Wine Review – Sandhi Santa Barbara County Chardonnay

A wine review at last. It has been ages since I have written one. Not that I haven’t had good wines, but perhaps not that much worth singling out. Sandhi Santa Barbara County Chardonnay was such a bottle. We bought it on our last trip to New York a year and a half ago. It was one of those bottles worth flying over the Atlantic. 

Finland Celebrates 100 Years of Independence with Champagne Ayala

2017 is a special year for all Finns. The country celebrates 100 years of independence on December the 6th. It’s actually quite overwhelming that the time finally here. I remember Finland turning 90, and the countdown to a round hundred has been going on ever since. So there is a lot of celebration to be done, and what I find impressive is that Finland has chosen champagne Ayala for making an iconic 100 year celebratory drink for them. Actually this post will be mostly about Champagne Ayala: who they are and what kind of champagne do they make etc. However, what I am hoping for is that it builds some interest and trust in the Finland 100 bubbly. It is not always these marketing things come out good you know. 

Bubbles’n Riesling

Did you know that sparkling wine consumption per capita in Germany is one of the highest in the world? Local sparkling wines: sekt and schaumwein are extremely popular. When I think of German sparkling, I think of Rotkäppchen Sekt (the little red riding hood), the cheap supermarket sparkling that I bought during my many trips to Berlin around ten years ago. That was vile stuff, but no matter, it cost only a few euros and was available in every corner kiosk in town. Today, the trend with German sparkling is more towards quality and differentiation. Vintners often select individual, small, high quality batches of wine for their sparkling wine production and favor the traditional method of second fermentation in the bottle. Exciting!

Saturday with Roederer

I must say, Roederer is one of my favorite among the big champagne houses (after Charles Heidsieck). Their wines are elegant, fresh and crunchy (or crisp is perhaps a better word). My love for Roederer was sparked many years ago: It’s a great memory actually.  We were en route to Bali for our honeymoon, M and I, wondering around Heathrow airport. We stopped by the tax free to ogle at the shelf of bubblies. No way was there going to be any good wine on Bali, so we thought we would buy a few bottles to go. On the shelf there stood a newly released Roederer Rose Vintage 2008. I did not know then how fond I would become of the year 2008, but the bottle was on offer. My first bottle of Roederer followed us to Indonesia that night. Oh my God, how good that champagne tasted on the balcony of our hotel. The Roederer 2008 has had a special meaning to me ever since.

My Three Favorite Wines of July

July is the hottest month of the year for us in the Nordics. To be honest its seldom actually hot.We are lucky if we hit 25C. Regardless of the mild weather, the summer has an effect on my diet. And now I don’t mean just food, but wine as well. I like my wines light in July. Ok, so I like my wines always quite light. However, I could not gulp down any heavy Barolo or Cabernet in this weather. Those I reserve solely for cold fall or Christmas evenings when I actually feel like something thicker. As I have tasted some great new stuff this July, I thought I would share with you my favorite new discoveries. 

Bubbly Tip of the Week: Georges Laval Cumieres Premier Cru Brut Nature

I recently wrote about how big brand champagne has long since divorced what comes from the ground. The aspiration of producing the same product batch after batch requires manipulation of the years produce with a mix of wine from the previous vintages as well as an addition of sugar (to hide some of the taste of the grape). Well here is a champagne that is exactly the opposite: Georges Laval Cumieres Premier Cru Brut Nature.

Wine Review: Cava Gramona Imperia Brut Gran Reserva

Gramona was one of the first specialty cavas that came my way a good three years ago when we were starting our business. Llagrima s’Or is obviously the first (and my favorite) but the Gramona came soon after. Since that time I have of course discovered many more, but Gramona is one of the cavas that have made it big outside the borders of Spain. And it is one of the only artisan cavas found in the Monopoly standard selection. The price is a bit on the high side though (compared to Spain). But it is a savior if you are in quick need of a good bottle. 

Wine Review: Mr P Knows Pinot Noir

I confess. We bought the bottle because of the label. It was stylish and moderately funny (we giggled about the name. I know, childish). That is what caught our attention in the first place. Then there is of course the aspect that Pinot Noir is not that commonly grown in South Africa. We had something “professional” to place the purchase decision on. But yeah, it was the label. Successful marketing from IONA Vineyards, a family venture in Elgin, close to Cape Town.    

Wine Review: Maison Nicolas Potel Chassagne-Montrachet Vielles Vignes 2007

Recently I have been talking a lot about white Burgundy (recent post here). It is the wine-obsession of the year. So last weekend we took out a recent acquisition from the cellar to enjoy with food. The bottle of Chassagne-Montrachet from Nicolas Potel is a 100% Chardonnay from Côte de Beaune, so we reckoned that it could hold its own with a mushroom risotto. How right we were. It was a perfect match. 

Wine Review: Gardo & Morris Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc

On my quick and lazy Sunday post I mentioned that we had a go at a sparkling Sauvignon Blanc last week. I am not a huge fan of the grape in general, however, I do have a soft spot in my heart for SB from Marlborough, New Zealand. And since I have a weakness for sparkling as well, then a sparkling from the region does not sound like a bad idea.