TN : Heru Pinot Noir 2007, Vina Ventisquero, Casablanca Valley, Chile

On the back label is states "A legend tells the story of an elf named Heru who secretly lived among the vines of Casablanca while keeping watch ovet the harvest, his most precious treasure".



The grapes were grown on gentle slopes of granitic red clay. Below a depth of 1 metre, subsoils of fractured granite promote the development of deep root systems, allowing the vines to take up mineral complexity. The vineyard is oriented in a North-South exposure. The yield was 4 to 5 tons per hectare or 1.6 to 2 tons per acre. The grapes were harvested between March 25th and March 30th.

Colour : Bright red

Aroma : Red fruits, spice, vanilla, woody

Taste : Stewed sweet red fruits, strawberry, very spicy, raspberry, oak

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 229 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Vina Ventisquero

TN : Hawk Hill Pinot Noir 2007, Auntsfield Estate, Marlborough, New Zealand

Hawk Hill is named after the Harrier Hawks which glide over Auntsfield's North-facing slopes where the Pinot Noir grapes were grown. Luc Cowley was the winemaker and Ben Cowley was the viticulturist.



Colour : Red

Aroma : Stewed red fruits, spice

Taste : Red fruits, spice, cherries, ginger

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 199 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Auntsfield Estate

TN : Chateau Haut Mayne 2008, Graves, Bordeaux, France

This wine is blend of 77% Semillon, 19% Sauvignon Blanc, and 4% Muscadelle.

The grapes were machine harvested between the 25th September and the 1st October. The wine spent four months in Americanm oak: one third of which was new, one third was one year old, and the other third was two years old. The winemaker was Yorick Lavaud.



Colour : Yellow

Aroma : Oak, lemon, nuts, buttered toast

Taste : Lemon, oak, nuts, minerals

Alcohol : 12%

Price : 120 SEK

Mark : C+

TN : Tandem Syrah du Maroc 2007, Domaine des Ouled Thaleb, Zenatta, Morocco

This wine is a collaborative effort from Alain Graillot, of Crozes Hermitage and Jacques Poulain, a Bordelais winemaker and producer of high-quality wines based at Thalvin, not far from Casablanca. Graillot and Poulain selected parcels of Syrah vines, some 48 years old, from terroirs with a maritime influence at Rommani and Benslimane.



Colour : Dark red, blue hues

Aroma : Blackberry, plums, vanilla, mint

Taste : Oak, blackberry, herbs, vanilla, white pepper

Alcohol : 13.5 %

Price : 118 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Thalvin

TN : Chateau Gaudin 2006, Pauillac, Grand Vin de Bordeaux, France

This wine is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.



Colour : Dark red, blue hues

Aroma : Earth, blackcurrant, cherry, herbs, redcurrant

Taste : Cherries, redcurrants, herbs, cedar, earth, could use another two/three years in the cellar to unwind

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 195 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Chateau Gardin

TN : Chateau Cadet 2005, Cotes de Castillon, Grand Vin de Bordeaux, France

The chateau is owned by Louis and Caroline Mitjavile.



This wine is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Maturation was in French oak barrels: one third of which were new, one third was one year old, and the other third wastwo years old.

Colour : Plummy red

Aroma : Blacurrant, plums, herbs

Taste : Blackcurrant, plums, chocolate, cedar, tobacco, herbs, mineral, dry tannins on finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 169 SEK

Mark : C+

TN : Fonterutoli Chianti Classico 2006, DOCG, Marchesi Mazzei, Tuscany, Italy

This wine is a blend of two clones of Sangiovese. It was aged for twelve months in small oak barrels.



Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Oak, plums, cherries, chocolate

Taste : Cherries, wood, plums, cocoa, sour note

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 95 SEK (375 ml bottle)

Mark : C

Website : Fonterutoli

TN : Wintrage Felsberg Riesling Grand Premier Cru 2007, Schumacher-Knepper, Moselle Luxembourgeoise, Luxembourg

Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Honey, green apple, mineral, lemon

Taste : Sharp lemon, green apple, mineral, pear, honey

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 83 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Domaine Viticole Schumacher-Knepper

TN : Gnarly Head Viognier 2009, California, USA

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Peach, apricot, oranges, floral

Taste : Peach, oranges, apricot, long finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 85 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Gnarly Head Cellars

