Tag Archives: vinoteket

Best Wine List in Oslo

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What makes a Wine List good?

What makes a good wine list? Is it the volume? The average price? Types of wines? Amount of countries represented? Range of wines? The format?

The answer here will vary. I think everyone has different expectations when ordering wine in a restaurant. You’ll see a smile on my face when a Rinaldi dolcetto makes an appearance, or when I find lots of good wines from Piemonte. Others may favor different regions, and will rejoice at the sight of a good Riesling or Rioja.

Price is also a factor. How “good” or “bad” is the markup? Do they have a good range of prices? Maybe a cheaper Barbera next to a higher priced Barolo? What are your thoughts?

Wine List Territoriet

Some of my favorite Wine Lists

There are many restaurants in Oslo, and there is a lot of good wine to find. Here are some of my favorites.

Beijing Palace

At Beijing Palace you’ll find true “Wine Geeks”, and their wine list reflects this. Who would have thought Burgundy and Dim Sum were a match made in heaven. With an astonishing number of wines, with very little markup, you can drink your way into bliss. The list is Burgundy heavy, but there’s an impressive number of wines from Piemonte. When asked why there’s so little markup, the answer was simple: “Why mark it up so high no one will buy it. We want you to drink and enjoy. And when you buy a wine, we get money to buy more wine. It’s win-win.”

Territoriet

This place is genius. With over 200 wines by the glass, you can try wines from all over the world and not break the bank (or destroy your liver). Yes, the price per glass can be a little pricey, but nowhere else I’ve been do you have this concept. (And if you know of a place, please let me know!) In a small space, with a bar and some tables & chairs you can get some snacks while sipping on a multitude of wines, all in one evening. Great staff, helpful and knowledgeable, with a record player dancing in the corner. Great spot in Oslo! You might also run into a winemaker or two, as they frequently host producers from all over the world!

Cru

Another favorite. Cru has a good selection of wines, and offer quite a few by the glass. The food here is incredible, and the wine list does not disappoint either. The prices can be a bit high, but I think it’s quite in sync with the concept of the whole restaurant. Michelin star worthy food (especially the Cru Special), beautiful interior and wonderful staff. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in Oslo.

Vinoteket

This new gem has become a go-to, with REALLY good pizza and an impressive wine list. Nicely priced, good variety, and quite a few Piemonte favorites. With frequent wine events, this is a new wine hot spot. Gaia Gaja even made an appearance. Vinoteket is one to watch.

Any other good ones?

There are so many other good restaurants in Oslo (and Norway). According to Kapital, Park Hotel Vossevangen has the best wine list in Norway. I’ve never been, but I’ll take their word for it. Park Hotel is definitely on the list of places to visit. Others that made the list are: Arakataka, Kontrast & Restaurant Bro. You can read the full article (in norwegian) here.

Vinoteket – Pizza Heaven

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… and the wine isn’t bad either.

Vinoteket is the place to be these days, both for their incredible pizza and their good wine list. Recently opened at Solli Plass, there never seems to be an empty table. But then again, pizza and wine is a killer combination

The Art of Pizza

The menu says pizza, but my brain says art. Crab, tandoori, procini, salmon, meatballs – who knew this was pizza material. A little skeptical but intrigued I order the tasting menu. Up first is crab on sourdough. And what arrives at the table is not just a pizza. It’s art.

Most of you know I make pizza every Friday so I feel very well versed in the art of pizza. As it turns out, I’m a complete amateur. The sourdough is thick, yet crispy. And the crab + mozzarella + aioli + chives heaven that they call pizza just blew me away.

I’m already excited for the next one: mushrooms. And guess what? I hate mushrooms. Turns out, if it’s mushroom ragu + panfried cep, spring onion, dill, chestnut-pecorino on hydrolisis dough, mushrooms kind of rock. At this point I am thoroughly impressed.

The next two don’t disappoint either. Tandoori, which is sourdough, argentine king prawns, capsicum chutney, paneer & coriander is a little too spicy for me, but delicious. This one did not pair perfectly with my Roche de Bellene Pinot Noir. You can opt for the Vinoteket wine menu as well, where you get a glass of wine better suited for the food. The last pizza was Porchetta: sourdough, porchetta, mozzarella, grilled pumpkin, poached quail egg, pecorino cream and oregano. Might sound a little strange (I mean pumpkin and quail egg??) but it was as delicious & surprising as the other ones.

Vinoteket – the place to be

Now, here’s a tip for those who want to try: I’d get the tasting menu. That way you can try a multitude of amazing pizza combinations. But I am also not sure I could eat one whole pizza with crab. Or mushrooms. Or tandoori shrimp. And let’s face it, you don’t really go to Vinoteket for a mozzarella pizza.

Vinoteket opened not long ago, about mid 2018, so as with any new business there are always some kinks. But overall I am impressed with the food, the wine list, the service and the interior. You should also check out their events. Gaia Gaja held a tasting there in February. At the end of April there is a Bordeaux tasting. Lot’s of fun things happening! I’ll definitely be back!

Gaia Gaja @ Vinoteket

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Vinoteket, a hot new meeting place for wine enthusiast, recently hosted Gaia Gaja for a winetasting. Clearly, I was in attendance. Although I have tried quite a few of the wines from Gaja, I have never been to the winery.
All in all we tasted 5 different wines, 3 from Piemonte and 2 from Tuscany (who knew!).

Gaja has recently started a new project in Tuscany, and at the tasting Gaia showed us two of the wines from there. First, the Camarcanda, which is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc. A simple, but structured wine from a flat area with limestone soil.

Bolgheri is a simple beauty

Gaia Gaja

The second wine from Tuscany is the Brunello di Montalcino, the “brown grape” from Montalcino. With 100% sangiovese, a Brunello can be very tannic if made “poorly”. Gaja brought the Brunello from 2014, a difficult vintage, but a vintage that resulted in lower tannins and good acidity.

Wines from Piemonte

From Piemonte, we tried Conteisa, Spress and Sori Tildin. Conteisa, where the grapes are from La Morra, was more elegant and fruity than Sperss, where the grapes are from Serralunga. Both balanced wines with good structure and good acidity. Compared to the wines from Tuscany, Gaia feels like the nebbiolo wines are less persistent, more quiet.

Nebbiolo allows the vintage to be in front

Gaia Gaja

Sori Tildin comes from a vineyard planted veritcally (very unusual) which allows for a higher density of vines. Located on the top of the hill, southfacing on dense soil means the wine is very concentrated. Rich, dark fruits with a hint of mineralism.

Gaja on climate change & biodiversity

Although she spoke a lot about the wines, she also spend a significant amount of time on the topics climate change and biodiversity. Climate change has become an issue in the vineyards, as the weather is even more unpredictable than normal, making the work in the vineyards more and more difficult. A proposed solution to this problem is more biodiversity.

If you look out into the landscape in Piemonte, you’ll see miles and miles of vineyards as far as the eye can see. The problem with this “mono agriculture” is a lack of biodiversity. Despite protests from Angelo Gaja, they decided to hire consultants to help. Bee keeping, different types of herbal essence, leaving the grass growing, planting trees – all of these ideas are meant to encourage biodiversity.

A truly interesting woman, who comes from a winery with an incredible history! If I were to describe Gaia in 3 words:
Passionate
Fierce
Intelligent