Wine

[Wardyn]

Hi guys, i started to buy more bottles of wine recently faster than i can drink them. I now had a dozen of bottles that i intend to keep for several months before drinking them in 2015 or so. For now they are still lying around in my cabinet for a couple of weeks. Should i buy a wine chiller to store those bottles?
How do you guys store your wine when your collection grows?

 

[ikileo]

Hi guys, i started to buy more bottles of wine recently faster than i can drink them. I now had a dozen of bottles that i intend to keep for several months before drinking them in 2015 or so. For now they are still lying around in my cabinet for a couple of weeks. Should i buy a wine chiller to store those bottles?
How do you guys store your wine when your collection grows?

hi wardyn, welcome to the wine thread!

your 'problem' is something all wine enthusiasts experience. there is never enough space. you can rent a ginormous storeroom but you'll eventually fill it up.

If it's all under a year, somewhere indoors and cool (ideally in the lower 20s) and away from sunlight and movement is good enough to last a couple of months. This is also assuming you are not holding on to older and more delicate wine.

if u intend to expand you collect and intend to keep your bottles for at least 1-2 years or more before popping then I'd suggest you invest in a proper wine chiller or rent those offsite wine storage like EXTRA SPACE. it's not too expensive depending on the size you choose.

but the general rule of thumb is always buy store bigger than you think you need. THe other way to solve the problem is to drink them more often than you can top up

 

[Wardyn]

Currently i do not have any of the older vintages or really expensive wine. Mostly 2009 - 2012 vintages and below $200 bottles. And it's really hot in SG all year round so don't think i can keep them under 20s.
I thought of getting a small wine chiller to store them. Is there any good recommendation for a value wine chiller that can hold 12-20 bottles?

 

[ikileo]

Currently i do not have any of the older vintages or really expensive wine. Mostly 2009 - 2012 vintages and below $200 bottles. And it's really hot in SG all year round so don't think i can keep them under 20s.
I thought of getting a small wine chiller to store them. Is there any good recommendation for a value wine chiller that can hold 12-20 bottles?

actually i meant in the lower 20s, so like 22C - 25C, no need to be under 20 if it's just a few months

for chillers, do not stick to 'value'. find a good brand that works well and pay the premium. you do not want your investments to go down the drain.

the usual brands that most wine people go to are vintec, eurocave, for mid tier stuff there's kadeka and bosch. you can walk ard the large electonic stores or even parisilk, you can look.

if you think you need 12-20, but something that can hold up to 30. serious. and make sure the cooling system is a compressor kind, similar to your fridge.



lastly, if you wines are under $200 means you have some relatively premium bottles on hand already ($80 - $100+). and for 2009 and 2012, they may be a bit young (in my opinion) to be consumed now within the next few months. unless you don't intend to keep them for long or you don't think they have aging potential?

 

[ikileo]

this evening i'm attending a dinner with another wine group and the year end theme is CHAMPAGNE.

Will update on it as soon as I recover from tonight...

 

[ikileo]

Here is the pic of my year-end wine dinner. the theme was CHAMPAGNE.
12 bottles 11 people.

Wine List
1988 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Rare Vintage
2000 Paul Bara Comtesse Marie de France
2002 Bollinger La Grand Annee
2004 Pol Roger Brut Vintage
MV H Billiot Fils Cuvee Laetitia
2005 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne BdB
2006 R Pouillon et Fils 2Xoz BdN
2009 Marie Courtin Eloquence BdB
2005 David Leclapart L'Apôtre BdB
2009 Benoît Lahaye Le Jardin de la Grosse Pierre
2007 Jean Lallement Réserve Rosée
2005 Bernard Huber Schlossberg Rosé (a 'fake' champagne)


I brought the Taittinger Comtes de Champagne. Very young but full of power and focus on the palate.

 

[Wardyn]

I finally bought a Vintec 30 bottle wine chiller. It was delivered and installed today. But the vendor told me to turn on the chiller after 24 hours to allow the refrigerant to stabilize.
There is also a small plastic tray inside. Am I suppose to fill it up with water?

