a research trip to new york city - zagat's top 10 wine shops

as you know, traveling for me is a good opportunity to ressource and to learn something new.  and so, on my last trip to new york city, i decided to take a day and visit as many wine shops on the zagat top 10 list as i could. 

i found some pretty interesting things in each of those that i visited but because time did not permit, i did not go to brooklyn.

here is some notes i gathered when i visited them and some of those are supplemented by the comments in zagat, which by the way was an excellent book to have on hand. 

according to the zagat new york city gourmet shopping + entertaining 2009, the top 10 wine shops were as follow:

 

1- moore brothers:

33 east 20th street, tel 212 375 1575

a great source of french and italian wines from small producers.  the people at moore are very concerned about keeping the integrity of the wines during transportation and once in their shop.  such is their beleifs that the shop is kept at 12 degree celcius and offer customers some sweaters t keep warm while shopping.  they have a 2nd floor where they hold tastings + events.

 

 

 

2- bottle rocket wine + spirit:

5 west 19th street, tel. 212-929-2323

funky little store where wines from international sources are grouped together by theme, mainly related to food pairing.  there are selections for chicken, beef, fish dishes, and also for spicy, asian, and other types of exotic food.  they also group the wines by gifts suggestions, best for the unitiated, and other "educational" themes.   there is also a good spirit section in the store.

 

 

3- vino:

121 east 27th street, tel 212-725-6516

as you might have guessed, they focus on italian wines.  all regions of italy are well represented and 70% are served in their sister restaurant "I trulli". here, they care about quality and authenticity with prices to match. they also carry quite a few liqueurs for before and after the meals.

 

 

 

 

 

4- le dû's wines:

600 washington street, tel. 212-924-6999 

a little pricey and managed by a former french sommelier, this place has a great reputation for great sources and quality line-up.  they have weekly wine tastings on premise.

 

5- sherry-lehmann:

505 park avenue, tel. 212-838-7500

i did not have time to visit because 1, i was exhausted, and 2, i had to go back to my hotel and get ready to meet santo for dinner.  it's a pity because he told me the place is gigantic with and amazing range with excellent prices.  in fact, it is, according to the zagat guide, "the mecca for wine enthusiasts".  the mother of all wine shops.  even more of a pity for me, they apparently have the best range of wine accessories in town.

 

6- leNell's:

in brooklyn

 

7- burgundy wine:

143 west 26th street, tel. 212-691-9092

they apparently have tastings each day but when i went to visit, they were in the middle of renovating their cellars so the shop was completely up-side down.  i imagine they are finished by now and i was told they have an excellent collection of rhones, burgundies, and wines from oregons made with shiraz and pinot.  a popular place for all levels of wine buyers.

 

8- italian wine merchants:

108 east 16th street, tel. 212-473-2323

my absolute dream wine store.  the selection is not necessarily super extensive but the quality and rarity is definitely there.  the decor is very much italian and very welcoming.  inside you feel much more as you would in a wine shop in florence or sienna than you would in new york city.  they have a gigantic tasting room in the back where food and wine pairings can be easily held, thanks to this huge show kitchen that, no doubt, one of the partner mario batali use from time to time.  the shop also comes with an excellent book section, it's own salumeria, and the largest collection of antique (real ones) cork-screws that i have ever seen.  definitely a place i would spend a lot of time would i be living in nyc.

 

 

9- crush wine:

153 east 57th street, tel. 212-980-9463

i am told the selection is wide, varied, and extensive so that anyone looking for anything can find something to make themselves super happy.  if i loved the italian wine merchants, i apparently was going to look for an apartment close to the place so much it is oozing for passion for wine.  i will certainly check it out next time i visit nyc.

 

10- red, white + bubbly:

brooklyn

Published by jc on October 16, 2008

new york - amazing food and wines!

just finished spending the day in new york city visiting food and wine shops.  amazing.  i wish hong kong would have only 1/8 of what is available here...  i will give more details of my trip when i return to hong kong in october.

Published by jc on September 23, 2008

benvenuti a roma...

ah italy….  a different country… perhaps even located on a different planet altogether…

 

i just landed here from 1 week in germany via the super efficient vienna airport and of course, I can write this post directly from the airport while I am waiting for my suitcase because, after 45 minutes, there is still no sign of it and 3 people from cirque du soleil have just turned on their music and they are starting to dance right here in the waiting hall while we are all waiting (patiently?) on italian time.  of course…

Published by jc on September 8, 2008

iki beer in amsterdam airport

of course, you must know that people in the benelux love their beer.  in fact belgium could be called the country of beer so many styles, colors, and tastes are produced in that country. 

and so to push beer marketing a step further, some enterprising fella launched the iki beer, loosely marketed as a japanese but made here in belgium.  it is special in that it contains, as its website claims: "green tea, barley malt, hop and yeast plus some special ingredients: sencha green tea and the japanese fruit yuzu".  yes, you read that right: green tea.

i did not try it as i was in transit and could not carry liquid but the website claims that "the freshness of its flavor along with the lower bitterness level of iki beer, create a unique balance that makes it stand out from the mainstream beers". 

ok, they got me.  now i regret not having tasted it, at least in the airport...

i wonder where the european fascination with all things asian comes from?

now that hong kong will become asian "wine hubs", when will someone enterprising launch the 1st ever hong kong wine?

