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).

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

Terreno Chianti Clissico (2006)

Wine tasting 4

I'm not a fan of Chianti yet, but what I've heard is that you need to watch out what you buy, because as good as this wine can be, just so can it be really terrible. I'm also surprised when we don't finish all the wine in one night, and this wine was one that was left. I had it again the next day and it was as if I was drinking a different wine. This means that the wine does not want anything complex around it, perhaps just by itself or with a simple dish. I would decant the bottle in the future, because the wine seems to need a lot of air for it to settle down properly.

Panel's rating: 2,56 out of 5




Price: 89SEK
Country: Italy
Grape: 90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo

Colour: Dark colour, red blue

Nose: Spicy, fruity aroma with hints of barrel, cherry, chocolate and herbs

Taste: Spicy, fruity taste with barrel character, elements of cherries, herbs and dark chocolate

The third wine tasting

The third wine tasting was held with a totally new group than the first two. I decided not to add a theme to this tasting, just to see what kind of wines we end up with. No theme meant they could buy whichever wines they wanted, from any country and in any price range.

In the end we ended up with 2 white wines and 7 red wines, from Italy, South Africa, USA, Spain and Bulgaria. All in all a really fantastic group, and I hope we get together for another tasting really soon.

Ruffino Orvieto Classico (2007)

Wine tasting 3

I am slowly but surely starting to discover a taste for Italian red wines, because it's not often that I get to taste Italian whites. Here's one that I thought was pretty good, and worth a try for a summer barbecue or a picnic. Needs to be really cold though.

Panel's rating: 10.88 out of 20

Price: N/A
Country: Italy
Grape: Grechetto 50%, Procanico 30%, Verdello 10%, Canaiolo bianco 10%

Colour: Straw yellow

Nose: Fresh and fragrant with delicate flowery notes of meadow flowers and clover accompanied by fruity hints of green apples and greengages.

Taste: Fresh and harmonious with good body and an aftertaste reminiscent of citrus fruits.

Inzolia Chardonnay (2007)

Wine tasting 3

Here's a wine that uses clever marketing to sell itself. There's two words on the label, "Inzolia" and "Chardonnay". Most people don't know what Inzolia means and assumes this is a Chardonnay, which it isn't. There's only 25% Chardonnay in here, the rest or 75% is Inzolia, which is also a grape variety. This wine is not worth it. Rather drink water.

Panel's rating: 8.12 out of 20

Price: 67SEK
Country: Italy (Sicilia)
Grape: 75% Inzolia, 25% Chardonnay

Colour: Light yellow color

Nose: Youthful, fruity aroma with hints of pear, peach and melon. Youthful, fruity aroma with hints of mango, peach and melon.

Taste: Dry, very fruity taste with hints of peach, melon and grapefruit. Fine acidity and length. Dry, very fruity taste with hints of mango, peach and grapefruit.

The second wine tasting

The second wine tasting has come and gone as fast as the first one did. For the second one the theme was Europe. The group was only allowed to buy wines from one of the 27 countries that form part of the European Union, which includes all of the following: , Åland Islands, Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Norway, Mayen Islands, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City.

The strange thing was that everyone arrived with only wine from France and Italy. Perhaps it says something about the other countries on the list? Perhaps it was just an easier decision? One positive from the night though was that three out of the eight wines were ecological.

Claps Sauvignon Blanc Sequals (2007)

Wine tasting 2

I'm not sure the three and a half stars really give enough credit for this wine. It was really fantastic, and should be if you're looking at spending 80kr for a bottle of white. I do however believe there's better wines on the market for much less. I would however buy this wine again, for a picnic in the park and on warm summers day. I was surprised to learn that this wine comes from Italy, and not somewhere like Australia or South Africa.

Panel's rating: 3,6 out of 5

Price: 80SEK

Country: Italy

Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Colour: A light yellow tone to clear, Very light, A cold greyish yellow, A clear yellow with a hint of gold, Bright and soft yellow with a little hint of turqouise, Light yellow with a little green, Light yellow.

Nose: A lot of citrus and floral mixed, Pears and peaches with some elder flowers, Fresh and fruity with a hint of citrus, Peaches and passion fruits, Tropical fruits with hints of lemons, Sweet citrus mixed with pear marmalade and gooseberries with some tropical fruits.

Taste: Thick on the tongue and hard to destinguish, Crisp, Dry and crisp, Dry and light, Crisp and peachy.

Dolce Vita Monica di Sardegna (2006)

Wine tasting 2

This was actually one of my favourite wines for the night, yet many said it was so-so. The Monica grape was totally unheard, and is one of only a handful grapes which are equally good as a table grape. It's relatively new on the market, yet I would recommend it for being a relatively good ecological wine.

Panel's rating: 3,1 out of 5

Price: 67SEK

Country: Italy

Grapes: 100% Monica

Colour: Ruby, Dark scarlett, Thick ruby, Purple

Nose: Cinnamon mixed with leather and raisins, Very earthy, Raisin bagels, Sharp and very rustic, A little resin and ripe fruit, Lots of cellar and barrel

Taste: A strong beginning of cherries with a very short after taste, Rustic and very strong in the beginning but settles too quickly, Peppery, Sharp with a sort of burning peppery taste mixed with figs, Strong cinnamon flavours with high acidity, Smooth finish.

Vinea Corvina Veronese (2006)

Wine tasting 2

My favourite wine for the night and definitely on my shopping list again. Especially when we're planning to cook something really special with friends. I've never heard of the Corvina grape before this night and was very impressed with the wine. Well structured. I also really like the bottle design. Simple and elegant. A superb wine and highly recommended.

Panel's rating: 3,6 out of 5

Price: 80SEK

Country: Italy

Grapes: 100% Corvina

Colour: Brown red and rusty, Dirt red, Brown rusty red, Deep rusty red, Brwon red.

