The wine of the month
During the first twenty one days of each month, NJ Wines presents the wine of the month. NJ Wines tastes hundreds of wines every month and among them, the wine of the month is chosen. The criteria that a wine will qualify as the wine of the month is that it has got at least 3,5 NJP in rating and that it stands out both by its quality and its aroma/flavour complexity. The wine shall also be available on the wine market.
May 2025: Château Lafite-Rothschild, 2023 (approx. 645 EUR/735 USD; selling price on the internet excluding delivery costs), red dry blend wine, Pauillac, Haut-Médoc, Médoc, Bordeaux, France, 4,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP (95 points of 100 points) (25-05-2025 by Nenad Jelisic)
What a wonderful wine! For being from the 2023 vintage, the wine is unusually open. It is complex, flavourful, austere and nuanced, and has a fabulous balance between tartaric acidity, fruitiness and tannins. Complex, nuanced and sophisticated aroma of blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry, crème de cassis, pencil shavings, violets, ... Read more
News and other things about wine
NEW WINES IN REGULAR ASSORTMENT DECEMBER 2024 AND MARCH 2025 (03-06-2025 by Nenad Jelisic)
NJ Wines has tasted all Systembolaget's new wines in regular assortment December 2024 and March 2025. The wines got the following points (Note that the wines are arranged in alphabetical order, that the wines that have got more than 3,0 NJP, if any, are presented or will be presented under "Make sure to try these wines, wines that have got at least 3,5 NJP of possible 5,0 NJP", that NV = non-vintage wine, that Systembolaget = a government owned chain of all liquor stores in Sweden and that NJ Wines does not taste wines from Boxes, Paper-packaging and PET-bottles because NJ Wines believes that these types of packaging destroy the wonderful wine culture. The Boxes also make people drink much more than they should.):
1. Big Joe, Barrel Matured, Red Wine Blend, 2023 (11 EUR/12 USD in Sweden) red dry blend wine, South Africa, 0,5 NJP, 2. Boca Mar, Algarve, Reserva, 2022 (8 EUR/9 USD in Sweden) red dry blend wine, Portugal, 1,0 NJP, 3. Bon Vivant, Brut, NV (20 EUR/23 USD in Sweden) white dry blend sparkling wine, USA, 2,0 NJP, 4. Campo Alle Comete, Stupore, 2022 (18 EUR/21 USD in Sweden) red dry blend wine, Italy, 2,5 NJP, 5. Château Pont de Brion, 2022 (17 EUR/20 USD in Sweden) white dry blend wine, France, 2,0 NJP, 6. Ciao, Pinot Grigio, 2023 (7 EUR/8 USD in Sweden) white dry blend wine, Moldavia, 0,0 NJP, 7. Château Tirecul La Gravière, Les Pins, 2023 (11 EUR/12 USD in Sweden; 375 ml) wite sweet blend wine, France, 1,5 NJP, 8. Derbusco Cives, Doppio Erre Di, Franciacorta, Brut, NV (23 EUR/26 USD in Sweden) white dry blend sparkling wine, Italy, 1,5 NJP, 9. Greystone Wines, Nor'wester, Pinot Noir, 2023 (18 EUR/21 USD in Sweden) red dry wine, New Zealand, 0,5 NJP, 10. Heinrich, Pinot Noir, 2023 (14 EUR/15 USD in Sweden) red dry wine, Austria, 1,5 NJP.
BORDEAUX TASTING OF WINES FROM 50 CHATEAUX, VILLA SOLIDEN, STOCKHOLM (24-05-2025 by Nenad Jelisic)
Due to various reasons, I have not had the opportunity to work as I usually do with NJ Wines’ Facebook page and NJ Wines’ Internet page for 6 months and that is why this article is so late. But as they say here in Sweden, better late than never. Here finally comes the article, just in time for the next Bordeaux tasting in September.
It does not happen very often that one gets to taste wines from 70 Bordeaux wine estates (chateaux) during one and the same tasting. Especially not in Scandinavia. Winefinder has again organized this traditional (annual) tasting of primary wines (En Primeur-wines) and older wines from Bordeaux. In this case, primary wines refer to wines from the 2024 vintage in Bordeaux. The wines from vintage 2024 were barrel samples. They will remain in barrel and bottle, before being released on the market, for about 12 more months. In addition to the primary wine, most of the wine estates (chateaux) also had an older wine as a reference. The tasting was held on the 4th of September 2024, at Solliden at Skansen in Stockholm.
