Vinkoll

VINKOLL

A tasting exercise for the Smartoptics kick-off

Build the Wine List

Six wines. Six roles. One wine list.

Tuesday 25 August 2026
13:00–15:00
Sånga-Säby, Färingsö
40 guests, one very long table

Thank you for a genuinely good afternoon. Every good wine list is a portfolio, not a random shelf — each bottle earns its place by playing a role.

We tasted six wines that each represent one of those roles, from the easy opener to the cellar-worthy closer, and your tables built their own six-wine lists at the end. Here is everything from the session: the full list with prices, why each wine is worth keeping at home, and the answers to the quiz.

Markus Nilsson, sommelier and founder of Vinkoll

YOUR HOST

Markus Nilsson

Sommelier · founder of Vinkoll

WSET-trained sommelier and the founder of Vinkoll — tastings, events and wine discovery, without the pretension. He also sits on the national board of Munskänkarna, Sweden's wine society, leading communication.

“Mindre hype, mer smak.”

Less hype, more flavour — Vinkoll's motto.

THE SIX ROLES

1
OpenerThe welcome glass
2
CrispThe weeknight white
3
OakedThe crowd-pleaser
4
FruitThe no-fuss red
5
MuscleThe showpiece
6
AgeThe cellar-worthy closer

The roles are the point — not the labels. Swap in another bottle that does the same job and the list still works.

See the full presentation

Every slide from the session — maps, producers, grapes and techniques

The tasting room at Sånga-Säby set for forty, six glasses and a spittoon at every seat

Forty seats, six glasses each — the room before the first pour

WINES 1–3

Bubbles and whites

Penedès · Rheingau · Central Coast

We tasted in ascending order — lightest and driest first. These three cover the openings of any list: the glass you hand someone at the door, the white you keep in the fridge, and the rich one that pleases a table of mixed tastes.

1
OPENER

L'Alzinar Brut Nature Reserva 2022

Vins El Cep · DO Cava, Penedès, Spain

50% Xarel·lo, 25% Macabeo, 25% Parellada

Traditional method, 24+ months on lees. Old vines planted 1958–1990.

Bone-dry, chalky and racy — vibrant acidity with a mineral, saline grip.

Pairs with: Oysters, cold seafood, salty tapas

WHY HAVE IT AT HOME

The Everyday Opener

This is the bottle you keep in stock, not save for a special occasion. Great Cava is one of the best value-for-money wines going — bone-dry, food-friendly and always a good idea, whether it is a Tuesday or someone has just turned up unannounced.

  • ·Guests arrive with no notice
  • ·Aperitivo before any dinner
  • ·You just want a glass, no occasion needed

SMARTOPTICS PARALLEL

Optical Transceivers

The small pluggable part that starts every link — plug in and go, just like a welcome glass of Cava.

139 kr · order code XS168147001 — special order, not in the standard range

2
CRISP

Leitz "Eins-Zwei-Dry" Riesling Trocken 2025

Weingut Leitz · Rheingau, Germany

100% Riesling

Organically farmed grapes, loess and clay soils, bone-dry style.

White peach and citrus, elegant and medium-bodied with a clean, mineral finish.

Pairs with: Seafood, sushi, spicy Asian-style dishes

WHY HAVE IT AT HOME

The Weeknight White

A high-acid, aromatic white like this earns its keep by going with almost anything on a weeknight, and it is forgiving if the meal is not fancy. Keep two or three in the fridge and you will never be stuck for a pairing.

  • ·Salads and light fish
  • ·Spicy or Asian-style takeout
  • ·Any weeknight you have not planned a wine for

SMARTOPTICS PARALLEL

SoSmart Software Suite

Clean, precise and easy to read — total visibility, just like this wine's clarity.

Systembolaget: 107 kr (art. 582201)

3
OAKED

Ballard Lane Chardonnay 2022

Miller Family Wine Company · Central Coast, California, USA

100% Chardonnay

Night-picked for freshness, part barrel-aged for a rounder, oak-kissed texture.

Orchard fruit and pear with honeysuckle aromatics and a creamy, oak-touched palate.

Pairs with: Roast chicken, creamy pasta, grilled shellfish

WHY HAVE IT AT HOME

The Crowd-Pleaser

Rich, familiar and broadly loved. This is the safe, generous choice when you are hosting people whose wine taste you do not know well. It rarely disappoints, which makes it worth always having on hand for dinner parties.

  • ·Dinner parties with mixed tastes
  • ·Roast chicken or creamy pasta nights
  • ·When you want an easy "yes" for guests

SMARTOPTICS PARALLEL

Modular Transponders & Muxponders

Built module by module to add capacity — just like oak ageing builds texture into this wine.

Systembolaget: 149 kr (art. 7639901)

WINES 4–6

The reds

Valpolicella · Central Coast · Monti Garbi

Three reds that climb in weight: fruit first, then structure, then depth. The last two show what technique does — oak ageing on one side, the Ripasso method on the other.

4
FRUIT

Tenuta Sant'Antonio "Nanfrè" Valpolicella 2023

Tenuta Sant'Antonio · Monti Garbi, Veneto, Italy

70% Corvina, 30% Rondinella

No dried grapes, no oak — made to keep the fruit vivid and easy-drinking.

