dining at broeding on my first night to munich was so good that i ended up returning on the last evening before flying back to hong kong - a big break to our rule of never dining twice at the same restaurant during the same trip.
 

each time i am about to travel, i carefully plan where i will have my dinners and i even make reservations before leaving hong kong. and so, it is through the new york times website that i found broeding.

the evening started pretty well. thanks to fantastic july weather, i was lead to their quaint little garden, served a crisp sparkling wine as aperitif, and received a full briefing of their fixed dinner menu.

in fact, you go to broeding for what the chef (manuel reheis) will cook that night and there is no other choice except than to decide whether you will have 5 courses or if you will also have the cheese plate to make it a 6 course meal.

the wine if left up to you but, as  they specialise in austrian wines, no other region is available as an option.  in fact this is what grabbed my curiosity and  made me decide to go there in the first place.  since i knew too little about austria, i thought it would be a great opportunity to learn and so i left it to the owner to suggest a match to each dish with what he saw fit.

and delighted i was.  the food was absolutely superb and each wines brought me in all kinds of directions.

but, it is the main course which made me reach reach a culinary peak i too seldom get in meals in hong kong (and pretty much anywhere for that matter).  i still remember the lamb, slow cooked to juicy tenderness, served with a dark cherry sauce and a delightful zucchini flower.  it was paired with a moric necken markter blaufrankisch 2005 (ripe raspberries, luscious dark cherries, plum, spicy and smoky with an incredibly long length) which was so perfectly married to the ingredients on my plate that i frankly do not remember another match that gave me so much sensations.

the rest of the meal ended up so well that after my deserts i changed my mind and asked them to bring me the cheese and make it a 6-course meal.

i highly recommend broeding for the food, the wine, but most importantly, for the passion for owner/manager gottfried wallisch who started his restaurant almost 20 years ago, against all odds and with a formula that has changed little since its beginning when he was told he would not last 6 months.

for sure, i will make this a compulsory visit each time i travel to munich.

broeding, schulstrasse 9, munich, 80634, tel: 089/16-42-38, web: www.broeding.de

Published by jc on November 12, 2009

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for the past 3 years now we have come to verona, in the veneto, for what is turning into a pilgrimage: the visit of our beloved vinitaly - one of the largest wine fair in the world.

in fact, it was here that the idea of this blog started and it was here that i realised that my passion for wine and food, and for the whole of italy for that matter, was actually much deeper than i thought before.

vinitaly has over 4,300 exhibitors from over 30 countries and i am told over than 100,000 people visit the fair, some from 100 different countries.  it includes not only wine producers, but also showcase on the technology of wine, and there is a pavillion dedicated to the food of italy with a huge display of olive oils from all over the country.

Published by jc on April 1, 2009

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in the last six months, i was fortunate to travel to many wine regions: italy's campania was charmingly rustic in the country side and dramatic on the amalfi coast.  napa was napa.  franschhoek in south africa was spectacular and beautiful,  australia's yarra valley was hearth-breaking as it had just been hit by those terrible fires.  but the mornington peninsula was like one of those dreams i had when i was a kid.  in fact, i had a strange feeling of déjà-vu... i was blown away and it was love at first sight!

as we landed in sorrento from a short ferry ride across the bay from queenscliff in geelong, i was already struck by how beautiful the town was.  little did i know that i would be hit harder as we would be driving up "arthurs seat" and then all the way to flinders, south of the peninsula.

the scenery was absolutely stunning.  farmland devoted to pasture, cattle, and vineyards, the landscape reminded me  of tuscany but, dare I say, better.  more like what i dream of tuscany.  the colors, the undulating hills, the cows, the sheeps, the beef cattle lazingly grazing.  the view of the sea in the far distance and the amazing colors of the land: straw gold of the grass, dark green of the humongous pine trees, the fresh and tender green of the vines scattered here and there.

just a short 1 1/2 hour drive south west of melbourne, the region is absolutely beautiful. 

and it produces great wines too.  thanks to its super maritime climate influenced on 3 sides by antartic currents, the region is cooler than most in australia and this gives perfect ripening conditions: long & slow ripening for maximum fruit quality, perfect natural acidity, and ripe tender tannins.  like burgundy, they specialize in pinot noir and chardonnay in that region and you can find some extremely rewarding handcrafted wines with crystalline flavours & well defined structure.

Published by jc on February 23, 2009

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what a great food & wine city melbourne is!  not only it is super close from several great wine regions, yarra valley and the mornington peninsula among others, but the city is full of great restaurants and wine bars and each year they host a fantastic wine & food festival chock-a-block with delicious activities for a whole 3 weeks each year.  talk about a strong wine and food culture, the place oozes with passion!

but one thing that really gets me excited when i compare melbourne with hong kong is the southbank development along the yarra river in the middle of the city.  the stretch between spencer street and st-kilda road was built-up with all kinds of casino/hotels/apartment complexes and they are packed with great restaurants, bars, and entertainment facilities, all with terraces and amazing views over the city across the river. a super great place to be on a nice balmy summer night, for dinner, for drinks, or simply to walk along the "prom".

