The Silver Spoon ProjectPosted by Per-Olof Diderot Sun, May 19, 2013 13:39:00 Wineblogg cook for the first time a genuine fennel recipe. How often do you use fennel as a raw material with its original flavor of anise and a fine acidity?
Finocchi al vino blanco (110/2000) Fennel in white wine Take 4 fennels, trim and cut them into bite-sized wedges. Put them in a saucepan, mix 250 ml of white wine and a clove of garlic. Let it cook for about 20 minutes and at the end add fresh basil. Season and enjoy. A dish that will surprise positively. It's a pure pleasure to eat it especially when it combines the acidity from both the vegetables and the wine.
Gallo Nobel con salsa (109/2000) Start by peeling the shrimps and cut the rooster file into yummy bits. Fry the bits (or chicken fillet) in butter until it gets a nice color. Add 2 cups white sparkling wine (I used Pelorus Blanc de Blancs), 1 cup milk, 500 gr crushed Italian tomatoes and various spices and vegetarian broth. Let it cook on low heat for about an hour to make the sauce just thick enough. Closing up with fresh shrimps in the sauce as well as an extra dish. Great in combination with sourdough bread, couscous or rice.
We have already decided, that later in life we will live part of the year in either Spain or in the south of the French Mediterranean coast. With a strong wine and food passion it is not a tough choice, until you should determine more precisely where to live. So it was with great curiosity that I tried a wine from the Côtes Catalanes when I visited the excellent wine bar (and store) Ved Stranden 10 in Copenhagen. Because even though I have been in the area south of Perpignan several times I did not know that the area also belong to Catalonia. In this area many great seductive wine is beeing produced that only gets better every year and usually is a bargain in comparision to quality.
Matassa is an old Catalan word meaning the dense undergrowth of the forest. The logo on the label is a stylized form of an ancient kanji script which means forest. Domaine Matassa was named after the first vineyard was purchased called Clos Matassa, a small walled Carignan estate surrounded by dense forest at the foothills of the Pyrenees.
The wine is biodynamic and made from grape combination of 50 % Syrah and 50% Mourvedre. A stall scent with lovely raspberry, licorice, lavender, rosemary and charcuterie conclusion. So incredibly exciting fragrance and one of the best scents for a long time!
Wonderful taste aromas with fresh herbs, pepper, raspberry and magical charcuterie. A really super yummy wine from an area that will lead the wine development in years to come. Wow! This wine is a must to taste soon...
D and J! We love you... Today our best friends from amazing Franschhoek in South Africa is getting married. Johan and Danelle is our inspiration in life and the best friends you can have. We wish them all happiness and a long life together.
“Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.” Kahlil Gibran, Love Letters in the Sand: The Love Poems of Khalil Gibran
Champagne Guy Charlemagne It is with great pleasure that I grip the keyboard and write about this fabulous Champagne producer in the heart of the Côte des Blancs. The Champagnehouse Guy Charlemagne is located in the small charming village of Le Mesnil sur Oger. They produce about 130,000 bottles a year of which 35% is sold in France and the rest global. Their motto "Quality is my truth," describes more than well what the producer really stands for.
We have had the great pleasure of visiting the producer on two occasions and have been greeted by a super friendly and professional approach. And when the Champagnes is even better it makes it into one of my personal favorites. Everything with this champagne house exudes a real sense of class throughout.
Guy Charlemagne Rose Brut The 100 % Pinot Noir grapes for this wine is produced by the Charlemagne vineyard in Sezanne. The soil is dominated by limestone and clay, and the wine is produced by saignéemethod. A subtle fragrance emerges with hints of red apples, strawberries and minerals. The taste shines with elegance delivering a fresh fruit, good acidity and aromas of grapefruit, red apples, strawberries, strawberry and minerals.
If I'm not mistaken, it is our dear Norwegian neighbor's favorite rosé champagne right now. And it can be easily understood. Unbelievable that it does not belong to the regular assortment of the Swedish Systembolaget as it is one of the best rose Champagnes I have tasted. Order it right now to get it in time when spring finally arrives and use it as an aperitif and/or together with a luke warm spring salad combined with smoked salmon.
As a true Pinot Lover I am extra happy the few times per year when I find a Pinot (in human price range) that strikes one's expectations by far. And now it has happened again...
Elgin The wine that I tested is from an area called Elgin in South Africa. It is located on the road between Cape Town and Hermanus on a plateau. Microclimate provides unique conditions with warm days in combination with refreshing nights, creating perfect conditions for this challenging grape.
