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OUR BEST BUY & RECOMMANDATIONS SECTON

Longing for the sun - 88p

19/1/2023

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When we suffer from the winter blues we do tend to dream of warmer places and one of the most popular islands to escape to for us Norwegians when we long for the sun is the Canary Islands. But the sun there doesn’t just help us pale people from the North. It helps grow grapes the produce some fine wines!
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​Since 1990, Juan Jesús Méndez has been the driving force and embodiment of Viñátigo, a fine winery from Tenerife. Juan is a proud native of Tenerife and the fourth generation of growers in the island. During the twenty-five years that he’s overseen Bodegas Viñátigo, he has considerably increased its holdings, planting varieties that he and his team recuperated. By combining Tenerife’s natural resources with their own diligence and skill, Bodegas Viñátigo is able to produce modern wines that are deeply rooted in our traditions and signature style.
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This weeks wine is made from 100% Listán Negro, a grape the is very typical for Tenerife. It is made from ungrafted grapevines that are more than 100 years old. Grown between 300 and 700 meters above sea level, in the northwest of Tenerife. After a week of maceration the wine is made in a tank and then left to aged for three months in three to five years-old 225l French oak barrels. ​

Tasting notes:

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Viñátigo Listán Negro 2021 - 239,90

A generous nose that reminded me of smoke and tar, with wild chokecherry, pomegranate fruit and herbs, black pepper, and a strong mineral, volcanic character. Flavours are a bit unusual and sour-edged yet the texture and tension are smooth and appealing. Tannins are quite mild; the length is excellent. This is perfect with charcuterie and a beef stew.

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What a bargain! - 88p

12/1/2023

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We came across this beauty recently. A great wine from Portugal, at an amazing price. Made by the largest wine producer in the country with a proud selection of native grapes. Touriga Franca 40%, Touriga Nacional 25%, Tinta Roriz 25%, Tinta Barroca 10%
Grapes are sourced from high altitude vineyards in Cima Corgo and Douro Superior, named Quinta do Seixo and Quinta da Leda. The soil has large layers of slate.

Tasting Notes

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​Casa Ferreirinha Vinha Grande 2019 - 169kr

Deep red with an intense nose. Lovely aromas of dark red berries, peppers, spices and wood. Nice mouthfeel with dark and red berries, nicely integrated oak. Good concentration and smooth tannins. Long finish.



With Food
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Bring your game, your beef and your lambs.
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Keeping warm in winter - 87p

5/1/2023

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Happy new year to all wine lovers out there. A busy and strange 2022 has left us - here's hoping 2023 brings us peace and a lot of great wine experiences. We start the year in Lebanon of all places. Maybe not the first country you think of when it comes to wine, but they have been making wine here for millenia and we in Norway have a great selection to choose from. As we have to save some money for the heating bill, this week's wine is very reasonably priced as well.
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Located in the West Bekaa Valley, the large estate of Château Kefraya has been the Bustros family’s property for generations.The castle was built starting 1946 on an artificial hill used by the Romans centuries ago to observe their troop movements. Founder Michel de Bustros undertook massive works to implant Château Kefraya’s vineyards on those magnificent hillsides. The vineyard spreads over 300 hectares of terraced slopes, 1000 meters above the Mediterranean Sea, on the foothills of Mount Barouk in the Bekaa Valley. Clay-limestone, clay-chalk as well as sandy and gravelly soils compose a real mosaic of terroirs. The vines enjoy an exceptional sun exposure with no irrigation. In addition to the diversity of soil, Château Kefraya uses a wide and exciting range of grape varieties in its blends, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay and Viognier as well as more unusual varieties such as Carménère, Marselan and Muscat à Petits Grains. ​
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This diversity of grapes is present in this week’s wine, Château Kefraya Les Bretèches 2019, with 50% being Syrah, cabernet sauvignon 7%, tempranillo (tinto del pais) 20%, marselan 5%, and cinsault 18%. Bretèches is a quintessential Lebanese wine, with a finely spiced nose of blackcurrant and cherry, it reveals silky tannins and generous red fruits flavors. The launch of each vintage is celebrated with a limited edition label designed by a young Lebanese artist.

Tasting notes:

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Ch. Kefraya Bretèches 2019 164,9 kr

The first bouquet is fine and delicate revealing a very complex and balanced aromatic palette. It reveals subtle notes of black fruits, spices, curry, cedar buds and blackberries as well as slightly floral notes of violet. The first impression in the mouth is full and textured. On the palate, a well-balanced aromatic profile is finely revealed, with a slightly spicy texture on the finish. The structure distinguishes itself by the presence of soft and silky tannins marked by the freshness of the fruit.
​This is a wine that is perfect with meat dishes from the Mediterranean like lamb and grilled beef. It has enough sweetness to handle quite spicy food as well.

