Wine

[ikileo]

I will have a plus 2.

Anyone else on this thread keen?

 

[lousylah]

Actually I hate to be a deal breaker but the 07 vintage in bordeaux was considered not one of the better vintages, especially in between better years like ’05 and ‘09/’10. But then again st emilion fared a little better in ’07 and produced pretty good wines. And this is a great example of how ‘rules’ or ‘pre-conceived notions’ versus actually tasting and following your palate and differ.

The ‘experts’ say 07 is not the best vintage, meant for early drink and not for the long haul. But you have enjoyed that wine and ‘crave’ it so. And if it gives you pleasure then good for you.

i shared a bottle of 2009 bordeaux from chateau haute lamothe over jap dinner with friends over the weekend. it was nice but somehow didnt enjoy it as much as the '07 st emilion.

maybe i am not comparing apple to apple and 2009 is still young for a wine. so which is a better indication of the quality of wine? the vintage and age? the area/country the grapes were grown? it there such a thing that wine from "good" vintage is bound to be better than non-vintage years?

hoping to learn a tip or two in picking a decent wine.

 

[ikileo]

that’s nice. There are many factors when picking and enjoying a wine:

-Vintage: some years are just better than others
-Producer: if you know a good producer, it’s hard to go wrong, even in poorer vintages
-Wine style: if you know what type of wine you enjoy, it will increase your probability of picking a producer/grape/region that will satisfy you. This takes time to build as you taste and try different things to find out what you like.
-Food: If you are eating it with food, it’s about a marriage of flavours and this takes time again to try different food and wines to get a grasp of pairings. A rich Barossa red will overwhelm a delicate yellow tail sashimi dish.

One way to help your wine buying decisions is every time you buy/drink wine, make sure you buy a different wine from a different region from a different varietal. If you consistently do this, over time you will have a very wide range of flavours and experiences that will help you as you explore regions in depth.

The next time you buy a wine, get something that’s not Bordeaux, get an Italian or Spanish or german or Portuguese or other parts of france or America etc…it’s when you start expanding your palate, you will be able to make better buying decisions.

Also with each wine that you buy/taste, take note of the producer, vintage, vineyard, region etc…so that you can research online about the details. It is through this research that you will learn more about the producer, the region, the grapes, and other producers in the region or the good years in the region etc…

There is no quick and easy tip for buying wine like (more than $50 means it must be good, so can buy). A lot of it comes from knowing yourself and knowing your producers/regions/varietals)


@lousylah: are you keen to join us on 12th lunch?

 

[looiwte]

I'm a plus one too.

 

[ikileo]

ikileo wrote:
guys, so when would be good for you all for the next meeting? maybe something casual like at Le Chasseur where we can get as many people involved as possible.

I was there 1 1/2 weeks ago and ate till I died for just over $20. Great stuff.

If you have glasses please bring them.

Let's set a date? Next weekend perhaps?

Date: 11th/12th Feb
Location: Le Chasseur
Ave $: $25 per pax
Minimum requirement: Anyone who is interested in wine (noobs to pros)
Theme: Bordeaux Blends
Wine value: $50-$100
Plus 1: Highly encouraged.

Theme explanation:

For this theme, you can bring any wine (red, white, dessert) from bordeaux or has the same types of grapes as a bordeaux.

Red: Must be Cabernet or Merlot dominant (at least 50%), the rest can be any past or present bordeaux grape (cab franc, petit verdot, malbec, carmenere

White: Must be a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, muscadelle is optional.

Dessert: Must be a dessert wine made from 100% semillon grapes


For those who are new and seem intimidated, don't worry, the safest thing you can do is just buy a red/white/dessert wine from the Bordeaux region or go to a wine store and ask for a bordeaux blend; they should know what you are talking about



Let me know if ANY of you are uncomfortable with the food/location/price/wine cost/theme. you can PM me or whatever 'cos I don't want to alienate people who want to start trying out new wines but not comfortable buying a $50< wine.

participants
- ikileo +2
- looiwte +1
- hkm +1
- reign +1

anyone else keen?

 

[looiwte]

Hehe it's the usual suspects again!

To everyone else, come leh come leh, don't shy, more the merrier, the more wines to drink, the better the exposure.

 

[novaflux]

wine

Generally, the character of a wine region is pretty distinct. So when you say 2007 St Emilion, it also depends therein the chateau and the type of wine you are sharing. Generally good St Emilion wines have a distinct floral and berries boquet. Next to St Emilion would be Pomerol which is nearby but the wines are more intense comparatively which is very interesting. Left banks are stronger if you prefer a more punchy drink which is more Cabernet driven. So IMHO, pick a few regions within Bordeaux and try the different styles and pick one you like.

