Of course you have Vivino, but WINELIFE's tasting notes are made by professionals. That's why we make them available online for you too. Read how many points they get in our Buying Guide, or how our Professional Tasters rate them. We put the selling price right there. We can't make it any easier for you...
While Layla Karels (32) studied law and later worked at Amsterdam's Zuidas, she was also in the gastronomy business. During a side job in Edam, more than 15 years ago, she met her partner Paskal with whom she organised on-site tastings and private dinners in their own garage. He in the kitchen, she on the floor. In 2022, they took the big step: their own business.
Below you can read the tasting notes by Layla Karels and Magda van der Rijst.
Baron de Vaillantcourt, Reserve Pinot Noir (2023)
Easy drinking. Red and black fruit, with a velvety mouthfeel. Fun in your glass! € 6,99
Rietburg, Spätburgunder AH Excellent Selection (2023)
Everybody's friend, delicious candied red fruits of cherry and strawberry. Supple and juicy. €7.49
Antonin Rodet, Grande Sélection Pinot Noir (2023)
Fresh, pure Pinot from southern France. Slightly floral, cherry and smoky. Soft and friendly. € 7,59
Lorgeril, Etoile Pinot Noir (2023)
Fresh and playful. Almond paste, red cherry. Ideal bubbly. Don't forget to chill it slightly. € 8,80
Le Grand Noir Pinot Noir, Le Soliste Têtu (2023)
Sparkling wine with a bite. Playful, red cherry and fresh red berries. Slightly drying. approx. €9.45
Tenuta di Cart, Rose Mari Extra Dry, Spumante Rosato (NV)
Cheerful, frisky, bouncy. Spring-like rosé bubble with red berries and wild strawberries €14.75
Weingut Bernhard, Weiβherbst Volxheimer alte Römerstrasse (2022)
Cheerful dining rosé. Fountain of red fruit, slightly pruney. The aromas bounce around. Super value for money. € 9,75
Stefan Winter, Blanc de Noir (2023)
One of those 'always-on wines'. Broadly versatile white: boat, drinks, light bite. Fine fruit concentration of Galia melon, juicy pear and stone fruit. €10.95
Villa Noria, Basic Instinct, Pet'Nat' Blanc de Noirs (NV)
'Pinot Noir in disguise': with crown cap at the bottle and cloudy white wine at the bottle. Sparkling, fresh, flinty and ripe yellow apples. approx. €12.50
Weingut Sauer, Spätburgunder (2023)
Recognisably German red Pinot. A fruit bomb with excitement, cheerful and inviting. For lunch and drinks. € 12,75
Hensel, SP Spätburgunder (2022)
Supple and generous, with ripe red fruits, blackberries, BBQ, speculoos spices and cloves. Slightly drying, delicious with grilled vegetables or poultry.
€ 13,59
Sophie Schaal, Pinot Noir (2023)
A 4 on the scale of 5. Alsatian Pinot with good freshness and nice juice. Flavour variation from cherry, through bacon, to laurel. €14.95
Caves St Martin, Crémant Rosé Brut (NV)
Delights from Luxembourg! Fresh forest strawberry, minerals, toast, nice mousse, pure and fresh, with an exciting almond twist. € 15,95
Meiser, Weinheimer 'Hölle' Spätburgunder (2022)
Generously rich Spätburgunder, a crowd pleaser. Playful and with juice, cranberries and spice. € 15,99
Reichsrat von Buhl, Spätburgunder (2021)
Excitingly supple juice. Candied red fruit, pine wax and sweet spices. One sip is long enjoyment. € 16,40
Seeger, Blauer Spätburgunder (2023)
Playful style from Seeger. Ripe red cherries, seductive sweet spices and sultry caramel.€18.35
Weingut Bernhard, Spätburgunder Weiβherbst Sekt Brut (2019)
5-year aged German rosé bubble. Slightly riper red fruit, peach and orange. Cheerful and exuberant. € 18,50
Weingut Münzberg, Spätburgunder (2020)
Beautiful bright red in colour. Digestible, pure wine, berry, rose hips. Good acidity. Subtle and with structure. € 19,95
Henri de Villamont, Pinot Noir Prestige (2022)
Burgundy flirtation. Exciting aroma with berries, raspberries, tobacco and some autumn leaves. Fresh and clean on the palate. approx. €20.45
