IN VINO PÄRITAS
Holiday Special!
The Christmas holidays and New Year’s Eve are at the door and what goes better with the holidays than something nice and relaxing in your glass? I have asked a mixed bunch of interesting Stockholmers about their preferences for the upcoming winter fun days. Enjoy the read, tips and tricks, and I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy prosperous New wine Year!
Anders Rydell is an author and editor-in-chief for the Swedish art magazine Konstnären (The Artist). He mostly writes in the fields of art, history and politics, often in the spaces between, and right now he’s working on a trilogy about lost treasures of the 20th century.
“I love wine because no other drug has had such a deep and profound importance for western culture. For the Romans and Greeks it was the drink of the gods, and later it became the blood of Christ. As one Roman wrote on his tomb: ”Wine, sex and baths destroy the body – but they also make life worth living.”
For Christmas and New Years, Anders recommends the Foutre d´Escampette 2013 from Domaine l’Octavine (private import via Vin & Natur) – “a lovely yellow, natural sparkling wine from the lime-rich Jura” – and the Croatian wine Zlatan Plavac 2009 (private import via Adwines). “As a friend put it, this wine is like a horse – deep, full and strong.”
Peter Svenzon and Ulriqa Fernqvist run Art Of Spectra, a modern independent dance company that create projects from smaller formats to the really big picture. They produce works together with major institutions, as well as self-produced efforts that explore the border between physical contemporary dance and performance art.
“Wine is great art, and therefore a great passion for both of us, and good for the muscles!” The Art of Spectra’s wine tips for the holidays are Masi Brolo Campofiorin Oro (nr 32361, 159 kr) and Masi Amarone Costasera (nr 2345, 285 kr).
Lill Lindqvist is the PR and event manager of the members bar Bernie’s, a part of the restaurant Nosh and Chow in Stockholm. She also work as a PR-consultant for PR and communications bureau Joannananna. One of her absolute biggest passions in life has always been food.
“I especially love the kitchen of south of Italy, and it was on the Amalfi coast that I first discovered what type of wines I truly like.
“I’m afraid I don’t know much wine lingo, but I love crisp, fresh white wines that can cool you down on a hot day and soft, round red wines to make you relax in the evening. Anything that goes well with a dish of vongole or a freshly-made buffalo mozzarella will make me very happy! I want my red and white wine to be like the food from Amalfi – fresh, simple and delicious. When it comes to champagne, however, I like it luxurious and decadent”.
Lill’s Christmas tips: Castelforte Valpolicella Ripasso (nr 5352, 84 kr) and for New Years Eve: Krug Grande Cuvée champagne (nr 7494, 1485 kr).
Valdemar Gerdin, is an art historian and curator who runs the museum Det Nya Museet in Sundbyberg. The museum focuses on art from the 60s up until today. Feel free to drop by, as they are open Saturdays and Sundays from 1100 – 1400.
“I don’t like wine, I like good wine! The scent of a good wine can make me fall into a trance, it can transport me to a secret haven where it’s just me and all the flavours, secluded from the outside world.What also satisfies me is to watch other people explore the nose of a really complex wine; to share other peoples experience is also a big reason for my interest.”
Valdemar recommends red wines from Montsant in Spain (the basic/budget wine Cap de Ruc, nr 4280, 79 kr is available at Systembolaget), and the Palmer C/o 2008 champagne (nr 7553, 309 kr or 779 kr for a magnum bottle) for New Years Eve.
AK von Malmborg is an artist working with painting, music, drawing and performance. As a kid she thought being an artist was reserved for people from another planet, so she went to chef school instead for three years. She hated it there, but the love for cooking remained.
“I’m really crap at sitting still and sewing, which I couldn´t do to save my life, so spending time in the kitchen has found it´s place in my life as a form of meditational rest. I’m also über-social and as a natural part of food and friends and fun, wine goes along as the unquestionable companion! I have fallen in love with two wine houses in France who happen to be run by Swedes. Perhaps French terroir and temperament is the perfect marriage with Swedish order and love of nature?”
AK’s first choice; “Domaine de Calet is an amazing place in Camargue with fantastic people making wines that are bio-friendly, absolutely delicious and for some reason don´t give you a hangover. Cuvée Grand Mas 2009 at 119 kr is ridiculous value for money and has won all sorts of prestigious prizes. Order it privately through X-wines”.
Her second choice? “Hatt et Söner champagne is a Swedish-owned champagne house who´s Grand Cru Brut 2008 vintage is a fresh and elegant champagne, my new favourite and a bloody bargain, order through Systembolaget (nr 7696, 379 kr).
Göran “Gördis” Henriksson is a legendary DJ working the bars and clubs around Stockholm, the rest of Sweden and Spain and is the go-to disc-spinner for classic soul, Jamaican and crackly R’n’B, always seen carrying a multitude of his precious 7-inch vinyl singles with him.
“As a summer cottage owner without a drivers licence, wine is the perfect drink when it comes to planning the basket for the bike bag. No bike ride is complete without a white Castillo de Gredos tetra pack. Ok, there are certainly better wines out there but the combination of price, packaging and taste is unbeatable. For this Christmas, however, it will be a lot of white wine sangria, made on the same cheap wine and added brandy, instead of the traditional glögg. Of course there will be an occasional porter to the *prinskorv* too. Out on my DJ gigs I get the chance to taste many fine wines – unfortunately, my memory is not always with me the next day, so I can’t really recall what has been the best so far…”
Gördis holiday tips are: Castillo de Gredos (nr 12798 55 kr) and Carnegie Porter (nr 1497, 15,90 kr).
Maria Ling is born and raised in Örebro, where she lives with her family and works at Canon Business which she run together with her husband. She is also known as one of the final 35+ models from the hit TV-show She’s Got the Look in Kanal 7.
“We spend our time between Örebro and Stockholm, since we love to spend our weekends in our apartment located on Östermalm. When we are in Stockholm we are often free from work so we have time to spend with our friends and we love to spend that time enjoying nice restaurants. Another hobby of ours that has grown within the years is making home cooked meals, which we find very relaxing. Enjoying good food and wine is a must for me and my husband, something we can’t live without.”
On Maria’s favourite wines for Christmas and New Year Eve, she says: “A wine that I love that is suitable for all the heavy Christmas food is Sancerre Les Baronnes (nr 32253, 159 kr). The champagne I enjoy for New Years is very suitable for big festivities, the Grand Siècle Grande Cuvée (BS nr 77422 – 1001 kr).
Andreas Grube is a wine journalist currently working for magazines including Café, Hallen, Allt om Whisky and Världens Viner. Together with reigning Nordic Sommelier Champion Béatrice Becher, he hosts wine podcast Vinpratarna.
“My passion for wine is mainly based on the kick I get from taste sensation. And wine can really give me that kick. I’m also a very restless soul, but when I sit down with a glass of wine I tend to be very much in the moment, everything around just disappears.”
Two great wine tips for the holidays: Henriot Millésimé Brut (nr 7789, 499 kr) “Of course you need a great champagne for New Year. and this one is both very fresh and delicate, with a soft body of toast, chocolate and plums”.
Le Hurlevent Châteauneuf-du-Pape (nr 2291, 169 kr). “A simple but very decent wine that gives a hint of what Châteauneuf can be about – and for a very reasonable price with spices, herbs, white pepper and cherries.”
