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.