KWV Chardonnay 2010

I always have white wine in my fridge, especially during summer. The sun sets here after 9pm at the moment, and it's not yet summer. So when it's as warm as it's been this last weekend, I like to relax and have a glas of white wine. My favourite at the moment is Chardonnay, and there's two I pick. The one is the KWV and the other is the Drostdy Hof, but more about the Drostdy Hof another time.

Tonight it was roast on the menu, with potatoes and spinach leaves. Usually a good meal for a red, but because of the fantastic weather, the heat, and the sun which seems to never go down up here in the north, the pick was the KWV Chardonnay.

It's not as yellow as you would expect, and the smell is not as strong, but the taste is unmistakably Chardonnay. A slightly wooded dry white wine, fresh and fruity with tropical and citrus flavours. It has to however be very cold.

69kr is a bargain if you ask me. Have a look at Systembolaget, nr.7055.

Uruka Tannat 2008

What a find, thanks to the South African winemaker Riaan van der Spuy. The wine is called Uruka, and the name is made up of the three first letters of the word Uruguay and the last two letters from the word South Africa in Afrikaans, "Suid Afrika". I have never heard of the grape Tannat, until I drank the wine, but apparently it is the most commonly used grape in Uruguay.

The colour is blood red to brown. The fragrance on the nose is very much like Shiraz, but with some liquarice mixed with white chocolate, if you can picture that. There's also a smell of spices with creamy caramel, oak and a hint of plums. It smelt fantastic. Really my kind of wine. The taste was chocolate and oak barrels and very peppery. The end tones raised the taste a lot, so instead of fading, it lasted a long time in your mouth.

For this wine we tried Lamb chops and Risotto with Funnel Chanterelle. It was a really great fit. A creamy red wine with Risotto.

The price is 89kr at Systembolaget which is a bargain.

Le Donne Dei Boschi 2009

Wine tasting 9

I'm all for sparkling wines, and experimenting with it, but this wine is too sweet for me to be taken seriously. It only has 5% alcohol content which makes me wonder what the wine maker was thinking when they created it. If you're looking for a low alcohol alternative for a sunny afternoon, then give it a try, if you don't think the price is too much.

Panel's rating: 2,7 out of 5

Price: 98SEK

Country: Piedmont, Italy

Grape: Brachetto

Colour: Light red

Nose: This wine has a youthful, lightly perfumed scent, with hints of cherries, strawberries and herbs.

Taste: Very sweet with hints of berries (Cherries and Strawberries).

Wine Tasting number 9

Last Friday we had our ninth wine tasting. This time there was 6 friends, and we tasted 7 wines. The winner for the night was clearly the 2009 Australian Shiraz, called Lionheart of the Barossa, from Dandelion Cellars, which not only tasted fantastic but had a really well designed label. The Italien wine Trabucchi d'Illasi Valpolicella Le Mariette 2009 was in second place and the Portuguese wine Meia Pipa 2008 in third.

Le Donne Dei Boschi 2009

Nottage Hill Riesling 2009

Simonsig Chardonnay 2010

Meia Pipa 2008

Trabucchi d'Illasi Valpolicella Le Mariette 2009

Dandelion Vineyards Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz 2009

Domaine du Vieux Lazaret 2008

Saskia Chenin Blanc Viognier 2009

If you have some extra cash or would like to buy someone a really good bottle of wine as a gift, then see if you can find this bottle. Called Saskia, and is from Miles Mossop Wines in South Africa. It's a blend of 71% percent Chenin Blanc and 29% Viognier. The wine is named after Miles (Winemaker) and Samantha Mossop's daughter, Saski-Jo. I love the way they write on the label, that this wine capture the character of a mischievous young daughter.

According to the Miles, the wine is an intensely complex wine with aromas of toasted almonds, honeysuckle, limes and white peach. There are hints of tropical fruits such as mango and pineapple which are interwoven with stunning spicy aromas of flint and white pepper.

For me the smell was so intense, as if you'd cut through a huge mellon and stuck your nose right in the middle. The colour is a golden yellow with hints of green.

He carries on to say that the palate is full and rich, mirroring the nose with flavours of toasted almond brioche, apricots and peach. A rich mid palate accentuated by a creaminess and finishing with a long textured mouth-feel and a vibrant acidity. The blend is beautifully balanced with no dominant varietal or notes.

Our food pairing tonight was lasagna, made with homemade fresh pasta sheets, paired with a simple green salad and Fresh Mozzarella. I loved the spiciness off the food with the softness of the wine, especially the Vionier aftertaste. According to the winemaker you should try it with seared yellowfin tuna marinated in wasabi, soy sauce and pickled ginger served on wilted spinach and aromatic basmati rice or crayfish bouillabaisse.

A fantastic wine. A bit pricy at 189SEK, but really worth a try, you won't be disappointed.

Here's the link to Systembolaget and to Mossop Wines if you'd like to read more.

50 Creative Wine Labels

If you're into wine label design, have a look at Creative Fan, as the profile 50 Creative Wine Labels. My favourite is to the left.