TN : Cono Sur Reserva Riesling 2007, Bio Bio Valley, Chile

The winemaker was Adolfo Hurtado.



On the back label it is stated "CarbonNeutral delivery" and "Drinking a Cono Sur Wine is now Greener".

Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Lime, mineral, marmelade

Taste : Overwhelming petrol character, oily, lime, mineral, oranges, marmelade, green apple, dry

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 100 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Cono Sur

TN : Chateau Tayac 2000, Cru Bourgeois, Margaux, France

Colour : Dark plum

Aroma : Herbs, blackcurrant, raspberry, plum

Taste : Violets, talcum powder tannins, plum, cedar

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 195 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Chateau Tayac

TN : Beaujolais Nouveau 2008, Pasquier Desvignes, France

Colour : Black cherry

Aroma : red fruits, blueberry, ripe bananas, bubble gum

Taste : Acidic, green, thin, bubble gum, herbs, raspberry, strawberry

Alcohol : 12%

Price : 59 SEK

Mark : D

Website : Pasquier Desvignes

Samsung Wine Refrigerator RW13EBSS

I have just purchased a wine refrigerator for short term wine storage. It cost less than 2000 SEK at MediaMarkt in Nacka Forum, Stockholm which is by far the cheapest place to buy this model in the Stockholm area. It has place for 29 bottles. There are two preset temperature settings, one for red wine at 13 degrees and the other for white wine at 7 degrees though any custom temperature can be set. There is also inner light that can be switched on so the contents of the refrigerator can be seen without having to open the door. It also has a lock and key which stops the door being opened by accident.


Website : Samsumg Wine Refrigerator RW13EBSS
Website : Samsung Wine Refrigerator Rw13EBSS Instruction Manual

TN : Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau 2008, Cuvee Non Filtree, Pierre Dupond, France

Colour : Light murky cherry red

Aroma : Raspberry, strawberry, boiled sweets

Taste : Thin, weedy, herbs, lacking fruit, raspberry, bubble gum, acidic

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 73 SEK

Mark : D+

Beaujolais Nouveau 2008

Beaujolais Nouveau is here in Sweden. The Systembolaget launched two bottles on Thursday 20th November. They were :

• Beaujolais Nouveau 2008,Pasquier Desvignes, Alcohol 12%, Price 59 SEK

• Beaujolais Nouveau Villages 2008, Cuvee Non Filtree, Terroir et Talents, Alcohol 12.5%, Price 73 SEK

Website : Beaujolais Nouveau 2008 at Systembolaget, Pasquier Desvignes
Website : Beaujolais Nouveau 2008 at Systembolaget, Terroir er Talents

TN : Zuccardi Serie A Tempranillo 2006, Mendoza, Argentina

The grapes for this wine come from the Santa Rosa Vineyards located near Mendoza in Argentina.



No mention of this wine could be found on the Familia Zuccardi website.

The wine was imported by Philipson and Söderberg.



Colour : Red/purple

Aroma : Tobacco, dark fruits, savoury, violets, almonds

Taste : Tobacco, savoury, spice, oak, raspberry

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 72 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Bodega Familia Zuccardi
Website : Philipson and Söderberg

TN : Le Focaie 2006, Rocca di Montemassi, IGT, Maremma, Tuscany, Italy

Colour : Purple

Aroma : Blackcurrants, burnt toast, oak, violets, cherries

Taste : Burnt toast, cherries, violets

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 89 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Rocca di Montemassi

Tandarra Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2008, Bag-In-Box, 3 Litres, South Eastern Australia, Australia

The box states that once opened that it must be consumed within 4 weeks.

On the box it is written that the town Tandarra is located on the northern edge of Goldfields region which was centre stage of the Australian goldrush in the 19th century.



The wine was imported and filled by Altria Plc, Helsinki, Finland

Colour : Bright deep strawberry

Aroma : Jellied strawberries, cherries, herbs

Taste : jellied red fruits, strawberries, raspberries

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 189 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Tandarra

Systembolaget New Wines December 2008

The Systembolaget December 2008 newsletter detailing all the new wines available on the 1st December 2008 is now available for download from the Systembolaget's website.

Website : Systembolaget Varunytt December 2008

Systembolaget New Wines 14th November 2008

The list of new wines available on November 14th from the Systembolaget can now be viewed on the Systembolaget's website.

Website : Systembolaget Nyheter den 14 November

Book : Vinträdgården

A new book has been published by Sveneric Svensson entitled Vinträdgården or Vineyard in English. It contains details and pictures of the author's small garden vineyard in Väröbacka and some details about making wine in the Swedish climate. The book costs 340 SEK including postage (or 240 SEK if you are a member of the Svenska Vinodlare organisation). Contact Anders Norberg at anders.norberg@effektiva.se or ring 040 664 67 52 for details.

Website : Svenska Vinodlare

TN : Eclat 2005, Vina Valdivieso, Maule Valley, Chile

This wine is a blend of old vine Carignan, Mourvedre, and Syrah.



The wine was imported by Nigab AB.