Bright cherry and redcurrant with light spice and lively, juicy freshness.

Pairs with: Charcuterie, pizza, tomato-based pasta

WHY HAVE IT AT HOME

The No-Fuss Red

No oak, no ceremony, no decanting required — just pour and drink. This is the red for casual, spontaneous dinners, the one that does not ask anything of you or your evening.

  • ·Pizza or pasta night
  • ·Casual dinners with friends
  • ·Whenever you want red without the fuss

SMARTOPTICS PARALLEL

Multiplexers & OADMs

Combines many wavelengths — many 'colours' of light — into one fibre, as vivid as this wine's berry fruit.

Systembolaget: 169 kr (art. 8162101)

5
MUSCLE

Ballard Lane Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Miller Family Wine Company · Central Coast, California, USA

100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Dark garnet colour; oak ageing builds structure and spice around the fruit.

Blackberry and brambly fruit, toasted oak and vanilla, with velvety, firm tannins.

Pairs with: Grilled steak, burgers, aged cheese

WHY HAVE IT AT HOME

The Impress-Your-Guests Bottle

Structured and powerful, this is the wine you pull out when you want the meal to feel like an occasion — a proper steak dinner, a milestone, or simply when you want to show a bit of ambition on the table.

  • ·Steak or other grilled red meat
  • ·A dinner you want to feel special
  • ·Guests you want to impress a little

SMARTOPTICS PARALLEL

Flexible Open Line Systems

The powerful backbone carrying heavy traffic over long distances — the muscle of the network.

149 kr · order code X5168125701 — special order, not in the standard range

6
AGE

Tenuta Sant'Antonio "Monti Garbi" Valpolicella Ripasso 2022

Tenuta Sant'Antonio · Monti Garbi, Veneto, Italy

70% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 5% Croatina, 5% Oseleta

Ripasso: re-fermented on pressed Amarone skins — adds body, depth and richness.

Ripe blackberry and black cherry, almond and dried herbs, with fine, structured tannins.

Pairs with: Braised meats, mature hard cheese, mushroom risotto

WHY HAVE IT AT HOME

The Cellar-Worthy Closer

Richer and more developed than the rest of the list, with real ageing potential. Buy a couple: drink one now with a slow Sunday braise, and tuck the other away — it will only get more interesting with a few years in the cellar.

  • ·Slow-cooked braises and mature cheese
  • ·A quiet, unhurried Sunday dinner
  • ·Worth holding back a bottle to age

SMARTOPTICS PARALLEL

800G DWDM Upgrade

Built by pushing existing infrastructure further for more capacity — just as Ripasso adds depth by re-passing over Amarone skins.

Systembolaget: 159 kr (art. 532801)

Prices and article numbers are the ones shown during the session. Systembolaget adjusts prices continuously, and the vintage on the shelf may differ from the one poured — the article number stays the same.

Build a portfolio, not a shelf

A wine list is a portfolio of assets, not a stack of bottles. Every wine on it should be doing a job: bringing in the nervous first-timer, pairing with the kitchen's signature dish, or giving your best guests something to splurge on.

Get the mix wrong and you either scare people off with an intimidating, overpriced list — or leave money on the table with a boring one. Get it right, and the list sells itself.

HOW TO BUILD ONE

1

Define the roles you need

Opener, crisp white, food-friendly red, showpiece, aged closer.

2

Diversify style and risk

Mix safe, familiar bottles with a few more adventurous ones.

3

Price for the whole room

An easy yes at every budget, plus room to splurge.

4

Match the kitchen

At least a few wines built around your best-selling dishes.

5

Cut what doesn't earn its place

A tight six-bottle list beats a bloated forty-bottle binder.

THE QUIZ

The answers, for the record

1. What is "must" in winemaking?

Freshly pressed grape juice, before fermentation.

2. What does malolactic fermentation do to a wine?

Converts sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid.

3. What are "lees" in winemaking?

Dead yeast cells left over after fermentation.

4. What does "bâtonnage" mean?

Stirring the lees to add texture and body.

5. In traditional-method sparkling wine, what is the "dosage"?

A sugar-and-wine mixture added after disgorgement to set the final sweetness.

From the session

Build the Wine List on the screen, with rows of glasses on the table in frontWine glasses lined up along the table, daylight from the windows behindThe Sånga-Säby logo in gold on a deep blue wallThe glass-roofed garden at Sånga-Säby, with a large oak and rattan lampsThe lounge bar at Sånga-Säby under its curved timber ceilingTwo shuffleboard tables in the loungeReception at Sånga-Säby, with the moose and the green plant wall

Sånga-Säby, Färingsö — 25 August 2026

WANT MORE? JOIN ME ON THE ROAD

Barolo, Barbaresco & Roero

18–21 November 2026 · four days in Piemonte

The same idea as this tasting, taken on the road: six handpicked producers in Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero, tasting straight from the source with the winemakers themselves. We go after harvest, when the fog that gave Nebbiolo its name settles over Langhe and truffle season is in full swing. Max 20 in the group, from 22 500 kr.

See the full itinerary

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