Wine

[MuthuCurry]

thanks guys for all the tips, busy taking notes of all the good buys!!

just back from vinum this noon, was supposed to pick up the alter ego 2004 that i ordered, but, i was too happy seeing so many bordeaux bottles on sales, and accidentally picked up chateau corbin 2007 ($48), la gravette de certan 2006 ($48) and thibault liger belair NSG 2007 ($52). all the 3 bottles were purchased as recommended by the sales staff there, he seems pretty experienced as he is able to elaborate the taste notes for most of the bottles. i got a feeling tt i will go back to stock up more of the first 2 bottles after i try them... you guys shld check this up!

 

[ikileo]

Cool, nice to see some new peeps join in on the discussion.

Wow, always wanted to take a look at Tott, didn't know they bring in wine. Pity my budget is way beyond burst

Have been busying myself with the Restaurant Week promotions, and had some nice wine to go with my food.

- Cotes Du Rhone, Domaine Andre Brunel
- Crozes Hermitage, Alain Graillot
- Chianti Classico, Fonterutoli
- Graves, Chateau Trebiac

They were all excellent but if I had to pick a favourite, it'd be the Alain Graillot, really lovely and elegant.

was it the '09 crozes from Graillot?

@MC: if you have the opportunity, check out the spanish stuff at ToTT as well!


Just drank the Vina Alberdia, nice stuff. expected from a rioja wine made from tempranillo. savoury, meaty, red fruits, loads of secondary flavours, nice acid to match many tyes of foods and what a great nose. For $38, this is singing. Will be heading down later this month to pick up some more from other producers.

 

[Do_As_Infinity]

Would like to check anyone tried wines from Croatia or Hungary? Care to share?
Caught an article on Decanter about new new world wine. Cheers!

 

[looiwte]

Would be curious to try, though I've not come across these. I hear Greek wines are great as well, but I've not seen them around much, though they will be more old old world, rather than new new world haha!

ikileo, yeah the Graillot was a 2009. My first Crozes-Hermitage, and I like it. The Cote Du Rhone was a 2009, the Chianti a 2008 and the Graves a 2002. Also had my first Jamon Iberico at the Keystone restaurant and it was really memorable. Fantastic deal at the Restaurant Week prices.

Hope I'll be able to pass by Totts later. Again the half-bottles are enticing.

Have my eye on:
La Rioja Alta, Ardanza Reserva 2001
La Rioja Alta, Arana Reserva 2004

These Rioja Alta wines look great buys considering their vintages and age, they should be ready to drink within these few years.

Arzuaga Navarro, La Planta 2009
http://www.hotelarzuaga.com/index.php/en/winery/wines/la-planta/2009
Arzuaga Navarro, Crianza 2006
http://www.hotelarzuaga.com/index.php/en/winery/wines/crianza/2006

 

[reign]

Just back fm there! Saw the wines that u all hve talk.. Forgot to buy it when I left the place..

 

[MuthuCurry]

thanks guys for all the tips, busy taking notes of all the good buys!!

just back from vinum this noon, was supposed to pick up the alter ego 2004 that i ordered, but, i was too happy seeing so many bordeaux bottles on sales, and accidentally picked up chateau corbin 2007 ($48), la gravette de certan 2006 ($48) and thibault liger belair NSG 2007 ($52). all the 3 bottles were purchased as recommended by the sales staff there, he seems pretty experienced as he is able to elaborate the taste notes for most of the bottles. i got a feeling tt i will go back to stock up more of the first 2 bottles after i try them... you guys shld check this up!

thanks guys for all the tips, busy taking notes of all the good buys!!

just back from vinum this noon, was supposed to pick up the alter ego 2004 that i ordered, but, i was too happy seeing so many bordeaux bottles on sales, and accidentally picked up chateau corbin 2007 ($48), la gravette de certan 2006 ($48) and thibault liger belair NSG 2007 ($52). all the 3 bottles were purchased as recommended by the sales staff there, he seems pretty experienced as he is able to elaborate the taste notes for most of the bottles. i got a feeling tt i will go back to stock up more of the first 2 bottles after i try them... you guys shld check this up!

thanks guys for all the tips, busy taking notes of all the good buys!!