now, hong kong has, in my opinion, the best harbour views in the world.  in fact, this is an understatement.  the harbour views in hong kong are in a league of their own, unmatched by far.  yet, it must be one of most under developped in the world. sorry, yes, there is café habitu in the ocean center.  yes, there is isola and red bar in ifc.  yes, some super luxury hotels and super expoensive restaurants that offers super exclusive views over the harbour.  yes, there is the "avenue of the stars" on the tst promenade.  but these are isolated, scattered, and somewhat disjointed.  there is not one "multi-tasking" development where one can dine, be entertained, leisurely walk, and feels part of some of a community.  instead, hong kong builds shopping malls, ugly ferry terminals, and highways along its harbour.  it makes its views super exclusive or super uncomfortable to enjoy, and argues forever without any decision about the development of its west kowloon cultural district.  i don't understand.

and so, i love the southbank development in melbourne.

Published by jc on February 21, 2009

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Published by jc on February 12, 2009

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in the local language, "neuras" means "a place of water plenty".  in fact, the land where allan and sylvia walken-davis grow grapes and make wine is blessed with 5 sources of water. a veritable oasis in the middle of the namibian desert, theirs is a very special terroir indeed.  

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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

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Published by jc on September 23, 2008

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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. 

Published by jc on May 17, 2008

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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

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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

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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

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  Filed in: argentina, tasting notes, travels

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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it's not always easy to choose a restaurant between two that are empty. to be fair, restaurants here in la rochelle open at 19h00 for dinner and i had been walking up and down the street since 18h30 before i short listed "la cote de boeuf" and "l'entracte". in fact, on recommendation from a friend, i was due to have dinner at "chez andre" tonight, but i decided the other two not only had a better atmosphere but the menu on presentation looked more in line with what i had in mind.

in the end, i chose "l'entracte" for 2 reasons: it had huitres in its appetizer list and it is michelin recommended. mind you "la cote de boeuf" is gault millaut recommended, so the choice was still difficult to make.

i am now learning to make the difference between michelin and gault millaud in the same way i have made the difference between gambero rosso and veronelli in italy.

i still have not made up my mind and so i will tell you about that much later.

the service was friendly although nervous. i am not sure why since i was the only customer for most of my visit. In any case, it was efficient and knowledgeable, which is always something i like.

i had les huitres, for appetizer (but of course) and the "noix de coquilles st-jacques" for the main.

oysters are oysters so i will skip that description. the coquille were served with a risotto of tomatoes and parsley and "jus de viande". although the risotto arrived yellow as mustard, it was surprisingly tasty. in fact a bit of coquilles together with risotto and jus was absolutely divine on my palate. the coquilles being in season were soft, tender, and slightly sweet tasting. first time i have this kind of taste and texture, lovely.

i ended my meal with cheese "de brebis", goat cheeze in english which does not sound nearly as nice...

a delightful meal. highly recommended if you visit la rochelle.

you can click on each photos for a larger version:

l'entracte, 35 rue st-jean-du-perot, la rochelle, tel. +33 546 52 26 69

Published by jc on January 12, 2008

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  Filed in: france, restaurants, travels

i am now on a 10 days trip in the bordeaux and la rochelle region and pretty much everything is organized but, franco will not believe it when he will read this,  last night, i did not have a hotel booked anywhere.

yes, when i travel, i normally like to book everything well in advance, including where i will have lunch and dinner.  you can imagine that maria and franco, being the quintessential laid back italians are always laughing at me before i go anywhere.

my theory is simple: i want to optimize the opportunities. by studying the situation in advance, i want to make sure i don't miss out and i normally organize my trips around food i want to eat and things i want to experience.

and so yesterday, i decided to keep it opened.  i did not know at what time my meeting would finish and how long it would take to drive back to la rochelle so, i decided to drive and drive and drive until i would find something suitable.

here is the rub: each time i saw a lovely place i could stay and where food could be interesting, i always came back to 2 thoughts: 1) too lovely for going without maria; 2) perhaps there is a better place if a drive a few more kilometers.

and so after 3 hours of driving (1/2 of it in pitch darkness), tired, jet-lagged, hungry, i reached st-émilion where 4 out of 5 hotels were closed for the season.  it is by sheer luck that i found the only hotel that was opened.  in fact, it found me.  the gentils hotelier saw me driving by 2 or 3 times and so he stopped me to inform me that he is the only one openned at this hour and that he is about to leave and so i should make up my mind now or else drive for a another few hours.

go figure.  i think i will stick with my plans for now on, i am not too good with a ''no-planning let's go on a no-where type of situation''...