 

[Asphodeli]

What's a good wine to match hawker food? Hehe

(serious question)

 

[Wryer]

What's a good wine to match hawker food? Hehe

(serious question)

Orh Jian!
Har cheong gai!
Chill crabs!

These are my ultimate SG food pairings with your preferred whites. Because our hawker food is usually oily, spicy and flavorsome, it's just my personal preference to have a sharp fruity white to cut through it. Or even a Moscato from Luigi.

Still can't find a pleasant combi with a red and a SG hawker food.

 

[ikileo]

What's a good wine to match hawker food? Hehe

(serious question)

Are u looking at any particular type of hawker fare?

 

[Wardyn]

Since someone has asked for hawker food wine pairing, i am interested to know as well.
What are good pairings for the following food:

Otah
Roasted chicken wings
Stingray with sambal sauce
Satay with peanut sauce
Herbal chicken
Roast duck
Roast pork belly
Fried carrot cake

 

[ikileo]

Beer?




Kidding, i will come up with a list shortly

 

[jamir]

Beer?




Kidding, i will come up with a list shortly

I found this website has quite cheap liquor
valuedeals.sg

 

[ikileo]

Since someone has asked for hawker food wine pairing, i am interested to know as well.
What are good pairings for the following food:

Otah
Roasted chicken wings
Stingray with sambal sauce
Satay with peanut sauce
Herbal chicken
Roast duck
Roast pork belly
Fried carrot cake

here are my recommendations. they are by no mean the rule as wine is such a wide and varied thing that's open for so much trial/error & experimentation

Otah --> as it's seafood based and spicy, a riesling kabinett would be great. Anything sweeter would overwhelm the flavour of the otah.
you an get lots of good quality rieslings at Wein & Vin or the Isetan Supermarket


Roasted chicken wings - Those classic wings on the rotisserie in hawker centres would go great with any lighter reds like a pinot noir, beaujolais or even a dolcetto.

Pinot Noirs are everywhere but you can try the Cold Storage Tiki. Beaujolais is made from Gamay grapes and the classic ones from France include the subregion 'Fleurie' from Cold Storage or a new world interpretation by Te Mata in Isetan. Lots of great Dolcetto wines from italy brought in by Luigi Wines.


Stingray with sambal sauce - Stingray meat is considered (to me) like light and delicate. You can do well with a Sauvignon Blanc to help cut through the richness. Get a good quality yet easily available Sauvignon Blanc like Crossings or Casa Concha from FP Finest


Satay with peanut sauce - savoury meats with a sweet nutty sauce can be tough to match due to the very contrasting flavours. You can try to be bold and match it with a Fino or Manzanilla Sherry which is a Fortified wine from Spain. A good producer is Lustau and you can get them from The Standish wine shop in Holland Village Shopping Centre lvl 2. If you want a normal non-fortified wine you need something with enough freshness and acidic bite to balance the rich sauce. You can try a Northern Rhone red like a Crozes Hermitage or St Joseph. You can check out producers like Chapoutier (available in Culina) or the labels brought in by Marks & Spencers, those are v good too.

Herbal chicken - if there's one guideline i follow it that for anything with chinese soups, i do not have a wine pairing because I want to taste the soup for it's depth of flavour. wine generally does not help to elevate or accentuate herbal soups.

Roast duck - super easy, get a good pinot noir, syrah, shiraz, bordeaux blend, barbera wines. so many options available for producers of these grapes.

Roast pork belly - Pork & Pinot is a real thing. You can try it also with Nebbiolo based wines.

Fried carrot cake - Rich, greasy and satisfying. you want a wine that can balance that out. Easy faves are Loire-based Sauvignon Blancs from Pouilly Fume or Sancerre. You can get entry level labels like Loire Connection from Cold Storage. If your budget is slightly higher you can explore the wonderful and well curated Loire Wine selections from KOT Selections



hope this helps to lead you down some paths for pairing. if you found a great pairing of your own that really brings the flavours of the food and wine to the next level; do share it with us!

