Vinothèque du Léman, Ferney-Voltaire, France

I whizzed pass this wine shop in ferney-Voltaire, France, and unfortunately did not have time to visit. I also got all of my wines from Geneva and local wines from Carrefour. However, it looked interested with its large wine bottle sign outside on which were written lots of famous names.



Website : Vinothèque du Léman

Bag-in-Box in France

Whilst on holiday in France and Switzerland this summer, I visited the local Carrefour in Ferney-Voltaire in France. Trundling down the aisles, I happened to notice quite a lot of bag-in-box wines. Though not as popular as in Sweden, this trend seems to growing. My last time in a French supermarket was three years ago in Bordeaux where I visited a couple of supermarkets, including Auchan, and bag-in-box was virtually non-existant. Will bag-in-box take over the everyday wine drinking market in France in the same way it has in Sweden ?

TN : Balavaud Grand Cru Pinot Noir 2009, Appellation Vetroz Grand Cru Controlee, Jean-Rene Germanier SA, Valais, Switzerland

The vines used to produce the grapes for this wine are planted on alluvial soil and shingle soil. The grapes are unclustered and the skins are left in the juice during extended fermentation. The wine are lightly pressured. The wines undergo a second fermentation and removing of carbon dioxide. Extracts and tannins are concentrated by must extraction (20%) before fermentation. The acidity is 4.4 grammes per litre.



Urbain Germanier planted his first vineyards and founded the winery in 1886. Today two young oenologists from the 3rd and 4th generations, Jean-René Germanier and Gilles Besse produce the wines.



Colour : Raspberry red, brown hues

Aroma : Raspberry, strawberry, oak, vanilla

Taste : Strawberry, raspberry, coca cola, spice, oak

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 21.90 CHF (Duty Free Paradise tax free shop Geneva airport)

Mark : B-

Website : Jean-Rene Germanier SA

TN : Julius Pinot Noir 2009, Appellation Valais Controlee, Familie Pierre-Alain Mathier, Vins et Vignobles Julius SA, Valais, Switzerland

This wine was aged in oak barrels.



Colour : Raspberry red, brown hues

Aroma : Red fruits, oak, vanilla

Taste : Oak, vanilla, strawberry, raspberry, spicy

Alcohol : 13.2%

Price : 32.90 CHF (Duty Free Paradise tax free shop Geneva airport)

Mark : B

Website : Familie Pierre-Alain Mathier Vins et Vignobles Julius

TN : Casa Marin Miramar Vineyard Riesling 2008, Lo Abarca, D.O. San Antonio Valley, Chile

Vina Casa Marin was founded in 2000 and is owned by Maria Luz Marin. It is locate din the San Antonio Valley close to the Pacific ocean only two miles from the coast.

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



This wine was imported by Wineworks AB.

Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Petrol, honey, green apples, lemon, lime

Taste : Bone dry, honey, petrolly, lemon, mineraly, long acidic lemon and lime on finish

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 179 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Vina Casa Marin

TN : Domaine de Collavery Rose 2010, Coteaux d'Aix en Provence, France

Domaine Collavery is located in Saint Cannat 20 kilometres west of Aix en Provence. Bernard Monnier, a retired doctor, manages the domaine.

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



This wine was imported by Stellen Kramer AB.

Colour : Orange, salmon pink

Aroma : Redcurrant, oranges, leafy

Taste : Redcurrants, vanilla, oranges, leafy, raspberry

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 79 SEK

Mark : C

TN : The Chocolate Block 2009, Boekenhoutskloof, Western Cape, South Africa

This wine is a blend of 67% Syrah, 14% Grenache, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cinsault, and 2% Viognier. 765 barrels of this wine were produced.



This wine was imported by Hjo Grosshandel AB.

Colour : Deep purple

Aroma : Plums, spice, blackberry, milk chocolate

Taste : Concentrated and fruity, blackcurrant, toast, plums, violets, overwhelming mulled wine spices, melting milk chocolate texture. Tastes like sucking a mulled wine spice bag.

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 259 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Boekenhoutskloof

TN : Stone Valley Rose White Zinfandel 2010, California, USA

This wine was vinted and cellared by Bear Creek Winery, Lodi, California, USA.







Colour : Bright raspberry pink

Aroma : Oranges, strawberry, spicy

Taste : Raspberry, strawberry, lemon, oranges, off dry

Alcohol : 10.5 %

Price : 170 SEK (3 litre Bag-In-Box)

Mark : C

itWine

My work colleague, Christer Johansson, has a vineyard and has now made his first wines, a red and a white. His brand is called itWine.