Published by jc on January 11, 2008

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on our last night in delhi, maria and i decided to try véda. 

it's on driving around with enrico that i saw their sign from the road and from it's name, i thought it was from the same owners as veda in hong kong which we particularily like.

so we went on the 1st of january and drove there in an absolutely crazy traffic. cars. motorcycles, buses were honking at each other in an absolute mad symphony.  plus, our driver kept cursing the ''jam-jam-jam'' in this loud and thick indian accent. at one point, everthing came to an absolute standstill, everything stopped, became completely quiet and there, i think everybody realised that nothing was going to move for a long while.  indeed, it took us 1 1/2 hour to reach the place which normally should have taken us 1/2 hour.  a cultural experience, beleive me...

anyway, when we got there, we were quite happy to have made the trek.  we found out that the owners are not the same as in hong kong and, other than meaning ''knowledge'' in sanskrit, the name is actually an acronym from "very exotic dining ambiance''.

the atmosphere was quite special.  it is dark with a red glow from the lighting.  walls are covered with mirrors with all kind of shape and sizes.  it feels velvety, lush, mysterious.  the music was loungee and the overall warmth of the place made us feel quite at ease.

unfortunately, the service did not start very well when we ask the head waiter what they recommended.  ever the tradesman, he transparently advised on their tasting menu which was the top super most expensive item.  when we asked him questions about it, he seemed bothered and made us feel that he would rather have us leave the place rather than explain his menu.  so i told him to get us our wine.

the other waiters who take over from the guy, more than made up from this lapse. their recommendations and explanantions were very good and we enjoyed our food tremendously.

we shared:

- kararee bhindi - fried okra with red peppers: tasty, salty, lightly spicy but a little bit dry

- kohe awadh - lamb shank with savoury sauce: delicious, smooth, savoury spice, mouthwatering

- achari panneer tikka - cottage cheeze: tasty, perfect texture, savoury spcice, succulent

- basmati rice - plain: aromatic, flowery, not sticky, and perfect with the sauce of the lamb

all were prepared in a ''nouveau genre'' and modern style.  the presentation and taste was excellent and very tasty.  writing about it now makes my mouth water....

for wine, we decided to try indian wines (a choice the headwaiter sneered at).  so we chose the grover vineyards cabernet-shiraz which was quite tasty, very much fruity, but balanced and succulent (read some spice and complexity) enough to want to order another glass.  however, for my 2nd glass, i tried the sula vineyards shiraz which was disappointing in the sense that it was too fruity, was nnot a very good representation of its kind - it felt more like alcoholic grape juice than a shiraz.  maybe it was the storage or the transportation and this is why i brought back a bottle so that i can taste later with other people and get their opinions.

in any case, an altogether a great experience that i recommend and we will certainly go back on our next trip to delhi.

veda - h-27 connaught circus, outer circle, new delhi tel. +91 5151 3535

you can click on each photos to see larger versions

Published by jc on January 5, 2008

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it is on recommendations from the ''delhi wine club'' website that we went to an apparently brand new shop to buy a few of the best examples of indian wines. 

the dsiidc wine shop in greater kailash II run by the government agency of the same name had a friendly knowledgeable staff and their selection actually quite varied, not only for indian wine but also for international origins.  it seems that here in delhi, the purchase of alchool is rather highly regulated and wines can only be purchased in official locations and apparently a new larger shop near connaught place will open soon.

we bought a red (la reserve - a blend of cabernet & merlot) and a white (sauvignon blanc) from grover vineyards and a red (shiraz) from sula vineyards. i will be looking forward to taste those together in the next couple of weeks with pierre legrandois, the very sympathique sommelier at mandarin oriental hotel in hong kong.

Published by jc on December 24, 2007

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delhi (india) is absolutely mind bloggling.  a lot of what we see here we can also see in some shape or form in china and so for me the culture shock is not as great as it could be for people who come to a developping country for the 1st time.  still, colors, odors, people, life is extreme.  and this is only the 1st day.

you can see the photos of our first day by clicking on the peppers below:

today we are going to ''old delhi'' which i am told is something else altogether.

also today, we will go and try to find wine produced in india.  my target to to especially find wine from grover vineyards which is advised by michel rolland.

Published by jc on December 24, 2007

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unfortunately for the exhibitors, the 9th edition of vinitaly china in shanghai was not very well attended.  a pity because some fine producers were exhibiting and i think this was really from a lack of imagination from the organisers and from not having spent enough energy promoting the event in hong kong where no one i know in the wine trade kew about the event.

it was fortunate for me however, because producers had time for me and were quite relaxed to talk about their wines and what they do back in italy.

i planned to attend the fair 2 days but ended up completing what i had come to do in only one.  i spent most of my time in the ''pavillions'' of abruzzo and sardegna and was certainly glad to meet those producers i did.

first of, was ''santa maria la palma'' from sardegna which makes our ''vino della casa'' red and white which are simple, easy to drink, easy to match with any food: the red, cannonau ''le bombarde'' which i reviewed previously in those pages and the white, vermentiono ''aragosta'' which is fragrant, peachy, stony, refreshing, and delicious.

then, we had wines at ''argiolas'' which were certainly of great quality and very well made, in particular the ''turriga 2003 - isola dei nuraghi'' which had a nice ruby core with purple hints at rim; aromatics of a developping wine with stewed red fruits, pepermint, hints of chocolate and coffee; refreshing acidity on the palate with a medium tannin, flavours as nose with stronger herbceous-pepperminty characters and long finish.  a good wine that will certainly age well for several years.

their vermentino ''is argiolas 2006'' was of a luscious pale gold color with fresh & youthfull aromatics of pear, pinapple, exotic fruits and hints of minerals & stones; a refreshing acidity, medium body, as delicious on the palate as it was aromatic on the nose with slightly bitter/nutty finish reminiscent of almonds.  complex, pleasant, delicious.

