Our friends’ wine picks of the month.
Criteria: an interesting wine (not too cheap) and one that you can enjoy with dinner or friends (not too expensive). And very good! (Jack is BKWine’s reporter in Stockholm, following the Swedish wine market. Åsa is BKWine’s specialist on Italy, based in Florence.)
Jack’s wine pick of the month
Saint Joseph 2007, Les Vins de Vienne
April brings with it both Easter and cool evenings, the perfect context to try some fruity, young syrah. And what better than to try something from the somewhat lesser-known district Saint Joseph, in the middle of the northern Rhône “Syrah Land”. My choice is a bottle from Les Vins de Vienne, a joint venture between three growers: Yves Cuilleron, François Villard, Pierre Gaillard and Jean-Pierre Villa (sold for around 14€ in Sweden). It gives you plenty of young and fresh fruit and the classic syrah charcuteri flavours, with a wrapping of raw meat and some oak character. Drink it now before it closes up, or save it another five to eight years. Perfect to accompany the bloody steak or hard cheeses. Or the Easter lamb.
-Jack Jakobsson
Åsa’s wine pick of the month
Le Volte, an elegant wine for every day
Ornellaia is a world famous wine and is a top “super Tuscan”. at least if you look at the price tag. Count on no less then 150 euro, if not more, so it’s not quite for every day drinking. Tenuta Ornellaia, started by Ludovico Antinori, but now owned by the American wine giant Mondavi, they also produce a baby brother wine called le Volte. Le Volte is made from 50% sangiovese, 35 % merlot and 15 % cabernet sauvignon with a barrel aging of 10 months (two year old barrels, already used for Ornellaia and Masseto). Le Volte is well balanced with a full, round taste with a refreshing acidity in the finish, which is typical for (well made) sangiovese. An affordable, yet elegant wine for around 15 euro. www.ornellaia.com
-Åsa Johansson
