Wine

[Beta_Tester]

http://www.castellobanfi.com/wines/index.php?wine=6

i should be trying this one soon.

 

[ikileo]

which vintage will you be getting? price $$??

 

[looiwte]

Some good offers I've seen around the supermarket trail:

Ashbrook (Margaret River producer) at NTUC ($28 from $40)
Includes Shiraz (2005), Cab Merlot (2005), Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon

D'Arenberg
Promo at Isetan Scotts, decent discounts across the line

Trimbach at Giant (and maybe at Cold Storage, Jasons etc)
Riesling ($32 from 37), Gewurztraminer ($35 from $41)

Tempus Two Cabernet (Coonawarra), Shiraz (Barossa) ($38 from $50 at Carrefour)

Have tried the Tempus Cabernet - seduced by the lovely looking bottle, and found it not bad, full body and strong tannins, but not sure if it is worth the price, even at discount. Or maybe it needs to age more?

Aside, love the bottle labels from producers like D'Arenberg and Setanta, maybe it's because I like reading and words in general, but they're such a breath of fresh air compared to other glossy-copy-driven labels prevalent on the market.

Btw, do the forummers have any advice regarding vintage for New World Countries, ie. should we refer to wine charts for Aus, Chile or US wines? And does location/grape type matter so much eg. Cabernets from Coonawarra, Shirazs from Barossa always take precedence when choosing? Or ultimately, it's the label or winemaker's reputation and skill?

 

[ikileo]

as cliche as it is, it's a matter of all these factors: vintage, region, winemaker etc... as with any other wine regardless of old or new world.

take vintage charts with a pinch of salt, but rather explore the region and the vintage by drinking more. While Coonawarra is famous for their Cabernets, it doesn't mean all cabs from there are good. same goes to barossa shirazes or eden valley rieslings. just like how all wines from bordeaux aren't all good just because it's from bordeaux.

 

[Beta_Tester]

which vintage will you be getting? price $$??

2009.... price im nt sure.. I tink would be good price..

 

[Beta_Tester]

btw i always wanna ask but i didnt..

Sometimes they say theres some taste notes of maybe Vanilla or other fruits. Or woody taste. But i duno how it taste like.

To me so long my first sip taste good.. I will like it. I can nv capture the kinda taste ppl described lehs.lol..

 

[ikileo]

it's a matter of your brain being able to isolate the various flavours you detect in the wine. vanilla specifically is due to the oak influence on the wine and not typically a natural flavour you would get from unoaked red wine.

professional tasters taste the numerous types of flavours individually constantly to get their brain used to that flavour. Next time try smelling and tasting vanilla extract (not ice cream). Everytime I am in a supermarket I pick random stuff up just to smell and practice. It is a skill set that has to be practiced constantly but also in the end each individual will have their own experience and definition of certain flavour profiles.

your idea of vanilla may differ from mine...etc. the chocolate notes you pick up from the wine, to me may be more of a mocha note...and so on. don't be too worried about picking out specific flavours and scents of the wine, it comes with practice. once you are able to discern it, you will be able to break down the wine for deeper analysis: colour, scent, flavour, body, acid, texture, initial attack, midpalate, finish, alcohol, complexity etc...

 

[ikileo]

i just realized, if u are going to get the 2009 banfi brunello, which i assume is their latest release, wouldn't it be a bit of infanticide if you were to drink it now? unless u have several bottles of course.

 

[Beta_Tester]

My friend just gt back from Tuscany n they recommended him the 2008/2009 vintage.. He say the owner of the vine yard say its the recommended..

 

[ikileo]

the 2009 vintage was indeed a good vintage for Tuscany in general.

 

[Beta_Tester]

Maybe i try the 2008 one first.. same price.

 

[ikileo]

meeting an old friend at holland v this sunday. thinking of popping by the relatively new wine store at holland V (above Sushi tei), Cafe Calva (it's not really a cafe). Very eclectic collection within a good range of prices.

intend to grab a bottle and down it with some hawker dishes at the hawker centre there. restaurants there are too expensive for my taste (

 

[Beta_Tester]

How u store ur wine bro? Assuming i dont have that fr
idge thingy.. i kept it in my store room.. horizontally..

 

[ikileo]

i store it in my wine fridge because i intend to keep some for the short (3-5 years) to the medium term (up to 10+ years).

if you don't have proper wine storage then i would generally advise against purchasing too many wines that are meant for aging unless you like drinking them young. In this case, the Brunello would taste pretty good now, but it is still very young and should develop nicely in 10+ years to a nice mature bottle of wine. What you'd probably get (this is not 100% certain) is a well structured wine with lots of tannins and primary flavours and perhaps some secondaries. Which should taste nice, but would lack the complexities, nuances and textures of well matured wine.

but then again, it all depends on your personal taste. no right no wrong. So when you do open your brunello, try tasting it when you first popped it, then decant it, then try it progressively (if possible) every hour. Or another fun thing to do is pour out half of the bottle into a decanter and let it decant with lots of air while the rest is still sitting in the recorked bottle. in a couple of hours, taste these two side by side to see what the difference between an aerated and a non-aerated wine is. it is a very educational experience .

 

[apriliasiao]

meeting an old friend at holland v this sunday. thinking of popping by the relatively new wine store at holland V (above Sushi tei), Cafe Calva (it's not really a cafe). Very eclectic collection within a good range of prices.

intend to grab a bottle and down it with some hawker dishes at the hawker centre there. restaurants there are too expensive for my taste (

but hor ppl dun stare at u when u r drinking from a wine glass in a hawker center?

 

[Beta_Tester]

think will.. doesnt matter.. i had wine with my Dad at a kopitiam..

 

[Beta_Tester]

i store it in my wine fridge because i intend to keep some for the short (3-5 years) to the medium term (up to 10+ years).

if you don't have proper wine storage then i would generally advise against purchasing too many wines that are meant for aging unless you like drinking them young. In this case, the Brunello would taste pretty good now, but it is still very young and should develop nicely in 10+ years to a nice mature bottle of wine. What you'd probably get (this is not 100% certain) is a well structured wine with lots of tannins and primary flavours and perhaps some secondaries. Which should taste nice, but would lack the complexities, nuances and textures of well matured wine.

but then again, it all depends on your personal taste. no right no wrong. So when you do open your brunello, try tasting it when you first popped it, then decant it, then try it progressively (if possible) every hour. Or another fun thing to do is pour out half of the bottle into a decanter and let it decant with lots of air while the rest is still sitting in the recorked bottle. in a couple of hours, taste these two side by side to see what the difference between an aerated and a non-aerated wine is. it is a very educational experience .

all right.. will take note of these. Thanks!

 

[apriliasiao]

think will.. doesnt matter.. i had wine with my Dad at a kopitiam..

u know singaporean very 38 and they will think u r trying to act atas.

 

[ikileo]

but hor ppl dun stare at u when u r drinking from a wine glass in a hawker center?

of course pple will look. but should i care? i am not flouting any rules.
plus even when i bring wine to some restaurants that don't normally have people drinking wines in, pple also stare. used to it.

when i see pple in restaurants drinking wine i will also stare, but it's to see what they are drinking...haha.

 

[apriliasiao]

of course pple will look. but should i care? i am not flouting any rules.
plus even when i bring wine to some restaurants that don't normally have people drinking wines in, pple also stare. used to it.

when i see pple in restaurants drinking wine i will also stare, but it's to see what they are drinking...haha.

most restaurants have corkage fees rite? i always have the idea of getting some wine from supermarket den go restaurants drink but put off by the corkage.