just back from vinum this noon, was supposed to pick up the alter ego 2004 that i ordered, but, i was too happy seeing so many bordeaux bottles on sales, and accidentally picked up chateau corbin 2007 ($48), la gravette de certan 2006 ($48) and thibault liger belair NSG 2007 ($52). all the 3 bottles were purchased as recommended by the sales staff there, he seems pretty experienced as he is able to elaborate the taste notes for most of the bottles. i got a feeling tt i will go back to stock up more of the first 2 bottles after i try them... you guys shld check this up!

thanks guys for all the tips, busy taking notes of all the good buys!!

just back from vinum this noon, was supposed to pick up the alter ego 2004 that i ordered, but, i was too happy seeing so many bordeaux bottles on sales, and accidentally picked up chateau corbin 2007 ($48), la gravette de certan 2006 ($48) and thibault liger belair NSG 2007 ($52). all the 3 bottles were purchased as recommended by the sales staff there, he seems pretty experienced as he is able to elaborate the taste notes for most of the bottles. i got a feeling tt i will go back to stock up more of the first 2 bottles after i try them... you guys shld check this up!

thanks guys for all the tips, busy taking notes of all the good buys!!

just back from vinum this noon, was supposed to pick up the alter ego 2004 that i ordered, but, i was too happy seeing so many bordeaux bottles on sales, and accidentally picked up chateau corbin 2007 ($48), la gravette de certan 2006 ($48) and thibault liger belair NSG 2007 ($52). all the 3 bottles were purchased as recommended by the sales staff there, he seems pretty experienced as he is able to elaborate the taste notes for most of the bottles. i got a feeling tt i will go back to stock up more of the first 2 bottles after i try them... you guys shld check this up!

Jus opened chateau Corbin 2007 this evening, went with pasta and pizza. Was drawn to it's elegance, typical Bordeaux nose, with very smooth finishing (despite its young age). Very well made n affordable Bordeaux, will go back for more!

 

[ikileo]

@looiwte: i think they may have run out of half bottles but let me know if there still are! I had their '95 Gran Reserva 890 before which was amazing. awesome producer. i would like to try the other producers there and even their 2010 whites!

@reign: how could you forget?!

 

[reign]

I went there to get use my voucher to buy the wine glass i have been Aiming for sometime as they having 25% discount..then forgot abt it... So when U buying?


I also Blew my budget.. So have to stop buying for the time being.. BUT since this wine is so good.. Do let me know when u r going to get some...if not wrong the event till nov?

 

[ikileo]

yup it's until Nov. I don't think i'll buy until so much lah. but the next time i pop down (which is very soon) i'll let you guys know in case you wanna 'tom-pang' and you can pick it up from me another time.

 

[reign]

yup it's until Nov. I don't think i'll buy until so much lah. but the next time i pop down (which is very soon) i'll let you guys know in case you wanna 'tom-pang' and you can pick it up from me another time.

Can help me buy 1 bottle of Vina Alberdia.

 

[ikileo]

if it's there the next time i visit, i'll grab one. most likely i'll head down this Friday. getting a bottle for a wedding dinner on sunday. tempranillo and chinese food go amazing together.

 

[ikileo]

an interesting read: How We Rate Wines

http://www.jancisrobinson.com/files/pdfs/CT_score_equivalents.pdf

helps you think about how others rate wine and how do you relate to it. Let me know how much do scores affect your purchases!

 

[andice2]

an interesting read: How We Rate Wines

helps you think about how others rate wine and how do you relate to it. Let me know how much do scores affect your purchases!

since we're on this topic, i'm attaching a related story fr my own blog - "About the Ratings..." (not advertising, merely sharing)

sgbordeaux.blogspot.com

 

[ikileo]

since we're on this topic, i'm attaching a related story fr my own blog - "About the Ratings..." (not advertising, merely sharing)

sgbordeaux.blogspot.com

nice succinct article on the range of your ratings. but more importantly, how do you score? do you have various factors that you put points into and then you take the weighted average? or after tasting it, it's more of a "this feels like a 8.1"? Also what are the various elements of a wine do you would consider as part of the scoring process?

 

[hkm520240]

Hi ikileo and fellow wines lover, I am new to this thread and hopefully I can join you for the next wines session. Meantime I am reading the old posts to understand what are the topics have been discussed in the past.

 

[ikileo]

welcome to the forum hkm!

take your time to read through, there's 130+ pages of stuff, but u can always ask us here. we would love to get more and more people to join this thread

while u are reading the past posts, do tell us about your personal wine journey? when you got started? what do u like to drink etc... it can be $20 supermarket wine, that's fine.

