The secrets from the Chef & Sommelier

Taste of Sweden is a great concept that shows of many of the great food produced in this beautiful country all of it perfectly package by the TV4 mobile road show around Sweden . The chefs for this amazing show off is the four guys from the national culinary junior team all manage by the team captain Pi Le with assistance from Robert Sandberg, Johan Laiti and Erik Seger all of them a great future in Swedish gastronomy. I tasted some of the food presented there and I love every bit of it, all of it was very creative with bold and gutsy flavours well presented in half portions so we could try many of the dishes. Everything that was served is farmed and raised in Sweden and so was all the beverages presented here with beer, spirit and even the wines was made in Sweden (we do produce wine here) And we have to finish off with some Swedish fika and all the cookies that you can eat J ( fika is a coffee or tea with cookies or cakes for hours) Thanks guys for a great job sh...

There are some debates here in Sweden regarding the definition of a sommelier, What is that and what does the title mean? How can we define the role? Is it someone who works in a restaurant handling the wine list? Work as an importer of wines & spirits? Graduate from a recognized program or someone who has taken some courses in wine? I think that this discussion matters due to that the name as Sommelier must be kept trustworthy for all the customers and off trade people who rely on the expertise of the sommelier. But how is it with all the wine critics and their so called expertise? This is in general what people listen to and follows the advice in the magazines and daily columns in the papers; can we trust them as consumers? The clear and honest answer to this is absolutely No! Due to that many of them do not know what the heck they are talking or writing about.(this is another case) There are many schools in Sweden with certified sommelier programs where anyb...

Nu har jag följt ett antal så kallade vin journalister i olika media med förbluffande resultat som jag inte alls var beredd eller trodde att jag skulle finna på detta sätt. Många av dom har absolut ingen som helst språklig utbildning ( jag har absolut inte det, men jobbar inte heller med det) och många gånger används tydligen inte ens rättstavningen i datorn när man skriver vilket är förvånande och högs beklagligt. Vad som är ännu värre är faktiskt hur dåligt insatta vissa av dom är när det gäller det som dom skriver om själva och än värre förmedlar till Svenska folket, högst besynnerligt då många människor ser dessa vin journalister som proffs i sitt ämne. Exempel ” Torrontes är den mest odlade druvan i Chile ”   sen när då? Eller denna ” Valpolicella görs alltid på torkade druvor ” hur tänkte man nu? Att förse folk med felaktig info är inte ok tycker jag men det verkar som att bara för att man har arbetat i en systembutik eller går en sommelier kurs så kan man skriv...

Finally I manage to get some wines in to the systembolaget ordering assortment, five great wines that show the quality of the wine portfolio that I work with on the Swedish HORECA market. The wines that I choose for this first release are two Cavas from Dominio de La Vega with very high ratings and beautiful taste and structure. Cathy Marshall Pinot Noir is some of the best made in South Africa with fantastic full body and great acidity. Cellar Avgvstvs in Penedes are the best producer in this area here showing of the two best wines in the Trajanus reserva blend and the amazing balanced chardonnay. Please contact me by e-mail or call me on +46 701-466505 for further information about this wines.

It is a common misconception that all Cava comes from Catalonia . Whilst the majority does, it can be made anywhere in Spain as long as it conforms to the strict production methods laid down. Dominio de la Vega is based in the hills inland from Valencia and has built up an impressive reputation for its Cavas in a relatively short period of time, archived some of the highest ratings ever given to Cava by Robert Parker and winning numerous awards in Spain . The Cavas here are all rich and toasty with extensive lees ageing in bottle and are something special. The Brut Reserva Especial are made from hand harvested Macabeo and Chardonnay grapes, pressed then fermented at 16C with selected yeasts and then aged 3 months in new French oak prior to second fermentation in bottle. Aged on the lees for minimum 20 months. Finished with a dosage of only 5 g/l.   Deep colored and rich on the nose with toasty nutty aromas. Quite full bodied yet fine and elegant, with ripe yell...

The archipelago of the west coast is the legendary golden box of the best seafood and fish in the world and that is why Swedish chefs is on the forefront in the culinary world. There are so many nice places starting just north of Gothenburg and all the way to the Norwegian border at Strömstad but I will now focus on the island of Tjörn only 45 minutes by car from Gothenburg city centre. Björholmens Marina is located in the very tiny fishing village of Björholmen and is one of the cutest places around. Fredrik Gustavsson is the brilliant young chef who is the wizard in the kitchen and that will amaze you no matter what you order from the menu, focus is on local vegetables and everything from the North Sea landed just outside his back door. The rooms in the hotel part are beautifully done and all is newly renovated or built, It is exiting when you go to bed and can hear the sound of the ocean moving. An outdoor heated bathtub is perfect after a lazy day and not t...

Food and wine pairing is always a real challenge in the Nordic countries. When I talk to fellow sommeliers in mid/south of Europe I realise that their job is so much easier in one way and why is that? The cuisine of classical French and Italian food is so well paired with the old world wines that fits each other perfectly and balances all the richness and flavours in a perfect way, that is why it is somewhat easier. On the other hand the Nordic kitchen is salty, acid and earthy, when you ad on wild not known herbs, undercook fish/seafood and undercook veggies with lots of chlorophyll you create a true challenge for the sommeliers. I think that this is one of many reasons why the Nordic have some of the top restaurants in the world and why many people travel here to taste and to see what is going on here. We will continue to be on the forefront in the culinary world and you are all welcome to discover.