Published by jc on December 2, 2007

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  Filed in: Italy, tasting notes, travels, wine

when i told him i was staying that the hyatt on the bund in shanghai, claudio who happens to be responsible for the food & beverage operations of hyatt hotels & resorts in asia pacific told me to make sure i visited the vue bar and vue restaurant on the top of the hotel.

the whole set up is amazing, the views from the bar are simply breathtaking and while you sip your glass of chardonnay or sauvignon blanc you have this amazing feeling of being suspending over the ledge of the building, almost as if you are floating in the air over the huangpu river.

but what impressed me absolutely the most is what must be the highest wine cellar in the world (it is certainly the coooest).  as you enter the restaurant, you follow a long corridor along the west side of the building with the same amazing view as above to arrive in a kind of lobby just before entering the dinning room.  ahead, you have this amazing glass cellar and to your right, this stupendous view.  impossible not to be in awe....

you can read a full review from sh magazine.

30-31/F, hyatt on the bund, 199 huangpu lu, near wuchang lu, shanghai

Published by jc on December 1, 2007

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each year, i visit germany for a trade show and each time i look for a restaurant that will serve good old fashioned nuremberg sausages, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes.  even though friedrichshafen is less than 3 hours drive from nuremberg, i still have not found.

and so it is quite ironic that i must come here in guangzhou to find this delicacie.  indeed, at "1920", the name of the restaurant, you can find an extensive german "octoberfest" food & beer menu that is actually as good if not better than what i had in munich some years ago.

they also have a pretty decent wine list and the food quite varied and tasty.  on the menu are have "wine" platters, one consisting of cheese, grape, and rye bread, the ohter cold cuts, lettuce, cheese, and rye bread.

maria and i arrived late and even though, their small outside terrace was full and we had to wait a while so we had a ‘paulaner weissbier’  and reviewed the day.  the wait was well worth it as when our meal arrived, it was delicious and exactly as expected. Maria had a new item on the menu which was "munich" meatballs on a bed of mashed potatoes which was a bomb of flavour at the bite.  of course i had my nuremberg sausage and sauerkraut and it brought me straight back to my student days when i backpacked across europe and stop in nuremberg on my way somewhere else.

a little bit of germany right here in the heart of guangzhou.

this photo is taken from their website: http://www.1920cn.com/

1920: 183 yan jiang zhong rd., guangzhou, tel +86 20 8333 6156

Published by jc on October 19, 2007

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right around the corner from maria's apartment and within walking distance from the luxurious garden hotel in guangzhou, there is a neat little wine bar called the "friend's daily".

it's location is very much in a residential neighbourhood and so it's atmosphere is friendly and casual.  the clientele is mainly local with a few expats.

it has a wine list from regions extending from argentina, australia, usa, italy, and of corse france which is the bulk of their listing.  they keep their wine in a specially built little room with glass walls that they keep at a low temperature.

wines are served in riedel glasses and they also have a small menu with the usual wine cheezes and cold meats that one can expect in a wine bar.

well worth the discovery if you want a break from chinese food.

friend's daily: g/f, 11 tao jin jie lu, guangzhou, tel: +86 20 8359 6681

Published by jc on October 19, 2007

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we started this blog with the view of talking about our passion for food and for wine.  this obviously implied we would focus on what we like best.

but i think it should also be about special experiences as well and so this is why today i report about mcdonald at the canton fair.

this place is absolutely unbeleivable.  

the sheer number of people they serve per hour during lunch time is staggering.  their organisation is super efficiencient and they run it like an small army unit.  what is most amazing is that you wait for a very short time even though 25 people are standing BEFORE you get served.  all this thanks to a system in which an attendant takes your order while you are standing in line, send it wirelessly to her unit back in the kitchen, tells you how much it will cost and gives you an order number, by the time you reach the cashier, the order is already packed and you only have to pay and go.  total waiting time 7 minutes.  now, that is 25 orders processed in 7 minutes.  make that 15 cashier.  that is flabberghasting.

no matter you like or not, this to me is an incredible food experience.  of course, it is processed food and of course it is only fuel.  but the alternative at the fair is actually worst.  and so, fuel is still needed...

the other thing that is amazing about this mcdonald is the variety of nations sitting next to each other in the dining room, you have americans sitting next to pakistanis who are sitting next to israelis who are sitting next to germans who themselves are sitting next to nigerians who are sitting next to japanese....you get the picture...and this is an amazing picture.

the canton fair is the celebration of globalisation for best and for worst.  whether you agree or not, this is human evolution and it is not possible for me to look at this scenery and dismiss it as not being important.

there, mcdonald at the canton fair...