 

[hkm520240]

Sure ikileo. I have a humble beginning and like many people don't know what I'm drinking (I mean the varietals as well as wine style) in the past. Until 2009 I bought some wines for CNY dinner from supermarket and started to wonder what does those name on the label means. Out of curiosity I went wiki to check those wines label and realised the wines world are so complex. Since then I fall into the wines world and my passion has grown and eagerly to learn all about the wines.

I still recalled I had the wrong impression that more expensive wines have more bodied and I came across Pinot Noir, as describe a hard to grow and hence a superior grape varietal. I was excited and picked up a bottle of French Cellar Pinot Noir from Cold Storage but to find myself disappointed with its light bodied and smoky taste. (Of course later part when I tasted fine Pinot Noir I am fully agree that Pinot Noir is one of the greatest varietal)

Much of my wines knowledge came from the book and internet(wiki). But it is the tasting experience bring me to next level. Before that, my wines purchase are limited to supermarket wines and below $20. Since Bottles & bottles opened in Tampines 1, I felt curious of what are the wines they carry and check out the shop quite frequent (To learn what they sell instead of buying). To me at that time I found the staff quite knowledgeable and friendly. One day he asked me what is my favorite varietal but I could not answer due to my limited tasting experience. He then invite me to the shop after operating hour as he wanted to open a wines and share with me. It was Hedonist Shiraz 2005 from Australia, and I immediately in love with this wines, nice bodied and fruity. He even taught me to capture the hints of vanilla from the wines. So this was the first nice bottle of wines I had and since then I know my favorite wines is Aussie Shiraz.

Since then I was keen to attend wines tasting and my 1st wines tasting was Irvine wines tasting organised by Crystal wines. That was a very good experience and I was touched by what James Irvine said, " If I were to plant a single varietal, that will only be Merlot" after he was inspired by Chateau Petrus. Since then I also have a soft spot for Merlot (Even I have watched the movie Sideway hehe). But sadly good Merlot are hard to find in Australia and Pomerol are usually expensive.

Few month later I also have an opportunity to attend the Bordeaux 2000 tasting organised by The Wines Review to taste the Cru class Bordeaux like Dom de Chevalier (Blanc & Rouge), Montrose, Brance Cantenac, Leoville Barton, Petit Village, Pichon Baron and Figeac. Being a novice at that time and no idea of how a good Bordeaux taste, I was overwhelm and felt in love with this region.

Since then I am quite active in various wines tasting and keen to expand my tasting experience. 2 yrs+ down the road I have also built up quite a sizable inventory and wish to share some of my wines during the BYO session. I have quite a wide range of collections as I try to keep wines of different varietals/regions but it will not difficult to guess majority are Bordeaux Red and Aussie Shiraz. But I also have a soft spot for Tuscan red especially Brunello for its earthy and leathery palate.

I too keep my collections on cellartracker and write tasting notes whenever I consumed the wines. It will help me remember better how it taste.

That's still a lot more in wines for me to learn and the best way to learn is to grab a bottle of wines from that particular region/varietal to drink and aided with related reading. One of the wines/region I am very keen to try is Lebanese Wines Chateau Musar. Hopefully I get the chance soon.

 

[ikileo]

Wow hkm, that is an interesting story. What are some of your fave wines u have drunk so far?

Care to share your CT id with us?


As for musar u can find some stores that bring in the 02/00 vintages.

 

[staedtler_07]

Just wanted to ask, what type of wine would be good for starters? As in just sipping for after dinner talk?

I also noticed this Wine shop along Bukit Timah, near to Hwa Chong. Any idea if that's a good place to start with wine selection and recommendation?

 

[andice2]

nice succinct article on the range of your ratings. but more importantly, how do you score? do you have various factors that you put points into and then you take the weighted average? or after tasting it, it's more of a "this feels like a 8.1"? Also what are the various elements of a wine do you would consider as part of the scoring process?

thanks. i know what u mean, some 'scientific' hobbyists like to rate in parts - e.g. colour/ bouquet/palate/finish - 10/40/40/10. Mine is more of gut feel - 2 key components being bouquet and palate (incl finish). It's q similar w the chart u shared w us, but closer to the 'school' model where average wines should be 60+, not 70+