the glamour bar - shanghai

m on the bund is the kind of place that makes you think shanghai is cool.  It's glam, it's stylish & sophisticated, it's cosmocrat. and the food is fab, tasty, and the pavlova is absolutely to die for.  the people watching beautiful, and the atmosphere so luxurious, it makes me feel I am hot.it's what shanghai is in my mind.  i never fail to come here each time i visit the city and i am always delighted.

this time around though, i decided to focus on chinese food and so will not eat here for dinner.  nevertheless, faithful to my chickens, I made sure to come to the glamour bar, their sister operation one floor below, for happy hour.

with basically the same breathtaking view over the bund and pudong, albeit without the stupendous balcony of the 7t floor restaurant, the bar is as cool, if not more.  the decor is semi shanghai-of-the decant-20s with a touch of kitsch-meets-glam-meets-modern-art.  it's definitely cool, it makes me feel cool, and it reminds me that i am a lucky guy to have the chance to travel as much and have the chance to visit places like that.

the happy hour has a nice little antipasto offering (italian style) and the bar is opened until the wee hours.  i am told the people watching here is something else and all of the cool cats and the beautiful people of shanghai stop by at different hours.

decadent, lush, glamorous, hip, stylish, and cool, that's the glamour bar.

not to be missed on your (my) next trip to shanghai.

the glamour bar - 6/f, no 5 the bund (corner guangdong lu), shanghai tel. +86 21 63 50 99 88

Published by jc on November 27, 2008

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

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

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

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

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

 

1- moore brothers:

33 east 20th street, tel 212 375 1575

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

 

 

 

2- bottle rocket wine + spirit:

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

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

 

 

3- vino:

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

4- le dû's wines:

600 washington street, tel. 212-924-6999 

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

 

5- sherry-lehmann:

505 park avenue, tel. 212-838-7500

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

 

6- leNell's:

in brooklyn

 

7- burgundy wine:

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

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

 

8- italian wine merchants:

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

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

 

 

9- crush wine:

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

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

 

10- red, white + bubbly:

brooklyn

Published by jc on October 16, 2008

iki beer in amsterdam airport

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Published by jc on September 2, 2008

tastings wine bar revisited

of course, when opinionated people have something in their head, they do not have it anywhere else as they say. 

worst, they are the types who will look for and highlight every single little arguments in favour of that idea until their point is proven right.

worst still, they will gloat and seriously rub it in when they can find real life examples to demonstrate that very idea to the point of, as my father always warned me about, to "oversell" it to death.

well, i am exactly that type of people and tastings wine bar in hong kong is exactly that kind of real life experience that gets me super excited.

after dinner at yung kee 10 days ago, i brought chris, mike, alex, and jeff over for a "different" kind of wine bar to see if this new concept "sticks".

stuck around we did and seriously unstuck my wallet became!  tastings wine bar is different in that it has 5 enomatic wine dispensing machines and as i had described the concept before on those pages, the idea is that you buy a prepaid card with the amount of funds that you want to put in, go to the dispenser, select the wine you want to taste/drink and select among 3 choices of pour sizes.

the key here is that the smallest pour size is just enough for a taste, an "ombra"as the italians call it.  just enough so that it helps you decide whether you want to drink a whole glass (or the whole bottle if you are that thirsty).  my flickr contact "sunday driver" has a great set of pictures on her flicker that she took at tastings.

with 8 bottles installed on each enomatic, we had 40 wines to taste, and tasted we did!

the selection was varied and interesting, enough for us to spend the whole evening tasting the whole range available, sip by sip.  some were expensive to taste (but were great experiences in themselves), like the opus one from the famed napa valley mondavi/rothshild partnership, but most were reasonable and helped us to make some very interesting discoveries - like the south african syrah (the foundry 2004) which we all agreed was the best value for money we had all night - a wine i would have never selected from a wine list otherwise.  the owner, charlene dawes, later told me that they plan to change the selection at least once a month so that their guests have maximum opportunities to taste and discover.  a great concept and a great way to try out all kinds of wine and build a database of those that you might want to enjoy more fully later on.

well worth the visit.

tastings wine bar: basement, yuen yick bldg., 27-29 wellington st., central, hk, tel: 2523 6282

Published by jc on August 15, 2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

check out:

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

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

Published by jc on June 24, 2008

wyndham st wine walk - a good beginning

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Published by jc on June 7, 2008

corte sant' alda - valpolicella wine region, italy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Published by jc on May 3, 2008

cobos crocodilo cabernet sauvignon 2005

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

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

Published by jc on February 29, 2008

weinert malbec 1977

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

pale ruby color with a rich amber rim.

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

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

Published by jc on February 29, 2008

buenos aires, a love affair...

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

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

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

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

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

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

Published by jc on February 27, 2008

argentina - mendoza - winery tours

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

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

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

 

 

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

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

Published by jc on February 26, 2008

argentina - mendoza - cavas winelodge

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

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

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

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

Published by jc on February 26, 2008

chile - colchagua valley - casa silva

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

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

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

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

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

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

Published by jc on February 26, 2008

école du vin de bordeaux

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Published by jc on January 20, 2008

indian wine purchases in delhi

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

vinitaly china - shanghai december 2007

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

coolest wine cellar in the world - vue restaurant shanghai

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

paris - école du vin

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

taking a flight at jfk airport

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

piedmont - wine II

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

piedmont - wines I

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

piedmont - botti gamba

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

piedmont - schedule

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