TN : Craggy Range Te Kahu Single Vineyard 2005, Gimblett Gravels Vineyard, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

This wine is a blend of 78.8% Merlot and 21.2% Cabernet Sauvignon. The brix at harvest was 24.2 average, yield was 69 hectolitres per hectare average. All of the grapes were hand-harvested. There was no whole bunch fermentation. All of the grapes were 100% destemmed. The must was fermented in closed stainless steel fermentation vessels and started using inoculation. French oak barrels were used to mature the finished wine; 55% of the barrels were new and the wine spent 19 months in the barrels. The wine was fined and filtered before bottling in October 2006. The residual sugar was 0, pH was 3.72, and acidity was 6 grammes per litre.



Te Kahu means the cloak in native Maori.

Colour : Dark red/blue hues

Aroma : Plums, blackcurrant, herbs, cedar

Taste : Plums, blackcurrant, cedar, mineral, warm finish, talcum powder tannin finish

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 199 SEK (March 2009)

Mark : A-

Website : Craggy Range

TN : Pascual Toso Alta Reserve Malbec 2007, Lujan De Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina

Pascual Toso was established in 1890. This wine is 100% Malbec. The grapes underwent a cold maceration for 48 hours before alcoholic fermentation at low temperature with selected yeasts.
Then the wine is placed in French oak barrels where malolactic fermentation takes place and continues maturation for 12 months. The wine was bottled with a soft filtration and rested in bottle for six months before release. The residual sugar is 2.37 grammes per litre, acidity is 5.32 grammes per litre, and the pH is 3.5.



This wine won a silver medal at the 2009 International Wine Challenge.



Colour : Dark blackberry

Aroma : Blackcurrant, violets, plums, toasty oak, mineral

Taste : Intense blackberry and blackcurrant, tobacco, mineral, toasty oak, liquorice

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 219 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Pascual Toso

TN : Insoglio del Cinghiale 2007, Tenuta di Biserno, Campo di Sasso, Bibbona, Tuscany, Italy

This wine is a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. The grapes were harvested by hand and collected in small baskets with a capacity of 15 kilograms. The grapes were de-stemmed and crushed softly followed by a temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless-steel vats for approximately 21 days at 28°C. 10% of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation in barriques, the remainder in stainless steel vats. 40% of the wine was aged for 4 months in new and second year French oak barrels; The rest in stainless steel tanks. The total acidity is 4.3 and the pH is 3.8.



Colour : Red/blackcurrant

Aroma : Mint, dark fruits

Taste : Fruity, blackcurrant, tobacco, mint, oak, tannic grip on finish

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 185 SEK

Mark : B+

Website : Tenuta di Biserno

TN : Villa Cavarena Soave Classico 2008, DOC, Allegrini, Italy

This wine is blend of 80% Garganega and 20% Chardonnay. The grapes underwent a cold maceration for 18 hours at 10 degrees. Alcoholic fermentation took 8 to 10 days in stainless steel tanks at 15 degrees. Part of the wine was aged for 8 months in French oak.

Colour : Yellow, green hues

Aroma : Pear, almonds, oranges, lemon

Taste : Pear, almonds, oranges, lemon

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 99 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Allegrini

TN : Kanonkop Kadette 2008, Simonsberg Stellenbosch, South Africa

This wine is a blend of 45% Pinotage, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc. The age of the vines was between 5 and 3o years old. The vines were trellised to 5 wire hedge system. The vines were grown in decomposed granite and hutton soils. The average yield was 6.5 tons per hectare.



The must spent 3 to 4 days on the skins in open top concrete tank fermenters at 29 degrees for up to 5 days; the cap was manually punched down at least every two hours. The wine was matured in second and third fill 225 litre French Nevers oak barrels for 14 months. Abrie Beeslaar was the winemaker.

Kanonkop means "Cannon Hill" and is derived from the days when cannons were fired to signal the arrival of Dutch trade ships into Cape Town Harbour.

Colour : Dark blackcurrant

Aroma : Burnt notes, smoke, blackcurrant, tobacco

Taste : Burnt toast, smoke, blackcurrant, green pepper, liquorice, oak

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 99 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Kanonkop Wine Estate

TN : Marques de Caceras Rosado 2009, Rioja, Spain

This wine is a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha.



