Book : The Great Wine Swindle by Malcolm Gluck

This book covers what is wrong with today's wine scene. Topic covered include supermarkets, restaurants, wine shows, wine writers, high alcohol wines, organic wines, and wine guides.



On the whole this book was quite enjoyable. It had its irritating parts though. There were some inaccuracies. Malcolm Gluck comes across as being bitter towards other wine writers which is a bit tiring. He also fails to name names etc in a lot of cases. I did enjoy his "dig" at Raymond Blanc though. He complains about the language of wine reviews but his own published comments on 2003 Burgundies suffer the same maladies that he himself complains about.

I wonder who this book is aimed for since the wine fan will know most of the content already and it is too detailed for a novice who will lose interest.

TN : Beajolais-Villages 2007, Georges Duboeuf, France

The nose on this wine was really great but the taste was disappointing.

The wine was sealed with a screwcap. It is 100% Gamay.



Colour : Light red, blue hues

Aroma : Herbs, strawberry, raspberry, coca cola, bubble gum

Taste : Thin, red berries, herbs

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 75 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Georges Duboeuf

TN : Aneto 2004, Sobredos Producao e Commercio de Vinhos, Duoro, Portugal

Aneto is the name of an aromatic and medicinal plant considered by some to be magical and an aphrodisiac. It is found growing naturally in very hot parts of Portugal. The Aneto plant is abundant in the estates of Sobradais and Malvedos where the grapes for this wine are grown.



Aneto is a blend of 40% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca, 20% Tinto Roriz, and 10% Tinto Cao. Fermentation is in granite tanks followed by ageing in French oak barrels for twelve months.

Colour : Blackberry

Aroma : Oak, plums, blackberry, chocolate, coffee

Taste : Plums, blackberrys, blackcurrant, fruity, chocolate, herbs, coffee and dry tannins on finish

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 149 SEK

Mark : B-

TN : Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2009, Wine of Origin Coastal Region, South Africa

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



The Mulderbosch website is need of an update as it only contains details for the 2008 vintage of this wine.



Colour : Bright strawberry pink

Aroma : Herbs, strawberries, raspberries

Taste : Red berries, strawberries, herbs, citrus

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 79 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Mulderbosch
Website : VinUnic AB

TN : Veramonte Merlot Reserva 2007, Casablanca Valley, Chile

This wine is a blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Time in oak was 8 months in French and American oak, 20% New. Tiotal acidity is 4.38 grammes per litre and pH is 3.63. Augustin Huneeus was the winemaker.



Colour : Dark red/blue

Aroma : Blackcurrant, plums

Taste : Blackcurrant, plums, minty, fuity, coffee

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 119 SEK

Website : Veramonte

TN : Calvet XF Extra Fruit Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Appellation Bordeaux Controlle, France

bought this wine at the Shop and Fly Duty Free shop at Eindhoven airport.



Colour : Lemon, yellow

Aroma : Lemon, oranges, oak ,nettles

Taste : Creamy, oak, citrus fruit, more structure than fruit

Alcohol : 11.5%

Price : 9.05 Euro (VAT included)

Mark : C+

TN : Foley Syrah 2005, Rancho Santa Rosa, Santa Rita Hills, USA

This estate produced Syrah incorporates fruit from sub-blocks 1A and 1B from the Rancho Santa Rosa vineyard, with two clones (Clone Noir and Clone 1) being represented. The grapes were handpicked from October 7th to November 11th 2005 and then de-stemmed and moved to small open-top tanks for inoculation with yeast, and fermentation. After fifteen days, with fermentation complete, the new wine was pressed and pumped into French oak barrels (22% new) for aging. The wine was aged for seventeen months and then bottled. 660 cases were produced. pH is 3.51 and the acidity is 0.66.



This wine was imported by Muram International AB.

Colour : Deep blackberry

Aroma : Spice, blackcurrant, blackberry, liquorice, oak, toast

Taste : Spice, lively acidity, blackcurrant, blackberry, oak, toast, cherries, black pepper

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 179 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Foley Wines
Website : Muram International AB

TN : De Casta Rosado 2008, Torres, Catalunya, Spain

I bought this bottle at Eindhoven airport yesterday whilst waiting to board the plane to Stockholm. It was a bright pink in colour and both fruity and taste and aroma and dry. A very good value airport wine.



This wine was bottled under screwcap. The back label states that this wine was first produced in 1941. It is a blend of Carinena and Garnacha Tinta grapes.

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 4.50 Euro (Eindhoven airport gate area bar)

Mark : B-

Website : Torres

TN : Alamos Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Bodega Catena Zapata, Mendoza, Argentina

The website for Alamos was "under construction" at the time of writing this tasting note.

The wine is made from grapes grown on the eastern slopes of the low mountains of the great Andes.



This wine was imported by VinUnic AB.

Colour : Very pale yellow

Aroma : Pear, oranges

Taste : Pear, oranges, mineral, gooseberry

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 79 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Alamos
Website : VinUnic AB

TN : Saile and Sabga Connoissseur Merlot, Vin dePays d'Oc, France

I had this wine on a RyanAir flight from Stockholm to Amsterdam on Sunday and on the return yesterday. It was either this or a Chardonnay (also by Saile and Sabga). I was put off the Chardonnay due to a neighbour complaining that his beer was hot: however, I had to drink something so a second bottle of red was drunk on my return journey !. The wine was bottled under srewcap.