(actually, i heard it is in the pipeline and the 1st bottling is to happen in november.  more info on those pages soon.

Published by jc on September 2, 2008

the thrill of travel

even today, after miles and miles of travels around china and the world, i get a thrill every time i am about to leave on a trip. 

i do not quite know what it is but i get a buzz just preparing my suitcase.  maybe it is the anticipation of all the new things and people i will see or maybe it is just the break of my routine. 

no matter, i always love planning my trips super carefully, looking at all the options in and around my destinations, making bookings in advance, even tracing down the maps for the routes i will take.

in fact, my friends always make fun of this habit.  they say it kills the spontaneity of holidays.  it defeats the whole purpose of a supposedly period of total "freedom".  i obviously disagree with this. to me, carefull preparation is about maximizing the opportunities while at my destination and taking care of the small details in advance will just reduce the stress and increase the enjoyment of the small things so that i can experience the place "like a native", so to speak.

in any case, tomorrow i am leaving for one of the longest trip i have made since i first arrived in hong kong 15 years ago.  my journey will bring me to amsterdam, friedrishafen, rome, sant'agata dei goti, amalfi, frascati, new york, las vegas, sonoma, yountville, napa valley, and then back to hong kong.

of course, as i journey, i will try to keep these pages up to date.

Published by jc on August 30, 2008

la festa dell'uva once again this year in hong kong

don't miss the greatest italian feast of the year where great wines and foods of italy are celebrated at the cyberport. cheezes and fresh grapes are directly flown in for this event. great night out with music, games, and all you can taste food and wine!

only 800 tickets are available (hkd 650/each) on a first come first served and i received my invitation last week. if you are interested, contact ms. Jessica Chan at tel. 2832 9799 (Dante Alighieri) for more information or get the ticket booking form here. 

Published by jc on July 17, 2008

wineroom & tastings wine bar - about to revolutionise the hong kong wine bar scene

not long ago here on those pages, i wrote about the enomatic wine dispenser and how i thought it was about to bring a revolution to the wine bars of the world.  well my friends, the revolution is fast approaching hong kong!

last week, wineroom opened at the sheraton hotel with 3 dispenser machines and in about 2-3 weeks, a new place in central called tastings wine bar will open with 5 of them installed for the convenience of their guests.

wine machines?  yes.  wine machines.  enomatic, an italian company, has perfected this great machine which, with the help of a prepaid card, wine lovers can select a pour size among 3 options: a sip for a taste, 1/2 a glass for a shadow, and 1 full glass on your way to inebriation.  the machines installed in wineroom and tastings have the space for 8 different bottles so that we can have plenty to chose from.  temperature controlled as well as insulated from oxygen, the machines keep the wines fresh in the bottle for up to 3 months.

depending on the creativity of the owners, they can hook up pretty much any kind of wine and rotate them as much as they want so that we can taste a great many wines and, best of all, not worry about service but can help ourselves at the pour.

last fall when i visited the wonder bar at selfridges in london, they had a chateau petrus hooked to the enomatic and were selling a sip for 32 pounds.  it was well worth it beleive me!

check out:

wineroom at the sheraton: 18/f, sheraton hong kong, 20 nathan rd., tsim sha tsui

tastings wine bar: basement, yuen yick bldg., 27 & 29 wellington st., central

Published by jc on June 24, 2008

swimming with the wales - a fantastic stay on lizard island

on the 3rd night of our stay on lizard island, ever the "bougoneux" (french canadian for grumpy), i complained to maria that her luck was running out...  indeed, after 3 days of cold wet weather on the island, i was starting to seriously doubt my suggestion of coming to this paradise spot on the great barrier reef - after all, june is the beginning of winter down under.

maria always brought me luck for beach holidays.  before meeting her, no matter how carefully i chose my diving spots, it invariably ended up meeting records rainfalls or other crazy whims of nature. so, it was surprising to me, that for the 1st time in 4 year it would rain so much on our holidays.

true to herself, maria brought back the sunshine and on the wednesday, we chartered a boat for deep-sea fishing and scuba diving.  the gods must be with her because not only the weather was absolutely fantastic, but the diving was also incredible, and she caught a gigantic spanish mackerel. 