He has the following white grapes planted :

• 20 plants Seyval Blanc planted in 2009
• 20 plants Solaris planted in 2009
• 20 plants Orion planted in 2009
• 5 plants Phoenix planted in 2007

and the following red grapes planted :

• 20 plants Fruh Bürgunder planted in 2009
• 5 plants Rondo planted in 2007

This easter Christer and his children moved two rows of grapes. So now he changed to 2 metres spacing between the rows instead of 3. Thus he can now plant two extra rows. In these rows, he will plant Solaris (white) and Bolero (red), 20 plants in each row. The plants has been ordered from Germany but not yet received.

The 2010 red wine is a blend of Rondo and Früh Burgunder.

The 2010 white wine is a blend of Solaris, Seyval Blanc and Orion.

The alcohol level was around 13% for both. Christer added some sugar during the fermentation process for both wines since the sugar level was low in the grapes.

Christer's own comments on his wines are "My red wine from last year is still red. It is the white that has a little red color but not so much as rosé. The red does not taste so well almost undrinkable, but the white is rather good. I will bring bottles with me in June so you can taste."

My tasting notes are :

White Wine 2010
Colour : Pale yellow, orange hues
Aroma : Yeasty, green apples
Taste : Sour green cooking apples, acidic finish




Red Wine 2010
Colour : Bubblegum red (like a Beaujolais Nouveau)
Aroma : Plastic, red berries, chemicals, nail varnish
Taste : Plastic, nail varnish, sour red berries, chemicals, acidic

• 

Both wines were bottles unfined and unfiltered.

Website : itWine
Website : itWine (Facebook)
Website : Christer Johansson

TN : Simonsig Chardonnay 2008, Stellenbosch, South Africa

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



This wine was imported by Tryffelsvinet AB.



Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Buttered toast, oranges, oak, stone fruits

Taste : Fruity, oranges, stone fruits, nuts, buttered toast

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 89 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Simonsig

TN : Zenato Garda Merlot 2008, DOC, Italy

This wine was imported by Hjo Grosshandel AB.

Colour : Deep plummy red

Aroma : Tobacco, herbs, cherries, plums

Taste : Cherries, silky concentrated texture, plums, slight tobacco and herbs

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 129 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Zenato

Book : Gallo Be Thy Name, Jerome Tuccille

This book dwells upon the dark untold story of the Gallo family. It first focuses on the Gallo brothers, Joe and Mike. Joe was the grower and Mike was the dark sheep with the underworld "connections". The mysterious deaths of Joe and his wife are then covered. The causes are still today unknown: maybe it was suicide, maybe it was mob connections, maybe some other reasons.

The lives of their sons Ernest, Julio, and Joe. The picture painted in the book is that Joe gets the deal and does not profit from the success of the company; rightly or wrongly, it is not possible to decide one or the other based upon the evidence presented in the book.

Joe's son, David, is covered. He is presented as a misfit. David also dies in mysterious circumstances; in bathtub.

The Gallos are really only presented in a positive light when discussing Gina and Matt and their Sonoma venture.




Book Details
Gallo Be Thy Name, The inside story of how one family rose to dominate the U.S. wine market, Jerome Tuccille, 2009, Phoenix Books, Inc

TN : Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Trocken 2009, Rheingau, Germany

The true origins of Riesling remain a mystery. Some believe it is a varietal mentioned long ago by the Roman writer Plinius, others feel King Louis the German (843–876) was the first to have had the grape planted in the Rhine Valley. Other experts suspect that Riesling is a mutation of a wild vine of Germanic origin.

In a viticultural dictionary from 1930, Riesling is briefly defined as “Origin: Germany. Probably a seedling from the Rheingau” Trendsetter for the advance of Riesling in the Rheingau was the wine estate at Johannisberg. In 1720, some 294,000 Riesling vines were planted in the vineyards of the old Benedictine abbey. This was such a novelty that cellarmaster Odo Staab made note of it: “In the entire Rheingau, only the grape variety ‘Rüssling’ can be planted for the production of wine”.



In 1775, the benefits of a “Spätlese” (late harvest) were first recognized at the Johannisberg monastery. The year marked the beginning of a deliberately scheduled late harvest of botrytized grapes that yield the lusciously sweet Rieslings that led to the grape’s fame and image throughout Europe. They graced the tables of every royal house, from kings to emperors to czars. Together with the great white and red Pinots of Burgundy and red wines of Bordeaux, Riesling was part of the quartet of the most famous and most expensive wines at the start of the 20th century. To this day, in many wine-growing regions of the New World, the name “Johannis-berger” is synonymous with Riesling.

Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Lemon, lime, minerals, honey

Taste : Bone dry, sharp lemon, minerals, honey

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 13,50 Euro (Eurotrade Flughafen Muenchen Duty Free 2011-05-20)

Website : Schloss Johannisberg

TN : Chateau Des Jacques Moulin-A-Vent 2009, Maison Louis Jadot, Beaujolais, France

The grapes for this wine were harvested on the 15th September 2009. The average yield was 38 hectolitres per hectare. Half of the wine was matured in oak for ten months and the other half rested in steel tanks. The winemakers were Jacques Lardiere and Guilaume de Castelnau.