This wine was boring, uninteresting, and over-priced.

Price : 6 Euro (Ryan in-flight, 18.7 centilitre bottle)

Alcohol : 13%

Mark : C-

TN : Argento Bonarda 2007, Mendoza, Argentina

The word Argento, meaning silver in Latin, is often used colloquially in Argentina to refer to a thing or a person that is quintessentially Argentine.

This wine was bottled with a screwcap. Gerardo Cirrincione was the winemaker. The grapes are sourced from Rivadavia (East Oasis) which is located at 600-700 metres above sea level. The grapes undergo fermentation in stainless steel fermentation at 28 to 30 degrees for seven days. The wine then is aged for three months in American oak. The residual sugar is 1.94 grammes per litre, the acidity is 5.07 grammes per litre, and the pH is 3.8.



Colour : Dark red, blackcurrant

Aroma : Cherry, milk chocolate, blackcurrant

Taste : Fruity, mouth watering, blackcurrant, blackberry, cherry, juicy, fruity, tart tannic finish

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 69 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Argento

TN : Storks' Tower Tempranillio-Shiraz 2008, Rose, Hjos de Antonio Barcelo, Caserio de Duenas Estate, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y Leon, Spain

This bottle was sealed with a screwcap. The wine was produced by the Hjos de Antonio Barcelo company which was established in 1876.



This wine was imported by Vinunic AB.



Colour : Bright raspberry

Aroma : Strawberry, raspberry, herbs

Taste : Dry, fruity upfront, raspberry, strawberry, red fruits, herbs

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 58 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Hjos de Antonio Barcelo
Website : Vinunic AB

Ata Rangi and Project Crimson

I received some information about Ata Rangi's involvement in Project Crimson.



Ata Rangi produce a younger vines pinot noir in support the work of Project Crimson, a charitable conservation trust established in 1990 for the protection of New Zealand’s iconic native red-flowering trees, the pohutukawa, and northern and southern rata.



Website : Ata Rangi
Website : Project Crimson

The New Wine Consumer July 14th 2009

This week, I was one of two guests on The New Wine Consumer weekly live discussion. Also guest starring was Neil Monnens who talked about two of his projects: WineRelease.com and the controversial WineBlueBook.com.

The show can be downloaded from The New Wine Consumer website or iTunes.

Website : The New Wine Consumer July 14th 2009, Speaking of Wine

Systembolaget New Wines August 2009

The Systembolaget newsletter for August 2009 detailing new wines available can now be downloaded from the Systembolaget website (PDF format). This month sees another bath of Bordeaux 2006 available for purchase: in ridiculously small quantities at only a single shop in the whole of Stockholm !.

Website : Systembolaget Varunytt augusti 2009

TN : Irony Pinot Noir 2006, Russian River Valley, California, USA

Colour : Red/maroon

Aroma : Stewed red fruits, strawberry, raspberry, spice

Taste : Stewed red fruits, violets, strawberry, raspberry, spice, cedar, warm finish

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 125 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Irony Wines

TN : Merlot delle Venezie 2006, IGT, Zenato, Italy

This wine is 100% Merlot. The grapes are planted on benchland and hillside areas in the province of Verona. The aspect of the vineyards is south and southeast and are at an average altitude of 150 to 200 metres. The vineyard soils are sandy and clayey. The vines are spur-trained and cordon pruned. The planting density is 4000 vines per hectare. The yield per hectare is 10 metric tons. The grapes were manually harvested between mid to late September.

Grapes are sorted using cluster quality selection, crushing-destemming, and then the fruit is given a 5- to 6-day maceration on the skins in steel fermenters. After fermentation, the wine is pressed off and the press wine set aside. Upon completion of malolactic fermentation, maturation follows in 300-litre French oak, then bottle-aged for 6 months before release.



Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Plums, cherries, spice, dark fruits

Taste : Plums, cherries, fruity, spice, dark fruits, pencil-lead like finish, tobacco

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 129 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Zenato

TN : Dominio de Valdepusa Syrah 2004, Marques de Grinon, Spain

Colour : Dark deep red, blue hues

Aroma : Oak, spice, blueberry, blackberry

Taste : Blueberry, blackberry, pepper, spice, vanilla, oak, concentrated, long finish

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 235 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Pagos de Familia Marques de Grinon

TN : Sancerre 2007, Red, Henry Natter, France

This wine is 100% Pinot Noir.

Colour : Light red

Aroma : Strawberries, spice, stewed red fruits, oak

Taste : Strawberries, spice, stewed red fruits, blueberry, violets on finish

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 147 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Henry Natter

TN : Leasingham Bin 7 Riesling 2008, Leasingham Wines, Clare Valley, Australia

This wine was sealed with a screwcap. Bin 7 Riesling was first released in 1967. Leasingham Wines is estimated to have been established in 1863.



Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Mineral, lemons, hints of orange, petrol character

Taste : Lime, mineral, sharp, apple, petrol character, long finish

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 139 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Leasingham Wines