09/10 are good vintages for Bordeaux in general and 07, 04 and 01 are comparatively great. 1996's and the 83/84 are opening up fantastically right now.

So for myself , I like St. Emilion, Pomerol and Medoc. For a more complex drink, Graves is the place. Full of good and bad wines at the same time. Very solid drink nonetheless.

Hope this helps!

i shared a bottle of 2009 bordeaux from chateau haute lamothe over jap dinner with friends over the weekend. it was nice but somehow didnt enjoy it as much as the '07 st emilion.

maybe i am not comparing apple to apple and 2009 is still young for a wine. so which is a better indication of the quality of wine? the vintage and age? the area/country the grapes were grown? it there such a thing that wine from "good" vintage is bound to be better than non-vintage years?

hoping to learn a tip or two in picking a decent wine.

 

[lousylah]

So for myself , I like St. Emilion, Pomerol and Medoc. For a more complex drink, Graves is the place. Full of good and bad wines at the same time. Very solid drink nonetheless.

Hope this helps!

There is no quick and easy tip for buying wine like (more than $50 means it must be good, so can buy). A lot of it comes from knowing yourself and knowing your producers/regions/varietals)

@lousylah: are you keen to join us on 12th lunch?

Thank you both for the tips! I do have alot to pick up and to vary my palate further. will come back as and when i pick up something i like and see if you have similar recommendations.

And thanks for the invite! unfortunately i have a full weekend ahead. will follow the thread and see if i can join next time.

 

[ikileo]

as you expand your palate, you can try this:

Domaine Catherine and Pierre Breton: Nuits D

100% cabernet franc. a lighter styled red wine but fresh and vibrant.

 

[ikileo]

Any fine dining + wine place near beach to recommend?
Can laze the day away type...

If not fine dining nvm... just a good wine place that's near the sea

if u wanna bring your own wine, then Jumbo seafood at east coast doesn't charge corkage.

but if u are looking for a place to laze away then maybe somewhere in sentosa would be better with some of the more fine dining restaurants like il lido?

 

[ikileo]

uh oh...

Welcome to Wine Exchange Asia - Wine Auction & Wine Portal - Aged Italian Wine Clearance Sale Now On ...

must.....resist.....

 

[looiwte]

Mostly >100, so I'm able to hold myself back

 

[ikileo]

i drooled a bit at the 2000 castello di ama il chiuso for $89.

i have the 2009 Castello di Ama Il Chiuso (a 50/50 blend of Sangiovese and Pinot Noir).

 

[copp3r]

There are different brands and different product ranges.

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

WineAccessories

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.

Shermay's Cooking School - Retail

Went to Robinsons Centrepoint today. The pump (without stoppers) costs $35. After discount it'd be about $23. A set of 2 stoppers cost about $15 after discount.

Any of you found the Vacuvin or similar pump + stopper system effective ? I'm hoping to get some idea before buying those (Google gives some mixed reviews).

Thanks guys

 

[MuthuCurry]

uh oh...

Welcome to Wine Exchange Asia - Wine Auction & Wine Portal - Aged Italian Wine Clearance Sale Now On ...

must.....resist.....

Phew, all very ex... Happy tt set me back...

 

[ikileo]

hey guys, here is the final listing. a fellow HWZer, Derrick, is joining us for the first time. with 10 peeps, i think we can close this.

hope you got your bordeaux blends ready to go! See you guys there at 12pm.

- ikileo +2
- looiwte +1
- hkm +1
- reign +1
- derrick

 

[ikileo]

Phew, all very ex... Happy tt set me back...

most are above $100, but considering their age and quality of producers, i feel very gian....

 

[ikileo]

found this 2004 wine related short film, called Mondovino. which explores how the world of wine by juxtaposing the globalization of wine against smaller terroir driven producers

good insight behind the commercial romance and elegance of the wine world.

Mondovino.mov - 4shared.com - online file sharing and storage - download

Trailer:

 

[looiwte]

Excellent share, muchas gracias!

While we're on the TV/film, I caught a bit of Undercover Boss' recent episode on Kendall-Jackson, hoping to gain some insight into the running of a big wine business. Got an overdose of reality TV schtick instead, it totally sucked!

 

[ikileo]

hey guys, here is the final listing. a fellow HWZer, Derrick, is joining us for the first time. with 10 peeps, i think we can close this.

hope you got your bordeaux blends ready to go! See you guys there at 12pm.

- ikileo +2
- looiwte +1
- hkm +1
- reign +1
- derrick

One more thing, I will bring your muscadet wines to pass to you (and your Spanish one, reign) so pls ensure u have enough space or some carriers to take them home with.