Pepin Condé Pinot Noir 2011 for 14 Euro The grapes are handpicked and placed in small baskets. And from the first moment you touch this wine you can feel that these grapes have been handled with care and lots of love.
A lovely fruity nose meet you with the subtle nuances of wild raspberries, strawberries, chocolate and fresh herbs. Flavor is sensational with a delicious hint of mature Swedish strawberries, herbs, wild raspberries, pepper and vanilla. A class wines makes its presence and signals the fantastic potential in Elgin wines, especially from the Pinot grape.
Cheers to best friends Johan and Danelle that introduced us to this fantastic wine region in my favorite part of Africa. And finally a wonderful Gangnam style with Swedish golf pro Jesper Parnevik in the lead.
Compared to the original that has been shown unimaginable 1.5 billion times on Youtube!
The Silver Spoon ProjectPosted by Per-Olof Diderot Wed, April 03, 2013 21:36:32 To take advantage of what nature gives you, can surely be a rewarding task. And is there really anything better than butter fried chanterelles?
Crêpes ai Chantarelle con salsa al Marsala e Gorgonzola (107/2000) Start by making thin pancakes. Pour 2 dl Marsala wine and 1 dl water in a saucepan together with a piece of Gorgonzola and vegetarian broth. Let the sauce reduce until it becomes slightly thick.
Fry the chanterelles in butter. One good advice is to not let all the liquid go away. After a few minutes cooking, add some maizena that gives the chanterelle mixture a lovely texture with all the flavors still there. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees C and fill the Crêpes with chanterelles and the sauce. When you have filled the oven dish with crepes, pour the remainder of the sauce on top and sprinkle with grated pecorino cheese.
Once completed, you can cut the crêpes into bits, which makes it even more delight for your senses. A chanterelle crêpe that makes me smile.
Wine tipsPosted by Per-Olof Diderot Thu, March 21, 2013 20:21:32 Many of you readers have probably heard of and tried wines from the Italian wine region Piemonte. Most famous wines are Barolo and Barbaresco which uses the famous grape Nebbiolo. Prices, especially for Barolo wines, is discouraging in many cases. It is therefore gratifying to try wines from the district Barbera d’Alba that is located in the same geographic area. In the soft hilly landscape grows the red wine grape Barbera with great success. The area has undergone a minor wine revolution where modern methods now are used in a very successful way. The grape gives powerful wines with balanced tannins that make it perfect as great food wine. And even though the wines are very storable, they are also available much earlier, especially compared to the cousin Barolo.
Pelissero Piani 2010 from Barbera d’Alba for 19 Euros Mozartish scent with a sweet symphony of wild berry, licorice, violets, cherry and vanilla. In addition, a silky palate with lovely aromas of licorice, raspberry, violets, cocoa and vanilla! A wine from a top producer to a budget price, highly recommended to spring lamb and / or a cheese board.
Have now found a new favorite area to penetrate and I can already promise more articles with focus on wines Barbera d'Alba.
Wine tipsPosted by Per-Olof Diderot Mon, March 04, 2013 19:52:32 Italian Soave which means delightful, is not my perception in generall for wines from this area. Usually pretty mediocre wines with too much acid is in the back of my head. But as usual, there are the exceptions specially from Soave Classico and really skilled producers. When I last weekend cooked baked clams, I got a great confirmation of this fact.
Soave Classico comes from an area just east of Verona on higher-lying hills. The soil contains different proportion of limestone and volcanic rock which gives wines a nice minerality and purity.
Gini La Froscà 2010 for 17 Euro Producer Gini has been operating as winemakers in Monteforte d'Alpone for more than 400 years. Today the property is headed by brothers Alessandro and Claudio Gini in a very creditable manner. The wine I tried called La Froscà and consists of 100% green grape Garganega. The grape can create wines with great structure, elegance and are sometimes supplemented with a small amount of Chardonnay.
The wine has a beautiful sunset color with lovely aromas of citrus, honey and minerals. Shades of citrus, herbs, honey, yellow plums, accompanied of elegant minerals and a subtle oiliness that covers the entire palate in a silky way. The flavor is enchanting good as "Lord of the ring" volcano reeking magic. If hobbits were supposed to produce wine in Italy, this would be their first wine pick.
Golf cap of to family Ginis honor, having produced a seafood wine that I would like to give to my dad up there in heaven.
