Posted in Uncategorized on January 15, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Artist: Charles Kaufman
The “Do’s & Don’ts” of attending wine dinners? One thing for sure is that after a few round of drinks, the noise level will rise a few notches. But by then, who cares?
Attended a wine dinner this week, it was a nightmare! The worst thing that could happen … happened! A lady sitting next to our table, you could literally close your eyes and able to point out where she was. She wore such a strong perfume you could smell miles away. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized on December 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Artist: Charles Kaufman
When you go on business trip, do you feel uneasy to dine by yourself in a restaurant? For me, I’ve always enjoyed going to a restaurant, just because they offer much more choices.
But in China, the restaurant experience could sometimes be quite amusing when it comes to ordering wines. I just learnt something new from a recent trip to Beijing!
Flying to Beijing is always a daunting experience; you could never be sure on the arrival time. This time, the flight was actually on time when we got to Beijing, but it took the pilot 2 attempts to be on the ground and then forever to get to the gate. I was happy when I made it to the hotel, the restaurant was still serving. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized on November 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Some times I wonder what is that little sparkle you could add to your job to make it more interesting? To meet someone that will make the effort to spice up the dining experience, well deserves a round of applause!
At Ristorante Al Cristo in the heart of Verona Italy, we met a sommelier named Icas, whom just made those little steps to make the dining experience much more entertaining. Pairing the food with wine, was a given, he caught our attention when he poured the wine and we noticed the cork was hanging at the side of the bottle. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized on February 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Sometimes I wonder how one thing leads to others in life. My quest for wine led me to study wine. The wine course opened my heart to taste wines from many wine regions including Barolos. My love of Barolo took me to a wine tour of Piemonte. The breath taking views of Piemonte …… well made me wonder about the art of photography.
Not sure what others will do, but I took a course in photography. I was the odd one in the crowd – with my Panasonic GF1 against the full frame Canon or Nikon cameras in the room, I felt a bit out of place. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized on June 20, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Went to a US Pinot tasting with some friends this week, there were not too many surprises. The wines were from boutique wineries in California and Oregon. Some were fruity, typical new world style; and some were made with Burgundy in mind.
There were many bottles of sparkling water for us to cleanse our palate between tastings. We thought it tasted refreshing, and the host “corrected” us that these were “palate cleansing beverage”. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized on May 2, 2010| 2 Comments »
What is the classic aroma and flavor of a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc? Gooseberry!
When you read through the fruit characteristics on the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine, citrus, green fruit, stone fruit, red fruit, black fruit, tropical fruit …… this must be the one fruit that very few people have tasted. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized on March 30, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Artist: Thomas Arvid / http://www.thomasarvid.com
“Well, many people like wines, so what makes you different?” a question that was posed to me and took me a few moments to think and wonder.
I was so excited to meet my mentor at a cocktail reception after many years since he had retired. We were having lunch to catch up on the good old days. I told him about my passion in wine that led me to take the WSET class and also starting this blog. And this was his first question. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized on March 24, 2010| 1 Comment »
“Sorry Madam, please don’t take any photos,” the security guard looked at me and said in a friendly tone. Well, I did not argue as it was Sunday and also she was polite. So, I walked to the other side and continue my admiration of the floral arrangement at the Armani shop. (more…)
Posted in Restaurants, Uncategorized, Wine Dinners, tagged Barcelona, Hotel Omm, Restaurant Moo, Spanish wine dinner on March 16, 2010| 1 Comment »
The table setting by the Restaurant Moo inside the Hotel Omm in Barcelona was a little peculiar, the man thought. There was a large, decorative plate with the basic silver setting, but no napkin to be seen anywhere.
“Would you like something to drink to start,” a female wait staff, about 5’3’’ asked the two diners, who both looked at each other and replied: “Perhaps some water, no gas, please.”
“Some water, certainly,” the waitress said and went on her way. The couple looked at each other once more. The man remarked: “why don’t we get some cava to start.” “Sure,” the woman replied. “That sounds good.” (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized on March 7, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Amethyst crystal steam room filled with essential oil on the nose, rain shower splashed with hint of orange – soothing on the senses! After quenching my body and soul in the steam room and shower, I was lying on a comfortable bed in the resting area, sipping ginger lemon tea while waiting for the therapist at the Mandarin Spa. (more…)
Grape Wine Journey 