Lots of seeds

I'm a big fan of modern art thanks to my father who loved modern art as well and always brought me along to modern art exhibitions. Mother usually ended up sitting in the coffee shop or outside waiting forever. One of my favourite memories with my father is actually a visit Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art) in Stockholm and how he showed me things in the paintings and sculptures that no one else noticed. So yet another trait I've inherited from my father, I visit modern art museums.

In London I love Tate Modern and try to visit at least once every year. Over the years I have managed to see all of the Unilver series and with only a couple of weeks left of the current one with Ai Weiwei I dragged my poor friend Suss with me to Bankside.

I think she was expecting paintings and got rather surprised when she got to see sunflower seeds, and plenty of them. Millions of sunflower seeds hand-crafted in porcelain.

There is no other word for it than impressive and somehow also magnificent. It's also the reason why I'm not an artist. I would never ever come up with the idea to fill a turbine hall with hand-crafted sunflower seeds, but I'm very happy others do.

Wine school – Australia

Before jetting off to London the week before last it was time for the last evening of wine school. An evening focusing on my favourite country – Australia – and eight (!) different bottles to try. Pouring rain and freezing cold outside, but in the cellar we soon got transferred to warmer places.

Xanadu Dragon Riesling 2002
Green yellow colour. On the nose rather sweet with hints of apricots and a lot of minerals. On the palate surprisingly crisp and again full of minerals.

Xanadu Dragon Chardonnay 2001
Yellow almost golden colour. On the nose a quite fermented smell mixed with mushrooms. On the plate still crisp and full of acidity. Nutty flavours in the fininsh.

d'Arenberg Hermit Crab 2006
Yellow colour. On the nose plenty of fruits such as pineapple and Clementine. On the palate quite oaky and lots of spices.

Oakvale Reserve Elliott's Well Semillon 1998
Dark yellow almost golden colour. On the nose wood, spices and apples. On the plate lots of lime and apples. Crisp finish with a very high acidity for a 13 year old bottle.

Red Hill Estate Pinot Noir 2008
Light red colour. On the nose lots of raspberries, strawberries an hints of chocolate. On the plate rather sweet with black berries ending with long tannins.

Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz 2008
Intense red colour with purple hue. Nose of ripe blackberries, Christmas spices and hints of chocolate. Palate full of blackberries, raspberries and plums. Some chocolate as well. Lengthy finish with soft tannins.

Rymill Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
Red brownish colour almost brick with deep purple hue. On the nose green pepper, black current and herbs. On the palate dried herbs, hints of chocolate and ripe black cherries with a persistent finish.

Chapel Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Red brick colour. On the nose lots of green pepper and leafy herbs. On the palate oak, hints of eucalyptus and again those leafy herbs. Still a young finish considering the age.

Quote of the day

Nothing is ever wrong. We learn from every step we take. Whatever you did today was the way it was meant to be. Be proud of you.

Couldn't have said it better myself. We learn as we go. One step forward, one step back. Sometimes we fail. Sometimes we succeed. That's life.

Confession of a foodie

It's no secret that I'm big foodie and wine lover. That I love to read cookbooks and try out new recipes and match the wine as well. For the the last couple of months life has been a bit too hectic to do any of this. OK, it's not like I've been starving or thirsty, just that I haven't had the time to try out new things. The weekends have been way too short to do anything than just trying to recharge the batteries, and when stressed and tired I just go for old and well-known things.

But now it's finally time for Easter and a long weekend awaits, and guess what I'm going to do? Yes, cook, eat and drink. Probably read a lot as well and go walking if the weather behaves. For the last two weeks now I've been thinking about what I should eat, what ingredients I need to buy and which wine goes with what food. So I confess, I'm a true foodie and proud of it!

Gone to London

Remember those signs that says Gone fishing or Gone golfing? For me there should be a sign that says Gone to London.

Yup that's where I am right now. A long weekend of friends, food, drinks, shopping and just plain indulgence. A bit a culture as well with going to Tate Modern to see the latest Unilever installation. I've managed to see all of them so far, so this one I can't miss.

So see you later, I'm busy enjoying my favourite city.