Published by jc on October 19, 2007

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in london last week, i took some time to visit the wonder bar in selfridges on oxford street.  i read about it in decanter magazine a few months back and ever since i have drooled all over this concept and so i had to see it for myself.

the bar is actually tucked in between their food court and wine shop and it revolves around their idea of a ''wine juke box'' which is actually the ''wine serving system'' developped by a company called enomatic.

for a price, you buy a ''wine card'' which is a smart card that you can replenish with funds as much as you like.  you then approach the ''juke box'' which is a long row of bottles placed inside the serving system, insert your card, select your wine and the size of the poor, put your glass under the spout and ''voilà'', you can help yourself to a very wide range of wines and they change the selection on a regular basis. 

the dispenser offers 3 sizes of pour: a sip, 1/2 glass, and a full glass. it's temperature controled and, thanks to a system of pipes and nitrogen, it keeps the wine fresh for weeks and weeks.

this is an absolutely fantastic way to go about and discover wine.  you can taste before you buy and in this way discover without fear that you will end up with some ''piquette'' that will scortch your palate at every sip.

i was told by the waiter that happy hours are absolutely packed with the london smart set who come there to taste and try and get pissed on good stuff so that they can wake up the next morning without the headaches and start the whole process again night after night. 

i was also told that they put a chateau petrus 1976 of which they sold so many they had to stop to keep some bottles for their regular well heeled patrons.  people were just curious to taste the legendary wine even if it set them back 32 pounds a sip...

and this is what keeps me awake at night!!   this system will totally democratize the wine world and finally make accessible the kinds of wines that some people can not afford a whole bottle or who simply can't drink a whole one because they are not part of some wine group, or that their spouse/friends do not drink.

this system could start a revolution: finally away with vinegar by the glass that they serve us all over hong kong (and most of the world!).

i tell you, this machine will revolutionise the way wine is sold and any serious wine shop which really cares about promoting wine and worth its grain of salt will jump on this.  what better way to encourage people to discover new wines and trade up? no i do not have a vested interest into enomatic other than hoping to see more and more such system installed so that i can finally enjoy wines by the glass.

i am seriously looking into it for hong kong and i have a super great concept in mind, anyone interested to invest in my project?

Published by jc on October 9, 2007

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in paris, even though i went for a trade show, i arranged myself to attend a wine tasting at l'ecole du vin.  they run nice little operation and offer classes mainly at le cour st-émilion where wine used to be sotred and traded in the old days close to quai bercy.  you can find more information on by following this link ''école du vin'' and i really advise that you find out if they have any activities on your next trip to paris

the tasting was about ''grands crus de distinctions'' and the talk was offered by olivier thienot who was not only very knowledgeable of his subject but also very engaging and entertaining as well.

Published by jc on October 6, 2007

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for all of you foodies out there, i am sure you saw the movie.  anyone remembers when father was giving a piece of reality about humans in ratatouille?

see what i found totally by pure chance, it craked me up so hard, brrr....

Published by jc on October 2, 2007

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how can one not love this city?  every corner you turn there is something beautiful to look at.  if it is not a building, it is the people, if not, it is a food display or a museum, un magasin... so many beautiful things...

and the people are nice.  yes, you used to hear that parisians had this difficult and unpleasant attitude but each time i go back, i find them nicer and nicer.  perhaps is it because i am french canadian and they find my accent ''mignon''?

or perhaps it is my own attitude as i am growing fonder and fonder of paris with each trip and paris loves me back in return??

i find that it has an ''amour-propre'' that is unmatched anywhere except perhaps montreal.  it is a city proud of what it is and flaunting it for all to enjoy.  and not only happy to sits on what it has, it finds new ways to enjoy it even more: la parade des rollers, the ferris wheel at the foot of champ-elysées, velib, paris-plage, bateaux-mouche, tango sur les quais de la seine, you name it!

for food lovers, paris is a paradise.  restaurants, cafés. bistros, bars...food halls, markets, shops... wine bars, wine shops, wine tastings.  cooking schools.  they have it all and every day there is something happening somewhere.

this is a photo i took quickly at a red light from the back of my taxi, how can you not want to be there?  ahh paris....

Published by jc on October 2, 2007

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the thing i love about traveling is the discovery of new things.  to see how people of all kinds of background and culture go about being passionate about the same things i am passionate about.

while waiting for my connection at jfk on my way to paris, i had a flight at vinovolo, a nice little wine bar.  a flight is a series of wine glasses that contain just enough to taste each one and get an appreciation of each at the same price of ordering 1 full glass of 1 type of wine.

this flight was about wines from new york state:

- millbrook chardonnay 2005

- bedell cellars merlot 2005

- hermann j. wiemer riesling 2005

the experience was quite interesting and i loved it.  i wish we can have a place in hong kong that can do this kind of thing.

