Don, De Origen Noble, 2002, Vina Santa Helena, Colchagua Valley, Chile

Vina Santa Helena is part of San Pedro Tarapacá Wine Group. Vina Santa Helena is owned by CCU, the largest beverages producer and manufacturer in Chile.



Colour : Deep purple

Aroma : Green pepper, blackcurrant, milk chocolate, coffee

Taste : Milk chocolate, blueberry, blackcurrant, green pepper, coffee, smooth, toast, concentrated, warm finish

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 299 SEK

Mark : A

Website : Vina Santa Helena

TN : The Ojai Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008, Santa Barbara County, California, USA

This wine was matured in French barriques of which one third were new. 52% of the grapes came from Solomon Hills, 32% came from Bien Nacido, and 16% came from Presido. All of the grapes were hand-harvested.



This wine was imported by Divine AB.

Colour : Red/purple

Aroma : Spice, strawberry, mint, oak, funky, oriental spices

Taste : Oak, strawberry, oriental spices, oak, herbs, oak, warm finish, lacking fruit, boring, drinkable if nothing else is available

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 289 SEK

Mark : C-

Website : The Ojai Vineyard
Website : Divine AB

TN : Chateau Ducluzeau 2004, Listrac, Medoc, Bordeaux, France

Chateau Ducluzeau is run by Jean-Eugène Borie, under the Bruno Borie/Château Ducru Beaucaillou umbrella. The vineyard is 4.9 hectares and only the best soils, situated on the Listrac gravel plateau, have been kept for winegrowing. Harvesting is strictly by hand and the vines have an average age of 40 years. The Château is committed to green practices and low density plantings. The wines are matured for 14-18 months in oak barriques, 40% of which are new.



Colour : Plum

Aroma : Cedar, blackcurrant, plum, slight wood notes

Taste : Plum, blackcurrant, cedar, wood

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 127 SEK (375 ml bottle)

Mark : C+

TN : E. Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape 2005, Southern Rhone, France

This wine is a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, and 5% other varieties. The average age of the vines is 45 years. The average yield was 33 hectolitres per hectare.



The wine was made in a traditional manner using temperature controlled alcoholic fermentation. followed by three weeks maceration in tanks. The wine was matured for two years in oak foudres. 185,000 bottles were produced.



Colour : Dark purple, slight browning on rim

Aroma : Spicy, milk chocolate, liqourice, plums, blueberry, blackberry

Taste : Overly chalky tannic hot finish which spoils the wine, pepper, liqourice, blackberry, blueberry

Alcohol : 15%

Price : 295 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : E. Guigal

TN : Rene Mure Gentil Signature 2009, Alsace, France

This wine is a blend of 25% Sylvaner, 25% Gewurztraminer, 24% Pinot Blanc, 16% Riesling, and 10% Pinot Gris. The wine was sealed with a screwcap. Interestingly enough, the back label has a sweetness scale which is very useful for wines from Alsace in particular. This wine is marked as being dry which it is.



Colour : Very pale lemon

Aroma : Honey, floral, pear, apples, white grapes

Taste : White grapes, honey, pear, grapefruit

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 92 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Rene Mure

TN : Vitikult 2007, Weingut K+K Kirnbauer, Riede Neuberg, Mittelburgenland, Austria

The wine is 100% Blaufraenkisch. This wine spent 18 months in used barriques. Total acidity is 6.5 grammes per litre and the residual sugar is 2.0 grammes per litre.



This wine was bottled in May 2009 and then sealed with a screwcap.



The K + K Kirnbauer Estate is operated as a family enterprise by Walter and Irmgard Kirnbauer.



Colour : Dark red/blue

Aroma : Spicy, oak, herbs, blueberry, raspberry

Taste : Red fruits, blueberry, very spicy on finish, herbs, pepper on finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 118 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Weingut K+K Kirnbauer

TN : Sandalford Estate Reserve Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2008, Margaret River, Australia

This wine is a blend of 67% Sauvignon Blanc and 33% Semillon. Twenty percent of the wine was stored for three months in two year old French barriques.



Sandalford Wines was established in 1840. Peter and Debra Prendiville bought the property in 1991.

This wine was sealed with a screwcap. The wine was imported by Carovin AB.

