Wine

[ikileo]

so always check 2 things:

1) Does the restaurant have an alcohol license? If no, then forget it.

2) If it does have alcohol license, does it allow you to BYOB? if yes, then how much is the corkage? I have seen corkage fees ranging from FREE to close to $100. There are some restaurants that charge a modest fee $5-$20 and i am actually ok with that. As much as possible, try not to bring in generic supermarket wines. if you are going to pay extra for corkage, at least bring something a little nicer to make your corkage worth your money.

some restaurants although they don't have corkage, may not have glasses. so check or call ahead to see whether that option is open or not. it helps if you are eating with a bunch of friends that can split the cost. with a group of four and lets say we share a bottle with a $20 corkage fee, it's just $5 a person when you split.

 

[ikileo]

tonight i'll be going to the April Fool's Blind Tasting at Picotin! Hope I guess at least one right!

 

[ikileo]

last night's event was quite fun...my first black glass blind tasting!
8 wines in all and very interesting wines. Some I liked, some were okay, but it did give everyone a chance to practice their tasting skills

 

[looiwte]

That's cool, I hope to get to that stage some time, where I can take up such a challenge!

Aside, I had my upteenth Moscato D'Asti recently (wife and friends like it), but it was a good one. Most of the previous ones had some sweetness but totally lack of wine-like heaviness and acidity. Some of the ones I had were by Ricossa Antica Cassa and well-known Italian producer Beni Di Batasiolo. The one that I finally opened today was by Marchesi Di Barolo, with the name Zagara Moscato D'Asti, one of a few wines that I bought at the recommendation of the Italian promoter at Jasons. The aroma was really strong and fragrant, with a noticeable acidic fizz at the end. Recommended for the ladies ya..

 

[ikileo]

So yesterday I had dim sum lunch at Crystal Jade Kitchen at Holland V, ate quite a bit and came up to under $15 a person (3 of us). So apparently there is no corkage (I dunno about other outlet) as long as you limit it to one bottle per table.

Initially I had wanted to pop by the wine shop I liked, Café Calva, at Holland Village on the 2nd level of the Windmill building only to find that they were in the midst of moving out. I dunno if it’s just bad business or what but they’ve only been around since Oct 2010 so I dunno.

Thankfully before heading over Café Calva, I was waiting for my friends and wandering around the Holland Village Shopping Centre (the one with Cold Storage on the ground floor). Lo and behold, on the 3rd floor was this tiny wine and liquor store tucked away in one of the retail units. It is called ‘The Standish’, presumably named after the premium Australian wine producer from the Barossa “The Standish Wine Company”.

And to no surprise, it was predominantly new world wines (Australia & NZ) with a decent selection of various price ranges and some interesting and nice labels (they have 2003 MITOLO Serpico 1.5l magnum bottles). They have a splash of old world wines with some interesting labels. Pricing wise, if you as anal as me and know the general prices of the mainstream labels, some of the bottles are within the market average with some higher and lower, so do some research before buying if you are stingy like me. The also have a couple of old bottles from older vintages from not so common producers.

In addition, the store has quite a nice stock of various liquor ranging from whiskey, to sherry, to vodka, to bitters and even absinthe among many others. They also carrying an interesting and surprisingly wide range of British ales in single bottles and 6 packs. So if you are in the area do stop by their store to check it out. When you got off the escalator on the 3rd floor, turn left and it’s halfway down the corridor. They open daily from 10am to 8pm.

I bought an Eden Valley Riesling from the 2010 vintage to drink with my dim sum. Tasting notes below:
http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1016237

 

[ikileo]

this coming weekend i will celebrate my birthday! the actual day is monday but i'll be working

so on Saturday I will be heading to Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck with my friends. Tentatively the wines lined up are:

2007 Chateau d'Esclans "Esclans" Rose, Provence France
1999 Domaine Jean Luc Colombo "Mejeans", Cornas, France

I am still thinking of whether I should include a sparkling wine to start, a white wine before the Rose or a dessert wine to finish it off.


On Sunday, I am cooking for my family and girlfriend and eating at home. Keeping it simple since most of my family don't drink much, if at all:

(tentatively) 2007 Chappellet Mountain Cuvee, Napa Valley, USA

 

[reign]

this coming weekend i will celebrate my birthday! the actual day is monday but i'll be working

so on Saturday I will be heading to Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck with my friends. Tentatively the wines lined up are:

2007 Chateau d'Esclans "Esclans" Rose, Provence France
1999 Domaine Jean Luc Colombo "Mejeans", Cornas, France

I am still thinking of whether I should include a sparkling wine to start, a white wine before the Rose or a dessert wine to finish it off.


