Category: Wine of the Week

Great white Godello

Published 31. May 2024 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Verónica Ortega has been featured on this blog several times. Here is a bit of background.

Tormenta is a new wine beginning with the 2021 vintage, that has taken over from the fabulous Cal from the same municipality. I tasted this wine in a wine club tonight where my topic was The New Spain, illustrated by ten wines.

We are in the Bierzo area. 0.8 hectares of godello grapes are grown organically in a paraje called Garbanzal in the village San Juan de la Mata, north in the appellation. The vineyard is more than 25 years old on and sits on clay and calcareous soils, at 650 meters altitude. The grapes were harvested manually, destemmed and experienced a night’s cold maceration. The fermentation was spontaneous from native yeasts. It was completed after thirteen months in barrels and amphorae.

Tormenta 2021 (Verónica Ortega)

Light yellow colour. Floral scent with yellow apples, peaches and a hint of sultanas. Delicate in the mouth, dancing between dryness and softness, tasty with a lively acidity, and a marked minerality. It tends towards some sharpness, but this is just held back. A great wine

Price: High

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Wine of the Week

Riffing with Mr. Riffault

Published 24. May 2024 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

I am fully aware that Sébastien Riffault has been in the spotlight for things other than his wines lately. Let’s keep this aside for a while. The quality of his wines can hardly be doubted. Okay, there are people who don’t like the mature style. Some even say they are not typical of Sancerre. Remember that many people believe that the early-harvested commercial yeasted cat’s pee in a gooseberry bush is the real thing. Riffault is, in my opinion, very Sancerre, but clearly a different take.

The sauvignon blanc was planted on limestone and clay some 35 years ago. Akmèniné means “made of stone” in Lithuanian (the nationality of his wife). The grapes were harvested by hand in mid-October, directly pressed without skin contact, 30 percent of the grapes having botrytis. It was then fermented in large old barrels, then aged on the lees. No sulphur added, not fined or filtrated.

Akmèniné 2019 (S. Riffault)

Pale amber. Aroma of mature apples, mango, herbs and yeast. Good volume and concentration, rich, tasty, with ripe fruit and adequate acidity.

Price: Medium

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Wine of the Week

A cool blaufränkisch from Dorli Muhr

Published 17. May 2024 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Here is a wine from Carnuntum, Niederösterreich that was offered in a private wine club the other day.

Dorli Muhr started wine production in 2002, in Prellenkirchen, that is situated by the Donau and not far from Bratislava, Slovakia. However the family’s wine history stretches all the way back to 1918 when Dorli’s grandmother Katarina received a small vineyard as a wedding gift. Dorli began winemaking on the old vineyard that had belonged to her grandmother. And together with Dirk van der Niepoort, her husband at the time, she expanded the production, mostly with the variety blaufränkisch.

The wine is exactly made of 100% blaufränkisch, from 5 different vineyards in Prellenkirchen with vines between 15 and 35 years old. The grapes were hand-picked and foot-trodden before the must was spontaneously fermented at room temperature. No over-pumping or excess extraction. The wine was aged for 21 months in 3.000-litre old barrels, and bottled unfiltered.

Samt & Seide means literally velvet and silk. I understand that it in German has connotations to extravagance and luxury, especially with regards to clothing. I don’t know the reason for the naming, but I guess we are closer to the literal meaning.

Prellenkirchen Samt & Seide 2020 (Weingut Dorli Muhr)

Deep ruby red. Aroma of cool berries (cherry, blueberry), with white pepper and and earthy note. Juicy in the mouth, with fine dryness, fresh berries, with decent concentration and a dry aftertaste.

Price: Medium

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Wine of the Week

Askaneli’s saperavi

Published 10. May 2024 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

The Askaneli winery was founded in 1998 by the Chkhaidze brothers, taking its name from the village of Askana in the Kakheti region.

As the name implies Saperavi Qvevri is made from the saperavi grapes and vinified in qvevri, the typical Georgian earthen vessels.The Askaneli brothers make wine as it has been done for thousands of years in Georgia, still bringing out modern and stylish wines.

Saperavi Qvevri 2020 (Askaneli)

Dark red colour. Aromas of black and red fruits (blackberry, cherry), spices, a touch of earth. It’s quite full-bodied, though not heavy, firm tannins, and good mature fruit.

Price: Medium.

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Wine of the Week

Alternative Ribera

Published 3. May 2024 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Pablo and Andrea of Magna Vides offer an alternative to the many oaky and heavy reds of Ribera del Duero. At their estate in La Aguilera (Burgos) they work eco-friendly in every possible way. This wine is made from garnacha grapes from 90 year old vines on sandy loam soils. They are fermented with stems and with local yeasts. It’s aged 12 months in used French barrels.

Alma de Cántaro Garnacha Tinta 2020 (Magna Vides)

Dark cherry red. Fresh aroma of raspberry, wild strawberries, plums and herbs. Clear and focused garnacha fruit on the palate, it’s juicy with timid tannins, and a fresh and lively fruit. It’s carefully extracted and with no disturbing wood influence.

Price: Medium

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Wine of the Week

Volcanic from Cráter

Published 26. April 2024 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

In 1998, a group of friends started this project in a splendid landscape on the northern slope of the island of Tenerife, between Tacoronte and El Sauzal. They were united in their desire to make wines that freely express the unique terroir marked by the volcanic soil, the Atlantic climate and the native varieties.