Colour : Light yellow

Aroma : Oak, lemon, mineral, gooseberry

Taste : Lemon, blackcurrant, leafy, mineral, line, nettles, gooseberry

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 119 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Sandalford Wines
Website : Carovin AB

TN : Chateau de Chantegrive 2004, Red, Graves, Grand Vin de Bordeaux, France

This wine comes from a 60 hectare vineyard. The soil is sand and pebbles over limestone and clay subsoil. The wine is a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon all of which were hand-harvested. The average age of the vines is 25 years. Fermentation was in stainless steel vats and the wine was agwed for 18 months in barrels of which one third were new. Fining was done using egg whites.

Colour : Dark red, very slight browning at edges

Aroma : Plums, blackcurrant, leather, earthy

Taste : Plums, blackcurrant, leather, mineral, drying tannins on finish

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 130 SEK (375ml bottle)

Mark : C

Website : Chateau de Chantegrive

TN : Craggy Range Single Vineyard Riesling 2008, Glasnevin Gravels Vineyard, Waipara, New Zealand

This wine is very like a German Mosel Riesling minus the mineral content. The wine was sealed with a screwcap.



This wine was imported by Divine AB.



Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Floral, slight petrol notes, honey, oranges, lemons

Taste : Oranges, lemons, limes, honey, petrol, semi-dry, very fruity, long finish, slight ginger

Alcohol : 10%

Price : 169 SEK

Mark : A-

Website : Craggy Range Winery
Website : Divine AB

TN : Domaine Gerovassiliou Syrah 2005, Epanomi, Greece

This wine won a gold medal at the 2006 Concours Mondial in Brussels.





Colour : Blackberry

Aroma : Sandalwood, toast, dark fruits

Taste : Developed, toasty oak, blackberry, blueberry, talcum powder tannins on finish

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 229 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Domaine Gerovassiliou

TN : Domaine Gerovassiliou Viognier 2009, Epanomi, Greece

This wine won a gold medal in the 2010 Decanter World Wine Awards.



The grapes for this wine were fermented in new French oak barrels and matured on lees for six months.



Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Mandarin oranges, almond, herbs

Taste : Peach, pineapple, mandarin oranges, almonds, herbs

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 179 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Domaine Gerovassiliou

TN : Errazuriz Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2010, Central Valley, Chile

This wine is a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec.



This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

Colour : Bright raspberry

Aroma : Strawberry, blackcurrant, melon

Taste : Strawberry, raspberry, melon, blackcurrant, grapefruit

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 69 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Vina Errazuriz

TN : Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Marlborough, New Zealand

Probably New Zealand's most famous wine. Cloudy Bay Vineyards was established in 1985 by Cape Mentelle Vineyards in Western Australia, and is today part of Estates & Wines. The winery takes its name from the bay at the eastern extremity of the Wairau Valley, which was named Cloudy Bay by Captain Cook on his voyage to New Zealand in 1770.



This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

Colour : Very pale straw

Aroma : Asparagus, lemon, passion fruit, gooseberry, peach

Taste : Gooseberry, blackcurrant, leafy, grassy, lemon

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 199 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Cloudy Bay Vineyards Ltd

TN : Robert Craig Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Napa Valley, California, USA

The 26 acre vineyard site is located at 1800 feet on the slopes of the Southwestern Mayacamus range and was planted in 1990. The vineyard soil is sandstone and blue slate.



This wine was imported by Primewine Sweden AB.

Colour : Blackcurrant, slight brown notes

Aroma : Blackcurrant, vanilla, cedar

Taste : Blackcurrant, blackberry, cedar, vanilla, dust tannic finish, good upfront fruit but became tired tasting after about 10 minutes in the glass

Alcohol : 14.9%

Price : 323 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Robert Craig Wine Cellars
Website : Primewine Sweden AB

TN : Catena Alta Malbec 2006, Bodega Catena Zapata, Mendoza, Argentina

The grapes for this wine were sourced from small estate grown vineyards. The Angelica vineyard is at 2,850 feet elevation (10%), the La Piramide vineyard is at 3,100 feet elevation (6%), the Nicasia vineyard is at 3,870 feet elevation (30%), and the Adrianna vineyard is at 4,725 feet elevation (54%). This wine spent one and half years in French oak of which 70% was new. The total acidity is 5.57 grammes per litre and the pH is 3.63. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.



This wine was imported by VinUnic AB.