but the most amazing highlight of the day was on our return to the resort.  ever hopeful to see big things jumping out of the sea, maria was on the look out for wales (june is the season when they migrate north) and so, ever the eagle eye, she caught sight of one.  we approached and first thing we knew there were 36 of them (as counted by the boat's skipper).  naturally, we jumped in the middle of the deep blue sea and had an amazing 1 hour of snorkeling with them while they came close to us and said hello in the way only wales know how to.  an amazing turn of our luck believe me!!

the resort was excellent.  but most enjoyable to me was the wine list by the glass.  53 options in total and all from australia and new zealand.  since the rate was full room and board, it meant the bar was totally open and we were able to taste the entire list during our stay.  i made some sensational discovery, especially about shiraz from barossa and riesling from tasmania.

Published by jc on June 24, 2008

wyndham st wine walk - a good beginning

was the black rain signal hoisted in hong kong this morning an auspicious sign for the very first wyndham st wine walk launched today by hong kong time out? 

even though the signal was lifted soon after 11 and that it left very little time for participating restaurants to prepare, people showed in great number and it was pretty clear, from those congregating at wagyu that they enjoyed themselves a great deal.

even better, i am told it generated hkd 100,000 for room to read which is apparently enough to build 3 schools in the developping world.  well done!

for me me however, my naive and idealistic self was a little disappointed by the wine on offer. 

other than a pretty good veneto igt at goccia, a great south african chardonnay at zest, good sauvignon blanc and pinot noir at tivo and a real threat of piper heidsieck champagne at frog face fish, the rest (and that is 15 other wines) was pretty average.

i wonder if, as maria would say, it is because participating restaurants which bought their wine at a discount from maxxium "know their chicken" and that, generally, people in hong kong just want to get drunk and care little about how good the wine actually is? 

if that's the case then, why are we talking about hong kong becoming a "wine hub"?

the wine walk is a fantastic concept that shows much promise.  if the objective was to organise a wine crawl to test whether participants could reach the end still standing after 20 glasses of wine, the event was a success.  unfortunately for me, i did not feel it was exploited as well as it could have in terms of consumer education and to stenghten the hong kong wine culture.  hopefully the organisers will recognise this and make the next one 100% better.  i am looking forward to it.

Published by jc on June 7, 2008

shintori shanghai - my most popular flickr photo

a few months ago, by a strange coincidence, many of my hong kong friends had separately planned to visit shanghai on the same week-end we were going.  and so, on finding this out, we arranged to meet for the saturday dinner at shintori, a modern japanese restaurant.

it was during the period when i sort of became a bit of a photography-niac and started to take pictures of all the wine i was drinking and all the food i was eating.  so, when we arrived there, i thought the restaurant extremely photogenic and so, obviously, i became a bit crazy taking pictures of it at all angle.

particularly interesting at shintori is their open kitchen and from our mezzanine table, we had a somewhat spectacular view of the action down below.  so a happily snapped my heart-content and posted the results on my flickr account so that my friends could have access to them.

interestingly, one of them became the most viewed of my account and it seems that search engines and the like are responsible to draw traffic to this photo.  and so, i present it to you here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the food was ok by the way.  you can read a review written by the economist magazine here. 

 

Shintori - 803 Julu Rd, Shanghai, Tel: +86 (0)21 5404 5252

 

Published by jc on May 17, 2008

corte sant' alda - valpolicella wine region, italy

talking about passionate people...  on our last trip to italy, we visited corte sant'alda in the valpolicella wine region just 1/2 hour north of verona.  what a passionate woman that is marinella camerani who is firmly in charge of this family estate.

although established in the early 80s, they have been growing organically for the past 4 years and bio-dynamically for the last 3.  they absolutely believe in the work of nature so much so that marinella is now considering using horses instead of machines in the vineyards.  their philosophy is simply to produce the best possible wines which will represent their "terroir" and purest typicity of each styles on wines.

when we visited, we tasted their whole range except, to my infinite sadness, their recioto which i had had at another occasion.

the "amarone della valpolicella 2004" was absolutely stunning so was their "valpolicella superior "mithas" 2004"which is made only when the best possible conditions exists in one of their very best vineyards, which by the way are all individually named and personally known and cherished by marinella as if they are her children.

unfortunately, it is not available in hong kong but it is possible to order by internet or, if you go to venice, stop by one of their best wine shop called vino e vini in castello (tel. 041 521 0184) where i bought my 1st bottle a few years ago.

here is the note on the "amarone della valpolicella corte sant alda 2004":

clear & bright deep ruby color with much viscosity (legs) on the bowl.  intense, concentrated prunes, dark cherries, blueberries, blackberries, dark chocolate, vanilla, liquorice.  with a medium (+) tannin, a smooth texture and long lenght of after-taste.  an excellent and super tasty wine to drink now with a nice hearty meal, possibly rosted lamb served on rosemary jus and roasted potatoes.  to keep for 10-15 years and improve most of this time.

needless to say, we bought a few cases to bring back and age in our cellar back in franco's house.