Wine school – South Africa

Wine school last week was South Africa, and needles to say I was really curious about the wines thinking about my earlier experiences. And afterwards, yes my faith in wine from South Africa is restored, but our teacher agreed that it's hard to find good quality wine from South Africa in Sweden, which is a shame.

Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut 2009
Quite lively mousse. Light yellow beige colour. On the nose lots of flowers, citrus and red apples. On the palate quite yeasty with hints of nougat and red apples.

Rudera De Tradisie Chenin Blanc 2009
Light yellow colour. On the nose pineapple, rose petals and orange blossoms. On the palate the citrus fruits continue with grapefruit, quince and and some cinnamon. Long and crisp finish.

Graham Beck Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Very light yellow colour. On the nose lots of tropical fruit such as gooseberry and passion fruit On the nose again lots of tropical fruit but also some herbal spice. Crisp and lively acidity gives it elegant finish.

Lomond Syrah 2008
Ruby red colour. On the nose lots of black berries, plums and pepper. On the plate a berries, a touch of smoke, coffee and vanilla. Smooth tannins.

Kanonkop Kadette 2008
Dark red colour with blue hues. On the nose fruits such a berries and sweet banana. On the palate green pepper, black currant and smoke. Soft tannins witch gives a long dry finish.

Allesverloren Fine Old Vintage 2007
Dark red brick colour. On the nose woody, toasty with some nuts and raisins as well. On the palate plenty of ripe fruits and a lingering after taste.

Spring

Taken from Wikipedia:
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and customs. At the spring equinox, days are close to 12 hours long with day length increasing as the season progresses.

And it's finally here!

Book club

I've been a member of the Bladlössen book club for about 6 months now, and it has been great fun. I've read books I most likely would never had read, but most of all I have met other women all at the same age as me and we all love books.

We meet every 6-7th week, eat something light and then discuss the book we've been reading while having tea and chocolate. Pretentious?! Not at all. Sometimes the book discussion ends rather quickly and we end up talking about everything but books. Other times we can't stop talking about the characters like they were our friends.

This month we've been reading Half of a yellow sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. A book I would never have looked at since both title and cover sounded a bit strange, but I have to admitt just like so many others – what a book!

The book takes place in Nigeria during the Nigerian-Biafran war in 1967-1970 and we get to follow four very different people. The high ranking politician, the professor, the British citizen and the houseboy. All whose life change drastically due to the war and decisions they make.

It's a book that, as a north European and born after the Bifra war, gives me a lot insight on Africa and what happened when the British had left. It's actually only 44 years ago and has of course had a great impact on Nigerians but also ex-pat Brits who stayed in Nigeria. Something that I more or less didn't know anything about, but do now. A great read.

The perfect wine

Finding the perfect wine is a tricky question. It all comes down to mood, situation, company, food and many, many other things. What is perfect today may not be perfect next week, but that is at least to me part of the charm of enjoying wine.

On Friday I opened a bottle of Kalleske Clarry's from Barossa Valley and after taking the first sip I knew I had found the perfect wine. A blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro. All favourite grapes that can't go wrong with my taste buds.

Dark black-purple colour. On the nose aromas of raspberries, violets, dark cherries and cloves. The palate is juicy and packed with fruit flavours. The finish is lengthy with chalky tannins and chewy texture. The perfect wine!

This wine is unfortunately just sold temporary here in Sweden, but I will go and get some before it's all gone. The question though is, will it be the perfect wine the next time I open a bottle?!

Lie-in

It has been ages since I had a proper lie-in, but today it happened. Just like the scratch ticket advert – Suddenly one day it happens. I woke up at 7am but decided to stay in bed. Slowly drifting away, dreaming, thinking and just knowing that right know there are no musts or have to. I listened the seagulls (noisy as usual) buses and cars coming and going, a neighbour flushing the toilet and felt both happy and relaxed. It's those little things that makes it all worth while. In bed on a Sunday morning knowing you don't have to get up.

For a while I went back to sleep and then I woke up hungry, and since I (still) don't have a butler to make me breakfast it was time to go up. But all through the day I've been in an incredible good mood and have caught myself smiling without any reason. Life is good when you take the time to relax. I should just remember to do it more often. A lot more often.