L'Hereu de Raventós i Blanch Reserva 2007

I've said it before that I'm a fan of Cava and last night we tried a new Cava a friend found at Systembolaget, the local liquor store. If you don't know Cava, then let me see if I can help out. As you have an area in France called Champagne, so too is there an area in Spain called Catalonia, which makes Sparkling wines. If the wine is from that area, then it's allowed to be called a Cava. Read this article for more information on Cava.

If you like Brut, then try this Cava. Typically dry, typically fresh and a mix of winter apples on the nose. The taste is a mix of yellow apples and grapefruit. Very good indeed. Living in Sweden, I now get to try a lot of wines from other countries, which also means getting to know grape varieties I've never heard of. This Cava is a blend of 60% Macabeu, 20% Xarel-Lo and 20% Parellada.

Now it's not always we make food that suits a Cava or Sparkling Wine, but there are nights when nothing but a good Cava will do. Last night we made Alfredo Pasta, with baby Spinach, cream and Parmesan, accompanied by thin shaved beef wrapped around button mushrooms, dipped in flour, then fried. Such a lot of flavours mixed with a very dry Cava was really great.

Not bad for 99kr, see Systembolaget.se

Lat 42 Rioja 1999

One of my favourite wines of all times it has to be said. Had it the first time more than two years ago, when we tasted the 2001 vintage during the first wine tasting, where it scored 3 out of 5, then we tasted the 2002 vintage during the third wine tasting, where it scored 4 out of 5 and again the 2002 vintage during the fourth wine tasting, where it scored 3 out of 5.

This however is the 1999 vintage. I found it by chance at the beginning of the year, and bought ten bottles, of which this was unfortunately the last one. It's not often you find an 11 year old wine for close to 80kr, which is as good as this one. It's very woody and such a wonderful smell. I will admit that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you love Pinotage from South Africa, then you'll love this. Dark, and very bold.

For this wine we made a traditional lamb dish from South Africa called Biriyani. Originally from Malaysia, but have krept into the South African culture over a very long time. Lots of spices, mixed with the lamb, basmati rice and lentils, served with fresh coriander. The wine lasted long after dessert was done, and is fantastic after the meal all by itself as well. If you're into Spanish wines like I am, try this, but be careful, it is a bit wild. Tame it by making a spicy lamb dish like Biriyani.

Here's the link to Systembolaget. They currently have only the 2003 vintage in stock, which I have not yet tasted.

Below you can see that the cork is a little mouldy, not because the wine got air, but just because it's so old. 11 years. You can also see that in the colour of the wine. More brown than red. All the tannins are gone, yet the wine remains powerful in the nose and the taste.

Flat Roof Manor Shiraz Mourvèdre Viognier 2008

South Africa, here we come. I have a friend who always tries and finds a wine from South Africa that I haven't had. Today was another surprise from a well known wine farm in South Africa called Uitkyk, called Flat Roof Manor. The wine is named after one the Cape's three surviving, two storied, flat roofed 18th Century houses near Stellenbosch.

I wrote a month ago about a wine from the Darling district North of Cape Town that was a blend of Shiraz and Mourvèdre. This wine however is a blend of three well known grapes in the red grapes Shiraz and Mourvèdre, along with the white grape Viognier. Estelle Lourens, the winemaker, did a fantastic job. Those three grapes work really well together, the peppery, dry Shiraz mixed with earthy, fruity Mourvèdre and a dash of floral Viognier. It's smooth and very round in your mouth, with a long after taste of flowers and pepper.

To match this wine tonight, we thought we'd make a very traditional South African dish called Bobotie. It arrived with the Indonesian, malay slaves in the 1700s along with a host of new spices. This dish is excellent with yellow rise and raisins. The spices mixed very well with this wine, however, I'd like to try some more meatier dishes with the wine in the future.

Another bargain at 89kr, have a look atSystemBolaget.se

Zonnebloem Shiraz 2008

I have said this before, that after Pinotage, comes Shiraz. Well for me anyway. Tonight was roast night. Had a large piace of roast, rolled in ground pepper and rough salt after cooking, with butternut and mixed vegetables, roasted in the oven on the side. Butternut is a very much overlooked vegetable and so easy to cook.