Published by jc on May 3, 2008

shanghai

writing from shanghai for the first time on our new blog tonight and going to m-on-the-bund for dinner.  my all time favourite restaurant in shanghai.  will report later with my impression.

Published by jc on April 26, 2008

argentina - terrazas de los andes - tasting notes

an interesting visit at terrazas. as i mentioned earlier, they produce extremely well-made wines. almost flawless. their wines are widely available in hong kong especillay at oliver's in prince's building in central.

as always, as a practice for my wset diploma, i base my notes on the wset systematic approach to tasting:

terrazas de los andes chardonnay 2007:

pale lemon flesh with green hues. medium intensity tropical fruits, vanilla, cream. very soft on palate yet medium (+) acidity. medium body and alcohol. medium lenght. perfect with smoke salmon and greens.

terrazas de los andes chardonnay reserva 2007 very much as previous one but more pronouced vanilla and coconut. smoky charater and slightly spicy. softer and more elegant. nice.

terrazas reserva malbec 2006

medium purple color paler at rim. medium intensity plum, violet, vanilla. hints of dry coconut. low acidity, medium tannins. medium lenght. a "proper" wine. well made, tidy, an excellent representation of an argentinean malbec.

cheval des andes 2004

a "bordeaux blend" made together with the good people of super premium bordeaux' chateau cheval blanc. unfortunately i detected a little bit (much in fact) of oxidation and i suspect the wine had been decanted much earlier for another tasting. in any case, going a little deeper and hoping it was not whishful thinking, i found:

a deep purple color and barely paler at the rim. many thick legs coating the bowl.

Beyond the hints of oxidation, medium intensity jammy dark forest fruits, dark cherries, coffee, meat, savoury spices, minth, vanilla. super concentrated on the palate. medium acidity, medium ripe round tannins, medum alcohol and body, all in perfect balance. Long lenght, complex. excellent now but will definitely age well for 5-6 years although i wonder if hints of oxidation only after a few hours of decanting is not a sign that the wine should be consumed young rather than older.

Published by jc on February 29, 2008

cobos crocodilo cabernet sauvignon 2005

tasted on our visit to vina cobos in mendoza argentina. as always, my notes are based on the wset systematic approach to tasting:

deep purple color and paler at rim (but not much) medium + intensity jammy black fruits, definite vanilla, roasted coconut, hints of tobacco, slightly creamy & toasty. medium acidity and tannins. concentrated and alcoholic. a big wine with a good balance. medium lenght and somewhat complex finish. drink now but can keep and certainly improve by developping complexity and better integration of oak. lovely.

Published by jc on February 29, 2008

weinert malbec 1977

on our trip to mendoza, we were super lucky to have a taste of some great wines. in particular we had a very special experience getting drunk on a 1977 malbec in front of the fireplace in our lodge casita. my tasting notes are based loosely here on the wset systematic approach to tasting:

pale ruby color with a rich amber rim.

powerful yet elegant intensity developped aromas of ripe plums, dried tobacco leaves, cigar box, pencil shavings, chocolate, spices. layers after layers.

medium acidity and medium ripe tannins with a silky mouthfeel. medium alcohol & body with amazing layers of flavours one sip plums with hints of dark cherries, the other raisins, cigar box, chocolate, pencil shavings, tobbaco leaves, coffee, sweet spices, cinamon, liquorice. and on and on. elegant and savoury with a long lenght and complex finish. definitely ready to drink but the acidity, tannins, alcohol and hints of fruits suggest this wine can still age and continue to evolve and improve.

Published by jc on February 29, 2008

buenos aires, a love affair...

ahhh buenos aires.... my love for the city is only matched by my love of paris and only exceeded by the one of venice. to me, these 3 cities are where i have felt the most at home ever since actually left home a long long time ago.

maria and i love it there. the people are nice and friendly, the atmosphere of the city smooth and accessible, and there is enough culture and activities to make it super interesting and exciting.

the place is full of super good restaurants as diverse as they are high in quality. there are the local joints full of character and personality, maybe not serving the best of food but certainly giving you plenty to watch and experience. you have marvelous parillas (pronouced palli-ja) serving these incredible chunks of meats of all kinds and shape, moutains of french fries (pappa fitas) and beautiful argentinean wines. you can also go to super cosmopolitan and hip restaurants where you feel like you are in new york, london, or hong kong for that matter. and then you have "freddo", an absolutely delicous gelateria were i had to-die-for gelato di frutti del bosco. delicious!