Nose: Raisins, plums and spices, Very spicy, Nutty, Earthy, Almonds with hints of barrel, Figs.

Taste: Sour and hints of cherries, Long after taste and full in the mouth, Cherries and a bit bitter, A tad bitter with berries and vanilla, Sour cherries, Fig marmelade and sour cherries, Barrel characteristics and hints of orange peel.

Farnese Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (2005)

Wine tasting 2

This wine was also tasted at the first wine tasting, and although it scored a little lower this time, it was still the winner for the night. 85kr for a fantastic wine that's soft, smooth and basically and excellent wine. If you haven't tried this wine before, then buy it. You won't be disappointed. We tasted this wine during the first wine tasting as well, and also received 4 stars with a score of 4,2 out of 5.

Panel's rating: 3,8 out of 5

Price: 109SEK

Country: Italy

Grapes: 100% Montepulciano

Colour: Deep red scarlet, Very dark red, Scarlet to blue red, Very deep red with pink undertones, Scarlet,

Nose: Floral and earthy, Cherries and vanilla, Dark cherry chocolate, Smells of a garden, Jasmine, fruity and a bit yeasty, Liquorice and flowers, Oak barrel with a smell of flowers and vanilla, Full-bodied with a smell of oak and vanilla.

Taste: Smooth, chocolate with hints of cherries and plums, Soft taste that lingers forever, Pepper and vanilla, Alcohol taste with cherries and vanilla, Liquorice, Dark cherries, Spicy and velvety smooth.

Letizia Sicilia Syrah (2006)

Wine tasting 2

After Pinotage, Syrah or Shiraz is my next favourite wine variety. I think it's because the wine has such interesting characteristics. So many winemakers can get the best out of this grape variety, and the same with this wine. Well balanced, well structure with a long after taste that's spicy and warm. Worth a try if you're a Syrah fan.

Panel's rating: 3,5 out of 5

Price: 85SEK

Country: Italy

Grapes: 100% Syrah

Colour: Scarlet, Brownish red, Deep dark red.

Nose: Sharp, Figs and very mellow, Young spirited.

Taste: Spicy, juicy and warm, Alcohol with hints of spice and liquorice, Sharp, Figs with spices and some vanilla, Lots of character, Hot and juicy.

Boira Sangiovese (2007)

As I've spoken about before, I tend to buy South African wines because I know more about them, than say Italian or French wines. So my point of reference is usually South Africa. My little sister however, has a totally different point of reference, which has nothing to do with the country, the grape or anything like that. Her point of reference is from an ecological point of view, or wines that are made in an environmentally friendly way. That is what she searches for when she's out buying wine.

She always has a new wine at home that falls into this category, that she's willing to share, and her drive to only buy ecological wines, has made me think about it more and more. I believe it's where we all should move towards. So far I've tried 6 different ecological wines from various countries, and have to be honest, they all still have a long way to go before they can be called great wines.

This weekend we had this one, called Boira. It's from Italy and made from the Sangiovese grape. It has so far been the best ecological wine I have had to date. We had it after a meal of Roasted pepper soup as a starter and then a tomato pesto pasta as the main meal. I really thought it was fantastic after the meal, as some wines tend to be and would recommend this wine if you, like my little sister, would like a good wine that's also an ecological wine.

Here's some tasting notes from the guys over at The Week, Wine Club. Bright red wine, almost Pinot Noir in colour, with rich burnt fruit flavours. Luscious well-balanced pure red wine with good minerality. A class example of what really good organic red wine should taste like—it feels very good—and is. Perfect for lunch or those rare outdoor dinners.

The first wine tasting

The first wine tasting has come and gone, and it was fantastic. I learnt so much, and was introduced to so many new wines and new tastes. Just to recap, we were 8 people, which meant 8 wines. Each person gave me a bottle of wine of their choice one week before, which I then "prepared" for the night, after reading up on them a bit.  A blind tasting of 8 bottles of wine. The wines were from Australia, Germany, Argentina, Spain, France, South Africa and Italy. The prices ranged from 58kr to 105kr and we tasted 2 whites and 6 reds.

The night was also one where we had fantastic home baked bread and excellent cheeses to accompany each wine and give the taste buds a break in between each bottle. You can read more about the format here. Here's the "esteemed" panel, deliberating during the night.

Farnese Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (2005)

Wine tasting 1

This wine was everyone's favourite of the night, with no score lower than four. A good solid red wine. Exceptional aromas of flowers and berries. Smooth. Mellow. Just perfect.

Panel's rating: 4,2 out of 5

Price: 99SEK
Country: Italy
Grape: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Colour: Cherry red blueish | Blueish purple and dark | Red pinkish | Purple | Red, close to Cerise.

Nose: Dark red berries, vanilla and cinnamon | A little like cherries and vanilla | A deep smell and cinnamon | Fruity | Cinnamon | Flowers.

Taste: Round, soft tannins and juicy | Soft tannins | Really nice | Juicy and spicy | Sharp | Liquorice | Full and round.

Copertino Denominaxione di Origine (2001)

Wine tasting 1

Here's another surprise for the night, that no one could guess right. My guess is because it's also a properly aged wine, that gives it all the right characteristics. Although it still has strong smells on the nose, it is soft and round in the mouth. Exceptional value for money.

Panel's rating: 3,4 out of 5

Price: 66SEK

Country: Italy

Grapes: Negroamaro / Montepulciano

Colour: Red brick | Orange red | More ruby | Red with brick.

Nose: Resin with perfume, tobacco, prunes and earthy spice | Resin fragrance | Earthy | Resin | Blueberries.

Taste: Dry and warm, plum like | Soft and round | Resin and vanilla | Perfume | Pepper.