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Red and White Christmas - 2 x 87p

20/12/2022

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We’ve got a couple of nice bottles for you, walking into Christmas. Both from South Africa, same winemaker and both are great value bargains. One will be smashing with your ribs dinner, the other great great with seafood and vegetarian dishes. Let’s cut to it.


Adi Badenhorst is arguably one of the best winemakers in South Africa. Makes a wide variety of remarkable wines, specializing in grapes native to his land.

Tasting notes

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A.A. Badenhorst Papegaai Cinsault 2021 - 154kr


Our red pick is his «Papegaai». Made on 100% Cinsault and packs a goody bag of flavors. Spicy, sweet-ish, delicious and fruit driven wine, that will be a cool pairing if you’re having ribs for Christmas. 
Silky smooth tannins and good length.
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A.A. Badenhorst The Curator White Blend 2020 - 169kr

Our white is Adi’s cure for everything. A white blend with Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Sémillon and Colombard. Fresh and very mineral driven, with lots of yellow fruits. Apricots, peaches and herbs. A beautiful wine just to drink, if you’re having seafood or cooking up some vegetarian food.
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Cool Italian in California - 91p

8/12/2022

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Nebbiolo, the famous celebrity grape of Piemonte, north in Italy. Widely known for producing the king of wines; Barolo. 
So when I saw this grape pop up on the label on one of my favourite producers in California, I had great expectations.
In 2010 Nebbiolo was grown on 5993 hectares of land, with only 457 hectares being outside of Piemonte. It’s a tricky grape, which it takes a lot to master. For instance, Nebbiolo grapes starts their annual growth cycle very early, and they are one of the last to ripen. They need natural shelter from winds, are very sensitive to wet weather and it’s picky on what soil it thrives in. And they can become extremely tannic if not tended to correctly, to mention a few things.


Jim Clendenen was a legendary winemaker from California, widely know for his Burgundy style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Unfortunately he suddenly passed away in May 2021, only 68 years old.
He had a love and passion for all things Italian, and especially wines. So in 1994 he decided to plant several Italian grape varieties in Santa Barbara, California. After years of tedious work the vines started to produce excellent grapes, especially the Nebbiolo variety. 
The grapes behave differently in California, than in Piemonte, and Jim managed to produce a signature style Californian wine. The grapes are grown on a hill, with both wind, fog and long sunny afternoons. Stored 4 years in 500 liters Hungarian oak casks, where 1/3 is new oak. Unfiltered bottling and stored for one more year. First vintage (2000) was released in 2005, now we drink 2017. A remarkable wine from an iconic winemaker.

Tasting notes

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​Clendenen Bricco Buon Natale Nebbiolo 2017 - 425kr



Classic Nebbiolo colour; deep red with a distinct brown hue. Layers of aromas, with red berries, autumn forest, dried fruits, flowers and wood. Delicious in the mouth with red berries, Earl Gray, oak and Rosehip. Remarkably smooth tannins, good concentration and excellent length. Impressive wine that will continue to develop for 10 more years.


With food
Will be cool to try with lean game dishes such as reindeer, deer or rabbit. Or just a nice homemade pizza with mozzarella and beef.
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An old flame - 86p

30/11/2022

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​You never forget your first kiss they say, but what about your first favourite wine? Today I went past one of my first favourite red wines and thought that I have to find out what it is like now. Fortunately it didn't dissapoint.
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Domaine D’Andezon was one of my go to wines when I first started to take wine seriously. It was nice and fruity but also firm and with good structure so it could handle food, but was also relatively easy to drink. It was also cheap, and that was important then. ​
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The Domaine D’Andezon wines are made by the Estezargues co-operative. While many of France’s co-ops go out of business or struggle to sell uninteresting plonk, the cave co-operative in Estezargues has for many years stood out as a co-op with an artisanal approach to winemaking making some of the best value wines in the Rhône Valley. It really comes through in this wine that is superb and a steal at under 175,- NOK.

Tasting notes:

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Dom. d'Andézon 2021 - 174,90 kr

Dark red in colour. Very nice intensity on the bouquet with a scent of blackberries, blackcurrants and dark morels. This continues in the mouth where the fruit is very present and delicate. The wine also has good length and structure and fine balance. Game is the first thing I would go to here if I was serving this with food, but also grilled beef, lamb and pork wil work.

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A Sicilian robbery - 89p

24/11/2022

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Looking for really great every day wines, where high quality and nice price align, is somewhat of a sport amongst wine lovers. And a wine region that often can provide this is Sicily. The steady rise of quality has been stunning over the last decade, but the quality still exceeds the price quite a bit. Which of course is much appreciated.

