WINE IN SWEDEN: November 2009

Tuesday, 24 November 2009

TN : Beaujolais Villages Nouveau 2009, Maison Coquard, France

Colour : Red, blue hues

Aroma : Fruits of the forest, bubblegum, red fruits, herbs

Taste : Herbs, fruits of the forest, tart finish

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 75 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Maison Coquard

TN : Chateau Gaudrelle 2008, Sec, Vouvray, Val de Loire, France

This wine was sealed with a screwcap. The wine is 100% Chenin Blanc.

Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Citrus, oak, beeswax

Taste : Lemon, lime, slight orange, beeswax, apple, sharp very acidic finish

Alcohol : 13% (front label), 12.5% (back label)

Price : 95 SEK

Mark : C-

Website : Chateau Gaudrelle

Friday, 20 November 2009

TN : Vintage Reserve 2004, Firestone Vineyards, Santa Ynez Valley, California, USA

This was the 14th bottling of Vintage Reserve since the inaugural vintage of 1977. The wine is a blend of 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Petit Verdot, and 10% Malbec.

The grapes were hand harvested from select estate blocks in the Santa Ynez Valley. After destemming and light crushing, each lot was inoculated with a slow fermenting yeast for balanced extraction. Extended maceration was employed for a total of 28 days of skin contact to refine the
tannin profile. This wine was aged for 22 months in limited thin-staved French oak barrels.

Firestone vineyards was founded in 1972 by father and son, Leonard and Brooks Firestone. It is now owned by Bill Foley.

This wine was imported by MURAM International AB.

Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Cedar, blackcurrant, milk chocolate, mint, cherries

Taste : Initially all structure, tannins, and some cedar, devoid of fruit, closed, then after 30 minutes the fruit began to show and after 1 hour this wine really opened up. Structured, cedar, blackcurrant, tobacco, mint, milk chocolate, sour note on finish. This wine ended up as a nice copycat high-end Bordeaux.

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 293 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Firestone Vineyards
Website : MURAM International AB

TN : Lambrusco Dell'Emilia Biano Amabile 2008, IGT, Donelli, Emilia, Italy

This wine is 100% lambrusco Marani, lambrusco Maestri, lambrusco Salamino, and lambrusco Grasparossa. The vine trellising system is cordone speronato, G.D.C. e Bellussi.

Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Elderflower

Taste : Bland, grapey, pear, semi-dry, spritzy

Alcohol : 7%

Price : 45 SEK

Mark : C-

Website : Donelli

Tuesday, 17 November 2009

TN : Vergelegen Red 2003, Stellenbosch, South Africa

This wine is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc. Andre Van Rensburg was the winemaker.

Vergelegen means situated "far away". It was granted to the Governor of the Cape in 1700.

This wine was imported by VinUnic AB.

Colour : Dark blackcurrant, red

Aroma : Blackcurrant, plums, herbs

Taste : Cedar, cassis, plums, toast, talcum powder finish, tastes like a good quality Bordeaux containing some Cabernet Franc in the blend

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 299 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Vergelegen
Website : VinUnic

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Systembolaget Web Ordering System

I recently asked Anna-Karin Ene of the Systembolaget when their web ordering system would be going live and got the following response :

Dear Andrew,

Thank you for your e-mail.

We are about to begin testing the web ordering system for orders delivered to the stores in Malmö and Uppsala. This pilot is planned for mid October. After evaluating the pilot we hope to launch a full version in the spring of 2010.

Please let us know if you have any further inquiries.

Kind regards

Anna-Karin Ene

Customer Service

Marketing and Communications Department

Systembolaget AB

TN : Duck Pond Syrah 2005, Duck Pond Cellars, Desert Wind Vineyard, Wahluke Slope, Columbia Valley, Washington, USA

Duck Pond Cellars was founded in 1993.