Colour : Red, blue hues

Aroma : Blueberry, raspberry, herbs

Taste : Blueberry, raspberry, herbs, spice, acidic chalky finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 159 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Maison Louis Jadot

TN : Chateau Des Jacques Morgon 2009, Maison Louis Jadot, Beaujolais, France

Maison Louis Jadot has been operating in Beaujolais since 1996 when it purchased Chateau des Jacques.



Colour : Red, blue hues

Aroma : Blueberry, red fruits, herbs

Taste : Blueberry, raspberry, herbs, acidic finish

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 139 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Maison Louis Jadot

TN : Doennhoff Oberhaeuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett 2009, Weingut Hermann Doennhoff, Nahe, Germany

Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Honey and barley sugar, lemon, pears, this wine smells sweeter than it really is

Taste : Honey, lemon, lime, sweet balanced by the increasing zingy citrus long finish

Alcohol : 9%

Price : 185 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Weingut Doennhoff

TN : Ros'Aura Beneventano Rosato 2010, IGT, Feudi di San Gregorio, Campania, Italy

This wine is 100% Aglianico. Alcoholic fermentation was in stainless steel tanks at a temperature between 16 and 18 degrees. The wine then spent a further four months maturing in stainless steel. This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

This wine was imported by Spendrups Bryggeri AB.

Colour : Bright raspberry pink

Aroma : Raspberry, strawberry, redcurrants, herbs

Taste : Raspberry, strawberry, herbs, oranges

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 85 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Feudi di San Gregorio

TN : Moscofilero Vintage 2010, Domaine Skouras, Peloponnese, Greece

The vineyards are located at an altitude of 750 metres at Mantinia. The soils are sandy. The average age of the vines is 25 years. The average yield was 45 hectolitres per hectare. The grapes were harvested at the beginning of October 2010.



The must was subjected to a skin contact for four hours at 12 degrees. This wine was fermented in stainless steel vats at 16 degress. This was followed by no malolactic fermentation and a short aging over fine lees. The TA is 5.9 grammes per litre. The pH is 3.15.



This wine was imported by Oenoforos AB.

Colour : Watery pale straw

Aroma : Elderflowers, orange, lemon, pears, almond

Taste : Lemon, pear, almond, white grapes, spice, spritzy finish

Alcohol : 12.2%

Price : 89 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Domaine Skouras

TN : Gager Ried Fabian Blaufraenkisch 2008, Mittelburgenland, Austria

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



This wine was imported by Haugen-Gruppen Wine & Spirits AB.

Colour : Dark plummy red

Aroma : Blackcurrant, milk chocolate, plums, christmas spices, oak, burnt toast

Taste : Blackcurrant, spice, liqourice, plums

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 108 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Weingut Gager

TN : Akarua Pinot Noir 2009, Central Otago, New Zealand

Akarua Estate vineyard was planted by Sir Clifford Skeggs in 1996. It is located within the Bannockburn subregion of Central Otago. The grapes come from blocks Kawarua13, 10/5, Clutha 5, and Southview. The vineyard aspect is North/West and the vine orientation is East/West. The vineyard is located at 270 metres. The vineyard soil is young alluvial, schist based sandy/silt and sandy loams. The vine age is 13 years. The trellis system used is two cane VSP. The vines were shoot thinned and crop thinned to 2 kg of fruit per vine. The grapes were block harvested between the 9th April and 15th of May 2009. 2009 was a cooler growing season than normal and there 950-980 GDD with early autumn frosts (September 2008 - April 2009). There was less than 320 mm of rain between September and April.

There was no whole-bunch fermentation. The grapes underwent a five day pre-fermentation maceration. The must was inoculated with various strains of yeast. The heat during fermentation peaked at 31 degrees and the cap was punched down twice daily. There was then a six day post-fermentation maceration. The wine spent ten months in 25% new French barriques which were subjected to a medium-plus toast. The oak was sourced from various coopers and came mostly from Alliers & Vosges forests.

The Viticulturalist was Gillian Wilson, the Winemaker was Matt Connell. The wine was bottled in February 2010. The Brix at Harvest was between 22 and 24. The Titratable Acidity is six grammes per litre. The pH is 3.51. This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

In earlier years, the Akarua Pinot Noir was referred to as the "Gullies".



This wine was imported by Domaine Wines and Spirits AB.

Colour : Red/blue hues

Aroma : Spice, strawberries, raspberries, oak, milk chocolate

Taste : Strawberries, coffee, ginger, long spicy warm finish

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 219 SEK

Mark : B+

Website : Akarua Winery