Edouard Delaunay, September Bourgogne (2022)
Versatile food wine, you won't get tired of it easily. Subtle roasted flavours frame the riper red fruit. Lively style. €20.95
Kellerei Girlan, Patricia Pinot noir (2022)
Beautiful, bright red-pink Pinot. Juicy, elegant, with a cascade of small red fruit and a length to dream of. € 21,50
Nals Magreid, Angra Pinot Noir (2023)
Sultry, ripe, candied cherries with oriental spices, attractive juice and light tannins. Drink as is or with a snack €21.95
Meyer-Näkel, Illusion Blanc de Noir (2022)
Fish, chicken, salad, Asian, you can go either way with this white Pinot. You taste apple and slightly red fruit. Concentrated and not very dry. € 22.50
Domaine de Mauperthuis, Grande Réserve Pinot Noir (2022)
Charmer with a sultry character: ripe, generous red fruits of strawberry and cherry, Middle Eastern spices, toast and caramel. €22.50
Trimbach, Pinot Noir Réserve (2021)
Alsatian wine? Alsatian food. Pour this with a sauerkraut dish with bacon and mushrooms. The wine itself also has something smoky and earthy.
€ 22,95
Cep d'Or, Pinot Noir Barrique (2022)
Tighter style with a somewhat chalky mouthfeel. Cherry, raspberry, red currant and some smokiness. Slightly drying tannins. € 24,95
Hubert Brochard, Sancerre Rosé (2023)
Sancerre is white? No it isn't. Elegant rosé, light-bodied and with exciting acidity. All kinds of small red fruit and citrus. €24.95
Barth, Pinot Noir Brut (NV)
Something different again: red bubble from our eastern neighbours. Surprising with a container full of cherries, nicely earthy. Exciting and refreshing! € 24,95
Elena Walch, Pinot Nero (2023)
Characterful pinot nero. With fresh acids, tight red cherry and berry fruit, in the distance some bacon and a hint of black and white. Pure and digestible, to pass through a ring. Walchelijkly beautiful! € 21,50
Franz Keller, Spätburgunder vom Löss (2022)
Complex and powerful style from Baden. Spicy, earthy, leather, strawberry... it goes on and on. With super juice and fine acidity. € 26,00
Cavallotto, Pinner, Vino Bianco ottenuto da uva Nera (2022)
What a Barolo producer can do with Pinot Noir: a crazy, bizarre white wine! Unexpected side of pinot. Sommelier wine, speculoos and almonds frame sultry red fruit. Original and complex. €29.95
Eburon Estate, Pinot Noir (2023)
Crisp bright red-pink in your glass. Enticing pinot scent that pulls you into the glass. There you enjoy delicate acidity, frisky red fruit, a hint of caramel. Wow! Just around the corner from us! € 39,00
Château Bon Baron, Trésor (2017)
What the Belgians can do with pinot noir is insane. This 8-year-old wine has suppleness and finesse. Small, cheerful red fruit alternates with an exciting earthiness. Velvety style. €39.75
Domaine Masse, Givry 1er Cru En Veau (2022)
Classy wine with finesse. Singing acidity, a fine length. Rose hip, candied cherry, a forest in autumn and something of resin. Classic dining with duck breast or stew.€40.50
Edouard Delaunay, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Charmont (2021)
Charming Charmont. This is how you like to drink your Burgundy. Exciting, pure and silky smooth. The tannins are refined, the acids playful. With lively red cherries, frivolous berries, characterful toast and a subtle pepper.
€ 42,05
Gusbourne, Blanc de Noirs (2019)
Energetic, pure, cool. This shows the English can match Champagne. Minerals, toast, citrus, lime, biscuit dough. A masterpiece!€69.95
Domaine Ravier Apremont 2023 Savoie € 14,50
Ever skied in Les Trois Vallées? Then you are undoubtedly familiar with the splashy mountain stream wine from near Chambéry. Sadly, you don't always get the best Apremonts on the slopes, but there certainly are. Like this one. Made from jacquère, tightly dry, with green apple, fragrant lemon, mineral acids. Perhaps too crispy in the snow, but highly recommended on a warm terrace. Also nice with cheese fondue.
