the grape called Viognier. The result is highly aromatic wines like this one from Andre Perret. Peach, melon, apricot and white flowers on the nose. Super delicious smell that can be a bit overwhelming for some people. The full bodied taste can remind one of Chardonnay but the fruit and lower acidity suggest otherwise. Even though the wine is dry it can appear to be sweet due to the fruitiness and dramatic aroma picture. The wine goes well with fish, spicy and Asian food. The production is limited and prices are high. If you buy a bottle then use a big wine glass as well to sense all the flavours!

I found this special club edition at the local wine shop. Not too pricy to be a vinatge Champagne but then again Launois is more reasonable than many other producers. Medium straw colour and with small bubbles, all gathering nicely in the middle. Perfect start. Lovely nose of yeasty flavours, apple and sitrus fruit. On the palate it is very rich with lots of fruit, a bit nutty with hints of orangepeels. A very decent Champagne based upon 100% Chardonnay.

I found this rose Champagne at the tax free. It's the first time that I have tried this Champagne house and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. Medium salmon rose colour with a attractive nose of red fruit. The bubbles are small and attractive and the taste is well balanced with a fine tuned acidity. A very decent rose Champagne that goes with many dishes or as an aperitif. Duval Leroy Rose Champagne Ca 350 NOK Notes from their site: The delicacy of its bubbles, a string of fine pearls, escapes from the crystalline elegance of the airy neck of the bottle created by Carol Duval-Leroy.   Its salmon colour, created from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, holds one's eye and brings hints of amber to the fore. Its bouquet releases a wealth of aromas: wild cherries, figs and even a hint of ginger and geranium.   With a solid maturity and balanced vinosity, this wine represents the best of what Duval-Leroy has to offer to knowled...

This is a very seductive and easy drinking basic Riesling from Rheingau in Germany. Medium yellow green color. Pronounced smell of ripe apples, tropical fruit and some stone fruit. After having been opened for 24 hours, a slight swiff of petroleum could also be noted. Dry white with lots of fruit. Great acidity too. Beautiful balance and ever so easy to drink. Does not feel like a dry white at all….. Perfect with seafood and sushi or on its own…. Kunstler Bischofsberg Riesling 2011 Rheingau Ca 180 NOK or 12€

The Pfalz region in Germany is an extension of the Alsace in the France. It's the driest wine region in Germany and there are some very nice Rieslings produced in this region. One example is this one from Weingut Økonomierat Rebholz which is also a Grosse Gewachs, i.e from the one of the best plots. Medium golden color, which is a bit surprising but anyway… Gourgeous smell of ripe apples, honey and petroleum. Lively fruity taste with a great minerality and acidity. Delicious! Im Sonnenschein 2006 Riesling Pfalz Ca 30€  

This Riesling from Rheingau in Germany is just so delicious and absolutely impossible to dislike…. Peter Jakob Kuhn has made a dry white with a pronounced nose of tropical fruit and stone fruit. Peach, apricot, melon and honey as well as a touch of petroleum and minerals. Ripe soft delicate fruit taste with a great balanced acidity and minerality. A superb wine! 2008 Riesling Trocken Landgeflecht Peter Jakob Kuhn Rheingau Ca 20€ or 270 NOK

I am not really an expert in Austrian wine but this Gruner Veltliner by Domaine Wachau is ever so accessible. Straw yellow colour with a fruity and well balanced taste. Hints of minerals, dense, compact and very drinkable with a discrete acidity. Domane Wachau 2012 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Wachau, Austria Low price Goes with fish, sushi and white meat

It's second half of August, but it is still nice and warm. Time to round off a week's work with some Champagne down by the sea. This Champagne by Andre Clouet is made from 100% Pinot Noir and has not seen any oak. It is fresh and crispy with a smell of red apples and some citrus. A nice mouthful and perfect as an aperitif. Andre Clouet  Champagne Ca 270 NOK or 20€ Crispy light with some minerality..