THE TOP 10 WINES 2024 AND THE BEST WINE 2024 (07-12-2024 by Nenad Jelisic)
This is the twelfth consecutive year that NJ Wines presents the top 10 wines. In 2024, NJ Wines tasted a few thousand wines that were, and still are, available on the wine market. From all these wines, NJ Wines selected the 10 top wines of the year. The most important criterion in the selection was of course the quality of the wines, but also the availability of the wines today. Of the top 10 wines of the year come sex from France, three from Italy and one from Portugal. This year, with the best wine of the year, the fourth best wine of the year, the six best wine of the year, the seventh best wine of the year, the ninth best wine of the year and the tenth best wine of the year, France proved that it belongs to one of the world's best wine-producing countries. Note that NJ Wines’ wine tasting year always begins the first week of December the year before and ends the last the week in November the current year i.e. for the year 2024 it started the first week in December 2023 and ended the last week in November 2024. This year, eight wines got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points), which is a new record, in 2023, three wines got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points), in 2022, no wine got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points), in 2021, four wines got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points), in 2020, two wines got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points), in 2019, five wines got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points), in 2018, six wines got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points), in 2017, no wine got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points), in 2016, one wine got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points), in 2015, one wine got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points), in 2014, no wine got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points) and in 2013, one wine got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points). NJ Wines is very pleased with the positive result, but NJ Wines does not believe that the global quality of the wines has changed as much in the positive direction as the tasting result shows. NJ Wines was just lucky enough to taste some of the world's best wines in 2024.
Make sure to try these wines, wines that have got at least 3,5 NJP of possible 5,0 NJP
Charles Heidsieck, Brut, Réserve, NV (54 EUR/58 USD in Sweden) white dry blend sparkling wine, Reims, Champagne, France, 4,0 of 5,0 NJP (90 points of 100 points) (By Nenad Jelisic)
NJ Wines chose this champagne as the best champagne of the year in 2014 and 2015. In 2020, NJ Wines chose it as one of the 10 best wines of the year. Out of thousands of wines that were tasted in 2024, it was among the top 20. Now, as before, NJ Wines claims that this champagne is the world's most affordable NV champagne, and ... Read more
Churchill's, 20 Years Old Tawny Port (52 EUR/54 USD in Sweden) port wine, Porto, Douro, Portugal, 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points) (By Nenad Jelisic)
Wow - what a brilliant wine! Here we have one more masterpiece from the legendary port wine house Churchill's. The wine house that NJ Wines has consistently given 4,0 NJP (90 points) or more from and including the vintage 2012 up to and including the latest vintage 2019. Of these eight vintages, five got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP ... Read more
Château Duhart-Milon, 2018 (approx. 117 EUR/123 USD; selling price on the internet excluding delivery costs) red dry blend wine, Pauillac, Haut-Médoc, Médoc, Bordeaux, France, 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points)
Wow - what a delicious wine! Château Duhart-Milon 2018 is a nuanced, austere, complex, sweet spicy, fruity and flavourful wine, which has a fabulous balance between tartaric acidity, sweetness, fruitiness and tannins. The complex aroma is characterized by vanilla, sweet tobacco, prunes, ripe dark cherries, cocoa, pencil shavings ... Read more
The world's restaurants
The restaurants, which NJ Wines has viisited, tried their food and wines as well as rated food’s quality, food's taste, how the food is presented and looks, wine selection, decor, atmosphere, service and cleanliness, are presented here.
Eskilstuna's best pasta place - Mocca Deli, 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP, and Eskilstuna's best pizza place - Pizzeria Pepperoni, 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP, Sweden (27-10-2024 by Nenad Jelisic)
During the last fifteen months, NJ Wines has tasted and rated food in all pizzerias and restaurants located in NJ Wines' city of Eskilstuna. NJ Wines visited all of these pizzerias and restaurants or ordered their food home. There are many restaurants in the town of NJ Wines, but even more so there are pizzerias. The quality and taste of the food varies greatly, from 0,0 NJP to 5,0 NJP. Unfortunately, most of the pizzerias and the restaurants have got 1,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP or even less. In this article, NJ Wines wants to highlight the absolute best when it comes to pastas and pizzas i.e. Mocca Deli and Pizzeria Pepperoni. What applies to over 99% of pizzerias and restaurants in Eskilstuna, including the best ones, is that one has to pick up salad, bread, drinks and food by him/herself. NJ Wines wonders why? The only logical explanation is that all these restaurants want to save money by having customers do jobs that their employees would do. In a lot of restaurants and pizzerias, the owners expect that the customer also clear the table after the meal. Note that this is nothing unique to Eskilstuna, the same applies to 99% of pizzerias and restaurants in Sweden. NJ Wines believes that this way of working is not good and means that many who are looking for a job in the restaurant and pizzeria branch never get it. However, NJ Wines understands that the very small pizzerias and restaurants cannot afford to hire more staff, but it does not have the same understanding when it comes to the large pizzerias and the restaurants.