Mezzacorona Chardonnay 2023 € 6,79
Layla: 'Totally okay. Just tasty, enough body and a fine price. You'll do a lot of people a favour with this.' 'Mezzacorona proves immensely reliable every time. Hats off.
Mezzacorona Pinot Bianco 2023 € 6,79
Layla: 'At first I found it heavy, because of the fresh acids, but on the second sip you feel that those acids are neatly wrapped in ripe fruit. Bargain!'
Manincor Sophie Chardonnay 2023 € 44,95
Layla: Decant and pour into a big glass, then it loosens up and you have a full-bodied, wood-ripened Chardonnay that comes across as dashing. That panache comes from the viognier in the blend. Dinner wine for with turbot or poultry in a foamy sauce. At the price, but with patience it lives up to it. Remained in top form for days after opening.
Kellerei Meran Festival Gewürztraminer 2023 € 15 – € 20
Layla: 'When the blossom is in the trees, grab a glass of Gewürztraminer like this. Nice moment for it because of its subtle, not too overpowering aromas, but still all Gewürz. This makes me very happy.'
Elena Walch Gewürztraminer 2024 € 22,95
Layla: 'Also really Gewürztraminer, but different from the previous one. This one has the earthiness of fresh tobacco and a creamy texture in addition to the floral. Totally balanced.' 'For like this, as an aromatic apero and for cooking. Went effortlessly with seared scallops in yuzu butter. Also delicious with mild cheeses. Mother Elena runs the family business in Tramin with her daughters Julia and Karolina.
Kellerei Genossenschaft St. Michael - Eppan Schulthaus Pinot Bianco 2023 € 23,95
Layla: 'What a great label. Strikingly beautiful and different. Of course, it's not about looks, but this makes me want to appear at the table. Fortunately, the wine is right too. Accessible and stylish, jasmine and in the distance an apple. Soft with a fresh finish.'
Cantina Tramin Kellerei Unterebner Pinot Grigio 2022 € 28,99
Layla: 'Rich, full-bodied Pinot Grigio with white fruit, tropical fruits and more spiciness than many other Pinot Grigios. May well cost a little extra, because it's a lot of wine.'
Ignaz Niedrist Porphyr & Kalk Sauvignon Blanc 2022 € 24,50
Layla:Crisp, flawless Sauvignon Blanc that oozes energy without being oppressive. Dosed intense aromas of ripe peach, minneola and lime zest, saltiness on the finish. Juice, juice, juice. Jammie, jammie, jammie. Grapes come from morphier, an ice age weathering rock and clayey, calcareous gravel soil. Hence the name. Serrano ham and Lakenfelder cheese on the table: bubbly away.
Kellerei Genossenschaft St. Michael - Eppan Sanct Valentin Sauvignon Blanc 2023 € 41,91
Layla: 'True Sauvignon Blanc, but one with fancy aromas and refined acidity. Enjoy!' Because 75 per cent of the wine is aged sur lie in stainless steel and a quarter in large old-wood barrels, this Sauvignon has a lively, sprightly flavour combined with a round texture. Can go either way. Solo and, for example, with risotto with green asparagus or pasta pesto.
Weinkellerei Eisacktal Aristos Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Valle Isarco € 21,65
Layla: 'Wow, what a topper. This is something! Elegant and full. Feminine. Great to enjoy like this, but also a jewel for the table. For example, with fried sea bass.' Maturing sur lie, on the yeast residue, in both stainless steel and wooden barrels, the wine comes across as fresh and fruity but also rich and creamy. The grapes grow on at least 600-metre-high steep slopes in the village of Campodazzo.
Cantina Tramin Kellerei Stoan 2022 € 28,99
Layla: 'Full, round, rich, fragrant but all not too much. Complex, but not complicated. Sits handsomely and artlessly.' 65 per cent chardonnay, 20 per cent sauvignon blanc, 10 per cent pinot blanc and 5 per cent gewürztraminer make up the blend for this wine, which has been aged in large wooden barrels.
