Sparkling Apéritifs
Throughout history it was women in our villages who were responsible for making good stuff from fruit and berries that would last the winter. If we read dignified Mrs. Henriette Schønberg Erken’s "Big Cookbook for Large and Small Households" from 1914, we find several fruit wine recipes. These were the inspiration for Balholm's new beverages.
Emma
Apple and Gooseberry wine 75 cl, 8% vol. Emma Normann (1871–1954) was a painter, born in Düsseldorf, Germany. She was the daughter of the famous painter Eilert Adelsteen Normann. He was also her teacher. Emma painted beautiful neo-romantic landscapes, especially from Balestrand. Her family owned one of the dragon-style villas here, where they stayed in the summer. She later built her own house, Villa Heimdalsstrand, which now is protected by the county council as a well-preserved example of an artist’s home in Balestrand. Deveolped from Norwegian tradition. Fresh and dry. Suitable as an apéritif, but also with light dishes like fish and white meat. Serve Chilled. Vinmonopolet nr. 6861201 Taste: Pure, creamy, pleasant mousse, good acidity, marked apple and gooseberry Smell: Fresh apples, herbs, and gooseberry Color: Light golden |
Ingeborg
Apple and Plum Wine 75 cl, 8% vol. Ingeborg is a character from the Icelandic saga Fridtjov the Bold. The Swedish poet Esaias Tegnér popularized the saga in 1825 with his cycle of poems, and painters have through their travels and descriptions of the landscape put Balestrand, Leikanger, and Framnes (Vangsnes) on the map. The saga was also translated by Ivar Aasen in 1858, the first saga text in New Norwegian! Ingeborg was a motif for many famous painters in the 1800s, and their paintings started a wave of travelers who came to Balestrand throughout the century. Developed from Norwegian tradition. Fresh and dry. Suitable as an apéritif, but also with light dishes like fish and white meat. Serve chilled. Vinmonopolet nr. 6861401 Taste: Pure, creamy, rich mousse, with a soft taste of plum Smell: Fresh apples, herbs, and plums Color: Light golden |
Margaret
(non-alcoholic) Apple and Rhubarb Juice 75 cl Margaret Sophie Green Kvikne (1850–1894) was a priest’s daughter and a pioneering mountaineer who came from England to climb in Jotunheimen. She must have been one of the toughest women in Sogn, and left a lasting impression in Norwegian mountain history. She was, among other things, the first woman to summit Store Styggedalstind (1888). She married hotel owner Knut Kvikne in 1890. Unfortunately they had a short life together, as she died from tuberculosis only a few years later. Knut, together with other strong women in the village, built St Olaf’s Church in her memory (1897). Developed from Norwegian tradition. Fresh and semi-dry. Suitable as an aperitif, but also with light dishes like fish and white meat. Serve chilled. |