The wine is made from listán blanco with a small amount of albillo, made separately. Barrels have not been used, but it aged for 3 months on lees.

Blanco de Cráter 2021 (Cráter)

Light straw coloured. Aroma of citrus (lime), yellow apple, hay, wax. Medium-bodied, creamy with good acidity and concentration, quite long with salt in the finish.

Price: Medium

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Wine of the Week

Silky spätburgunder

Published 19. April 2024 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Weingut Georg Mosbacher is a family-run vineyard comprising 20 hectares of vineyards. The vineyards are located around the picturesque village of Forst in Pfalz. The farm is run today by the third generation Sabine Mosbacher-Düringer and her husband Jürgen Düringer.

The vineyards are protected by the high Haardt mountains, which lie in a semicircle around Forst. The grapes are hand-picked. The wine undergoes a cold maceration for 4-5 days before the must is spontaneously fermented in large oak barrels over 3 weeks. Aged for 12 months in used barriques and tonneau.

Spätburgunder 2021 (Georg Mosbacher)

Cherry red. Aroma of raspberry, cherry with hints of price and licorice. Silky palate with good fruit, adequate acidity and sweetish hint in the finish. It had a sense of CO2 that disappeared with airing.

Price: Medium

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Wine of the Week

Oslavje from Oslavia

Published 12. April 2024 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Radikon is a classic in the natural wine world. I took this bottle from my own cellar last week for a dinner with wine.

The winery is located in Oslavia in the Italian province of Gorizia, on the Slovenian border. The company owns 18 hectares of vineyards on steep slopes. Stanislao (Stanko) Radikon took over in 1980 and now runs the winery with his wife Suzana and their son Saša. They don’t use chemical additives at all and reduce treatments to a minimum, both in the vineyards and in the cellar.

The yields are unbelievably low, something like 4 or 5 bunches per vine. The background information that I have for this wine says 60% chardonnay and 40% sauvignon. I would have guessed some pinot grigio, as I am quite sure there is some red in there. Let’s investigate a bit on that. After de-stemming the grapes was put in oak vats, where maceration went with 3 or 4 daily stirrings. At the end of the alcoholic fermentation the vats were filled and the wine stayed in contact with the skins until December. After racking the wine rested in casks (25 to 35 hl), for about 36 months. Bottling was made without any filtration or clarification, in one liter and half liter bottles, with no added SO2.

Oslavje 2012 (Radikon)

Copper coloured, slightly cloudy. Perfumed aroma with orange peel, mango and a touch volatile acidity at first (giving way to something honeyed). Full-bodied with a dry mouthfeel, good concentration and a high acidity, lots of fruit, and a long aftertaste. It’s a wine with a lot of nerve and tension, and an underlying cool sweetness, though technically dry.

Price: Medium

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Wine of the Week

Trepat treasure

Published 5. April 2024 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

The region of Conca de Barberà, nestled in Catalonia, is quietly asserting itself as a haven for fresh, vibrant wines with a strong sense of place. Last week I came across this wine called Pomagrana. Made entirely from trepat—a grape traditionally reserved for light rosés and sparkling wines—this is a red that embraces delicacy, drinkability, and a distinctive Mediterranean charm.

Lectores Vini is a collaboration between the itinerant winemaker Fredi Torres and Marc Lecha. Based in Catalonia, they focus on terroir-driven, minimalist wines made from the region’s native grape varieties. Their approach is organic, with minimal intervention in the cellar.

Pomagrana is vinified with minimal extraction, highlighting the naturally light colour and crisp acidity of the grape. Fermentation is spontaneous, ageing is brief and without oak, and sulphites are kept to a minimum.

Trepat has long been a grape in search of an identity. Traditionally, it played a supporting role in blends or appeared in light-bodied sparkling wines. However, some winemakers have begun exploring its potential as a stand-alone red. The grape’s naturally low tannins and bright acidity make it perfectly suited for the modern thirst for fresher, less-extracted reds—wines that can be served slightly chilled and enjoyed with or without food.

Pomagrana 2021 (Lectores Vini)

Light, almost transparent, red. The nose gives wild strawberries, pomegranate seeds, and rose petals, underscored by a layer of white pepper. On the palate, it is juicy, energetic, with crisp red fruit, a touch of cranberry-like tartness, and a mineral streak.The finish is bright, pure, and mouthwatering. It’s taut and refreshing, almost weightless.

Price: Low

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Wine of the Week

Unveiled: Douro white

Published 29. March 2024 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

After Simplesmente Vinho I visited Luis Seabra’s winery in the Douro. Luis himself was sick in bed, but Gonçalo Pinto was there. He showed us around, my Brazilian collegue Didu Russo and me. And we got to taste an impressive range of wines.

Véu de Xisto 2015 was one. This wine I tasted during the 2021 edition of the fair. Véu signifies that it has spent three years under a veil of flor. It was moved to stainless steel for another 2 years’ rest before bottling. The grapes are rabigato 70%, côdega do larinho 15% and the rest gouveio, from 30 year old vines in the Meda region of Douro Superior.

Véu de Xisto 2015 (Luis Seabra)

Golden colour. Aroma of yeasts, flowers, iodine, orange. Full and rounded in the mouth, good acidity and salt, with an attractive oxidative touch. A lot of energy and character.

Price: Medium

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