Wine

[hkm520240]

Btw if you want more NTUC wines to finish your set of six I can recommend the Lodolo Nuova Vino Nobile Montepulciano (Ruffino), it's also on sale (though less discount) at 38.50. Though I'm not very experienced with VNdM, I think this wine offers fair value and potential for mid-term aging. The one in the stores should be 2007, an excellent Tuscan vintage.
Also, the Franciscans I see at Finest Clementi are 2006 ones. I wonder if there are any 2007s around, that was supposed to be a good Napa vintage.

Sure I like to try the Lodolo Nuova Vino Nobile Montepulciano and I will pick up a bot if I can find it on discount at my local finest. I also noticed that NTUC finest brought in some new Italian label, like MonteZovo for the Amarone at $39 (I find it cheap for an Amarone at $39 but I saw 500ml bottle on the shelf instead of 750ml as advertised in catalog. Will check with the staff if I want to buy) and Palazzo Desti for the Brunello and Chianti Classico.

For the Franciscan, my good guess is '07 will never come to Singapore as it should be selling well back in US as it garnered good review - 94pts and Editors choice from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. I am also keen to try the higher range MAGNIFICAT and it will be a good buy when it on promo. But it is a wine need long decanting if drink now but I probably will cellar for few years.

 

[hkm520240]

Just happened to be outside running some errand I decided to drop by finest to browse the wines especially take a second look on Amarone. Then I found out they actually misplaced the price tag and tag the 500ml Recioto (A sweet red wine that produce fr same grape as Amarone) with 750ml Amarone price tag. So I have reported to the customer service to get them removed the price tag to avoid mislead customer. On a second thought I found the Recioto quite interesting and keen to try. But I will patiently wait for promo for this wines as $54 for a 500ml seems high. I remember I read a report that production for Recioto is reducing to make way for big dry red Amarone for global market demand.

 

[Inzaghi09]

hi all.. not sure if this is the right place to post my question... any idea where can i purchase an ice bucket? tried looking around but havent been able to see one..

 

[Condor]

hi all.. not sure if this is the right place to post my question... any idea where can i purchase an ice bucket? tried looking around but havent been able to see one..

ikea
lau choy seng
sia huat
barworks
robinsons
etc.

 

[reign]

ikea -
lau choy seng - Chinatown Temple Street
sia huat - Chinatown Temple Street (TOTT belongs to them)
barworks
robinsons
etc.

That shd be enough, I add on the location, I prefer Sia Huat.

 

[Inzaghi09]

ikea
lau choy seng
sia huat
barworks
robinsons
etc.

thanks for the reply! i actually went to ikea and robinsons, but couldnt find it? haha.. ok, i'll try the other locations.. thanks!

 

[ikileo]

last night's dinner at home with my colleagues was a success. sumptuous food, great company and delicious wines.

don't mind me as i hao lian a bit and list out the menu with the pairings.

Wine for 1st & 2nd Course: 2009 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Josephshöfer Riesling Kabinett

1st Course: Spanish Salad with Tomato & Manchego Dressing

2nd Course: Terrine of Leeks with Home Cured Gravlax and Mustard Dill Cream

The riesling, thought young, was expressive. Marketed in Germany as a 'kabinett feinherb' but for international markets as 'kabinett', the 'feinherb' means that's it's half dry/off dry with a touch of residual sugar. nicely rounded on the palate, lusicous crystalline white fruits, peaches and flowers ended with a pseudo creamy note (probably due to the lees). Still young but flavours are very vibrant. It played off the sweet-sour-savoury salad dressing and cut through the oniony leeks with the salty salmon and mustard notes. it was splash and double decanted 2 hours prior to serving (lightly chilled).

