A few weeks ago we had these 2 “island wines” with our dinner. One from Mallorca, the other from Sardinia. First the  ÀN/2 : the thought that instantly crossed my mind when I took a sip was that this represents the kind of Spanish wine that interests me most nowadays. Indeed, I somehow got bored of the traditional Rioja and Ribera stuff, which are made in such standardized ways that it gets hard to see the difference between one and another. At least that is how it seems to me and I definitely need a break of those for a few months at least. Nevertheless, I still keep some in my cellar, because I know the right moment for those will come again. And thank God they can age! Read the rest of this entry »

Last thursday we were about 10 wine-buddies gathering at our generous host Nick‘s home for a blind-tasting of red Rhône wines. This time there were absolutely no limits as all reds from all-over the Rhône-region were permitted, drastically differentiating it from our last tasting at Nick’s when only Southern Rhône reds were allowed, as well as from the last blind tasting at my place where boundaries were set by the Syrah varietal, originally stemming from that area but now being planted all over Planet Wine.

This means that each of the 12 bottles we popped that night could be anything from Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage to Côtes du Ventoux and Châteauneuf-Du-Pape, hence also mixing single-varietal wines with those that represent cuvées. As you can see, with each blind-tasting we are slowly encircling what both Rhône and Syrah have to offer. Are we gonna grasp the essence of it tonight? Dream on, dreamer.. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to Ryanair, a spontaneous weekend getaway to Sardinia isn’t so much out of reach. There are several connections from Continental Europe serving the charming city Alghero on the West-side of the island, and with a little bit of luck with timing one might be able to get those cheap seats. Then, a few hours of hardiness during the trip and you’re already in sunny Sardinia. Read the rest of this entry »

…these charming little aluminium-wine-dispensing cubes! OK, I don’t want to make advertising for a brand that seems to be outrageously successful anyway these days, but I just have to say that it puts a smile on my face every time I see one of these guys. But of course, you also have to make good use of em, so maybe I should rather praise Gregorelli’s restaurant in Frankfurt for the good filling: a couple of blockbuster Italian wines, including Sassicaia and Tignanello. Read the rest of this entry »

Endlich habe ich dem Weinsinn einen längst hinfälligen Besuch abstatten können. Nachdem vor ein paar Monaten André Rickert als neuer Küchenchef anfing, gab es so einige Lobeshymnen auf das gute Essen. High End Food zum Beispiel freute sich, dass die Bistronomie Welle, die zur Zeit in Paris Ihre Hochzeit erlebt, nun endlich auch in Deutschland angekommen ist und mit dem Weinsinn einen erstklassigen Vertreter gefunden hat.
Dem kann ich nur beipflichten! Leider war ich nur mit meiner Handykamera unterwegs und die Bilder sind dadurch von sehr schlechter Qualität. Aber für ein kleines Restaurant-Telegram reicht das allemal. In Zukunft werde ich bestimmt auch detailreicher berichten. Read the rest of this entry »

I heard a lot of things about 2006 being such a good vintage for Montalcino wines. The tone being that even some of the more basic Rosso di Montalcino wines can be considered top notch, rivaling Brunellos from weaker vintages.

Well, I was curious about that statement and bought this recommended 2006 Querce Bettina Rosso di Montalcino hoping it will blow me away for little money (12,90 Eur). I don’t know the winery at all and I am really not a big connoisseur of Italian wines in general, so it’s hard for me to put things into perspective, ie have an opinion about a particular Italian vintage, and even less compared to another vintage. Read the rest of this entry »