Published by jc on September 29, 2007

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  Filed in: restaurants, travels, usa, wine

as i mentionned previously, on my 1st night in vegas, i visted BOUCHON which was in itself a fantastic experience.  the restaurant is such a faithfull reproduction of a paris bistro that being in paris here now, i am amazed at how much being there made me feel being here....

the food was fantastic, i had a starter of oyster paired with laurent-perrier champagne (brut) which was fresh, typical, and a very delicious accompaniment to my oysters. 

i then had their special of the evening which was a beautiful beef bavette served on a bed of red cabbage and bacon sauce.  the first bit was incredible, an explosion of flavours, i closed my eyes and felts nirvana...  this was pared with a very tasty syrah TOR CARNEROS DURELL '03 specially selected by mr keller.  it was what can one expect of a high qualoity shiraz with an additional complexity of savoury spices (cardamon, white pepper, black pepper).

on the 2nd night, i invited friends to try MARIO BATALI'S B&B RESTAURANTE.  i was excited.  i was looking forward to something that i had booked 1 month piror.  i read HEAT which talks about him so much and i wanted to experience first hand what ''molto mario'' is all about.

my verdict: i will go back to BOUCHON for sure on my next trip to vegas, but will try other restaurants before i return to B&B.

jim asked me why on FACEBOOK (jc viens).  simple, the music was so obnoxious, i could not hear myself talk, let alone taste the food in my mouth.  secondly, the snotty door girl, whatever her title is was so arogant, she made me cringe (in asia we say lose face).  i mean, it is batali who is famous, NOT HER.  then our waiter asked me if i wanted to hear the sommelier's recommendation.  i said yes as i had heard their wine expertise is very good.  well she came to our table without knowing what we were eating and only suggested that we drink the wine from joe bastianich's winery (who is also owner of b&b).  she did not suggest anything else and was so busy generally that in fact seemed that she could not careless about giving us advice on this matter.  either by the look of us, she thought we knew nothing about wine, or this was a crass way too go for more margin. come to think of it, she was perhaps there for show, isn't it what las veags is about?

talking of which.  3 weeks ago at la ciau de tornavento in piedmonted, we had a gaja sori di lorenzo 1990 which we paid in the restaurant euro 420 for it.  i wondered why the 1989 of the same wine was offered usd 1300 in b&b.  really...

mind you, the pasta was very very good.  1000% what i was expecting.  but the rest was ordinary.  i ordered the rabbit which was prepared in 4 different ways (meaning the same rabbit was served in 4 pieces and each piece beingprepared differently)  that, although an interesting culinary experience, was quite an anti-climax because each piece were absolutely not as good as the other one.  a matter of personal taste you will say.  well, yes, but why serve such a dish in that case?  my guest also thought there main were a let down for various reasons and everyone agreed that the pasta and the desserts were the best dishes of the evening.  to wash down this food, we had a LORENZO BEGALI AMARONE 1999 which we paid 3 times the listed price in wine searcher and was actually not very good and felt a little bit acetic on the palate.  what made me cringe here what that prices on the wine that list started at about usd 150 except for those from joe bastianich's winery.

celebrity has a premium you will say?  well, this is indeed a learning experience for me and i will stay away from those overexposed celebrities from now on.  OVER-EXPOSED AND OVERRATED, that is what i think and all my guests including myself felt let down in some ways.  were our expectations too high?  it was ordinary, period. we indeed had a las vegas experience: the house always win...

Published by jc on September 29, 2007

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now in fabulous las vegas, an oasis of hedonism right in the middle of nowhere.  this place is amazing, but not only for the gambling.

i read somehwere that actually 55+ % of all visitors to las vegas actually come for the shows, the restaurants, and the clubbing.  i am not surprised, the quality of shows on-going at this moment is mindboggling.  and so many celebrity chefs are establishing ''pignon sur rue'', it is hard to make a choice.

last night i went to BOUCHON owned by thomas keller the genius chef behind the french laundry in nappa valley and tonight, we are going to mario batali's b&b restaurante.

Published by jc on September 28, 2007

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on our last day, we had a bit of a threat when visited the distilleria del barbaresco very early in the morning.  no we did not taste grappa, but Franco at the distelleria was good enough to show us inside out and explain with much brillance the whole process of distillation.  unfortunately, there was not vinaccia to distill on that morning but we nonetheless were able to see everything.

then, the super threat was when we visited GAJA.

and what a tour the kind and friendly Sonia Franco gave us.  as we walked through the cellars among the barrique she talked about the Gaja family and its evolution through the generations, their ideals, and passion for quality, tradition, and their desire to push the limits to reach ever higher levels of quality.

i was impressed how they are uncompromising and completely and totally invested in what they do.  the cellars are beautiful, going from one building and extending under the street of barbaresco to reach the castle on the other side.  they are beautifully laid out and throughout you can feel the love, the passion, the commitment.

we ended our tour at the tasting room where the entire collection was displayed and we were told the story of each wines and how their names came about, the history behind each and the deep meaning that each wines have for the Gaja family.  everything is considered in relations to the rich history of the family, calling deep rooted feelings that, when you taste the wine, goes beyond the grape and the terroir itself.  as if, knowing the philosophical and historical background of each wine, you come to understand its personality a little better as you drink it.  i had never thought or experienced that before, but at Gaja, love, passion, and tradition transcend everything they do.

we tasted their ALTENI DI BRASSICA 2000 made from sauvignon blanc.  with intense floral aromas with smoke and hints of honey, its palate of grapefruit, honey and an refershing acidity with a nice long lenght.

the CAMARCANDA 2004, was still young and fresh with jammy red fruits - strawberries, rasberries with a medium acidity and tannin and a nice spicy, almost peppery finish.

