itWine

My work colleague, Christer Johansson, has a vineyard and has now made his first wines, a red and a white. His brand is called itWine.

He has the following white grapes planted :

• 20 plants Seyval Blanc planted in 2009
• 20 plants Solaris planted in 2009
• 20 plants Orion planted in 2009
• 5 plants Phoenix planted in 2007

and the following red grapes planted :

• 20 plants Fruh Bürgunder planted in 2009
• 5 plants Rondo planted in 2007

This easter Christer and his children moved two rows of grapes. So now he changed to 2 metres spacing between the rows instead of 3. Thus he can now plant two extra rows. In these rows, he will plant Solaris (white) and Bolero (red), 20 plants in each row. The plants has been ordered from Germany but not yet received.

The 2010 red wine is a blend of Rondo and Früh Burgunder.

The 2010 white wine is a blend of Solaris, Seyval Blanc and Orion.

The alcohol level was around 13% for both. Christer added some sugar during the fermentation process for both wines since the sugar level was low in the grapes.

Christer's own comments on his wines are "My red wine from last year is still red. It is the white that has a little red color but not so much as rosé. The red does not taste so well almost undrinkable, but the white is rather good. I will bring bottles with me in June so you can taste."

My tasting notes are :

White Wine 2010
Colour : Pale yellow, orange hues
Aroma : Yeasty, green apples
Taste : Sour green cooking apples, acidic finish




Red Wine 2010
Colour : Bubblegum red (like a Beaujolais Nouveau)
Aroma : Plastic, red berries, chemicals, nail varnish
Taste : Plastic, nail varnish, sour red berries, chemicals, acidic

• 

Both wines were bottles unfined and unfiltered.

Website : itWine
Website : itWine (Facebook)
Website : Christer Johansson

TN : Simonsig Chardonnay 2008, Stellenbosch, South Africa

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



This wine was imported by Tryffelsvinet AB.



Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Buttered toast, oranges, oak, stone fruits

Taste : Fruity, oranges, stone fruits, nuts, buttered toast

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 89 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Simonsig

TN : Zenato Garda Merlot 2008, DOC, Italy

This wine was imported by Hjo Grosshandel AB.

Colour : Deep plummy red

Aroma : Tobacco, herbs, cherries, plums

Taste : Cherries, silky concentrated texture, plums, slight tobacco and herbs

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 129 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Zenato

Book : Gallo Be Thy Name, Jerome Tuccille

This book dwells upon the dark untold story of the Gallo family. It first focuses on the Gallo brothers, Joe and Mike. Joe was the grower and Mike was the dark sheep with the underworld "connections". The mysterious deaths of Joe and his wife are then covered. The causes are still today unknown: maybe it was suicide, maybe it was mob connections, maybe some other reasons.

The lives of their sons Ernest, Julio, and Joe. The picture painted in the book is that Joe gets the deal and does not profit from the success of the company; rightly or wrongly, it is not possible to decide one or the other based upon the evidence presented in the book.

Joe's son, David, is covered. He is presented as a misfit. David also dies in mysterious circumstances; in bathtub.

The Gallos are really only presented in a positive light when discussing Gina and Matt and their Sonoma venture.




Book Details
Gallo Be Thy Name, The inside story of how one family rose to dominate the U.S. wine market, Jerome Tuccille, 2009, Phoenix Books, Inc

TN : Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Trocken 2009, Rheingau, Germany

The true origins of Riesling remain a mystery. Some believe it is a varietal mentioned long ago by the Roman writer Plinius, others feel King Louis the German (843–876) was the first to have had the grape planted in the Rhine Valley. Other experts suspect that Riesling is a mutation of a wild vine of Germanic origin.

In a viticultural dictionary from 1930, Riesling is briefly defined as “Origin: Germany. Probably a seedling from the Rheingau” Trendsetter for the advance of Riesling in the Rheingau was the wine estate at Johannisberg. In 1720, some 294,000 Riesling vines were planted in the vineyards of the old Benedictine abbey. This was such a novelty that cellarmaster Odo Staab made note of it: “In the entire Rheingau, only the grape variety ‘Rüssling’ can be planted for the production of wine”.



In 1775, the benefits of a “Spätlese” (late harvest) were first recognized at the Johannisberg monastery. The year marked the beginning of a deliberately scheduled late harvest of botrytized grapes that yield the lusciously sweet Rieslings that led to the grape’s fame and image throughout Europe. They graced the tables of every royal house, from kings to emperors to czars. Together with the great white and red Pinots of Burgundy and red wines of Bordeaux, Riesling was part of the quartet of the most famous and most expensive wines at the start of the 20th century. To this day, in many wine-growing regions of the New World, the name “Johannis-berger” is synonymous with Riesling.

Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Lemon, lime, minerals, honey

Taste : Bone dry, sharp lemon, minerals, honey

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 13,50 Euro (Eurotrade Flughafen Muenchen Duty Free 2011-05-20)

Website : Schloss Johannisberg

TN : Chateau Des Jacques Moulin-A-Vent 2009, Maison Louis Jadot, Beaujolais, France

The grapes for this wine were harvested on the 15th September 2009. The average yield was 38 hectolitres per hectare. Half of the wine was matured in oak for ten months and the other half rested in steel tanks. The winemakers were Jacques Lardiere and Guilaume de Castelnau.



Colour : Red, blue hues

Aroma : Blueberry, raspberry, herbs

Taste : Blueberry, raspberry, herbs, spice, acidic chalky finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 159 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Maison Louis Jadot

TN : Chateau Des Jacques Morgon 2009, Maison Louis Jadot, Beaujolais, France

Maison Louis Jadot has been operating in Beaujolais since 1996 when it purchased Chateau des Jacques.



Colour : Red, blue hues

Aroma : Blueberry, red fruits, herbs

Taste : Blueberry, raspberry, herbs, acidic finish

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 139 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Maison Louis Jadot

TN : Doennhoff Oberhaeuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett 2009, Weingut Hermann Doennhoff, Nahe, Germany

Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Honey and barley sugar, lemon, pears, this wine smells sweeter than it really is

Taste : Honey, lemon, lime, sweet balanced by the increasing zingy citrus long finish

Alcohol : 9%

Price : 185 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Weingut Doennhoff

TN : Ros'Aura Beneventano Rosato 2010, IGT, Feudi di San Gregorio, Campania, Italy

This wine is 100% Aglianico. Alcoholic fermentation was in stainless steel tanks at a temperature between 16 and 18 degrees. The wine then spent a further four months maturing in stainless steel. This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

This wine was imported by Spendrups Bryggeri AB.

Colour : Bright raspberry pink

Aroma : Raspberry, strawberry, redcurrants, herbs

Taste : Raspberry, strawberry, herbs, oranges

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 85 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Feudi di San Gregorio

TN : Moscofilero Vintage 2010, Domaine Skouras, Peloponnese, Greece

The vineyards are located at an altitude of 750 metres at Mantinia. The soils are sandy. The average age of the vines is 25 years. The average yield was 45 hectolitres per hectare. The grapes were harvested at the beginning of October 2010.



The must was subjected to a skin contact for four hours at 12 degrees. This wine was fermented in stainless steel vats at 16 degress. This was followed by no malolactic fermentation and a short aging over fine lees. The TA is 5.9 grammes per litre. The pH is 3.15.



This wine was imported by Oenoforos AB.

Colour : Watery pale straw

Aroma : Elderflowers, orange, lemon, pears, almond

Taste : Lemon, pear, almond, white grapes, spice, spritzy finish

Alcohol : 12.2%

Price : 89 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Domaine Skouras

TN : Gager Ried Fabian Blaufraenkisch 2008, Mittelburgenland, Austria

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



This wine was imported by Haugen-Gruppen Wine & Spirits AB.

Colour : Dark plummy red

Aroma : Blackcurrant, milk chocolate, plums, christmas spices, oak, burnt toast

Taste : Blackcurrant, spice, liqourice, plums

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 108 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Weingut Gager

TN : Akarua Pinot Noir 2009, Central Otago, New Zealand

Akarua Estate vineyard was planted by Sir Clifford Skeggs in 1996. It is located within the Bannockburn subregion of Central Otago. The grapes come from blocks Kawarua13, 10/5, Clutha 5, and Southview. The vineyard aspect is North/West and the vine orientation is East/West. The vineyard is located at 270 metres. The vineyard soil is young alluvial, schist based sandy/silt and sandy loams. The vine age is 13 years. The trellis system used is two cane VSP. The vines were shoot thinned and crop thinned to 2 kg of fruit per vine. The grapes were block harvested between the 9th April and 15th of May 2009. 2009 was a cooler growing season than normal and there 950-980 GDD with early autumn frosts (September 2008 - April 2009). There was less than 320 mm of rain between September and April.

There was no whole-bunch fermentation. The grapes underwent a five day pre-fermentation maceration. The must was inoculated with various strains of yeast. The heat during fermentation peaked at 31 degrees and the cap was punched down twice daily. There was then a six day post-fermentation maceration. The wine spent ten months in 25% new French barriques which were subjected to a medium-plus toast. The oak was sourced from various coopers and came mostly from Alliers & Vosges forests.

The Viticulturalist was Gillian Wilson, the Winemaker was Matt Connell. The wine was bottled in February 2010. The Brix at Harvest was between 22 and 24. The Titratable Acidity is six grammes per litre. The pH is 3.51. This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

In earlier years, the Akarua Pinot Noir was referred to as the "Gullies".



