Wine, Review | Good grilled wines at a good price

It’s time to try something new, dare to stray from your traditional choices, where you once again go for the established safe wines. There are many exciting things to discover. Here you get six good and reasonable news from the pole’s news release.

I am often asked if it is the case that the price of the wine follows the quality of the taste. And in most cases this is actually true. A wine that costs around NOK 150 is usually somewhat simpler in aroma and taste than a wine that costs NOK 100-200 more.

Big price differences

Wine that you can buy for cheap is also cheaper to produce. It is important to remember that there are many people who must have paid before the wine is on the table with one of us. One thing is the crowns the wine producer must have. But also think about transport, and various taxes that are added to the price before the wine reaches the shelves. Because the journey can be long. When a producer in New Zealand bottles a bottle of wine, it is a long journey from when the grapes are picked and it leaves the winery, is driven to the port, transported by boat all the way to Norway, and is driven to the Vinmonopolet.

The reason why there are large price differences in wine depends on everything from production costs, the area it comes from to the specific vineyards where the grapes are grown. If you are looking for a wine that gives a lot of body, complex aroma and taste, you should often move up to a higher price range. Often over NOK 250. This applies especially to red wine.

White wine is a somewhat easier wine to get a good taste of, so there are many good buys of white wine under NOK 200. For red wine, there are far fewer. Red wine often benefits from being stored in barrels. And often the cheapest red wines have been fermented and stored in steel tanks. Which often results in light and juicy wines, but you probably won’t find the complexity here. A white wine, on the other hand, can become very good from having only been in a steel tank. This can bring out a clear and crisp expression that we expect from some white wines. This also means that the production becomes somewhat cheaper, and thus somewhat cheaper for us.

Barbecue season

Since interest rates and the economic market are not on our side at the moment, I am often on the lookout for wines that can fit the wallet. That means wine for under NOK 200, which adds a little something extra. And often it is absolutely worth the search. If you see the budget you have for wine purchases throughout the year, then this is the season where you can test out wines that don’t cost too much. Why? Yes, it’s barbecue season. We sit outside, like the staunch northerners that we are, and drink wine in all kinds of weather.

In this atmosphere and the influence of smoke from the grill, pollen in the air and jet fuel from the planes, we don’t need to focus on the most expensive and most complex wines. That’s when you highlight the simpler wines that are easy drinking. When autumn comes and you retire to the cave again, you can increase your budget a little, and dive more deeply into the aromas in the glass.

You may be wondering where the rosé wines in this article end up? Was there no rosé in the news release? Yes, there are many exciting roses, but they will get their own article next week!

Kings Grove Brut Reserve

• Item number 17124201
• England
• Grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Frühburgunder (P Noir Précoce)
• Sugar amount 5.5 g/l
• Alcohol 12%
• Price 329.70,-
• Score – 87
• Dice roll – 6

I am weak for English sparkling, but the price of these bubbles can be a bit expensive. But this is luxury at a reduced price. Now there is a bottle for NOK 329 that is worth noting. If you haven’t tasted English sparkling wine yet, but don’t want to pay too much, start with this one. A nice clue if this is something for you. Aroma of ripe citrus, apples, flowers and hints of cool herbs and biscuits. A fresh mineral taste of citrus with the good aftertaste of baking and biscuits. Good length with a nice (and high) acid structure. Suitable for shellfish, fish and aperitifs. English bubbles at a good price

Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli

Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli with the Hondarribi Zuri grape. Did your tongue curl and you lost a bit of interest? Don’t worry, this is an incredibly good white wine from the Basque Country in Spain. This is one of the wines that has actually had its price reduced by over NOK 50. We like that. Here you get a nice summer wine with a fresh aroma of citrus, apples with a tropical tone. This is followed by a delicious and fresh mineral taste with a good length. Perfect for shellfish and fish.

Klumpp Muschelkalk Chardonnay

• Item number 14520601
• Germany, Baden
• Grapes – Chardonnay
• Amount of sugar below 3 g/l
• Alcohol 12.5%
• Price NOK 269.90
• Points – 87
• Dice 5

Chardonnay from Baden in Germany! Klumpp began as a company in a garage in the town of Bruchsal, which has developed into a quality producer with an ecological focus. Fresh aroma of minerals, nut, ripe citrus, ripe apples, flint with hints of tropical fruit. Rich flavor with a nutty finish. Good chardonnay. Suitable for shellfish, fish and white meat.

Adroît Trousseau

• Item number 17129401
• USA, California, Central Coast
• Grapes – Trousseau
• Amount of sugar below 3 g/l
• Alcohol 12.9%
• Price NOK 368
• Score – 88
• Dice roll – 6

The Jura wine region in France has its indigenous grape trousseau. But of course there is a producer in California who grows this grape, and with success. This is a juicy and light wine that goes well with pizza, pasta, light meat and pork. A fruity aroma of pickled red berries such as raspberries. Hints of earthy minerals

Fresh taste of red berries, jam and minerals. Juicy and good. If you like pinot noir from California, try this one.

Hameau Des Ollieux Toujours Cinsault 2022 Ollieux

• Item number 17093101
• France
• Grapes – Cinsault
• Amount of sugar below 3 g/l
• Alcohol 11%
• Price NOK 224.90
• Points – 87
• Dice roll – 6

The cinsault grape comes from the south of France, like this wine. We know the grape mostly in a blend together with other grapes, or which is used a lot for the production of rosé. In this wine, it sings solo, and brilliantly. This has become an incredibly juicy and summery wine that I will use for everything from pizza to grilling.

Light and fresh aroma of red and dark berries. A freshness of minerals and cool herbs. Fruity taste of dark and red berries with medium tannins.

Peyres Solan Selection Pinot Noir

• Item number 16690501
• France
• Grapes – Pinot noir
• Sugar content 6.2 g/l
• Alcohol 12.5%
• Price 149.90,-
• Score – 83
• Dice 5

A pinot noir from Languedoc in France. Fruity aroma of red berries, cool herbs with a hint of earthy minerality. A smoky note and a dry finish make this a perfect barbecue wine. A wine at a good price that will appeal to many terrace lovers this summer.

Did you know …

Txakoli – “Chamoli” is a wine from the Basque Country, in the north of Spain. Wine has been cultivated here for almost 1,000 years. The climate is cool, and the region is known for its winds and storms. The main grape in the area is Hondarribi zuri.