Ästad Winery, escape reality for a day or two

The nature in this area really doesn't need to be ashamed of itself, but once you arrive at the vineyard itself, you still get a kick out of what you see. It's a bit like Peter Jackson and Madame Clicquot creating a hotel together, i.e. Lord of the Rings meets French champagne chateau. The entire area is also surrounded by Åkulla Bokskogar, which you can read more about here. here.

Perhaps most prominent is the slightly castle-like main building that houses the reception, wine bar and wine production. In connection with the production, they also have a wine cellar. Something that contributes to the cosy feeling is that the large part of the castle is overgrown by a park where you get excellent views.

Another part of the complex that is hard to miss is the houses with their own jetty. However, the piers do not go out into a natural lake but into an artificial pond that surrounds the houses. The houses are built with light-coloured wood and floor-to-ceiling windows for maximum light. Like all the rooms, they are also equipped with their own sauna. The only thing you can say is that you should not be too shy as there is full visibility from all sides.

We were probably a little late with the booking as the houses above were not available but we still got a very nice room that was modern, stylish and harmonious. It was restrained luxury with a focus on warmth and tranquillity rather than excessive opulence.

Our experience began with a tour of their site. In Ästad, there are about fourteen thousand vines which produce between 500 kilos and 13 tonnes of grapes depending on the conditions during the year. The large differences from year to year have led to a recent investment in another plantation with forty thousand vines. Considering that the vines are tended by hand and that they require a lot of care, you can imagine that it takes a certain amount of patience to do this day in and day out. Another interesting detail that they told us about was their irrigation system that also served as frost protection. "As we have a somewhat unstable climate in the spring, the crop has sensors that detect if it gets below zero. If this is the case, a fog of warm water is sprayed and freezes into ice, creating a protective layer against the frost. When the temperature rises again, the ice layer melts and the buds can thrive again.

As you know, Ästad produces sparkling wine, but what we didn't know is that they use the traditional method, méthode classique, i.e. a first fermentation in a tank and a second in a bottle. This method is also known as the champagne method.

The tour ended with a bubble tasting in their cosy wine bar. Yes, or rather, that was how it was described but in fact it was a tasting exercise where you had to identify three different bubbles on your own. I would like to say that we did well, but we can only conclude that we are better at drinking bubbles than identifying them.

Another fun thing we tried was their gin which they produced together with Skrea Backe Distillery. Since they thought it was a waste to throw away the residual products from wine production, they started making gin from them. It is so far a small edition of only 400 bottles, but if it turns out well, they will probably produce more in the future. In any case, we can attest that it was very good.

When we made the booking we were a little disappointed that their Michelin restaurant was closed for the summer. It's called The Meadow and we didn't really understand why until we were there and discovered that it's actually a greenhouse in the middle of, you guessed it, a meadow. It looks very cool so we will definitely be back when the opportunity arises. You can see more pictures of the restaurant at the beginning and end of the post.

As they have such a sophisticated restaurant, our preconceived notion was that the other one, The Lodge, would be a bit more basic and mainly for larger groups that needed to be fed. We really couldn't have been more wrong. It was in an old barn with lots of cosy red cottages around it. On one side of the barn they had built a viewing tower where you could enjoy a drink or why not a romantic dinner with a great view. You see the tower in the picture in the centre.

There was not much left of the old barn as it was tastefully decorated while preserving beams to give a slightly more rustic impression. There were high ceilings but at the same time a lot of textiles to create a cosy environment with good acoustics. There is nothing worse than a room where you can't even hear what you are thinking.

As I mentioned earlier, we were a little disappointed to get the simpler menu served here but judge our surprise when they started serving dish after dish of insanely high quality. Since we enjoyed a tasting menu at Ulvön just before our visit, it was hard not to compare. Our highly subjective opinion is that it was more nicely presented at Ulvön but that the composition was better here at Ästad. They also had wines that were better suited, but in this case it was probably more about them playing it safe rather than going all out. If you want to read more about Ulvön, you can do so. here.

A little happy in our hats and very satisfied, we headed home. We couldn't resist taking a trip up the lookout tower and saw a fantastic view of the landscape.

In addition to the other facilities, they also have a small spa. It is of the Nordic type so the focus is on relaxation and harmony rather than lots of activities. Probably the most enjoyable part is lying in the temperate outdoor pool.

After a good night's sleep, we went on a hiking trip around Lake Älva. You can read more about it here. After the tour it was time to head home, but before we left we had a lunch at Logen. It was not quite the same class as the dinner but was still good and well prepared.

How then to summarise this magical experience. It is an area that stimulates all the senses while offering peace and harmony. Normally there is always some small detail that you feel could be better, but in this case it's hard to find anything wrong. We leave Ästad Vineyard with a big smile on his face and looking forward to our next visit. Who knows, next time we might try their new concept, gastrospa...