With this meal we had a bottle of Zonnebloem Shiraz 2008. I thought the peppery meat would go well with a wine which is known to taste of pepper and spice. The first thing with this wine is the smell of fruit and spices, and then some more fruit on the taste, mixed up with hints of barrel and pepper. Some say coffee too, but that one is not what I tasted. The mix of pepper on the meat worked well with this wine, and made the vegetables taste sweeter. I would really like to age this wine for 5-8 years to see the potential, it would probably turn out fantastic.

Although there's a lot of wines competing for attention in this price range, it's worth a try. 82kr is well worth it, have a look at SystemBolaget.se

Masi Campofiorin 2007

Wine and Mexican food has never really in my mind worked well together. The problem is I love wine and I love Mexican food. I've tried all kinds of variations on the theme, and have never succeeded, until tonight. Mild Burritos with mince & beans, baby spinach, cheese and medium salsa. Make sure it's medium, otherwise you won't taste this wine, or any wine for that matter, which means you'll end up settling for an ice cold beer instead.

I recently received two of these bottles of wine for my house warming party. I've never had this one specifically, but have had two others in the Masi range. What makes this wine special is that it's double fermented, which affects the taste. To make a long story short, I'll quote from the label: "Campofiorin. Double Fermentation - Ripasso. Exclusive Masi 'Supervenetian' wine made since 1964 by refermenting red wine produced from freshly picked grapes from the Verona area with a percentage of semi-dried grapes of the same style. This doble fermentation technique gives wines greater concentrations of colour and aromas with a bigger structure and a longer life."

This very dark ruby red wine, for me, didn't have such a strong, or should I say too strong aroma. What it did have though was a lot of cherries in the taste. Very spicy and very good. It was soft and smooth, and had a long after taste. It made an excellent companion for our Burritos. It helped that the food was mild though. The grapes in the wine are 70% corvina, 25% rondinella och 5% molinara.

The price is very reasonable at 105kr, have a look at SystemBolaget.se

Hamelin Bay Shiraz 2008

More spicy food calls for more spicy wine in this Shiraz, except that this wine is oh so smooth. Take white pepper and mix it with chocolate and vanilla and you'll get the picture. Full bodied with that typical spicy aroma you can expect from a Shiraz.

The wine is from the Five Ashes Vineyard at Karridale, Margaret River's southern most wine district. That's Australia for those that didn't know. The crest is the Welsh wyvern, and the motto, Esse Quam Videri, means to be, rather than seem to be. So true in today's wine world, where you can buy something and get something completely different. This wine however, delivers what it promises, classical Shiraz characteristics.

The food for tonight to go with this wine is spicy chicken skewers and butternut.

Cape Crown Cuvèe Brut Sauvignon Blanc

Since spending a week in Barcelona two years ago, I have gotten stuck drinking Cava as my bubbly of choice. Love the wild Spanish wines and Cava is no exception.

Here however a friend bought me a bubbly from South Africa. A Cuvèe Brut and the grape is Sauvignon Blanc. South Africa's Sauvignon Blanc wines are mostly crisp and fruity, with flavours of green peppers and grass. Here too that's no true, except it is a bubbly. A little dry but smooth, with an exceptionally long after taste.

If you like the white wines from South Africa, you'll love this wine. Best of all it's only 69kr at Systembolaget. Definitely on my list the next time I need a bubbly.

Food wise we're making black Marlin, fried with a Yakitori sauce, tempura vegetables and for desert, apple pie with Swedish apples and whipped cream.

Lomond Syrah 2008

Shiraz has always been a favourite for me. Spicy, peppery and smokey. This wine from Cape Agulhas in South Africa is no exception. Tonight we're having it with Pesto Pasta and chicken fried in pepper. Talk about bringing out the pepper taste in the wine. Along with lots of pepper it is also very spicy with hints of fruit. Lots of flavour in your mouth, especially with food.

The wine is well worth a try and not expensive at all at 89kr. Especially if you're a Shiraz fan.

Cape Agulhas is the most southern tip of Africa and the wines made in the area are heavily influenced by soils and climate in the area.