maria loves tango, the main reason of our 1st visit there in 2005. i can not say i love it yet (let's say i am learning to) but i do love the atmosphere and the electricity of tango milongas (organised evenings where to dance tango). some of the people dancing are so old it's a wonder they still stand up at all. but they are great, elegant, deep into the music and the feeling of the dance. others are young, macho and agressive while some tango tourists (like myself) are completely bewildered (and overwhelmed) that no one dances tango like we learn at home and that the dance floor is so crowded that none of the "figures" perfected in hours and hours of practice can actually be danced in buenos aires... ahhhh, tango...

so far, i must admit that we did not visit too much of Bas as people call it because we have mainly seen dance halls around town to attend tango classes and practice and practice until near collapse. but from what i have seen, each "barrio" as the districts are generally called are very different from each other, in fact amazingly different sometimes even if only 1 street separate them from each other. take san telmo for example, full old old, turn of the century buildings, some of them barely standing up, most quite dirty. the place is vibrant, full of character and turning into a very interesting area with all kinds of little shops, great restaurants, and little bars. it's sunday market at plaza dorrego is full of action with street buskers taking over, tango dancers improvising a milonga, and antique dealers trying to sell you some memories of the past. lovely. but make no mistake, the place has charater, it can be dirty with garbage and you can see some pretty savoury charaters whom you would rather move across the street on the opposite side-walk rather than cross path with. keep an eye on yourself and relax for a mighty enjoyable time.

buenos aires. we love it there. don't be surprised if we buy a flat there eventually - sooner rather than later!

Published by jc on February 27, 2008

argentina - mendoza - winery tours

argentina's mendoza region is large and diverse so, if you plan to visit, it would be worth it to spend several days but since we were there for 2 nights only, we focused our tour on wineries in the premium area of luyan de cuyo, home of fantastic malbec wines.

the itinerary was arranged by the good people of cavas wine lodge who really did a super job for us. we had a driver which was really worth the expense as there was no time wasted because directions and road signs in those back country roads are practically non-existant.

first, was a tour of catena zapata. a stunningly beautiful winery with amazing architecture and surrounded by breathtaking views. if you visit a winery for a "cultural experience" and mainly looking forward for the free glass of wine afterwards, zapata is probably the best (read slickest) wine tour i have seen. since i was not looking for that type of experience...

 

 

 

 

we quickly moved on to the next stop on our list which was my beloved viña cobos, a partnership between california's paul hobbs and mendoza's luis barroz & andrea marchiori. the friendly cecilia gave us a private tour of their super top modern, if not a little industrial wine production area and "cellar" where they make absolutely magical nectars.

robert parker's team passed by a few weeks before us and gave top scores across the board among cobos' 3 main ranges:

1) their premium wines include "cobos" made from the oldest (up to 80 years) and best malbec vines and "unico" which is a blend of cabernet sauvignon and malbec. both are sourced from their own marchiori vineyards and are aged 18 months in new french oak. top quality is key here and they do not look at the expense to produce only top wines.

2) the "bramares" series includes a malbec, a cabernet sauvignon, and a chardonnay. also sourced from their own marchiori vineyards, they are aged 18 month in oak (50 percent new). robert parker gave them scores in the 90's and considering the price they sell for, these wines represent amazing value for money. my own tasting generated superlative notes showing amazing complexity and wonderful suppleness.

3) last but not least is the "nativo" collection where they have a little bit of fun sourcing most of the grapes from wine farmers in the region and blend them to a large proportion to their marchiori grapes. they are: el felino (malbec), crocodile (cabernet sauvignon), lagaro (merlot), benteveo (chardonnay). 9 months in oak (20 percent new) these are also excellent quality for money.

 

 

 

 

our third stop was bodega weinert. a completely different experience altogether. a super traditional winery: fermentations are still done in traditional concrete vats (with epoxy lining) and the wines are aged in large casks (size 2500-6000 litres) - no new oak here! no fancy technology either, the cellar is completely left to itself and some of the wines age for years in those large casks before bottling. the results are very elegant and subtle wines showing amazing finesse, complexity, and layers after layers of beautiful aromas and flavours. a very special visit.

 

 

 

 

next on our tour, was terrazas de los andes, now part of the lvmh group. state of the art technology in very traditional surroundings. very pleasant people and superb wines. in fact, i would describe them as "perfect" wines. technically very well made, excellent representation of their kinds, absolutely ready to drink, yet can improve with some ageing. i can see how this winery fits well into the lvmh portfolio of wine labels. we were told they have 2 bed & breakfast type of accomodations right on the property and i can imagine it would be quite an interesting place to stay during vintage when they ferment all these grapes into wines. worth checking it out for our next stay in mendoza, hopefully when the action is in full swing.

