Eco luxury & eco wine

All set for a lovely evening at our headquarters!

Eco biodynamic wine tasting at Select Collection last night was attended by many of our valued customers. The evening was hosted by Sonu Shivdasani of Soneva Resorts, a very special Select partner. 

17 years ago Sonu and Swedish celebrity model Eva Malmström created a Crusoe resort in the Maldives that blew people away with the deep luxury behind the rustic wood and palm thatch. This lead to other resorts and a hot trend in eco-luxury with loving care for nature and the local population.

Sonu's first resort in the Maldives - Soneva Fushi 

Last night, after champagne and caviar, Sonu presented Soneva Fushi and Soneva Kiri, for which Select as a special partner has fabulous offers (see for example our special Soneva Fushi packages from the UK, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark). 

Sonu presents his passion - luxury that leaves
only the lightest of footprints on our earth,
and inspires in other ways too...
he calls it intelligent luxury 

 

Then our sommelier Erika lead us through the delights of eco biodynamic wines all from the Soneva cellars…which somehow taste better and more alive…

Our sommelier Erica Landin

 

My favourite wine

 

Meanwhile I wandered round with my little iPhone and snapped many of our happy guests…

Important clients Helene & Cecilia
from Nygren & Lind

 

 

Sonu (right) with Ebba Wachtmeister
and Cay Bond

Fredrik Ottosson Select Collection managing director,
with Helene & Cecilia from Nygren & Lind,
Hannu Pollänen Nordic representative Soneva Resorts
 

 

Jan Carlborg & companion

Ina Nilsson, Eva Egeri & Magnus Nilsson 

Peder & Catherina Isacson,  Erika Åhr, Martin Bäumi

 

 

Sophie Federsel, Aija Hjelm, Louisa Federsel,
Sune Karlsson

Magnus & Kerstin Mannesson

Birgitta Noorzoy & Marianne Boden with
Max Albrechtsson from our
marketing department & Fredrik

A Prince to love...

There are a lot of things to love about Le Prince Maurice - and two of them are without doubt the food and the wine...

We were treated to wine tasting in the lovely new wine cellar. It is one of the biggest in the Indian ocean - holding 10 000 bottles today, but the charismatic sommelier Jerome Carlier will make sure it increases. Capacity is 25 000 bottles of wonderful wine.

 

 

Wine tasting  with Fredrik Gyllenhammar (left),
Ashok Bhugoo, Resident Manager, and
Jerome Carlier sommelier (far right)

Jerome Carlier shows us some of the
best in the cellar.
Selling price of this lovely wine is ...

9000 euro per bottle



Another beautiful wine, Romani E- Conti, also a
famous expensive wine - 6000 euro

And of course...

Champagnes in all sizes

 

My favouite wines are Pinot Noirs. There is a great one from South Africa called Hamilton Russell 2009, price approx 100 euro.

After the wine tasting there was a surprise dinner for us - a lovely setup at our villa:

Romantic dinner on our balcony

Even the beach was lit up

 

Beautiful table decorations and my favourite Pinot noir

 

The main course was a lovely surprise as the management was aware that I really like slow cooking...

The braised beef short rib melted in the
mouth after hours of cooking

 

Ben was at our service, such a professional
lovely man

 

And then nighfall ....

Warm regards from the Night Room Boy

 

 

Great night with Qatar

 

It was “wine tasting in business class”  with Qatar at the Select headquarters in Stockholm last night. Not only did we have a first class sommelier but we had authentic business class delights. Starting with a Launois Vintage Blanc de Blancs, known for its fullness, ripeness and roundness, we went on to wine tasting with sommelier Erica Landin, who is also a well known wine journalist.

All champagne, wine and food were selected from Qatar business class – classy and delicous.

It was a beautiful set up - 4 glasses each

 

Here are guests listening to a presentation
of Qatar and all the great wines.

 

Select client Peter Nilson together with
the sommelier Erica Landin

Erica was trained at Sweden’s gourmet hideaway in the hills at Grythyttan and writes for wine journals like Allt om vin, Meininger’s Wine Business International, Residence Magazine and Decanter. Eri­cas favourite is champagne, especially older vintages from smaller producers. This was a great chance to try her taste in champagne – see my snapshots of our happy customers at the wine tasting, below.
Some guests are not included as some of my pics did not turn out well, but I hope to see you all soon again so I can take some new shots...

 

 Together with Fredrik Gyllenhammar
(left) and Otto Nordhus

 

With Anna Nilsson and Malin Torkelsdotter Poole

Marie Lodin with a friend

 

Helene Tidstrand with a friend

 

Annie Strid, Karl Berglund &
Michael Tranell

Louise & Peter Jansson

 

Far right: Katarina Lagergren von Scheele. Her husband Thomas Lagergren is far left
Beyond Hans Fürstenbach &
Catrina Hertzen Fürstenbach

Tim Dennard & Lena Ödner

Anders Nelson (left) and
Marianne Feledy Wherten (in grey)

Our lovely Max from marketing
with Karl Berglund

Åsa Fröberg

 

Anette & Lars Procheus

 

Hellmuth Gretzer (left), Peter & Louise Jansson

Niklas & Maria Rockborn

 

Niclas Lövkvist & Linda Nyberg

 

I also made a speech to  express our happiness over the news that almost 3 months before the end of the year we have already passed last year's turnover... And last year was a good year.

                
It is not a coincidence; we work as hard now as we did 20 years ago when we started, and we have a  great team. We stay proactively at the frontline with new developments – like our concierge service.

We are now part owners of Quintessantially in Sweden which gives clients great benefits. Free concierge service when they travel with us:  restaurants reservations, opera, theatre and even advice on where to shop to get special products…

 

Very Select, as bespoke as you can get….

Laamu lifestyle

As you dream it. That soft white sand and that brilliant turquoise water. A 50 minute flight south of Male, in a pristine atoll of the Maldives: your own rustic villa, harmony with nature, and a lifestyle to love...

From music and cocktails to great wines and lovely fresh food, Six Senses Laamu is pure enjoyment...

DJ with great music

The sweetest sommelier in the
excellent (overwater) wine cellar

The General Manager's weekly
cocktail party

Some natural rhythm adding to the ambience

Here I am with lovely people at the cocktail party,
GM Marteyne van Well & Fredrik Gyllenhammar
 



... with the magic of sunset making it perfect

Another day dawns, reminding that health, harmony and beauty are part of luxury:

My breakfast salad, organically grown

What a place to eat breakfast

 

 

...perched above a turquoise lagoon

Pure is beautiful...