Bruichladdich Islay barley

The distiller Bruichladdich on Islay an quite interesting distillery. They go for much locally made. With two new releases in Sweden Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2009 and Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2008 they showcase their locally made whisky. For example the Islay Barley 2009 is made by barley from four different farms on Islay, Claggan, Cruach, Island and Mulindry farms. From what I understand Bruichladdich is looking into malting this barley at the distillery also. That means everything will be done at Islay for these whiskies in the future including the barley grown.
I like that Bruichladdich distillery goes for so much locally made.

White wine from Alsace and Umbria

I like white wine from the Alsace region in France. They are usually very good. A producer that I have tried some wine from is Cave de Turckheim. Now it is time for their Riesling from 2013 which is organically made. The smell is quite nice but for me the taste is lacking a bit. A bit to light for me with citrus notes. Not a Riesling I would buy again.

White wine from Umbria is not that common here in Sweden. I found a bottle Conte della Vipera from 2014 from producer Marchesi Antinori. This vintage contains 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Semillion. So it is international grape varieties in this bottle. The wineyards for this wine is at 250-350meters of height. The taste is of pears and grapefruit and is very nice. I like this wine.

Montefalco Sagrantino by Le Cimate

Montefalco is a lovely small town in Umbria, Italy, which I visited in April 2016. It is worth a visit for several reason. One is that the town has a great view over the plains in central Umbria.

Another is that the town has a lovely mediaeval feel with the small streets.

The reason that I went there is that Montefalco produces several different wines such as Sagrantino Montefalco and Rosso Montefalco.

All around Montefalco one can see wine producers and in the town there are several stores just selling wine from Montefalco. One producer is called Cantina Le Cimate and they produces several different wines and the one that I have found is a bottle of their Montefalco Sagrantino which is from the DOGC Montefalco Sagrantino. This wine is made of 100% Sagrantiono grapes and the wine must be aged for 30 months and at least 12 months is in oak barrels. For the Le Cimate Sagrantino wine it has been stored 24 months in barrels and 12 months in bottle before going for sale.
Sagrantino is a special grape is an Italian grape variety that almost is only grown in the Montefalco area. It is one of the grapes that has the highest tannic levels in the world. So when I was in Assissi in Umbria a waiter warned me that drinking Sagrantiono Montefalco was like eating a lemon.
The Le Cimate wine has an alcohol level of 15% alcohol and is of the vintage 2010. The colour is very dark, almost reddish blue. The smell is strong The taste is of black currants and some liquorice with some more dark berries. It has tannins but they are quite structured and together with strong food it is very good. But be warned, this is not an easy drinking wine. It need some food with the wine. After the food was finished I continued drinking the wine and one could feel the tannins in the mouth. An excellent and lovely wine but not for those who are looking for a light and easy drinking wine.