 

 

 

 

last on our list was a tour of bodega tapiz. formely the vineyards of kendall-jackson, the operation is now completely argentinean. very interesting tour where they gave us a horse-carriage ride around the vineyards to see some examples of malbec and cabernet sauvignon grapes where we then went straight into the wine production facilities to try wines directly from those large stainless steel vats. not filtered, not blended, and still raw, it was for me a new experience of tasting. hopefully the first of many more such. tapiz is a very proud winery and also very dynamic. their wines are not in the same league as cobos, weinert, and terrasas but they are certainly interesting and worth looking at. although i did not meet the owner i can imagine him the archetypical entrepreneur full of energy and ideas. good tour.

Published by jc on February 26, 2008

argentina - mendoza - cavas winelodge

another wine region another boutique hotel. or not. cavas wine lodge, part of the relais & chateaux network, is not any boutique hotel. set litterally in the middle of vineyards (the hotel make it's own bornarda wine), the place is a dream for any wine lovers. individual "casitas" (suites) are spread out around the vineyards and vines grow all around them. each are wonderfuly appointed with a modern decor and a fireplace (and the shower is also incredible). they have their own little plunge pool and access to a roof-top terrace from which you can gaze at the stunning views of the los andes mountain range.

we tried the spa for a special (and wonderful) vinoterapie treatment and after taking a 15 minutes bath in bornada wine, i can assure you that drinking it will never be the same again!

the hotel also boasts one of the best restaurant in mendoza with a fantastic wine list including the best offerings of the region especially from the super premium area of luyan de cuyo where the hotel is located. the menu is traditonal with a modern touch offering super tasty dishes with locally sourced ingredients. on our 1st night, we had the special bbq diner that including non-stop delivery of the very best meat i have had in my life.

although not cheap, i absolutely recommend it and we will no doubt stay there again next year when we return to mendoza.

Published by jc on February 26, 2008

chile - colchagua valley - casa silva

maria and franco always laugh at me so much i am fussy about the hotels i stay in. who knows, maybe i was a fengshui master in a previous life? for me, the setting must be right and that includes the smell in the room, the view, the size and comfort of the bed, and the pressure of the shower. the room must be alive, it must vibrate positive energy. i can never describe it to maria, i just feel it and when i don't, i have been known to change room 3 or 4 times before i am satisfied.

in any case.. for our stay in chile's colchagua valley, i thought we could try the newly opened boutique hotel of 7 rooms in casa silva winery.

and so, after a 3 hours drive from santiago i was a little razzled and my stomach cramped as we followed the indications to the hotel through the small country roads. we passed several ramshackle buildings and the area reminded me more of india than tuscany so i looked at maria in a near panic. until we arrived to the hotel...

wow, what a setting, what a nice little place! set in an old part of the winery, the building was tastfuly renovated with a beautiful and homey-rustic-yet-modern decor. there is a nice little terrace in the central courtyard for alfresco dinning, a super comfortable lounge with a fireplace and those big fluffy couches that reminded me of those my grandmother had in her living room. each of the 7 rooms are appointed differently depending on their size and location in the building and all have a huge bathroom with an absolutely incredible shower.

the hotel is also home of one of the best restaurant in colchagua. as mentionned, you can eat outside on the terrace, but an interesting attraction is that it's located right inside casa silva's cellar. so while you have dinner you have the decors of rows of new oak barrels ageing their best wines slowly and gracefully. we had great food there on the 2 nights of our stay and obviously their wine list, although listing mostly their wines, had great offerings from around the region.

a great place to stay and can imagine the setting during the cool vintage season must be absolutely magic. we will certainly go back if we return to colchagua valley.

Published by jc on February 26, 2008

santiago - mercado central & la vega

if vancouver would be a south-american city, it would be santiago. it's clean, modern, friendly, compact, efficient. there are parts of it that reminds me much of montreal, especially the mount in the middle of the city which offers fantastic points of view all around.

the food markets of "central mercado" and "la vega" were the highlights of our visit here. in central mercado there are fish and shellfish of all kinds, shapes, and sizes. a delights for the senses and i went crazy with my brand new canon g9. it's also full of small restaurants serving the fish and good, solid local food. delicious in a very bustling atmosphere.

across the river from the mercado, there is the market of "la vega" a succession of sheds each with their speciality. first staples you need around the kitchen, then as you move north, other sheds with all kinds meats. really, the chilean are not affraid of their meat and everything here is on display: the guts, the heads, all kinds of cuts and bits. although more hygenical, it reminded me very much of a similar market in india. in that complex, you can also have lunch at one of many food stalls serving what looked like some pretty delicious local dishes.

next up was fruits & vegetables where we saw some pretty crazy corn. i mean they have these huge corns the size of maria's tighs. and this is not talking about the zuchinis... a bit funny looking actually...

i loved it and could have spent the whole day taking pictures. stall owners were very friendly and talkative. making jokes with us and wanting to know where we were from. one of them even proposed to my wife, which i had to diplomatically decline - he did have a big knife in his hands...

even though, many many people told me to keep our things safely attached to our body especially the camera and warned us that many petty pickposkets prowl the market. although we were on our guard, it did not stop us from having a super good time.