Colour : Deep purple

Aroma : Coffee, toasty oak, plums, herbs, cherry, blackberry

Taste : Coffee, toasty oak, blackberry, plums, herbs, tannic and taught, not giving much away currently, leave for 2 to 3 years and then try again

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 295 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Bodega Catena Zapata
Website : VinUnic AB

TN : Viu Manent El Olivar Alto Malbec 2007, Single Vineyard, Colchagua Valley, Chile

The grapes for this wine come from Malbec blocks 6 and 7 and Petit Verdot block 20 of the El Olivar Estate vineyard. This is a limited edition wine made from vines with an age of 7 years and planted at a density of 2,899 plants per hectare. All of the grapes were hand-harvested and the wine was fermented in small stainless steel tanks and then aged for 18 months in new French (93%) and American (7%) oak barrels. The wine was bottled on December 4th 2008 and 17,365 bottles were produced.



This wine received 90 points from Robert Parker's 2009 Wine Advocate.



Colour : Dark blackberry

Aroma : Blackberry, herbs, cherry, blueberry

Taste : Mineral, blackberry, violets, spicy on finish

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 229 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Viu Manent Winery

TN : Shaw and Smith Shiraz 2006, Adelaide Hills, Australia

Shaw and Smith was established in 1989 by cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith.



The grapes for this wine were sourced from the warmer, drier parts of the Adelaide Hills around Macclesfield and low yielding Shiraz from Balhannah, near the Shaw and Smith Winery. The soil structures in the region are shallow red/brown loam over schist and clay. The vines are planted to a high density of between 2700 to 5500 vines per hectare. All the vines are hand pruned and trained to have vertical shoot position canopies. The yields were restricted to 1.8 kg per vine and all the grapes were hand-picked. The wine was matured in new (1/3) and older French oak barriques for 14 months. The total acidity is 6.7 grammes per litre and the pH is 3.47.

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



Colour : Dark blackberry

Aroma : Liqourice, blackberry, spice, black pepper, slightly meaty

Taste : Blackberry, blueberry, spice and black pepper on finish, slightly meaty

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 142 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Shaw and Smith

TN : Clos de l'Echo 2005, Couly-Dutheil, Chinon, Loire, France

Colour : Red, blue hues

Aroma : Blackcurrant, herbs, black pepper

Taste : Drying tannins on finish, herbs, fruity blackcurrant, black pepper on finish (leave 1-2 years for tannins to soften)

Alcohol : 15%

Price : 189 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Couly-Dutheil

Home Viticulture : Petit Verdot

I have invested in my second vine this year. Time to branch out into vinifera and I have purchased Petiti Verdot. I am not sure if it will survive the Swedish winter outside so this will be grown indoors on the window sill.



This is the Frankenthaler from last year.

TN : Sabanis Red Dry Wine, Central Greece

This wine is a blend of Cabernet, Agiorgitiko, and Syrah. Each variety was vinified separately. The Agiorgitiko underwent 8 days of maceration and the Cabernet 10 days. Malolactic fermentation and partial maturation was in French oak barrels for six months.



In 1980 Tasos Sampanis, a Mechanical Engineer, and his wife Elli, created in Ritsona, Avlida, the Sabanis winery. Their state-of-the-art winery, situated in the heart of the winemaking zone of Agios Ioannis, Avlida, is 15 km outside the city of Halkida. The climate is characterized as Mediterranean with cold winters, a warm summer and a long dry fall. The soil is of an average sand-argillaceous type. The vineyards are semi-mountainous, at an altitude of between 350 and 450 metres, and are cooled by the South Euboic Sea. The privately owned vineyards today amount to 28 acres and 15 more acres were added as of the end of 2007.

Colour : Red

Aroma : Pepper, oak, blueberry

Taste : White and black pepper, earthy, blueberry, spice, fruits of the forest, very peppery

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 195 SEK (Restaurant Samos, Tyresö, Sweden)

Mark : B-

Website : Sabanis Estate
Website : Restaurang Samos

TN : Asyrtiko 2008, White Dry Wine, Domaine Sigalas, Santorini, Greece

The grapes for this wine were grown on volcanic soils on the island of Santorini.

Domaine Sigalas was founded in 1991 by Paris Sigalas, Christos Markozane and Yiannis Toundas. Initially, the Sigalas winery was accommodated at the traditional winery of Paris Sigalas family. Later on in 1998, a new wine production, bottling and maturity unit was built and activated in Oia, the northern part of Santorini Island. Today, after constant investments on technology modernization and expansions the current productive structure is formed, which allows the elaboration and bottling of 200.000 bottles a year. The company cultivates 19 hectares of vineyards with local varieties and produces 200,000 bottles a year.

Colour : Yellow

Aroma : Almond, marzipan, lemon

Taste : Hazelnuts, marzipan, earthy, dirty, sharp lemon, minerals

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 149 SEK

Mark : C-

Website : Domaine Sigalas