BARBARESCO 2004: a fantastic wine.  beautiful clear bright ruby color, with medium intensity aromas of fresh forest fruits, berries, and licorice.  a very well balanced palate with its acidity, soft ripe tannins, and flavours marrying each other perfectly.  a long richly fruity lenght of complexity and savouriness which waters my mouth only thinking about it now.  definitely a great wine which, in my humble experience, i think will be a great fine wine.  to keep for many years.

and finally, SPERSS 1989.  intense aromas of tobacco, smoke, and still after 8 years strong hints of dark forest fruits.  on the palate, a fine balance of acidity and tannins with flavours of black fruits, liquorice and tar.  delicious now but can keep.

in all, a super tasting that all of us will never forget.  Sonia, we were fans before visiting you, we are definitely disciples now!  thanks!

after our lunch at arsivoli, we headed towards BAROLO where we unfortunately did not spend enough time on this trip.  although i am discovering myself to be a barbaresco guy, we have visited the cellars of GIANNI GAGLIARDO and tasted a nice PREVE BAROLO 2004.  a beautiful ruby color with soft and complex aromas of dark fruits and spices. a medium acidity with high levels of tannins - a little bit coarser than a barbaresco) and fresh yet complex flavours of cherries, mulberries, and spice. with a nice long complex finish.

Published by jc on September 17, 2007

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  Filed in: Italy, tasting notes, travels, wine

of course, we had wine, plenty of it. our tour brought us to some fine wineries indeed:

- poderi colla:

the first winery of our tour where we tasted a tough, very tannic nebbiolo d'alba 2004.  a fine color and aromas alright, but a palate that is almost unforgetable so much it gripped to the gums, tongue, and palate... i was told that such wine need food to be appreciated at its just value - this always makes me cringe... 

we then had a much easier to drink barbarera d'alba 2004 which gave us a fine representation indeed of its kind.  it is at this point that, while trying to concluded our tasting, our host perhaps realised that he underestimated our ability to differeniate between common and good and so we launched into a serious discussion about tannin and balance and how the nebbiolo we had just tasted had much too much of the former and seriously not enough of the later. 

and so, he hurried to the cellar and brought back a very decent bottle of barbaresco roncaglia 2004 which shows much promises as its fruit, acidity and tannin was showing a much better balance and complexity of aromas and palate. 

i am still learning and this tasting was certainly an eye opener for me to realise that i know much more than i thought and that this kind of tasting helps much in building the confidence necessary to evaluate and discuss a wine versus another.

- valter bera:

a very special experience firstly because the location of this winery is absolutely stunning and secondly because the lack of pretention shown by valter bera was so refreshing - after-all, i was told and read that he makes some of the best moscato in italy and so, i was pleasantly surprised.  we arrived in the middle of a lunch they were hosting for rai television and so did not know too much what to make of us even though we had confirmed our appointment weeks before.

nevertheless they were good enough to arrange one of their colleague to take good care of us and he started by pooring a nice bottle of dolcetto d'alba 2004.  however, we had come specifically for their moscato d'asti and their asti.  in particular, i wanted to see for myself the method of production that i just learned in my diploma classes in this last semestre.

we tasted and we experienced.  moscato d'asti had a nice pale straw color with fine persitent bubbles, medium intensity aromas of flowers, white peach, lightly sweet with low levels of acidity, fresh, fruity flavours of apple skin and hints of honey with a nice delicate soft mousse and medium (+0) after-taste.  a nice good quality wine.  the asti was much the same s the moscato but a little drier with more tropical fruits qualities and slightly more agressive mousse although, as the moscato, persistent and fine.

i was explained later that they obtain such fine mousse because they close the tank as soon as they fill it up with the moscato and use a special yeast to obtain delicatness and complexity.

we left with much moscato, asti, and also a moscato passito they make on the side which i am told is wonderful.

Published by jc on September 13, 2007

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  Filed in: Italy, tasting notes, travels, wine

i think wine tours should not only be about the wine but also about the making of wine. and so, we went to visit botti gamba where given a super tour by mrs gamba.

she told us about barrel making, wood, seasoning, and toasting.  we tasted pieces of wood and we clearly saw that botti gamba is a serious player in this industry.

click here to see photos of this tour.  one of them below:

Published by jc on September 12, 2007

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here, i discovered something very important on this trip:  i have found that i am much more traditionalist and conversative when it comes to food than what seems to be the current trend among foodies.

we used mainly 2 guides to select the places we wanted to eat: ''restoranti d'italia del gambero rosso 2007'' and ''osterie & locande'' from slow food.

i found that the highest ratings from gambero rosso seem to be for those restaurants that have a kind of ''modern'' take on italian cuisine.  a kind of ''nouveau'' style that i am not sure i like but i definitely lean towards not liking it. 

slow food on the other hand definitely have recommendations that are more traditional and the food in those restaurant we visited were certainly more to my leaning.