Published by jc on February 5, 2008

friendship between countries - reciprocity entry fee

don't you love how countries are friendly to each other?  they strive to keep their relationship on a even par, after all, tit for tat they call it...  it takes two to tango, right?

and so i discovered when we arrived in santiago.  as you know, the trip took about 30 something hours and so we were a little bit wired when we arrived and since no one really advised anything about needind a visa to visit chile, we went straight to the immigration line.

there was a lot of people and the efficiency, i guess, south american: very smooth.  so after 1 hour wait, it was our turn and were told by the friendly immigration officer that canadians have a 'fee' to pay, so, we should go back to the cashier and pay that fee.

easy enough right.  but there was another wait.  another hour!

so, for you americans, australians, canadians, and mexicans, be warned, you must pay usd 131 to have the pleasure of visiting this wonderful country...

Published by jc on February 4, 2008

a long long way...

Oh boy... is it a long way?!?

we left our apartment on saturday at 10 am hong kong time to arrive here on sunday at 8 am santiago time (7 pm hong kong time) - a crazy 33 hours transit!!

beleive it or not, jet lag is not a problem so far. my secret to deal with it is to arrange my sleeping pattern to coincide with the time i will arrive at destination. And so, i kept awake the whole 12 hours from hong to los angeles by watching every single movies and tv program available, struggled like crazy to stay awake in the lounge while we waited for the lan chile flight to santiago and as soon as we sat in the that plane i popped 1 sleeping pill and slept a good 8 hours of the 11 needed to make it from la to santiago. after a good breakfast in the plane and felt fresh on arrival at 8 am at the hotel. beleive it or not, i felt the trip was actually quite short.

we had hot showers as we stepped in the room, had another breaksfast and went about town until mid after-noon when we can back to enjoy the sun and the pool. maria had a nap but i went for my 1/2 hour swim which really gave me a second wind so that i was able to stay awake until bedtime.

this strategy works for me every time.

Published by jc on February 4, 2008

hotel montalembert - paris

a great little place to stay in paris is hotel montalembert right in the heart of st-germain-des-prés. 

the service is impeccable, i describe it as being ''asian'' to my friends in hong kong.  for those who have travelled to asia and stayed in boutique hotels like aman resorts will know what i mean.  it is the feeling that you return home, that someone cares that you have travelled from afar and that you don't need to ask, they already have handled it it for you.  as i am always told, apparently to describe an parisian hotel in this way is quite something...

the decor is bcbg, the rooms comfortable and home-like. there is a small and highly praised restaurant on the ground floor serving all meals of the day.  the staff super friendly and helpful and asking the concierge for a dinner recommendation is not to be disappointed.

a great location, it is 5 minutes walk to st-germain-des-prés and 10 minutes across de seine river to the louvre.  right next door is home to the famous ''atelier de joel robuchon'' as well as pierre gagnaire's ''gaya rive gauche''.

i like it so much that i have stayed there 4 times in the last 6 months and i intend to make it my home-away-from-home when i visit paris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hotel montalembert - 3 rue de Montalembert - 75 007 Paris - France
Telephone: + 33 (0)1 45 49 68 68 www.montalembert.com

Published by jc on January 22, 2008

auberge pyrenees cevennes - paris

Its on recommendation from the concierge of my hotel that we went for dinner at l' auberge pyrenees cevennes last night. as soon as we arrived, we knew dinner would be fantastic.

located in the 11th arrondissement, it is off the tourist circuit and the clientele last night were mainly regulars who came to enjoy their "specialites lyonnaises". the menu was simple with earthy, comfort food just like my grand mother cecile used to make. the atmosphere is warm and traditonnal reminding you of a hunting lodge in the middle of "la campagne francaise".

looking around, i was amazed with the size of each portions and everything smelled and looked so tasty: i did not know what to choose from their long list. and so, i finally started with "une terrine campagniarde" which was really a dish to share (tasty, reminding me of those brunch champetre we used to have when i was a kid), and for the main "un pave de rumsteak sauce aux poivres", a humongous piece of meat served covered in a home-style black pepper sauce to absolutely die for...(my mouth is watering as i am writing this...)

for wine, we were less impressed by our selection, but the list itself was full of very interesting labels and so next time, i will be more judicious in my choice.