Rousset Terroir Petite Arvine 2022 € 22,95
Petite arvine is a Swiss grape, but this juicy wine comes from Valle d'Aosta, just across the Italian border. The creaminess of apricot jelly gets a fresh lift from orange. Its soft flavour makes it a warming wine for in the cool spring sunshine.
Hofkellerei Liechtenstein Herawingert Chardonnay 2021 € 55
Isn't nothing, €55, but how nice to drink a wood-ripened Chardonnay from the mini-state of Liechtenstein for once. More than fun actually, because the wine is a must for those who love a wood-ripened, exotic Chardonnay with papaya, prickly pear, sharonfruit, tangerine and custard. Sublime with a tender schnitzel with crispy crust and saltimbocca with sage.
EdíTropper Gelber Muskateller 2023 Vulkanland € 18,50
Layla: ''Fun, tasty wine that you can always serve to anyone. The cosy aromas of gelber muskateller and fresh, mineral acidity from Vulkanland feel and complement each other seamlessly.' First spring lunch outside? Here's your wine.
Fischer Weine St. Anna Sauvignon Blanc 2021 Vulkanland € 24,50
Layla: 'This is where I get very excited. Sauvignon from Vulkanland has something unique. Juicy, fresh, fruity, mineral, lots of energy. It undulates through your mouth. Of course you can eat with it, but sitting in the sun and just enjoying it is also an option
Polz Weissburgunder 2022 € 16,20
Layla: 'Thick yes this! Superfine. White fruit, apple - pear - melon, floral. Classy. Surprising how soft it is. Typical a wine to drink just like that without anything with it.' Suitable as a house wine, also for home.
La Cave St. Pierre Réserve des Administrateurs Fendant 2022 Chamoson € 14,42 - € 16,42
Layla: 'Very pleasant wine with yellow fruit, soft in your mouth, and just a little bit different.' Fendant comes from Valais/Valais and is made from chasselas. For like this, at lunch and in its place with raclette.
La Cave St. Pierre Réserve des Administrateurs Petite Arvine 2022 Chamoson € 15,50 - € 17,50
Layla: 'What a fine wine this is. By that I mean that everything is right. It is fresh, but not cold. Accessible, pleasantly simple with enough depth. It always drinks well.' With pear and citrus. Did it with pasta with mushrooms.
Yves Duport "Le Morillon" Pinot Noir 2023 Bugey € 17,50
Bugey is often mistaken for Savoy but does not officially belong there. The Pinot Noir does have a similar fresh, bright style with plenty of crisp red fruit.
Domaine Philippe & Sylvain Ravier La Belle Violette 2023 Chignin € 19,99
Cool red wine that needs to catch its breath after opening, but once settled, it gives a lot. Freshly picked red fruit, juicy acids, bit of bite, playful but not for the faint of heart. Made from mondeuse grown on the slopes of Chignin. Delicious drink. Like this and with fried fish, brioche toast with stir-fried mushrooms, lamb chop or a piece of cheese like délice de Bourgogne. Multitalented.
Kellerei Meran Graf Lagrein 2021 Alto Adige € 20 – € 25
Layla: 'Thick wine, lots of concentration, dark fruit and a creamy finish. That stuffing is characteristic of good Lagrein. Nice stew to go with it!'
Mezzacorona Re Dei Passi Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2022 € 6,79
Layla: 'You have a lot of lovers for this. It is smooth, full of flavour, maybe a little too polished, but hey, so much wine for less than 7 euros.' Made from teroldego, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Goes with many dishes, including a cheeseboard.
La Cave St. Pierre Réserve des Administrateurs Cornalin 2021 Chamoson € 32
Layla: 'Really captivating this because of the combination of blueberry and more purple fruit, some clove and other spices. Lots of filling and suppleness. I think it could go with crispy white fish in a herb crust, ravigote sauce on the side... I'm in.' Other name for cornalin is humagne rouge.
La Cave St. Pierre Réserve des Administrateurs Syrah 2021 Chamoson € 25,75 – € 27,75
Layla: 'With its mix of dark fruit and fresh notes, I find this Syrah very inviting. It is dry but gives a sweetish impression through its lovely aromas. Looks good with grilled aubergine.'
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