Champagne J. Lassalle started to export to the United States already in the 1970s. It was one of the first independent Champagne growers to be sold in the US. Today, a big part of the family’s production goes to the US market. The estate is run by Angéline Templier and her mother Chantal Lassalle. Grandmother […]
About Per Karlsson
The unlikely and unexpected variation in New Zealand | wine tour
When you start up on the North Island in Auckland and finish at the South Island in Queenstown, it will be a long journey. But it doesn’t feel long. There is so much to look at, so much to experience. And so many wines to taste. I didn’t keep the count when we were there […]
Savignon blanc has different style depending on the soil where it grows | Britt on Forbes
Some grapes are easier to recognize than others. Sauvignon Blanc is easy but not the easiest. That distinction goes to Muscat and Gewürztraminer. But still, in a blind tasting you have a fair chance of identifying the Sauvignon Blanc. However, Sauvignon Blanc, like most other grapes, is influenced by their environment, be it the soil, […]
Exceptional champagnes from small growers give you more bang for the buck
There are around 3000 small champagne producers, growers and similar, but only about 300 so-called “houses”. The “houses” are the big, well-known brands but it is mainly among the others, the small producers that you today find the most exciting champagnes. The market is of course dominated by the marketing-driven big and famous brands but […]
A great experience in wine, gastronomy and nature | wine tour in South Africa
South Africa is about the same size as Bordeaux but has much more variety in the styles offered. You have the classics, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, where you have very classic grapes, cabernet, syrah, chenin blanc, chardonnay etc. Up in Swartland, not far away actually, it is much warmer. Grenache and cinsault, and the somewhat (in?)famous […]
A complicated vintage in Brunello di Montalcino shows the importance of talent
2014 is one of the most difficult vintages in memory in Brunello di Montalcino. It was the year when northern Europe enjoyed sun while the Italian summer was more like in Scotland. Rain, rain and rain. Add cold and ta da: you have the vintage 2014 in a nutshell. Brunello di Montalcino 2014 reflects the […]
A memory for life with wines, gastronomy, nature, and people | wine tour in Chile and Argentina
One should perhaps not be a vegetarian when traveling to Chile and Argentina. But of course you can be. We have actually had travellers in Chile-Argentina who have been vegetarians. They have wonderful vegetables, too. One of our lunches is in the middle of a vineyard, under some avocado trees (“palta”), surrounded by the winery’s […]
“No thanks, not Chardonnay, but yes please, a glass of chablis”
The wine producers in Chablis love the Swedes and the Swedes love Chablis. So it is. Eight percent of the production in Chablis is gobbled up in a Swedish home, in the sailboat, on the beach or on a picnic. Although the wine producer himself may have a moderate interest in geography, Sweden, thanks to […]
Enjoy exclusive wines and top-class gastronomy | wine tour to Bordeaux
In a way it is strange. Bordeaux is not really known for any gastronomic specialties. Well, yes, there are oysters from Arcachon, Pauillac lamb and grilled entrecote. But still, it is a fairly modest, and not very original, collection of “typical” dishes. What makes it even stranger is that it is probably in Bordeaux that […]
A Tuscan double, Monteraponi and Montevertine present their new vintages
Every year, when the two wine estates Montevertine and Monteraponi in Radda in Chianti present their new vintages, it is a celebration. A Sangiovese celebration. For if there’s something they’re good at, Martino Manetti and Michele Braganti with their other halves Liviana Midollini and Alessandra Deiana, it is to make fantastic wines from the king […]
Surprising wines and grandiose landscapes on the New Zealand wine tour
Our trip to New Zealand is a lovely “road trip” that takes us by bus from Auckland on the North Island down to Queenstown in beautiful Central Otago on the South Island. For 16 days we will get acquainted with most of the New Zealand wine regions. We also have time to enjoy the landscape […]
Great Portuguese white wines from a little-known wine region, from Anselmo Mendes
One might primarily think of red wine when thinking of Portugal, but there are also great white wines here. Anselmo Mendes is one of the most successful ambassadors for Portuguese white wines, with great elegance. He makes wine in northern Portugal, north of the Douro river port, mainly from the alvarinho grape. Read more about […]
The unknown side of Champagne is the best side | wine tour
Champagne is not just the famous “houses”. Champagne is above all the small producers who make wine with passion and enthusiasm. The two largest (world famous) producers make 30 and 12 million bottles annually. Large-scale. That is one of the reasons why, on our travel program, we mainly have producers that you might not be […]
Our best selection of the new vintages of Chianti Classico, 2016 and 2017
Also Chianti Classico has a “primeur season”, just like Bordeaux. But in Chianti Classico it is perhaps even more interesting because most of the wines are actually finished and bottled, and not the barely-finished-fermenting wines (with some exaggeration) that are shown in Bordeaux, which often have another one or two years in barrel in front […]
Quality wine pioneers in South Africa on the wine tour in February
South Africa is wine-wise considered to be in the New World, but it is a New World country with a long wine history. In 1655, the first vines were planted, just outside of Cape Town, so they actually make wine here for longer than in many parts of Bordeaux. The sweet wines from Constantia were […]
Two neighbouring countries, so close but so different, the wine tour to Chile and Argentina
We start in Buenos Aires, this vibrant metropolis where Europe and America blend in an original and exciting way, a city that feels like a mix between Paris and Milan. We finish in the Chilean capital Santiago which is much more North American in style. In between, we have experienced tango, Mendoza, Casablanca, Vina del […]
Prestige chateaux and family vineyards in Bordeaux | wine tour
On the Bordeaux wine tour we will visit Medoc, Saint Emilion, Sauternes and other famous appellations. You will see some luxurious show-piece chateau but also “the real” Bordeaux where a family runs the vineyard and live in the so-called chateau. The harvest is either in full swing or has just finished so there will be […]
Champagne is prestige but also magnificent wines | wine tour
People all over the world drink more and more sparkling wine. Everything is not champagne, far from it. Champagne accounts for 15% of the volume but 40% of the value. Champagne is prestige, champagne has a special aura, and why it is so you will understand better when you are there. We will taste many […]
For those of who wants to travel far, wine tours to the southern hemisphere next winter
The long-distance wine tours for 2020 have now been published. We will do three exciting tours with wine, food, fantastic scenery, new cultures and meetings with passionate winemakers. Three very special wine tours. Each one will be a memory for life. South America: Chile & Argentina, 20 January- 2 February An unforgettable tour to the […]
Sauvignon blanc, loved and maligned, but who makes the best? | Britt on Forbes
One of the most satisfying wines to taste blind is Sauvignon Blanc. Its aromatic character is easy to recognise. It is also a wine that is loved by many all over the world, often in a refreshing, aromatic, easy-drinking style. But is there more than it being a pool-side drink to Sauvignon Blanc? Some certainly […]
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