Colour : Dark plum

Aroma : Spice, dark fruits, red fruits, violets, black pepper

Taste : Raspberry, violets, spice, long white pepper on finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 139 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Vina Valdivieso
Website : Nigab AB

TN : Palliser Estate Sauvingon Blanc 2007, Martinborough, New Zealand

Palliser is located in Martinborough which lies in the South East Corner of the North Island of New Zealand. The back label states that the wine contains preservative (220) which is Sulphur Dioxide.



The winemaker was Allan Johnson. The grapes were picked between the 5th and 29th April 2007. The alcohol at bottling, September 2007, was 13.4%.

Colour : Straw

Aroma : Gooseberry, mango, lemon

Taste : Gooseberry, lemon, lime, mango, earthy on finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 119 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Palliser Estate

TN : Chateau Olivier 2005, White Wine, Appellation Pessac-Leognan, Grand Cru Classe de Graves, Bordeaux, France

This wine has seen far too much time in oak, I know French winemakers think "built to last" means wrapped in oak but there is some great fruit here which is smothered by the too much oak. This wine will improve with time but it could have been even better to drink now.




Colour : Lemon/yellow

Aroma : French oak, lemon

Taste : French oak, lemon polish, long lime cordial on finish, lively acidity, creamy

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 217 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Chateau Olivier

TN : La Mascota Shiraz 2006, Bodega Santa Ana, Argentina

The vineyards that provided grapes for this wine are located in the Tulum Valley in the San Juan province. The wine was fermented in mainly new French oak and spent an extended time on skins post-fermentation.

Rodolfo "Opi" Sadler was the chief winemaker.



The wine was imported by Tegner Hermansson.

Colour : Dark plum

Aroma : Toasty oak, liquorice, damsons, vanilla, spice

Taste : Too much toasty oak, vanilla, liquorice, blackberry, violets, dark chocolate

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 99 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Bodegas Santa Anna
Website : Tegner Hermansson

TN : Glen Carlou Syrah 2005, Wine of Origin Paarl, South Africa

This wine was handcrafted by David Finlayson. It is a wine from the Hess Group.

The blend is 94% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre, and 1% Viognier. The grapes were harvested in mid February 2005. It was fermented in 50% new and second fill 225 litre French oak barrels and 50% new American oak barrels. The wine was aged for 12 months in Allier French oak and American Minnesota white oak barrels. The TA was 6.9 grammes per litre, pH was 3.42, and the residual sugar was 2.9 grammes per litre. The wine was bottled on the 12th January 2006.



The burnt rubber on this wine spoilt what was great fruit. Far too many red wines from South Africa seem to have this characteristic.

Colour : Dark cassis

Aroma : Smoke, blackcurrant, violets, black cherry

Taste : Lively bright acidity, burnt toast and rubber on finish, blackcurrant, cherry, red fruits, currants, long finish

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 183 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Glen Carlou

VinUnic Newsletter November 2008

VinUnic have just published their latest newsletter for November 2008. It can be downloaded from their website. This month's highlights include DRC 2005s and 2004 La La wines from E. Guigal.

Website : VinUnic VåraViner Nyhetsbrev November 2008

TN : Crozes-Hermitage 2005, E. Guigal, Rhone, France

This wine is supposed to be ready for drinking, though can be aged for ten years, according to the E. Guigal website but I would give it another couple of years for the tannins to soften up and maybe the fruit to show through; hopefully the fruit will not fade away.



This wine includes the former vineyards of de Vallouit Estate from Larnage. The vineyards are mainly on steep slopes from the villages of Gervans, Mercurol, Larnage and Crozes-Hermitage. the soil is limestone, clay and silt and also sandy gravel. The average age of the vines is 35 years. the average yield was 40 hectolitres per hectare.

The wine is 100% Syrah. Alcoholic fermentation was carried out in stainless steel vats at high temperatures followed by 3 weeks maceration in the vats. The wine was then matured for 18 months in oak barrels. On average, 330,00o bottles are produced annually.

The Guigal domain was founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal in the ancient village of Ampuis. Etienne Guigal arrived in this region in 1923 at the age of 14. He made wine over 67 vintages. Marcel Guigal took over from his father in 1961. Today, Philippe Guigal, oenologist, is the third generation to continue the family endeavour.

Colour : Blackcurrant

Aroma : Strawberry, spice, oak, blackcurrant, plum

Taste : Black pepper, oak, drying tannins on finish, red fruits, thin

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 154 SEK

Mark : C

Website : E. Guigal

TN : Chateau de Chantegrive 2005, White Wine, Graves, Bordeaux, France

In 1966, Henri and Françoise Lévêque acquired a few plots of vines in the commune of Podensac. During the coming 40 years more plots have been added. Chateau de Chantegrive now has 97 hectares under vine. It is situated in the Graves appellation and is a member of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux.

14 hectares of vines are used to produce this wine. The average age of the vines is 30 years. The soil is sand and gravel over limestone and clay subsoil. The cepage is 50 % Sauvignon Blanc and 50 % Semillon. Harvest is by hand using successive sortings. The grapes are pressed and then fermented at low temperature in thermoregulated stainless steel vats. 70,000 bottles are produced annually.

Colour : Lemon

Aroma : Wood, lemon, oranges, gooseberry

Taste : Creamy, wood on finish, lemon, slight orange and honey, blackcurrant leaf

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 170 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Chateau de Chantegrive