overall a great culinary experience in a warm (chaleureuse) and friendly atmosphere. a great dinner for the cold and humid weather this time of year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

auberge pyrenees cevennes, 106 rue de la folie mericourt, 11e arrondissement. tel: +33 01 43 57 33 78

Published by jc on January 21, 2008

école du vin de bordeaux

back from bordeaux where i just completed an intensive week of courses to be an "accredited tutor", i return totally impressed by the quality, structure, and ambition of l'ecole du vin de bordeaux.

organised by the civb (conseil interprofessionel du vin de bordeaux), it's aim is to educate and dessiminate information about bordeaux wines. it offers several classes at their centre in bordeaux but, for me the interesting part is that the courses i attended will enable me to teach about bordeaux wines in asia using their curriculum, documents, and support.

i find this interesting not only because the courses are very well made and cover all aspects related to the wines of bordeaux but mainly because i find this to be a very clever way for bordeaux to propagate information about its wines around the world and, ultimately, influence consumers buying decisions.

how clever. researches have shown time and again that mainstream consumers today want ready to drink wines that are easy to understand and associate with. most prefer to select wines based on varietals and find bordeaux (and france in general) complicated with its thousands of chateaux, hundreds of appellations, and, god forbid, labels not showing "what's inside the bottle".

the courses this week were very well structured to give us a wide overview of bordeaux and break some preconceptions and attract our attention to little known appellations and styles of wines from bordeaux.

in fact, we spent a disporportionate amount of time on those little known wines and learned indeed that they present the most potential for the regions and are in fact among the most accessible to mainstream wine drinkers.

the area has 57 appellations and all kinds of classifications. and so to make it simple, they have grouped those in 6 families of wines according to styles:

1) bordeaux & bordeaux superieur red wines: the simplest and basic quality, from anywhere in bordeaux;

2) medoc & graves: dominated by cabernet sauvignon, from the "right bank" of the river garonne and the estuary gironde;

3) st-emilion/fronsac/pomerol: dominated by merlot, from the left bank of the river dordogne;

4) cotes: a group of 7 regions making similar styles of wines, also on the left bank of the dordogne and to the left of the estuary gironde;

5) dry whites: dominated by sauvignon and semillon, mainly from from graves & "entre deux mers", a region between the 2 rivers garonne & dordogne;

6) sweet whites: semillon dominated, mainly from sauterne & barsac and other small regions in the banks of the drodogne river.

after our first day reviewing appellations and other particularities of the bordeaux "terroir" (climate + geographie + man actions in vineyard & cellars), we spent the whole 2nd day visiting makers of cotes wines where we had interesting tastings of superb, value for money wines. on the 3rd day, we focused a whole morning on sauvignon grapes and tasted fantastic wines made with the grape. on the after-noon of that same day, we learned about and tasted sweet wines (which are divided in 2 groups: "moelleux", lightly sweet and perfect as apperitif and "liquoreux", much sweeter and complex, perect with fois gras and cheezes). on the 4th day, we visited 2 st-emilion makers and on the 5th, we had presentations in 3 medoc makers of which the largest proportion of our time was spent with a "crus bourgeois" maker where we also tasted 10 or so wines made from other "crus bourgeois" (a regroupment of makers who pull together to make wines of higher quality).

all in all, we clearly saw that the bordeaux region is pulling together to focus on quality and make sure the wolrd knows about its diversity, paricularity, and passion.

you can see my photo collection about this course on flickr by clicking on the photo below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i will teach bordeaux school of wine courses in hong kong and china.

Published by jc on January 20, 2008

les sources de caudalie - bordeaux

I can not imagine a better stay in a vineyard that at les sources de caudalie at chateau smith-haut-lafite. not only the room was beautiful with fantastic views of the vineyards, the staff was super nice, the restaurants were top class, and the proximity to the grand cru classe chateau smith-haut-lafitte and its vineyards incomparable.

in fact, both the hotel and the chateau are owned by the cathiard family and so les sources are located right in the middle of the vineyards. they also boast one of the best spa in the world offering treatments based on grapes and its by-products. there are also tours organised in the chais (cellars) of the chateau and it is possible to buy their wine in their small boutique located right on the estate.

in was too bad my trip coincided with their annual maintenance and so i could not use the spa. but i took advantage of the vineyards and the crisp and cool weather and walk, walk, and take photos. very relaxing.

i am told the best time of year to visit is may & june when the weather is best and the heavy tourist season has not yet started. in my oppinion, it is certainly a great place to chill-out for a long week-end.

you can click on each photos for a larger version and see my collection taken at the estate:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

les sources de caudalie, martillac (pessac-leogan wine appellation), tel. +33 (0) 5 57 83 83 83  www.sources-caudalie.com/

Published by jc on January 16, 2008

l'entracte - la rochelle, france

it's not always easy to choose a restauran