Tuzla's restaurants, Bosnia and Herzegovina (26-12-2022 and 15-02-2024 by Nenad Jelisic)
NJ Wines visited many of Tuzla's restaurants during June and July 2022 and June and July 2023. The restaurants, which were visited, ranged from those specializing in just one dish to those that had a wide selection of dishes and could be opened in any city in Europe. As Bosnia and Herzegovina was occupied by many different empires, mostly by the Ottoman Empire (just over 400 years) and then by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, its food tradition has been greatly influenced by it. Furthermore, Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of three major religions, Muslims, Orthodox and Catholics, each of which has its own food traditions. All this makes Bosnia and Herzegovina a unique culinary place when it comes to food. And therefore, if you get the opportunity, you should definitely visit and try different cuisines in some of Bosnia and Herzegovina's cities such as Banja Luka, Mostar, Sarajevo or Tuzla. Also, people in Bosnia and Herzegovina are very nice and helpful.
Ekstedt, Stockholm, Sweden, 2,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP (17-10-2020 by Nenad Jelisic)
Restaurant Ekstedt was the fourth restaurant in a row in Stockholm that NJ Wines visited and rated. Restaurant Ekstedt is owned by one of Sweden's most successful and influential chefs, Niklas Ekstedt, who became known through the cooking program Niklas Food on Swedish Television in 2005. After internships at several very famous chefs such as Charlie Trotter, Heston Blumenthal and Ferran Adrià, Niklas started in 2000, only 21 years old, his first restaurant, restaurant Niklas in Helsingborg in Sweden. From 2003, he also ran the restaurant Niklas Viken in the coastal community Viken north of Helsingborg. In 2007, Niklas opened the restaurant 1900 in Stockholm and with the move, the restaurants in Skåne were closed. In 2011, he opened the restaurant Ekstedt, which got a star in the prestigious Michelin guide in 2013 and has been retained it since then. A few years later, the restaurant 1900 was changed its name to Restaurant Niklas and then it was closed in 2017 when Niklas decided that he had to focus on his new restaurant (wine café) Tyge & Sessil and the restaurant Ekstedt. Since the beginning of 2018, Niklas owns restaurant Hillenberg in Stockholm. During 2018, Niklas was part of the cooking program "Four Hands Menu" and "New Scandinavian Cooking". He has also published seven cookbooks: Niklas cookbook (2004), Niklas in the middle of the week (2006), Niklas tastes (2008), Niklas Home cooked Swedish food (2011), Grill with Niklas (2013), Ekstedt over open fire: recipe for the analog kitchen (2017) and Niklas Christmas (2018). In addition to these seven cookbooks, he managed to write three more cookbooks with Henrik Ennart: Happy food: About how food and happiness are connected (2017), The blue food (2018) and Happy food 2.0: About how the meal and happiness go together (2018 ) and a cookbook together with Christian Daun: My child eats everything (2017). Niklas really has to like his profession a lot otherwise he would never succeed to do all this in just 41 years.
Everything you need to know about Barolo (24-05-2025 by Nenad Jelisic)
The text excerpts from NJ Wines' extensive wine dictionary are presented here. The text excerpts will be changed one to four times a month. You can read about exciting wines, appellations, wine districts, wine regions, etc. by clicking above on the "Wine glossary and wine facts".
Barolo, an Italian DOCG-appellation that belongs to the Piedmont (Piemonte) wine region. The appellation has 2,161 ha planted with Nebbiolo grapes, which can only be used for Barolo-wines. Barolo extends over 11 municipalities of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Cherasco, Diano d'Alba, Grinzane Cavour, La Mora, Monforte d'Alba, Novello, Roddi, Searralunga d'Alba and Verduno; the most known of them are: Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, La Mora, Monforte d'Alba and Searralunga d'Alba. The allowed yield is 56 hl/ha, while the average is 48 hl/ha.
Barolo, a DOCG-wine and one of Italy's most exclusive and best red wines. The minimum age for aging is three years, two of which must be in barrel. Barolo may be designated as Riserva if it was aged in barrel for at least four years. Barolo may be also designated as Riserva Speciale if it was aged in barrel for at least five years. There are two schools: 1. modern school and 2. traditional school. The modern school ferments at a lower temperature and allows the grape skins macerate (i.e. let the grape skins remain in the must and leach) in maximum two weeks. The traditional school ferments at a higher temperature (up to 30ºC) and allows the grape skins macerate for three to four weeks, and ages wines in "botti" for many years (8 to 10 years).
Barolo aroma and flavour, complex with blackberries, ripe dark and bright cherries, plums, violets, roses, red currants, liquorice and tar. As the wine matures new aromas and flavours are created as mushrooms, currants, tobacco, leather, decayed leaves, peppery notes and truffles.
Barolo Cannubi, one of Italy's most famous vineyards, which is located in the appellation of Barolo. The wines from here count as Barolo's most balanced and elegant. Barolo Cannubi covers 34 hectares, is located at an altitude 220-320 meters above sea level and consists of 5 different sub-areas (vineyards): Cannubi Boschis, Cannubi Centrale, Cannubi Muscatel, Cannubi San Lorenzo and Cannubi Valletta.
Barolo Cannubi soils, sandy marl.
Barolo grapes, 100% Nebbiolo.
Barolo soils, calcareous blue clay.
Barolo the best vintages, 1958, 1971, 1978, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2016 and 2019.
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