This wine was imported by Domaine Wines and Spirits AB.

Colour : Red/blue hues

Aroma : Spice, strawberries, raspberries, oak, milk chocolate

Taste : Strawberries, coffee, ginger, long spicy warm finish

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 219 SEK

Mark : B+

Website : Akarua Winery

TN : Franconia Bacchus 2009 Nordheimer Voegelein Spaetlese, Divino Nordheim, Franken, Germany

This bottle was sealed with a glass stopper.





Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Lemon, spice, honey, green apple

Taste : Lemon, spice, green apple, honey, off dry, leafy on finish

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 11,90 Euro (Eurotrade Flughafen Muenchen Duty Free 2011-05-20)

Mark : C+

Website : Divino Nordheim

TN : Trivento Eolo Malbec 2007, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina

The grapes for this wine come from vines planted in 1912. Trivento means Three Winds: the Polar, Zonda, and Sudestada winds blow across the sunny and arid land of Mendoza. From the back label, "Eola, Keeper of the Winds, displays his power in spellbound lands. Freeing the Polar, Zonda, and Sudestada winds in a whim, in Mendoza, the enigmatic and mystical God picked out our terrain. Rushing through the vineyards, shaping grapes Eola yields heavenly fruit for this potent symbol and seductive wine. Our finest wine is fitting tribute to the God of the Wind.



Colour : Dark blueberry/blackberry

Aroma : Toast, oak, tobacco, blackberry, violets

Taste : Oak, burnt toast, tobacco, blackberry, blueberry, opened up after an hour

Alcohol : 14.5 %

Price : 349 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Trivento Bodegas Y Vinedos

TN : Neudorf Pinot Noir Rose 2010, Kina, New Zealand

The grapes for this wine come from Kina. All were hand harvested at 23.9 Brix, 3.61 pH and 6 grammes per litre TA. The fruit was destemmed and soaked overnight prior to pressing. Smaller portions of juice were bled off from other Pinot Noir ferments and fermented with the Kina juice. The fermentation was controlled to give a dry style and the wine was left on yeast lees briefly prior to stabilising. Analysis at August bottling was 3.57 pH, 6.2 grammes per litre TA, and 3.9 grammes per litre residual sugar. This wine was bottled with minimum fining or filtration. 400 cases were produced. The winemaker was John Kavanaugh. The wine was produced by Tim and Jundy Finn.


This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

This wine was imported by JPC Wines AB.

Colour : Pale red/orange

Aroma : Strawberry, raspberry, clotted cream

Taste : Dry, strawberry, raspberry, herbs

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 149 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Neudorf Vineyards

TN : Leyda Single Vineyard Pinot Noir Rose 2010, Loica Vineyard, Vina Leyda, Leyda Valley, Chile

The Loica vineyard is situated in Leyda which is 12km from the Pacific ocean. The vineyard is planted with clone 777 of Pinot Noir. The vineyard soil is clay. A Loica is a Chilean bird with a red breast similar to a Robin.

The Leyda train station building depicted on the label, was once the last train stop before travelers from Santiago reached the Pacific Ocean. In 1983, the building was burnt by an accidental fire. The word Leyda has also come to mean ‘the way’ in local parlance.

Viña Leyda was founded in 1997. It has planted vineyards of a total of 245 hectares.



This wine was imported by WineWorld AB.

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

Colour : Strawberry pink

Aroma : Raspberry, strawberry, herbs, vanilla

Taste : Lime, strawberry, herbs

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 129 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Vina Leyda

TN : Rust En Vrede Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Stellenbosch, South Africa

The proprietor of Rust En Vrede Estate is Jean Engelbrecht. The winemaker was Coenie Snyman.



This wine was imported by The WineAgency AB.

Colour : Dark red, blue hues

Aroma : Green pepper, blackcurrant, milk chocolate, toasty oak

Taste : Blackcurrant, vanilla, green pepper, burnt toast

Alcohol : 15%

Price : 199 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Rust En Vrede

TN : Belguardo Rose, 2010, Marchesi Mazzei, Maremma, Tuscany, Italy

The Belguardo estate is located in the Maremma on the hills between Grosseto and Montiano, near the National Park “dell'Uccellina”, about ten kilometers from the coast. The grapes for this wine come from Montebottigli at 70-130 metres having a South-South West exposure. The vineyard soils are mainly Sandstone and Limestone. The age of the vineyards was seven years at the time of harvest. There is an average of 6,600 vines per hectare. The vine training system used is Spur cordon.



This wine is a blend of 50% Syrah and 50% Sangiovese. The total acidity is 6.30. All of the grapes used to make this wine were handharvested on the 6th September 2010. The wine was bottled in February 2011. 33,000 bottles were produced. This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

This wine was imported by Johan Lidby Vinhandel AB.

