New for December – I have added the following symbol next to wines that have been made without the use of any sulfur whats so ever:
Our wine list now boasts 19 titles that are made without the use of any sulfur what so ever. This is by far the largest selection of wines made without sulfur in Norway. I am not including in this number, nor am I placing the NO SO2 symbol next to, any wine that has had minimal use of sulfur during the wine making process, but none added at bottling. Had I included these titles, there would have been an additional 4 or 5 titles. I feel it’s important to mention that these natural wines don’t merely make it on the wine list for looks. We sell these natural, un-sulfured wines on a daily basis. Read the rest of this entry »
I have uploaded the November updated wine list which can now be viewed here.
New titles on the list:
- Domaine Moreau-Naudet Chablis “Les Pargues Vieilles Vignes” 2006 – Burgundy, cialis France
- Pierre Frick Gewurztraminer Steinert Grand Cru 2003 – Alsace, here France
- Domaine Le Mazel Cuvée Raoul 2007- new vintage! – Rhône, France
- Erbaluna Rosso VdT (no added sulfur) 2007 – Piemonte, Italy
- Podere le Boncie “Le Boncie 5” 2007 – Toscana, Italy
-cheers!!
I have uploaded the October updated wine list which can now be viewed here.
New titles on the list:
- Chartogne-Taillet Cuvée Sainte-Anne – Champagne, cialis France
- Domaine Huber-Verdereau Puligny-Montrachet “Les Levrons” 2007 – Burgundy, physician France
- Stéphane Tissot Chardonnay Les Graviers 2007 – Jura, decease France
- Domaine des Remizières Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Particuliere 2005 – Rhône, France
- Domaine de Fondrèche Côtes du Ventoux Nature 2008 – Rhône, France
- Montirius Vacqueyras Garrigues 2006 – Rhône, France
- Bressan Schioppettino 2004 – Fruili-Venezia Giulia, Italy
- A.A. Pacina Chianti Colli Senesi 2005 – Tuscany, Italy
- Camillo Donati Rosso della Bandita 2006 – Emilia-Romagna, Italy
- Rocolo Grassi Recioto della Valpolicella 2005 – Veneto, Italy
-cheers and good drinking!
As you may know, I am the wine director and sommelier in a small restaurant in Bergen (Norway) called Jacob’s Bar & Kjøkken (Kitchen). A restaurant which has been garnering a lot of attention lately by the locals as well as the media. We have some of the most talented (and awarded) chefs in Norway, definitely the most passionate.
I started at Jacob’s Bar & Kjøkken in January of 2009 after a four year stint at Altona Vinbar where I managed a wine list of approximately 500 titles. Although Altona Vinbar was a fun place to work, and the wine list was very exciting, it wasn’t what I was looking for. I wanted to manage a smaller, more dynamic and eclectic wine list and to work more closely with food and a kitchen that would inspire me. Jacob’s Bar & Kjøkken fit that bill perfectly. The kitchen focuses on local food, specializing (in my opinion) on the preparation of amazing seafood dishes prepared with wild, local fish.
When in comes to the wine at Jacob’s Bar & Kjøkken, I like to keep my wine list at around 90 titles with a focus on organic, biodynamic and natural wines. I don’t have any titles from Bordeaux and I don’t have too many what I consider as “eye-candy” titles as I prefer smaller producers (farmers if you will) who do things by hand. Many titles may be unheard of by many, but represent not only my taste in wine, but what I believe to be exciting, new and work well with food.
I am often criticized by people for excluding areas like Bordeaux on my wine list. I am also often criticized when I tell people that I prefer to select titles that are organic, bio or natural wines for my list. I am told that by excluding wine from Bordeaux or focusing on organic, bio or natural that I am excluding many great wines. Actually, I feel that I am not excluding wines from my list, but rather I’m including wines on my list. Producers like Frank Cornelissen and Domain Le Mazel which are often excluded on wine lists, are included on mine. I include them with a smile on my face and in my heart. This being said, the number one reason why a wine shows up on my wine list is because it is well made and I like it. I will never sacrifice quality because it is simply organic.
My wine list is not yet perfect in my eyes. I am slowly improving my Champagne and white Burgundy selection. And, I will most likely continue to add German Rieslings.
Here it is. All prices in Norwegian Kroner:
Jacob’s Bar & Kjøkken Wine List