Wine tipsPosted by Per-Olof Diderot Thu, February 21, 2013 22:05:35 Wineblogg is continuing the blog series about Spanish wines from the Toro district. And next in line among the tested wines are Matsu El Picaros "father" called El Recio. Must honestly admit that I was a bit hesitant before the test, if this wine really was worth a 50% price difference. Soon you will find the answer... Matsu El Recio 2010 for 18 euro This wine is made with 100% Tinta de Toro grape has a luscious dark red color. The scent reminds me of a visit to a sawmill with fresh wood shavings in your hand along with a lovely blend of tobacco, chocolate, coffee and black cherry. Taste impresses with a clear identity and nuances of ripe cherry, Italian espresso, chocolate, blackberries and vanilla that present themselves in the best way. The wine washes over your mouth like a tuned mower and even get full attention from the first to last sip. A wine that shows the age of the vines can provide more complexity and finesse, just like in real life. For this wine can be drunk now and many years to come.
Wines of Toro impresses more and more, especially Matsu has succeeded extremely well in this new wine wonder. And of course this wine is by far worth the extra 6 euros. A great wine bargain that certainly shows up at wineblogg jury's annual meeting at the end of the year.
Wine tipsPosted by Per-Olof Diderot Fri, February 15, 2013 19:15:42 I have always liked red wines from Australia and particularly from McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley. And when I found a bottle from this area, with one of my favorite grapes Shiraz and also with a stylish label, you can understand that I needed to buy it directly.
Mother's Milk Barossa Shiraz 2010 for 18 Euros This delicious wine is produced by the virtual winemaker First Drop Wines that offer an exciting introduction to the wines from the better school of Barossa Valley. Behind this concept is Matt Gant and John Retsas, two vinfreaks that together create some magic in a bottle.
The colour is dark purple and the scent has nuances of dark berries, chocolate, pepper, and a spicy finish. The flavor is yummy good with nice fruitiness and hints of dark berries, plum, chocolate, pepper, herbs, vanilla and rubber. A perfect wine for soon upcoming menu with spring lamb. Can recommend that you take a small glass the day before and let the rest stay until the next evening. Then the wine opens up nice, well worth waiting for.
Wine tipsPosted by Per-Olof Diderot Wed, January 30, 2013 20:28:19 When I was in Spain during the Christmas and New Year holiday, I got the pleasure to try some great wines from one of my relatively untested areas apart from the really nice El Buen Amore tested in september 2012 (http://www.wineblogg.com/#post208)
First some facts! Toro is a wine district in north-western Spain located in the region of Castile and Leon. The region consists of nine provinces including well-known wine region Ribera del Duero.
Wine allegedly have been produced in Toro even before the birth of Christ, then with the help of Greek masters. And already in the 13th century was the wine really in vogue, especially among many teachers at the University of Salamanca, although it is said to have influenced education precariously.
The wine is affected by the harsh continental climate with long hot summers and cold winters. Soil consists of sediments of sand, clay and lime-bearing puddingstone. The vineyards are at altitudes between 620 and 750 meters above sea level, and receives more than 3000 hours of sunshine per year. There are 8,000 hectares of vines, of which 5,500 are registered at the "Consejo Regulador". And the most widely planted red wine grape is the Tinta de Toro which is a clone of the more famous Tempranillo. The grape gives wines with a lot of flavor and yummy tannins, making them particularly suitable for long storage. (Source: Hugh Johnson Wine of all time, Andre Domine-Vin, Wikipedia) I will write about three wines from winemaker Matsu as part of Vintae Group. Matsu means wait in Japanese and provides the perfect definition of an initiative that combines the Japanese culture's concern for what is natural together with using the most advanced techniques in biodynamic agriculture. All of their wines are organic.
Now to the first and youngest wine in the tested serie. Matsu El Picaro 2011 for 8-12 Euro The wine is made from 100% Tinta de Toro and has a dark red color like el toro blood. Smell of tobacco, cedar and leather. The taste is full of character with hints of tobacco, blueberry, vanilla, ripe berries with perfect food matched tannins. A super bargain with a label that captures one's attention and which deliver even more in terms of content. An excellent start of three wine test from an exciting producer. Toro along with Ribera del Duero and Priorat is the new Spanish wine wonder. And I can understand exactly why.
Matassa El Sarat 2010 for 26 Euro (
Matsu El Recio 2010 for 18 euro
Mother's Milk Barossa Shiraz 2010 for 18 Euros 
I will write about three wines from winemaker Matsu as part of Vintae Group. Matsu means wait in Japanese and provides the perfect definition of an initiative that combines the Japanese culture's concern for what is natural together with using the most advanced techniques in biodynamic agriculture. All of their wines are organic.
Matsu El Picaro 2011 for 8-12 Euro