This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



Colour : Bright pale strawberry

Aroma : Raspberry, strawberry, redcurrant, herbs

Taste : Herbs, red berries, dry

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 75 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Bodegas Marques de Caceras

TN : Fresita, Vina Casal de Gorchs, Patagonia, Chile

This wine is a blend of 85% Muscat, 5% Chardonnay, 5% Sauvignon Blanc, and 5% Alicante Bouschet. Each variety is fermented separately then blended together to undergo a secondary fermentation. The final wine is infused with hand picked strawberries from Patagonia. Fresita means strawberry plants in Spanish.



Colour : Raspberry

Aroma : Strawberry, raspberry

Taste : Strawberry, raspberry, vanilla notes

Alcohol : 8%

Price : 79 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Fresita

TN : Lord Zinclair 2009, White Zinfandel, California, USA

This wine was produced by Spiral Wines exclusively for Terrific Wines AB.



On the back label it says "The little lord went west and found a town full of zin, and it all became clair". This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

Colour : Light red

Aroma : Red berries

Taste : Off-dry, jellied strawberries and raspberries, mineral water like spritz on finish

Alcohol : 11%

Price : 55 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Terrific Wines AB

TN : Turley Juvenile Zinfandel 2008, California, USA

Turley Wine Cellars was founded in 1993 by Larry Turley, brother of the well-known consulting winemaker Helen Turley. Larry Turely entered the wine business in 1981 as co-founder of Frog's Leap Winery. He then realized that his interest lay in wines made from the Zinfandel grape. Starting out with just one location in St. Helena, Turley Wine Cellars soon expanded to Templeton with the purchase of Pesenti winery, and as of 2007, produced 14,000 cases a year of both single-vineyard and regional Zinfandel wines.

This wine was imported by Divine AB.

Colour : Red/violet

Aroma : Spice, violets, bramble fruits

Taste : Rich, liqourice, violets, bramble jam, spice, warm

Alcohol : 15%

Price : 299 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Turley Wine Cellars
Website : Divine AB

TN : Alto Las Hormigas Malbec 2007 Vineyard Slection Reserva, Mendoza, Argentina

In 1995, Alberto Antonini, a well known Tuscan wine maker, and Antonio Morescalchi, a young entrepreneur, bought 216 hectares Lujàn de Cuyo. Shortly after this, Attilio Pagli, another Tuscan wine maker, Alan Scerbanenko, an Italo-Swiss management counselor, and Antonio Terni, an Italo-Argentine winemaker in the Marche region of Italy, joined the enterprise.



The 100% Malbec grapes for this wine are hand picked in high density vineyards located in La Consulta and Vista Flores in the Uco Valley, and Vistalba, Perdriel and Las Compuertas in Luján de Cuyo. The yields were 7 tons per hectare or 14.5 hectolitres per acre.

Alcoholic fermentation is done by using native yeasts in wide stainless steel tanks.. The cap management is conducted with punch downs and rack and returns to maximize the extractions of colour and flavour from the skins. The time between crushing and pressing is approximately thirty days of which about ten are for primary fermentation and twenty for extended maceration. The temperature is kept at around 28 to 30 Celsius degrees to gain depth and volume in the mouth. After pressing the wine goes straight into tight grain French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. Ageing is for 16 months. The wine is then bottled unfined.

The winemakers were Alberto Antonini and Attilio Pagli. Total Acidity is 5.88 grammes per litre, the pH is 3.4, and the residual sugar is 2.81 grammes per litre.

Colour : Dark inky purple/red

Aroma : Violets, blueberry, damsons, blackberry, mint, plums

Taste : Very minty, tobacco, damsons, blueberry, plums, milk chocolate

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 199 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Altos Las Hormigas
Website : Arvid Nordquist H.A.B.

TN : Red Pitt 2007 Rotweincuvee, Weingut Pittnauer, Burgenland, Austria

This wine is a blend of Zweigelt, Blaufraenkisch, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. The bottle was sealed with a screwcap. The Wein & Co website claims that this is drinkable up to 2015 but I don't think it has the stuffing to last that long.



Colour : Red

Aroma : Plum, spice, tobacco hints, blackcurrant

Taste : Very spicy and sour notes on finish, plum, tobacco, red fruits

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 16.25 Euro (Bought at Wein & Co, Vienna, Austria, January 2009)

Mark : C

Website : Weingut Pittnauer