- l'osteria dell'unione: lunch - super nice location right at the entrance of the village of treiso with a small terrace outside.  as we were 10, we had a set lunch prepared for us and the food was plenty and each dishes more delicious than the others.  the antipasti were fresh, local, and absolutely savoury.  the primis were fresh and tasty and the secondo of rabitt prepared in a peidmont style divine.  they have a very good selection of wine and it is a nice place to linger the whole after-noon. i will definitely return.

 - la ciau del tornavento: dinner - the location is fantastic right in the middle of treiso and if you go there for lunch, i imagine the views of the langhe to be absolutely stunning.  however, for dinner, the atmosphere is somewhat disfunctional and a little bit cold.  the food was modern italian and this is where actually that i had my epiphany of sort.  the wine cellar is probably among the best i have seen however and the selection very difficult for anyone to make only 1 choice.  we received many recommendations about that place and gambero rated it 86 which is among the highest in piedmont.  but for us, the experience was not as good as we had experienced in similarily rated & described restaurant by gambero. i will probably return but not before i have explored other restaurants around langhe.

- l'osteria dell'arco: dinner - you see, for a 77 by gambero rosso, we had a much more pleasant dinner than at la ciau.  this is what makes me think that i am more traditionalist.  the food was tasty and the menu imaginative albeit traditional and simple.  the wine list was also simple, yet the wine we selected was of a very good quality as i imagine the other wines on that list.  one of the first ''slow food'' restaurant, i would definitely go back.

- arsivoli in barbaresco, right next to the enoteca regionale - lunch - this was recommended to us by albino from the cascina barac and to be fank, it must have been the best restaurant of the trip.  we arrived late and there was many people and so, with our group of 10, the service was a bit slow.  but when the food arrived, it was absolutely worth the wait.  it was traditional with a very light modern twist, very savoury and lip smacking.  even the bread and the grissini tasted better than what we had elsewhere.  the decor is modern but without behind devoid of warmth and the staff kindness amply made up what seemed to have been an abnormally busy day for them.  i would definitely go back.

- da cesare - dinner: a very special, albeit a bit strange experience.  first you enter da cesare from the back door of what seems to be private house straight into the chef's kitchen.  as you enter, you are struck by intense aromas coming from what is cooking on the stoves and grilling over the fire.  you do not choose what you will eat at da cesare, they serve you what cesare has decided to cook on that day.  i recomment that you bring your own wine as their wine list is a bit simple.  the whole experience was very special although i did not like everything that we had. some people are all over da cesare as an absolute must to do in langue.  i agree that this is an experience one must absolutely experience and i will difinitely go back but, like la ciau, once i have experienced other places. book in advance as he accepts no more than 20 dinners per night.

my mother and maria with the infamous cesare himself - taken straight into this kitchen!!:

with franco, valeria (cousin), maria, and i:

Published by jc on September 12, 2007

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  Filed in: food, italy, restaurants, travels

quite frankly, for an agriturismo, cascina barac where we stayed is on a class of its own. 

its location is fantastically located in the middle of the hills overlooking vines left right and center, the quality of its room superb, and the friendliness of its management incomparable. 

on seeing other hotels and agriturismo during our tour of the langhe, i would say the cascina barac is the best for it's location (10 minutes from alba, 15 minutes from barbaresco, 1/2 hour from barolo), it's quietness, and more importantly for this kind of travel, it's wow factor.  this place is everything one imagine (and hope for) for a wine tour in italy.

we felt so much at home that we plan to make cascina barac our base each time we will visit piedmont in the future.

i recommend the suite if you are going to spend more than 3 nights and it has an apartment that is fully appointed for a group of 4.

albino bonelli, it's owner is super friendly and he helped us a great deal to finalise some difficult bookings.

here is a photo i took from the gate on our arrival - you can see the village of treiso on the background:

and another one on the evening before we left - you can feel the ''dolce vita''!!:

Published by jc on September 12, 2007

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our schedule might appear to have been heavy for what was after-all supposed to be a vacation, but that is the way i like it and i think overall, our group enjoyed the diversity of the things that we saw and learned.

you can see the full details here which includes timing as well as addresses we went.  i would say that our schedule was very well balanced, leaving us time to enjoy the activities, travel in between and still enjoy moments to rest.

highlights includes:

- stay at cascina barac in the hills of treiso 

- town of alba

- lunch at osteria dell'unione in treiso

- poderi colla - famous barbaresco maker

- dinner at la ciau del tornavento in treiso

- botti gamba - famous maker of barrique & casks

- town of asti & its market

- valter bera - famous maker of moscato d'asti and asti

- dinner at l'osteria dell'arco in alba

- distilleria dell barbaresco - maker of grappa from 32 members from barbaresco

- gaya - the one and only

- lunch at arsivoli in barbaresco

- gianni gagliardo - famous maker of barolo

- dinner at cesare - a very special experience

- torino and its super special food & wine store concept eataly

Published by jc on September 12, 2007

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we have just returned from piedmont where we had a blast.  franco has just confirmed he will start his somelier course level 1 in milan in october and maria and i are now trying to get rid of jet lag.

here is franco and i in diano d'alba overlooking the hills of barolo on our 1st day:

Published by jc on September 12, 2007

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