TN : Chateau Belgrave 2006, Grand Cru Classe en 1855, Vignobles Dourthe, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France

This wine is a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot. This wine opened up after an hour in the decanter.



Colour : Blackcurrant

Aroma : Blackcurrant, plums, tobacco, herbs, toasted oak, vanilla

Taste : Blackcurrant, plums, coffee, herbs, drying tannic finish, still tight - try again in two years

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 289 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Vins et Vignobles Dourthe

TN : Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Napa Valley, California, USA

Warren Winiarski founded Stag's Leap Wine Cellars in 1970. The winery's 1973 SLV Cabernet Sauvignon won the best red in the, now legendary, 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting. Artemis is the greek goddess of the hunt and is often pictured with a stag by her side.



This wine was imported by Ward Wines AB.

Colour : Dark deep purple

Aroma : Blackcurrant, vanilla, mint, coffee, oak, plums

Taste : Blackcurrant, oak, vanilla, coffee, sandpaper textured tannins on finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 300 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

TN : Cono Sur Vision Chardonnay 2008, Casablanca Valley, Chile

The winemaker was Adolfo Hurtado. The wine was sealed with a screwcap. The grapes came from the El Centinela estate. The vineyard soils are mineral with red clay. All of the grapes wer hand picked on the 29th March 2008. 60% of the wine was aged in barrels and 40% in stainless steel tanks for seven months. The finished wine was bottled in October 2008. The pH at bottling was 3.32, residual sugar was 5.6 grammes per litre, and the total acidity was 7.17 grammes per litre.



Colour : Lemon

Aroma : Pineapple, banana, vanilla, oak, stone fruits

Taste : Pineapple, butter, vanilla, oak, slight bitter almond and oranges on finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 95 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Vina Cono Sur

Book : Chateau Lafite 1953 - and other stories, Malcolm Gluck

This book is a non-factual fiction book (Malcolm "Superplonk" Gluck's first foray into fiction writing) where each story is loosely associated to a particular bottle of wine.



The stories are quite varied and consist of a murder mystery, a young man's introduction to wine and his loss of virginity to his sister-in-law, a wine writer being replaced, a wine writer being setup to order a ridiculously priced bottle of wine at a restaurant, a man who retires from a factory, a women mistaken for being Jancis Robinson, a wine merchant who ends up at Tesco and meets a woman from South Africa, a bottle of wine made up of the contents of a spittoon, a wine writer who accepts perks which he shouldn't do, the preparation of the travel programme for a range of wine personalities visiting Argentina, a wine writer who writes under two identities, a female author who gets it together up one of her attendees at a book signing, a woman on a TV chat show, an old woman and man who live in the same block of flats and have a common interest in wine, and a TV presenter of a wine programme who can't smell a thing.

While some of the stories are much more interesting than the others, I would thoroughly recommend this book as a source of wine-related entertainment.

TN : Redmont 2006, Weingut Markowitsch, Caruntum, Austria

This wine is a blend of Zweigelt, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.



Colour : Red, blue hues

Aroma : Oak, raspberry, violets, raspberry

Taste : Polished oak furniture, blueberry, raspberry, blackcurrant

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 14,90 Euro (Vienna Airport TVW Travel GmbH 12th January 2009)

Mark : B-

Website : Weingut Markowitsch

TN : Naeli Vermentino Di Sardegna 2009, Cantine Di Dolianova, Sardinia, Italy

The grapes for this wine come from Parteolla and neighbouring areas, with medium consistency soils, clayey limestone of Miocene origin, medium height hilly land with a sub-arid climate.



The grapes are protected from maderization from the time of picking, so as to preserve their primary aromas. There then follows a cold static settling of the must then the alcoholic fermentation is started using selected yeasts. The fermentation temperature was twelve degrees. After a short development with its noble lees, the wine was bottled early to preserve its' freshness.



Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Pear, pineapple, herbs, lemon

Taste : Pineapple, lemon, pear, herbs and bitter almonds on finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 85 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Cantine Di Dolianova

TN : Chateau Malescasse 2005, Cru Bourgeois, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France

This wine is rated 15.4 points by Decanter magazine.

Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Earthy, cedar, dark fruits

Taste : Earthy, talculm powder texture and tannins, plums, blackcurrant, cedar

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 174 SEK (Systembolaget 31st October 2008)

Mark : C+

Website : Chateau Malescasse

TN : Crognolo 2007, IGT, Tenuta Sette Ponti, Tuscany, Italy

Colour : Dark black/red

Aroma : Oak, milk chocolate, cherry, herbs

Taste : Toasty oak, milk chocolate, blackcurrant, cherry, herbs, liqourice, warm finish

Alcohol : 14.5 %

Price : 219 SEK

Mark : B+

Website : Tenuta Sette Ponti

TN : De Martino Single Vineyard Las Cruces Old Bush Vines 2007, D. O. Cachapoal Valley, Chile

The grapes for this wine come from the dry-farmed Las Cruces vineyard which was planted almost 70 years ago. The wine is a natural field blend dominated by Carmenere and Malbec. The vineyards are planted on granitic soils, that originate from the Jurassic age. The grapes were hand picked on May 8th 2010. The wine was aged for 14 months in French oak barrels.



This wine smells much better than it tastes. I don't think the Malbec addition does this wine any favours and it would be better off as straight Carmenere.



This wine was imported by Domaine Wines.

Colour : Dark blackcurrant

Aroma : Toast, oak, dark fruits, floral, milk chocolate, green pepper

Taste : Dark fruits, coffee, tobacco, herbs, thin texture, green pepper

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 189 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : De Martino

TN : Elvis The King of Rock N' Roll Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, California, USA

The label says "Special Edition Elv75 Birthday 2010".



The wine was vinted and bottled by Elvis Presley Cellars.



Colour : Red, blue hues

Aroma : Jammy, blackcurrant, vanilla, oak

Taste : Jammy, blackcurrant, vanilla, oak, herbs

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 109 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Rock'N'Wines

TN : Catena Chardonnay 2009, Bodega Catena Zapata, Mendoza, Argentina

The grapes for this wine were sourced from the Lujan de Cuyo vineyard at 940 metres altitude (40%) and the Tupungato vineyard at 1,500 metres altitude (60%).



This wine was imported by VinUnic AB.

Colour : Lemon

Aroma : Sweetcorn, pineapple, mandarin orange, butter

Taste : Sweetcorn, pineapple, butter, oak

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 119 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Bodega Catena Zapata
Website : VinUnic AB

Wine Stories at Wine Sur

I just received an email from Gonzalo Merino over at Wine Sur. They are running a great little mini site dedicated to Argentinian wines. However, it is not simply a wine review site but allows the wineries to each present a story about a wine they produce in less than 100 words.

So visit the web site and vote for you favourite wine story today !.

Website : My Wine Story Wine Sur

TN : Siefersheimer Riesling Trocken vom Porphyr 2008, Weingut Wagner Stempel, Rheinhessen, Germany

This wine was imported by Moestue Grape Selections AB.



Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Mineral, honey, pineapple, lime

Taste : Extreme mineral finish, pineapple, honey, lemon and lime

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 149 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Weingut Wagner Stempel
Website : Moestue Grape Selections AB

TN : Tsantali Naousa Reserve 2006, Evangelos Tsantalis, Naousa, Greece

This wine is made from the native Xinomavro grape.



Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Plums, oak

Taste : Overoaked, nice fruit, raspberry, plums, blueberry

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 239 SEK (Restaurant Samos, Stockholm, Sweden)

Mark : C+

Website : Tsantali
Website : Restaurang Samos

TN : Pieve dei Monaci Syrah 2007, IGT, Pieve Vecchia, Maremma, Tuscany, Italy

Colour : Dark blackberry

Aroma : Spice, blackberry, white pepper, herbs

Taste : Blackberry, milk chocolate, herbs, pepper on finish

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 113 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Cantina Pieve Vecchia

TN : Ruit Hora Vendemmia 2007, Caccia Al Piano 1868, DOC Bolgheri, Italy

This wine is a blend of 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Syrah.



Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Cherry, plums, milk chocolate, oak

Taste : Fruity, blackcurrant, cherry, oak, plums, milk chocolate on finish

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 129 SEK

Mark : B+

Website : Berlucchi

TN : Zeltlinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2008, Weingut Selbach-Ostler, Mosel, Germany

The vineyards which are the source of the grapes end at the church at the southern end of Zeltingen. The vineyard is located on a very steep slope with large outcroppings of rock. The soil consists of large chunks of blue Devonian slate, very shallow subsoil of decomposed slate on top of slate bedrock.



This wine was sealed with a screwcap. The wine was imported by Moestue Grape Selections.

Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Honey, mineral, pear, petrol

Taste : Honey, oranges, mineral, lime, petrol, some sweetness

Alcohol : 8.5%

Price : 166 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Weingut Selbach-Ostler
Website : Moestue Grape Selections

TN : Renacer 2007, Bodega Renacer, Mendoza, Argentina

This wine is 100% Malbec. The grapes come from the Uco Valley and Lujan de Cuyo. The vineyards are more than 50 years old with yield of less than four tonnes per hectacre. All the grapes were handharvested into 17 Kg boxes. The must underwent an 11 day maceration at 8 degrees. Alcoholic fermentation was done using native yeasts and lasted 17 days in new French oak barriques. Malolactic fermentation was in new French oak barriques. The wine was aged for 24 months in new French oak. The finished wine was aged for 6 months in bottle before release.

The winemakers were Alberto Antonini and Pablo Profili. The pH is 3.6, residual sugar is 2.3 grammes per litre, and the total acidity is 5.9 grammes per litre. Only 5,005 bottles were produced.



This wine received 94 points from The Wine Advocate.

Colour : Deep purple

Aroma : Oaky, blackberry, vanilla, soy sauce, violets

Taste : Blackcurrant, blackberry, vanilla, polished oak

Alcohol : 15%

Price : 299 SEK

Mark : B+

Website : Bodega Renacer
Website : The Wineagency AB

TN : Ethos Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Chateau Ste Michelle, Columbia Valley, Washington State, USA

The grapes for this wine were sourced from seven key sites in the Columbia Valley. The wine was aged for 22 months in French and American oak. The wine is a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 3% Syrah. 2,300 cases were produced. The pH is 3.84 and the Total Acidity is 0.59 grammes per 100 millilitres.



This wine received 90 points from Wine Spectator and 92 points from The Wine Advocate.

This wine was imported by VinUnic.



Colour : Dark blackcurrant

Aroma : Blackcurrants, oak, vanilla

Taste : Blackcurrant, plum, oak, vanilla, liqourice, grippy tannic finish

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 299 SEK

Price : B+

Website : Chateau Ste Michelle
Website : VinUnic

TN : Fritz Zimmer Riesling Spaetlese Feinherb 2009, Roemerhof Weinkellerei, Mosel, Germany

Roemerhof Weinkellerei was founded in 1979 and is based in Trittenheim on the river Mosel.

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Honey, lemon, oranges, pear

Taste : Honey, pear, lemon, lime, slight oranges, some sweetness

Alcohol : 9.5%

Price : 89 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Roemerhof Weinkellerei

TN : Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Bodega Catena Zapata, Mendoza, Argentina

The fruit is source from the La Piramide vineyard at 3,100 feet elevation (50%) and the Domingo vineyard at 3,700 feet elevation (50%). The acidity ia 5.85 and the pH is 3.67. The winemaker was Alejandro Vigil.



This wine was imported by VinUnic AB.

Colour : Blackcurrant

Aroma : Oak, plums, blackcurrant, liqourice

Taste : Upfront oak which needs a year or two to calm down and integrate, plum, blackcurrant, liqourice on finish

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 275 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Bodegas Catena Zapata
Website : VinUnic AB

TN : Sigla 4 2008, Quatrovinos, Maipo Valley Chile

This bottle was numbered 124 out of 11,600. The wine is a blend of 48% Syrah, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Petit Verdot. All the lots were separately fermented. Malolactic fermentation was in French and American barrels. The wine was aged for twelve months in French and American casks.



The wine was imported by Ward Wines AB.



Colour : Dark blackcurrant

Aroma : Oak, blackberry, vanilla, blackcurrant, mint

Taste : Blackcurrant, blackberry, intense dark fruits, herbs, bitter tannic oak finish

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 197 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Quatrovinos
Website : Ward Wines AB

Book : Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking

Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking is subtitled "Uncork Your Creative Juices" and is written by Michael J. Gelb.



The book consists of basically three parts. The first part is all about saying that when drinking wine one should activate the right part of one's brain. No reason is given or any examples why this makes one more creative.

The third part says that whilst drinking wine then one should write poetry. Again I am not clear how this makes anyone more creative.

The second part is the best and the part that I thoroughly enjoyed and made me happy that I had purchased this book. It discusses wine drinking in three different eras; the Greeks, the Renaissance, and the founding of America,

This book contains lots of interesting facts and small items all the way through. The quotes are exceptionally poignant as is the humour littered throughout.