 

[Wardyn]

here are my recommendations. they are by no mean the rule as wine is such a wide and varied thing that's open for so much trial/error & experimentation

Otah --> as it's seafood based and spicy, a riesling kabinett would be great. Anything sweeter would overwhelm the flavour of the otah.
you an get lots of good quality rieslings at Wein & Vin or the Isetan Supermarket


Roasted chicken wings - Those classic wings on the rotisserie in hawker centres would go great with any lighter reds like a pinot noir, beaujolais or even a dolcetto.

Pinot Noirs are everywhere but you can try the Cold Storage Tiki. Beaujolais is made from Gamay grapes and the classic ones from France include the subregion 'Fleurie' from Cold Storage or a new world interpretation by Te Mata in Isetan. Lots of great Dolcetto wines from italy brought in by Luigi Wines.


Stingray with sambal sauce - Stingray meat is considered (to me) like light and delicate. You can do well with a Sauvignon Blanc to help cut through the richness. Get a good quality yet easily available Sauvignon Blanc like Crossings or Casa Concha from FP Finest


Satay with peanut sauce - savoury meats with a sweet nutty sauce can be tough to match due to the very contrasting flavours. You can try to be bold and match it with a Fino or Manzanilla Sherry which is a Fortified wine from Spain. A good producer is Lustau and you can get them from The Standish wine shop in Holland Village Shopping Centre lvl 2. If you want a normal non-fortified wine you need something with enough freshness and acidic bite to balance the rich sauce. You can try a Northern Rhone red like a Crozes Hermitage or St Joseph. You can check out producers like Chapoutier (available in Culina) or the labels brought in by Marks & Spencers, those are v good too.

Herbal chicken - if there's one guideline i follow it that for anything with chinese soups, i do not have a wine pairing because I want to taste the soup for it's depth of flavour. wine generally does not help to elevate or accentuate herbal soups.

Roast duck - super easy, get a good pinot noir, syrah, shiraz, bordeaux blend, barbera wines. so many options available for producers of these grapes.

Roast pork belly - Pork & Pinot is a real thing. You can try it also with Nebbiolo based wines.

Fried carrot cake - Rich, greasy and satisfying. you want a wine that can balance that out. Easy faves are Loire-based Sauvignon Blancs from Pouilly Fume or Sancerre. You can get entry level labels like Loire Connection from Cold Storage. If your budget is slightly higher you can explore the wonderful and well curated Loire Wine selections from KOT Selections



hope this helps to lead you down some paths for pairing. if you found a great pairing of your own that really brings the flavours of the food and wine to the next level; do share it with us!

Thank you so much. This is an impressive list of wine and food pairing. I guess i have plenty of other grape varieties i have yet to try out.

 

[stayhappy21]

I finally bought a Vintec 30 bottle wine chiller. It was delivered and installed today. But the vendor told me to turn on the chiller after 24 hours to allow the refrigerant to stabilize.
There is also a small plastic tray inside. Am I suppose to fill it up with water?

Yes, and no.
The tray is for water to ensure humidity in the fridge for the sake of the wines, but the people from VINTEC mentioned that the air in Singapore is humid enough, so no need to put water.

 

[ikileo]

Thank you so much. This is an impressive list of wine and food pairing. I guess i have plenty of other grape varieties i have yet to try out.

the world of wine is huge, cannot drink finish huan.

try and let us know if you have made any new discoveries.

 

[ikileo]

some recommendations at Fairprice Finest on promo after walking through today. Lots more promotions compared to Cold Storage.

St Hallett Frivola
NOW: $19, UP:$27.55
Slightly sweet, low alcohol, slightly fizzy. Chill it down and enjoy it with entry level drinkers. Made primarily with Gewurztraminer grapes, traditionally grown in Alsace & German; famed for their aromatics.

