Life is too short to drink bad wine

The cheese Mont d'Or is French and have been made with raw milk. The cheese can have a strong smell but the taste is quite approachable and kind. The cheese can be served at room temperature or slightly heated (like on the picture). As the cheese is from the Jura district and quite umami rich, a wine from the same district is a good option. There are some very good Chardonnay wines from Jura that has enough body and texture to match the wine. Further south you have Viognier from Condrieu which is also a very good match thanks to the full bodied style. Also Chardonnay from central Burgundy would match the wine nicely. I would stay away from basic Chablis for ex as there is not enough body. Pinot Noir might work but then you might need a wine of Village or Premier cru rating. Sherry fino (biological matured) can also work nicely if you appreciate this style of wine. Good luck!

This an unoaked Chablis by Louis Moreau. Clean fresh crispy Chablis with a mineral character. Fermentation in steel tanks at 18c over 15-18 days. Thereafter stored at 20c some months to start malolactic fermentation. The wine was finally stored for four months in steel tanks on the lees to obtain more aromas and smoothen the taste. Medium pale straw colour. Medium intense bouquet of green apple and plum. Some notes of flowers and herb. Well balanced taste, high acidity, bone dry, medium body and medium aftertaste with hints of minerals. 120.000 bottles made. Ca 15€. A well made and structured Chablis. Try with smoked salmon and cod.

This is the 2013 addition of this Barolo by Borgogno with No Name. It was not classified as Barolo in 2005 so in protest Borgogno has kept the No Name label since 2007 on this Barolo with grapes from Cannubi and Fossati. Medium red colour with hints of red brown rim. Ripe dark fruit on the nose with hints autumn leaves, tar and some spice. Surprisingly approachable taste with quite soft tannins and acidity. It will improve with ageing, but it's drinking very well already now. No Name 2013 by Borgogno Barolo Ca 20€ or 280 NOK

This is a truly special wine from Muscadet Sevre et Maine on the west coast in Loire. This underrated area has very reasonable dry white wines based on the grape Melon de Bourgogne. In addition they use prolonged storage on the lees to create a smooth style of white wine. This one from 2010 that was bottled in 2015 has no less than 5 years on the lees! Medium to pale yellow colour. Developed nose of ripe citrus, yellow apples,  butter, tropical fruit and some  nutty flavours. Beautiful balanced taste with a medium body and medium long aftertaste. Good value for money. Perfect with oysters. Muscadet Sevre et Main Sur lie 2010 Ch Thebaud Clos des Tabardieres Ca 13€ or 189 NOK

"Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur lie" is a very underestimated dry white wine from the very west of the Loire valley. It is reasonable but complex and it is the perfect match with oysters. Forget expensive Champagne, just go for the Muscadet which also has spent time (12 months) on the lees and which gives a very round and big complex taste. Discrete ripe yellow apples, some citrus and brioche on the nose. Ch. de la Ragotiere and this cuvee Amelie was just gorgeous. And Muscadet is easy to find in a wine shop near you.

This vintage BdB from 2008 is already quite drinkable but can also be stored further. 100% Chardonnay with 72 months on the lees has led to a complex sparkling with lovely aromas of apple, citrus, biscuits and some minerality. Quite a creamy and full bodied taste with hints of apple and citrus fruit. Long well balanced aftertaste. A delicious BdB! Fits perfect with Manchego cheese. Simart-Moreau 2008  Champagne Blanc de blancs Ca 30€

Vernay is one of the main producers of Condrieu in Rhone. The Viognier grape used in Condrieu gives remarkable aromatic wines that many can find a bit too much. The style really depends on the producers and this one is elegant, big but also very oppulent in style. It is however a perfect match with Thai and Asian food and this 2011 was drunk with pork in caramel sauce which turned out to be a perfect combination. Here are some tasting notes from the BBR web site: These 80-year-old vines perch dangerously near the top of the commune of Vernon and sit right at the top of the Condrieu hierarchy. The wine flirts with perfection; it is antithetical to the deeply coloured and overly viscous Condrieus that one sometimes finds. This is the ‘real deal’; it is a wine of great, almost saline, depth and adamantine clarity. The fruits of the labours of the eponymous Pape de Condrieu , now in the able hands of his daughter Christine and son-in-law Paul, continue to raise the bar fo...