This guys calls themselves the Montrachet of Pfalz in Germany. Pfalz is the driest and second largest region in Germany and is like a continuation of Alsace. The best wines are from Mittelhardt area around Wachenheim, Forst, Deidesheim and Ruppentsberg. This one from Forst has a classical Riesling nose, great balanced acidity and some minerality as well. A reasonable but very good every day Riesling! Dr. Burklin-Wolf, Ungeheuer 2011 Forst in Pfalz, Low price Ca 10-15€ Good Rieslings outside Rheingau do exist

This is a great Riesling from a tiny plot called Achleiten in Wachau in Austria. A full bodied dry (close to off dry) white of the quality Smaragd. Remarkable well balanced and fruity wine with a nice acidity and long mineral finish. The nose has citrus fruit as well as stone fruit like peach. An elegant dry white that can be kept for quite a few years. Domane Wachau Riesling Smaragd 2011 Achleiten, Wachau Top Riesling from Austria, Ca 220 NOK or 15€

This is a very fruity and easy drinking dry white of high quality but not too expensive. It's made from late harvested Riesling grapes but all the sugar has been transformed to alcohol to give a dry style of wine. Some redisual sweetness though and packed with fruit makes this wine very easy to drink on it's own or with white fish or sushi. Leitz Rudesheimer Bischofsberg Spaetlese Trocken 2011, Rheingau, Germany A very drinkable dry white. Ca 170 NOK

Basic Riesling by Georg Breuer in Rheingau. Ca 140 NOK or more like 6-7€ in Europe. Light pale straw colour, smell of crispy apples and fruity dry taste. Perfect with sushi or even on it's own. Riesling 2011, Rheingau by Breuer Straight forward and reasonable

This Riesling from Pfalz in Germany is just wonderful. Packed with fruit and minerals and perfect with salmon or sushi. The producer is Økonomierat Resholz and wine is from the Ganshorn im Sonnenschein. It's not cheap but worth every penny of the 35€ it will set you back. Thanks to restuarant 4 Roser in harstad for introducing me to this wine. Ganshorn im Sonnenschein 2007, Pfalz Delicious and mineral rich.

Got this wine at "De 3 Roser" in Harstad, Norway A new Riesling producer to me but perfect match with scallops. Ginger and petroleum on the nose. Very fruity and dry taste, but lovely acidity and touch of minerals. Great stuff. Dr Burklin Wolf Riesling 2009, Wachenheimer Dry Riesling suitable for a number of dishes including sushi.

This Riesling comes from Rheingau in Germany, the heart of  production of lush juicy ripe white wines. Peter Jakob Kuhn makes consistently good wines and this one which is a "Charta" wine (like a First Growth) is no exception. Charta wines are recognised by the three Romanesque double arches on the front label. Beautiful pale lemon colour and attractive nose of peach fruit, apples and minerals. The taste is silky fruit all along, with sort of a "creamy" smooth touch. Impossible to dislike even you are not used to dry white wines. Riesling Mittelheim St.Nikolas 2008, Rheingau by Peter Jakob Kuhn. NOK 290 (medium price). A wine absolutely worth while trying. Weingut Peter Jakob Kühn - St. Nikolaus

If you come across a wine made by Zind Humbrecht in Alsace just buy it. All the wines from this domain are of great quality so you will never be disappointed but be prepared to pay. Low yields, late picking and biodynamic create wines worth dying for. So also this Riesling Turckheim from 2007. Pale yellow/green colour and a lovely nose with apples, yellow plum, flowers and minerals. Dry wine with lots of fruit and a lovely mineral touch. Rich with great acidity. Lovely. Riesling Turckheim 2007, medium price 260, an elegant Riesling by Zind Humbrecht. Domaine Zind-Humbrecht

Fancied a bit of Riesling the other day and came across a dry version from Germany by Peter Jakob Kuhn in Rheingau. This guy has changed style over the last 20 years and started biodynamic viticulture. Lovely pale green/yellow colour with attractive nose of ripe apples and petroleum. The taste is extremely fruity with good well balanced acidity and hint of minerals. It is bone dry but feels nearly sweet due to the enormous amount of fruit. Beautiful and very yummy wine indeed. Riesling Trocken by Peter Jakob Kuhn, wonderful Riesling at medium price, 20 to 30€. Weingut Peter Jakob Kühn - Start