Brown Brothers Chenin Blanc
NOW: $25.90, UP:$30+
Chenin Blanc is a white grape famously grown in the Loire Valley in France and can be made into sparkling, dry and dessert wines that are long lived. Brown Brothers in Australia grow their own and while this is their entry level effort, it is low in alcohol and done in a slightly sweet style versus their dry Loire counterparts. Chill this down before serving

The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc
NOW: $30.50, UP: $40+
Try a different Sauvignon Blanc (SB) this season than the usual cheaper brands you buy. This SB is made from the sub-region of Awatere in Marlborough; which is the coolest & driest subregion. The soil is packed with unique minerals as the valley as dug out by glaciers millions of years ago. This SB is bursting with classic SB flavours and what I like about it is its razor sharp acidity that can match with richer dishes like fatty fish and cream based pasta sauces. Not to mention the unique soils add a depth of complexity. One of my fav mid-priced NZ sauvignon blancs

2011 Goulee by Cos
NOW: $50, UP: $71
Yes Bordeaux makes white wines. This wine is made from predominantly Sauvignon Blanc with some Semillon (another white grape); these are the traditional and permitted grapes in a white bordeaux wine. This is the white wine by COS D'ESTOURNEL, a premium bordeaux producers whose flagship red wine command several hundreds of dollars per bottle. For those with a bit more budget or want to give as a gift to your wine friends this wine at 30% discount is a great buy that shows off a really classy & classic white wine from Bordeaux.

 

[ikileo]

2012 Marius by Michel Chapoutier
Red: Grenache & Syrah
White: Terret & Vermentino
NOW: $28.80, UP: $31.30
Now this is something a little different and at this price discount, it's really worth trying and seeking out. Chapoutier is one the top producers in the Rhone Valley and in France. These 2 wines are from his vineyards in the sunny south of france, making approachable wine yet with the same high-end sensibility as his Rhone wines.

FP Finest brings in his red & white. The reds are made from Grenache & Syrah blend, a classic southern France blend showcasing the rich ripeness of the grapes yet with a touch of elegant as his higher end wines. Perfect for steaks and red meats. Serve it lightly chilled and let it breathe for a while after opening.

For the white, they ade made from 2 classic Mediterranean grapes of Terret & Vermentino. Never mind that you don't know that they are, all you need to know is that they are delicious, incredibly aromatic and floral. They even harvest their wines during the cool nights to maintain freshness of the grapes. Chill it prior to serving and have it with all sorts of seafood, assorted roasted vegetables or even lighter meats like chicken.

Wine Pairing Series
NOW: $19.50, UP: $29.65
These labels say it all to help the novice drinker try wine pairing for themselves. The labels indicate the food to best pair it with so give it a shot especially at this low price point. Please remember to chill it down and let it breathe instead of just popping and pouring.

d'Arenberg d'Arry's Original
d'Arenberg The Custodian Grenache
NOW: $32.60, UP: $37.20
d'Arenberg is in McLaren Vale in Australia, a region known for producing powerful wines. d'Arenbergs is a big wine producers yet still works with a boutique producer mentality, ensuring quality for each grape and style. They make so many different bottles with incredibly funny names like their flag ship 'Dead Arm' or even their sparkling red wine 'Feral Fox'; but their wines are by no meals a joke.

d'Arry's Original is a 50/50 blend of Shiraz & Grenache (like the previous wines from Chapoutier). Definitely ripe and rich due to the Aussie climate but with a complex subtle spice note and silky tannins. Perfect on it's own or with pork and beef dishes.

The Custodian Grenache. Grenache is grown a lot in south of france, southern rhone valley and in Spain. These grenache vines are old vines (up to 120 years old) which means that the roots are very deep down and create fruits that are of high concentration and flavour. As for a descriptive, their own description on their website tells it the best:

It can be hard to find a wine that will appeal to casual wine drinkers looking for something fruit driven and light on its feet, but also to more serious wine connoisseurs, who value subtle complexities and an ability to age. The Custodian offers just that with its pure fruit characters of mulberry, plum and blueberry complimented with a range of more savoury flavours, such as beetroot, cinnamon and nutmeg.

The palate, while displaying great depth, is medium bodied and svelte. It is defined by velvety tannins that turn slightly gritty towards the finish, guaranteeing the wine’s longevity.

 

[Wardyn]

I think Ashbrook Estate wines are also on promotion around $28.50, usual around $40 plus. The wines are actually very decent.