On Sunday, I am cooking for my family and girlfriend and eating at home. Keeping it simple since most of my family don't drink much, if at all:

(tentatively) 2007 Chappellet Mountain Cuvee, Napa Valley, USA

Wow... Nice.... glad that you have fully planned yr event... i still looking for slot to go for the dim sum,... Which place do you prefer in terms of food? and also what time do you normally goes for such event? Reason being, Drinking wine mah, don't think will be right to drink in the morning right?Also, do i need to bring my own wine glass? Also, i just to present the wine to them?

 

[ikileo]

my usual places are imperial treasure at ngee ann city or Asia Grand at City hall area. all very reasonable prices. i can eat about $15 a person and be super full. just go during normal dim sum time on the weekends: when they open! usually about 11.30am to 12pm around there.

they have proper glasses so it's fine. just give 'em the bottle and tell them u wanna drink wine. if u wanna chill the bottle request for an ice bucket. they'll do it for u.

 

[Beta_Tester]

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

i should be trying this one soon.

Changed my mind.. i probably get the 2004 or 2005 Vintage. Depends on the price n discount.

 

[Beta_Tester]

Btw do you chill ur wine b4 drinking their red/white wine. I noted some ppl do ask them to do it at restaurants. Some ask them to lightly chill it. As in the bottle. While some dont. Champagne they will just put in bucket.. no dispute unless u ask not to.

Any reason for doing it?

 

[ikileo]

Haha…from what I’ve observed and just my personal opinion: generally we drink whites too cold and reds too warm. Most people think that for white wines the colder the better and red just leave it. That’s generally true but in a more European and temperate setting.

Remember that Singapore’s base weather is very hot so chilling down the drink is a very good idea. But if it’s too cold the flavours and aromas will be muted. If it is too warm, you may smell and taste a bit of the alcohol. At the optimal temperature, you will get a nice balance of flavours/aromas as well as a very fine body texture as it glides down your throat. Generally, it is recommended that you serve you fine reds anywhere between 14-18 degrees while fine whites hit the 10 degree mark.

These numbers came about because the average temperature in those cellars tends to be in that region. The nice thing is also because of the colder serving temperature, it will slowly evolve as it warms up in the glass over the course of dinner. Usually you can stick it in the fridge about 30 minutes before your meal and then enjoy it. For the sake of experiment, you can buy 2 inexpensive bottles (or share it with some friends), one you stick it in the fridge and one you just leave on the table. Half an hour later, you open them up and taste to see the difference.

So to answer your question, yes I do get the waiters to chill my wine, but for my reds and whites I don’t leave it in there for the entire duration of the meal, perhaps for the first 20 minutes then I remove it from the bucket because I don’t want it to be ice cold. As for champagnes, you wanna keep it cold to preserve bubbles in the liquid, if it’s too warm it will dissipate quicker.

The same conundrum also applies here, if it’s too cold you don’t taste much, if it’s too warm the bubbles disappear. So you have to draw that balance. I’ve actually enjoyed sparkling wine that has no more bubbles but because it has opened up more, the flavours and aromas are more expressive. So this depends on you.

Hope this helps!

For more information check out this link: http://www.thewinedoctor.com/advisory/openservetemperature.shtml

 

[Beta_Tester]

Thanks man!

i manage to get the 2004 Vintage at a nice price..

 

[ikileo]

'04 was a very good vintage for brunellos. how much did u get it for?

 

[Beta_Tester]

i wanna go tat place corkage charge is 50++! the most i paid was like 20++..

 

[ikileo]

Easy...i know of places corkage is more than $60.

the famous restaurant Les Amis charges around $80++ for corkage. but then again, if you can afford to eat at Les Amis with wine, you'd most likely be able to afford the $80 corkage.



on a side note: anyone drank or bought anything recently?

 

[Beta_Tester]

Orchard Road area got any wine shop? maybe ard Ion area and stuff.. i only know ion orchard upstairs that super market got and Isetan have.. any more places?

 

[reign]

just ordered 1 bottle from my friend who got a special offer. Morande late havest, 375ml @ $20.

 

[ikileo]

Orchard Road area got any wine shop? maybe ard Ion area and stuff.. i only know ion orchard upstairs that super market got and Isetan have.. any more places?

Ion Supermarket on top floor
Isetan Supermarket
Enoteca @ Taka basement
Cold Storage @ Taka basement
Bacchus @ Paragon Basement
Vinum @ Shaw Building (behind Lido)
1855 @ Triple One Somerset
Wine Connection @ Cuppage Terrace
Carrefour @ Plaza Sing
Cold Storage at Centrepoint
Orchard Towers upstairs there's one
Jason's @ Orchard Towers
Artisan Cellars @ Palais Renaissance

these are all i can think of so far.

 

[xingan87]

can try taka basement2, a shop call enoteca.

 

[Beta_Tester]

yeah i found one wine shop at ion.. selling Cigars there too. same level as the supermarker.

Btw i wanna get a wine opener for my friend. Hers was confiscated by customs.lol..

Hmm maybe budget ard 100? i think hers cost more but well.. im gonna claim 100 might as well just spend that amount.