Wine for 3rd and 4th Course: 2002 Hyde de Villaine Syrah, Napa Valley

3rd Course: Classic Meat Ragu with Conchiglie Pasta (shell pasta)

4th Course: Sous Vide Spicy Cajun Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Onions and Roasted Pepper Sauce

The Syrah was beautiful and my wine of the night. It was beautifully balanced and in my opinion, tread the old world new world tightrope very nicely. the wine is a joint venture between the napa producer Hyde Vineyards and legendary burgundy producer DRC. Apparently the wife (or something) of the owner hyde vineyards is the cousin of the owner of DRC (or something like that).

While the syrah was let to speak for itself in terms of richness due to the californian sun, it was remarkably balanced and had an elegance around it. layers of flavours, coffee, leather, black pepper, spices, smoke and other nuances appeared over the 3 hours. It was breathing in the bottle for 5 hours before hand.

It matched the richness of the pasta as well while the cajun pork brought out the pepperiness more due to the spicy nature, but the savoury notes of the caramelized onions and sweetness of the roasted pepper sauce balanced everything out nicely.

great stuff. the wines were showing very nicely last nice.

 

[Condor]

That shd be enough, I add on the location, I prefer Sia Huat.

oh, forgot tott the supermart! my membership also expired...

i prefer lau choy seng. anyway it's only a few shops down the same walkway.

for robinsons check out centerpoint instead of city hall

 

[looiwte]

But I will patiently wait for promo for this wines as $54 for a 500ml seems high. I remember I read a report that production for Recioto is reducing to make way for big dry red Amarone for global market demand.

Yup I saw the Montezovo and Palazzo Desti, but can't seem to find much information about either producer. Actually they had an offer on the Recioto, a sweet (dessert?) red wine on promotion last month, at ~$39 but I wasn't sure enough to buy. I think for a wine like Amarone - or related Recioto or Valpolicella Ripasso I will be inclined to find a product from a decent producer to be safe. With the 'thirst' from the US for Italian wines, a lot of producers have descended in the Veneto and Tuscan regions to make famous Amarone and Brunello wines just to cater to this high demand.

As for the Palazzo Desti I think they are under this mass producer Tinazzi (http://www.tinazzi.it/en/wines), maybe an arrangement like how negociants are like in France, though I'm not sure as to the quality. Tinazzi have wines from Veneto, Tuscany, Abruzzo, Puglia and even Sicily, which does seem a bit strange. The purists may frown on this kind of thing though: http://www.fbih.com.sg/
From the About Us section:

"In Italy there are several ways a wine producer can operate as follows-

Buy 'juice' and make and bottle a wine with a label that might lead you to think it is a vineyard- providing the wine meets production rules, this is legal. These wine producers are often referred to as 'vinicolas'. Example Tinazzi- (Palazzo Desti Chianti, Vignali Roccamora Sicily, Poggio Ai Santi Abruzzo, etc)"

So Wine Connection used to carry the Palazzo Desti wines until they surfaced recently at Fairprice, at exactly the same time the Montezovos appeared. At the moment WC still carries the other Tinazzi wines, of which I tried the Valpolicella Ripasso, which was quite nice, though it's my first and only foray into this wine.

I think the Tinazzi wines can be good if you want to try out new types of wines, for instance, the Palazzo Desti price points at Fairprice are really friendly: their Chianti Riserva goes for $25, while their Brunello goes for $55, though these are offer prices. I dunno, I'm all for great QPR but I'm a bit suspicious about the quality of winemaking, especially when I can't find much feedback online, nor on CT, besides their official site. I believe most will agree that wine is an artisanal product, with all the dedication and care that goes into it. Having said that, I bought one of their Chianti Riservas to try (2005), will try to taste blind to eliminate my preconceptions while tasting.

 

[looiwte]

thanks for the reply! i actually went to ikea and robinsons, but couldnt find it? haha.. ok, i'll try the other locations.. thanks!

Wine Connection sells a few, the cheapest being the bright blue plastic one with their logo on it!

Wah, seems like a few Italian footy fans here, there's Baggio and Inzaghi!