Babylon's Peak Shiraz/Mourvédre/Grenache 2008

It's that grape again. Mourvédre. This time in a wine, I've never had, from South Africa. It's called Babylon's Peak. Lots of cinnamon, and fynbos characters, spicy and some dark fruit. Lots of spicy Shiraz on the nose. It's got a bit of strong taste in the beginning with real red wine taste in the end. You know the one where you look at the glass and say, geepers, this is really good red wine. Which this is.

Babylon's Peak is a boutique private cellar, tucked away in the highest weathered granite slopes of the Paardeberg Mountain, north-east of Cape Town. The Basson family produces this wine on the Nooitgedacht farm.

Hercules Paragon Sauvignon Blanc 2009

 

I'm still on my South Africa hunt for wines that I haven't had before and especially that I have never heard of before. Here we have one of them. It's called Hercules Paragon, and tonight we had the Sauvignon Blanc. It's good if you're into crisp white wines with tastes of Goosberries and tropical fruits. Lots of fruit on the nose and the taste is very fruity indeed with sour and sweet tones thrown into the mix.

We had the wine with Chicken fillet and Risotto with freshly picked Yellowfoot mushrooms. In Swedish the mushrooms are called trattkantarell, but in English they're called Yellowfoot, winter mushroom, or Funnel Chanterelle. Perfect fit for this wine with so many flavours already in the mix.

The name Hercules Paragon is very interesting because it's from the 17th century. When Hercules van Loon was granted a farm by Simon van der Stel his first concern was to establish the best vineyards in the valley. Being a man with flair, determined to be a symbol of excellence, he gained the nickname Hercules Paragon. And so today we have a wine named after him.

Darling Cellars Shiraz Mourvedre

Don't ask me why, but lately I've been delving back into some South African wines, especially those I haven't had before. This one from Darling Cellars falls into that category, especially with a blend of Shiraz and Mourvedre. An unusual blend, as Mourvedre is not a popular or well know grape
 variety in South Africa. It is usually used to make strong and dark red wines, as well as the odd Rosé. The grape originates from France.

This wine however has a typical South African smell or nose to it. The spicyness of the Shiraz, blended with the pepperiness of the Mourvedre. An elegant wine with soft, ripe fruit flavours and a subtle hint of oak on the aftertaste. I had it together with a Sirloin steak dipped in course salt and ground pepper, cut up into a salad of baby spinach, mixed with Avocado, sweet peppers and cucumber. It was delicious together. The wine is really soft and well worth a try.

Darling Cellar is an hours drive north of Cape Town on the cool West coast of South Africa. The soild in the area are granite based and bush vines are used to grow the grapes. See the wine online on systembolaget's website.

Van Loveren Chardonnay 2009

I was introduced to this wine here in Sweden by a very close friend. She always liked saying Van Love in hushed tones. And that I do. Love this wine. Chardonnay is for me usually a wine to have with food. Not this one so much. This is your typical, with friends on the grass, chatting and laughing, waiting for the sun to set, wine.

Fruity, lovely aromas and a lingering taste of citrus, smokey and nutty tones. You won't be disappointed. Van Loveren or if you wish Van Love.

Had a lot of Van Loveren wine in South Africa, but mostly reds. I was pleasantly surprised to learn they have come to Sweden.

See the wine online at Systembolaget

Wine Production

Moving back to just loving wine

Finally it seems as if wine production is moving back into the hands of those who love making wine, instead of those who love making money.

The problem is there's just too much really bad wine on the market, produced by those not in it for the love of wine, but more the love of money. Sure, wine lovers who produce fine wines make money, and rightly so, but the difference is that they're in it for the long term. Those that are in it for the money look at it in the short term and will move on to the next money making thing as soon as it comes along.

It's not just Australia who has this problem, but most wine producing countries, including France, Italy and South Africa. Let's hope the situation sorts itself out soon, so the wine quality starts improving, but as the guys from Monocle said, until then I'm willing to help drink the left overs.

















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Best Chardonnay

If you can get your hands on this Chardonnay from Meerlust, then buy it. It is the best in my opinion by a long shot. Think very wooded, aged and powerful. I have never had it with food though, as I love enjoying it by itself, ice cold.

Systembolaget sells the Meerlust Rubicon, but I've not seen the Chardonnay in Sweden yet. If you have, please let me know. This bottle is from my collection in South Africa.