When we visited Sicily last we had a nice talk with Arianna Occhipinti, one of the pioneers behind the wine revolution on the island. You could check it out here:
But today we present you with another great producer; Planeta. They produce a wide variety of wines, and common for them all is the superb quality. We've selected their Chardonnay, but they have an impressive 18 wines available at Vinmonopolet. So if you really wanna get to know them; have fun :)
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Planeta Chardonnay 2021 - 365kr

Golden yellow colour.
Rich and spicy nose with butter, toasted bread, warm spices, lemonade and some honey. 
Rich and bold in the mouth with good consecration. Lots of ripe yellow fruits, oak and spices. Nice acidity and good length.

With Food
Hit it up with any rich seafood dish for a fun meal. Will also work well with most chicken and turkey dishes.

​Great allround wine with excellent value.
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Giving thanks - 87p

10/11/2022

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It’s the end of November and for everyone in the USA this means it’s Turkey season! To give thanks for things in your everyday life is a nice thing and one of the things we like is wine. In honor of our American friends we have found a fine red from California which will be great with a good Turkey dinner.
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Rod Strong was among the first modern wine pioneers with a vision to plant Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley. In 1968, he planted the heritage River East Vineyard in the alluvial clay-loam soils adjacent to the winery in Healdsburg. Today the Russian River Valley is well established as one of the premier Pinot Noir growing regions in the world. ​
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Tasting Notes:

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Rodney Strong Russian River valley Pinot Noir 2019 - 279,90 kr

Lovely aromas of red fruit, floral and earth. A soft and silky texture, on the palate dark cherry, cranberry, and baking spice characteristics shine through with balance, acidity and a nice lingering finish. This medium bodied wine was aged for 14 months in small French oak barrels, which added a hint of toasty vanilla and spice complexity. 

In addition to the traditional Turkey, you can enjoy this Pinot Noir with charcuterie, wild mushroom risotto, grilled pork tenderloin.



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Cold comforts - 86p

10/11/2022

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The long, cold nights of winter can be harsh, but with a little help from a good bottle of red, the nights can at least be comfortable.
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This week we head of to the Rhone Valley again and this time we travel south. Chateau de La Gardine is a tiny estate immediately west of the great Chateauneuf du Pape, which obviously needs no introduction. Although winemaking has been recorded there since the mid 1700s, La Gardine as we know it began when the Brunel family bought the estate in 1947 and set about increasing its quality and production.
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La Gardine is easily recognised by its famous moulded bottle that originated in the discovery of a mouth-blown bottle during the digs to expand the cellar. The family name ‘Benjamin Brunel’, crest and motto ‘Angulus Ridet’ grace the surface, Latin for ‘corner of joy’. ‘Brunel de la Gardine’ is the ‘micro-négociant’ range set up to give access to the Brunel label and has become something of an institution for terrific value.

Tasting notes:

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​Brunel de la Gardine Côtes du Rhône 2020 - 169,90 kr

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A powerful, full and rich wine. Garnet with a bright violet rim. Shows the typical aromas of the region: red fruit, earthy notes, sweet spice. Juicy, supple and very well balanced with blackberry and a little black pepper. Ideal with food.
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Ideal with food like cured meat and charcuterie boards. The soft tannins and the spiciness of this wine, combine really well with curries, couscous, chilli con carne, barbequed meats, Italian foods, vegetarian dishes and cheese boards. Pretty well everything really!

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Game Time - 87p

10/11/2022

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As November ascends upon us with rain, wind and storms, one bright spot is that hunting season is over and we can now enjoy the spoils. For those of us lucky enough to know a hunter, the game they have hunted are some of the finest and most delicate food you can find. And for everyone else, see your local butcher and ask if they have something good in store.
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There are a lot of wines that go with game, but a classic are the Rhône valley wines. Delicate and pure but with enough structure to clean the palate they are fine with the sometimes delicate meat that come from wild animals. This week we have traveled to southern Rhône to find our wine of the week.
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​The Domaine La Florane is 75 hectares, of which 38 hectares are vineyards and 37 hectares of woods, olive trees and lavender. In an enclosed green area at the top of the villages of Visan and Saint-Maurice, Adrien Fabre produces wines offering pleasure and elegance. His ambition is to make the vines grow as naturally as possible, respecting the fauna and flora. To produce wines from organic grapes, wines that are deep, balanced and silky, this is why Domaine la Florane cultivates the entire estate using biodynamic methods.

Tasting notes:

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Dom. la Florane Cotes du Rhone Villages St Maurice 2020 - 239,-

Ruby red with purple hues. On the nose there is a mix of red and black fruits, blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrant, touch of spices. In the mouth it's fresh and fruity, spicy mid-palate, beautiful texture, long and balanced finish.
Perfect for game or other delicate red meats.

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  • HOME
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