This is super elegant Condrieu by Ogier. The Viognier grape (100%) can be a bit too much some times when mixed heavily with oak, but this one is just perfect. The nose is a bit white Burgundy like but with tones of more tropical fruit than lime or sitrus. Discrete and delicious. The taste is like a fullbodied white, packed with fruit and flavours like white peach and more tropical flavours. Lovely balance and great acidity. This is perfect with asian food or seafood. Condrieu 2010 Ogier Ca 35€

I just love Condrieu! This is one of the true great white wines on planet earth. It is a full bodied white with a fantastic succulent aroma and a big oily taste. The Viognier grape in the Upper part of Rhone has no match anywhere else, but due to the steep hills, hand harvest and low yields it does not come cheap. Perfect with hard cheese like Comte, seafood or spicy food like Thai or Chinese. Condrieu 2010 by Montez Ca 30€ and truly great

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

Clear medium lemon-green color. A great floral nose with delicate citrus fruit and some petroleum notes. Big fruity body with perfect acidity and a lovely long finish. A very nice Grand cru (Brand) from Alsace made bu Albert Boxler. Perfect with seafood and sushi. Alsace Grand cru Brand 2006 Albert Boxler Elegant, fruity and lovely balance

Quite a golden straw colour to be a Chablis; so obviously oaked then. I prefer crispy mineral driven non-oaked Chablis, but sometimes the oaked version does the trick. At the wonderful restaurant Renaa in Stavanger they do not mess  with the wines and this one by Moreau-Naudet was a great white, almost white Burgundy like but without the "fatness" of those wines. Still very nice minerality and citrus smell taste. Perfect with the white fish (and other seafood). Chablis Vielles Vignes 2007, Moreau-Naudet Ca 15-25€

What a wonderful wine! The problem with these wines are that you never have enough to leave some in the cellar to age. A 5 year old white Burgundy is however drinking perfectly now. Packed with lime, butter, spice and minerality it is just wonderful with fried cod in butter. A truly great wine and a great fish! Saint Aubin "En Remilly" 2007 by Hubert Lamy. Give me more ....now!

Vincent Girardin is a top white Burgundy producer and this Sain-Aubin is quite reasonable compared to some of the others. Perfect discrete smell of lime, herbs and butter with a nice balanced and fruity taste with some mineral notes. While drinking white Burgundy there is always a certain "fatness" and fruit to the wine which makes you forget that this is really a bone dry white wine. Perfect with white fish and seafood except salmon or trout. Saint-Aubin "En Remilly" 2010, Vincent Girardin Ca 30€ and probably one of the cheapest StAubin

What a wonderful white Burgundy by Hubert Lamy! This wine is just perfect with white fish and especially fried cod. Beautiful lime, butter and mineral notes. Crispy and elegant taste with great fruit and balance. It's very difficult to pinpoint anything wrong with this wine! In fact it was so good that we consumed two bottles at the resto... Saint-Aubin 2010 "La Princee" by H Lamy What's price got to do with it?

Red wine with traditional Norwegian like rib of lamb or pork can be a challenge. Ripassa with it's fruitiness and slightly more sugar content is a good option to go for. Ripassa has gone through a second fermentation after having been mixed with left over skins/grapes from the production of Amarone or Recioto. Dark colour, with complex nose of dark cherries and chocolate. The taste is very juicy and smooth. Best red wine choice for most Norwegian Xmas dinners. Valpolicella Ripassa 2008 Zenato Just below 200NOK or 15€ 

What a fantastic lovely Riesling from Pfalz! Packed with fruit and a great minerality. Gorgeous stuff and perfect with seafood and sushi. Hint of petroleum as well. German dry white is really on the way up. Weingut im Sonnenschein 2006, Okonomierat Rebholz, Pfalz Just a great Riesling

A white Burgundy served with fried cod at a local restaurant called Tango. Let it be said that this combination is just fabulous; the white cod meat matches the slightly "fat" white Burgundy perfectly. The wine was slightly buttery and limy on the nose with a wonderful minerality and long aftertaste. It's very difficult to dislike white Burgundies! Puligny Montrachet 2007, Leflaive Burgundy is far from the sea, but still perfect with cod

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.

There is normal Aquavit and then there is this one. Fantastic perfume and wonderful smooth non alcoholic taste! Perfect Xmas gift! or just for yourself! Serve in room temperature and a small wine glass to get the right perfume tones out of the drink. But pricy: 100€ per bottle but less than 1000 bottles produced. So what? Its Xmas.... Perfect with Pinnekjøtt