Colour : Pale strawberry

Aroma : Redcurrants, lemon, herbs

Taste : Redcurrants, strawberry, creamy, herbs, lemon, bone dry

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 89 SEK

Website : Mazzei

TN : Ghiaie della Furba 2005, Rosso di Toscana, IGT, Tenuta di Capezzana, Conte Contini Bonacossi, Carmignano, Italy

The winery was created in 1979 by Ugo and Vittorio Contini Bonacossi. The first vineyard, made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, was situated on the pebbly, alluvial soil of the Furba stream, after which the wine is named. In 1992 the S. Alessandro vineyard (entirely Cabernet Sauvignon) became productive and the wine's blend of grape varieties was modified. In 1998, Syrah grapes were added. This wine is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 20% Syrah. The wine has spent 14 months in French oak.



This wine was imported by Vinobele AB.

Colour : Dark red, brown hues

Aroma : Spice, dried fruits, dark fruits

Taste : Spice, dried raisins and sultanas, blackcurrant, plums, nuts

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 295 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Tenuta di Capezzana

TN : Syrah by Rudi Schultz 2007, Stellenbosch, South Africa

All of the grapes were bought from Bellevue Wine Estate and vinified at Thelema Mountain Vineyards where Rudi Schultz has been the winemaker with cellar master Gyles Webb since 2000. Prior to that, Rudi Schultz worked at Jordan which is also based in Stellenbosch.

This wine was matured for 20 months in French oak.



This wine was imported by JPC Wines AB.

Colour : Dark blackcurrant

Aroma : Blackcurrant, plums, blackberry, tobacco, mint, meaty

Taste : Tobacco, blackberry, blackcurrant, mint, burnt toast, meaty notes, coffee, long finish

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 199 SEK

Mark : B-

TN : Chateau Pont Saint-Martin 2006, Pessac-Leognan, Graves, Bordeaux, France

It was Bernard and Françoise Fontaine who established Chateau Pont Saint Martin in the heart of Pessac-Léognan. The vineyard soil is a combination of grave land sand, with a clay substrata. The grapes undergo a cold maceration prior to fermentation, malolactic fermentation and maturation with the lees in oak barrels, 40–50% of which are new.



Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Cedar, tobacco, blackcurrant, plums

Taste : Lots of upfront cedar, tobacco, blackcurrant, plums

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 195 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Chateau Pont Saint-Martin

TN : Domaine de Muret Viognier 2010, Pays d'Oc, Domaine de Castelnau, France

This wine was imported by Spendrups Bryggeri AB.



Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Peach, apricot, pears

Taste : Apricot, pineapple, mandarin, peachy, oack, creamy texture

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 72 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Domaine de Castelnau

TN : Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Margaret River, Australia

Vasse Felix was planted in 1967 by Dr. Tom Cully. It was the first vineyard and winery to be established in the Margaret River region. Vasse Felix is owned and operated by the Holmes a Court family. The Vasse Felix wines are crafted by Chief Winemaker Virginia Willcock.



The name ‘Vasse Felix’ was inspired by an early event in the district. Thomas Vasse was a French seaman who disappeared after his longboat overturned near the site of Busselton whilst exploring the treacherous South West Coastline of Western Australia (an expedition of Captain Hamelin’s Naturaliste and Captain Baudin’s Geographe) Felix was Hamelin’s middle name, and is the Latin word for lucky.

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

This wine was imported by Vinunic AB.

Colour : Red, brown, blue hues

Aroma : Blackcurrant, mint, oak, vanilla, milk chocolate

Taste : Blackcurrant, cedar, mint, vanilla, silky texture

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 219 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Vasse Felix Winery

TN : Chateau Reysson Reserve du Chateau 2007, Cru Bourgeois, Dourthe, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France

This wine is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot.

The estate belongs to the Japanese wine and spirits company Mercian Corporation. Dourthe has been managing Chateau Reysson since 2001. The estate encompassed 40 hectares. The chateau was classified as Cru Bourgeois Superieur in 2003.



Under the vestiges of the medieval castle that was the first to bear the name Reysson, archaeologists have discovered the remains of the theatre of Noviomagus, the ancient town of the Bituriges Vivisques tribe who founded Burdigala (Bordeaux) in the 3rd century B.C.

The quality of its wines was recognised at an early date, with Château Reysson featuring in 1850 among the Crus Remarquables de Vertheuil ranked by Charles Cocks, author of the famous work “Bordeaux et ses Vins” edited by Michel Féret.

This wine was imported by Vinunic AB.

Colour : Plummy red

Aroma : Herbs, tobacco, cedar, blackcurrants, plums

Taste : Tobacco, cedar, blackcurrants, plums

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 169 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Vins et Vignobles Dourthe