 

[ikileo]

Sipping down a 2010 domaine de la pouvraie vouvray from marks and Spencer's. Great qpr. Rich nose, classic chenin blanc notes, savoury sweet wine with a good dose of smoke and flint. Would buy this again. Delicious stuff. Did I mention a long finish as well?

 

[looiwte]

great stuff. the wines were showing very nicely last nice.

Nice! Good wine, great food and good company - perfect combi. Even better with the satisfaction of working in your own kitchen, and not having to pay a bomb for food, tax and corkage.

I had a Monte Antico Tuscan IGT with dinner. 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet, 5% Merlot with 1 year of oak treatment and half year bottle age. The nose was nice, with signature Sangiovese nose of red cherries, but the wine was tart on the palate and finish, not much in terms of mouthfeel and depth.
http://www.monteanticowine.com/

Btw am eyeing some of the '01 CdPs at the Caveau sale. Not very experienced with this wine, so would appreciate some advice as to drinking window, ageablity, what are some typical CdP tastes etc. Care to share your experience? Thanks in advance

 

[ikileo]

Which cdp in particular. Grab the 2001 domaine julienne cdp. Good producer. And the cdp blancs are under-rated in general.

Red cdp are meant to be rich and big. Up to 12 (I think) specific varietals are allowed. But mostly it's a classic GSM orgy, and maybe some cinsault. Grab em they are worth the money.

Also grab this vouvray I am drinking right now. Its awesome.

 

[looiwte]

I should be going for the cheapest 38 bucks one. I think I'll go after lunch on a full stomach, maybe bring my own finger food hah! 88 bucks for the ticket w/food is a bit steep.

The Wine Activity Centers and Masterclasses look interesting, hopefully it won't be too crowded so that there is a good balance of teaching and interaction.

Bro, going for this? Very keen.... what cat are u getting?

 

[looiwte]

The Domaine de la Vieille Julienne you mentioned, and the Vieux Mas Des Papes, second wine of the producer Vieux Télégraphe.
Any idea how long can these wines last?

It's very interesting reading about CdPs, what with the Robert Parker influence on the wines etc.

Cool, the vouray looks good, will look out for it. See, I wouldn't go anywhere near such a wine if you didn't recommend it. Don't know jack**** about chenin blanc and the name of the wine just doesn't yield any clues!

 

[ikileo]

They are ready to drink now with a suitable breathing period. Although u could keep them for at least another 5-8 years.

I will be opening up my julienne this December for my anniversary dinner with my gf. I can let u know how it's performing.

Chenin is such a great and versatile grape. It makes great sparkling, still and sweet wines; showing its best in their native Loire valley. This will go well with savoury Chinese dishes. Plus I love the relatively low alcohol of 11.3%

 

[Aloof_guy]

Hey guys. Does anyone know how much is the sucker which u can suck out the air to preserve the red wine by corking it? I know that by corking it, you can extend its life by about 2-3 das.

Im over at Aus now and it seems pretty expensive.. like S$55 for a simple set with 2 rubber corks.

Am wondering whats the price in SG?

 

[looiwte]

There are different brands and different product ranges.

I got my Vacuvin set, the cheapest one I found, at Robinsons for around 20 bucks.

http://www.winebos.com/shopcart/WineAccessories.html

The same brand has a nicer looking gift set, with a metal pump as opposed to a plastic one, complete with 2 wine servers and 2 stoppers, for 69 bucks.

http://www.shermay.com/retail_vacuvin.htm

 

[ikileo]

Just finished the tasting, palate is tired out. Sipping on some hot green tea now to relax. Spat everything.

Wrote down about 75 tasting notes. I think the pio cesare and michele chiarlo showed well. I was impressed with friuli Cabernet franc but I was underwhelmed in general by Tuscany. Veneto amarones were full of richness and sweetness.

 

[looiwte]

Hmm.. not heard of many of the producers on show besides Biondi Santi, Antinori, Masi and the two Piedmont ones you mentioned.

Will await your TNs, anything interesting from the lesser known regions, maybe Puglia, Sicily or Abruzzo?