Desert Wind Vineyard is located in Eastern Washington on the Wahluke Slope. This site is considered to be zone 3, the hottest in the Columbia Valley. The 480-acre vineyard is a southern facing block with a 2% down hill slope. The soil is very shallow and rocky and the vines are irrigated with and underground drip system. Double catch wires are used to increase air circulation during the growing season. Leaf pulling and cluster thinning are important steps in aiding the ripening of the grapes.

This wine is a blend of 98% Syrah, 1% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc.

This wine was imported by WSB - The Beverage Company AB.

Colour : Dark blackberry

Aroma : Blueberry, liquorice, herbs, coconut, toast

Taste : Liquorice and toasty oak on finish, blueberry, vanilla, herbs, coconut, violets

Alcohol : 15%

Price : 198 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Duck Pond Cellars
Website : WSB - The Beverage Company AB

TN : Rabl Riesling 2008, Weingut Rudolf Rabl, Kamptal, Austria

This wine was bottled under screwcap.

This wine was imported by Johan Lidby Vinhandel.

Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Lemon, honey, orange

Taste : Lemon, honey, mineral, lime

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 79 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Weingut Rabl Langenlois
Website : Johan Lidby Vinhandel

TN : Rabl Gruener Veltliner 2008, Weingut Rudolf Rabl, Weinland, Austria

This wine came in a 1.5 litre (two standard bottles) bag-in-box.

This wine was imported by Johan Lidby Vinhandel.

Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Spice, apple, lemon, lime, ginger, white pepper

Taste : Spice, lemon, orange, white pepper, pear, apricot

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 159 SEK (1.5 litre bag-in-box)

Mark : C+

Website : Weingut Rabl Langenlois
Website : Johan Lidby Vinhandel

Saturday, 7 November 2009

TN : Benchmark Shiraz Mourvedre 2008, Grant Burge Wines, South Eastern Australia

This wine was packaged as a bag-in-box (3 litres). The wine is a blend of 80% Shiraz and 20% Mourvedre.

The wine was filled by Altia PLC, Helsinki, Finland.

Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Strawberry, oak, spices, plums

Taste : Soft, fruity, vanilla, oak, spice, liqourice, fruits of the forest

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 235 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Grant Burge Wines

TN : Kevin Arnold Shiraz Ashleigh Anne 2006,

This wine won a gold medal at Veritas 2008. The wine is a blend of 90% Shiraz and 10% Mourvedre. Fermentation was with yeasts WE374, L2226, and L2026 in a combination of Stainless steel and 225 liter barrels. The wine was matured for 16 months in 90% French 225 liter barrels and 10% American oak. Fining was carried out using egg whites and there was a bulk filtration prior to bottling. Volatile acidity is 0.70 grammes per litre, residual sugar is 1.9 grammes per litre, the pH is 3.70, total acidity is 5.8 grammes per litre, and the total SO2 is 95ppm.

This wine was imported by Wineworld AB.

Colour : Dark blackberry

Aroma : Oak, blackberry, plums, tobacco, burnt toast

Taste : Blackberry, blueberry hints, tobacco, dark chocolate, mint

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 179 SEK

Website : Waterford Estate
Website : Wineworld AB

TN : Finca Las Palmas Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon Cellar Selection 2007, Bodegas Trapiche, Mendoza, Argentina

This wine was imported by Fondberg & Co.

Colour : Blackcurrant, red

Aroma : Blackcurrant, herbs, cherry, liqourice

Taste : Milk chocolate, blackberry, savoury notes, oak, cherry

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 149 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Bodegas Trapiche
Website : Fondberg & Co

TN : Grove Street Sangiovese 2007, Grove Street Winery, California, USA

Grove Street Winery was founded in 1988 and is located on one of the oldest streets in Healdsburg and a short distance from the Russian River.

This wine was imported by Tomp Spirits AB.

Colour : Blackberry, red

Aroma : Plums, cherry, herbs, spice

Taste : Cherry, plums, vanilla, liqourice, caramel

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 89 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Grove Street Winery
Website : Tomp Spirits AB