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Posts Tagged ‘red wine’

Le Pin @ Pomerol

Posted in French Red, Wine Tastings, Wine Tour, tagged , , , on July 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Le Pin_ pine tree

Le Pin stands for the Pine Tree at the Vineyard

Standing on the rooftop of the newly built Le Pin, the young Monsieur Thienpont pointed to the two pine trees in front of the house, still standing tall as the symbol of the vineyard after the renovation.

We walked around the rooftop, probably less than 200 sq ft, and counted the rows of vines that are part of Le Pin.  It is indeed a small vineyard even in St Emilion, only 2 hectares producing 5,000 bottles a year.  There are 7 plots of fields that will go through the fermentation process in 7 separate stainless steel vats after harvest.

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Bordeaux with style … Cos d’Estournel

Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, Wine Tour, tagged , , , on July 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

ImageAfter the third visit to Bordeaux in four years, one could easily tell the money is pouring in from many wine connoisseurs, and the Chateaus are competing to build the most extravagant estate with this newfound wealth.

Of all the vineyards we visited during this trip, I was most surprised with the visit at Cos.  (more…)

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It’s Hard Work

Posted in Burgundy, French Red, Wine Tour, tagged , , on July 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Maison Ambroise’s Cellar

Politics is not a subject I like to touch upon when I am in someone else’s homeland.

On our second day at Burgundy, we joined a day tour to visit 4 vineyards with a private guide, Brigitte.  When she asked if we have followed the politics in France and what do we think of their new President, all we said was “ what do you think? “

The domains we visited were very small; it was like visiting someone’s backyard with a cellar.   Maison Ambroise in Nuit St George was one of the domains we visited on the day. (more…)

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Backyard of Domaine De La Vougeraie, Burgundy

Posted in Burgundy, French Red, Wine Tour, tagged , , , , on July 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Oak wood from nearby forest

Of the seven domaines we visited in Burgundy, this must be the most modern and supplicated of all.   The visit was arranged through BBR and to be worthy of BBR, probably have to reach some standard, meaning quality and quantity.

We were greeted by the assistant wine maker, Didier, whom gave up his well-paid job as an Engineer and followed his heart to become a winemaker.

After touring the fermentation facility, we were out in the garden.  It was quite amazing to see oak woods piling up in the backyard.  Well, apparently there is an oak wood forest nearby and the Domaine will select 200-year oak tree for the oak barrels.  The woods will pile up in the backyard, rain or shine, for two years. (more…)

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The mystery of Burgundy … terrior

Posted in Burgundy, French Red, Wine Tour, tagged , , , on June 30, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Burgundy wines are probably the most confusing regions to understand.  Some said the word ‘terrior’ comes from this region, and the wine makers I met in Burgundy all said so!

Driving through the vineyards of Burgundy is so much different from Bordeaux.  Bordeaux is very flat and the vineyards stretch miles and miles away.  In Burgundy, there are small parcels of land along both sides of the road.  On one side the land is flat but then the other side is quite hilly. (more…)

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Wine Blending

Posted in Wine Tastings, tagged on April 12, 2012| 2 Comments »

Some people enjoy wines for pleasure, some for investment, some for sharing and then there are some that like to go beyond the label and learn about wine making.

Recently, read a few articles in the paper about a new shop in Hong Kong that goes beyond just selling wines; the owner is also a wine maker now resides in Hong Kong and offers some interesting wine classes, including wine blending.

Well for one thing, you don’t need a Chemistry degree to attend this 2 hour class.   (more…)

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Under a cool breeze @ Lamma Island

Posted in Wine Tastings, tagged , , on March 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness….”

This time of year could be quite warm and humid, may not be the best of times to enjoy alfresco dining.  We just have to take our chance when we plan for a seafood and wine lunch at Lamma Island a few months back.

A cool breeze under the sunny sky over the weekend turned out to be the perfect setting for the outdoor lunch.   The worst of times was waiting for the wines to be chilled for the perfect serving temperature. (more…)

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Ch Palmer Tasting

Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, Wine Tastings, tagged , , , on June 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Oak Barrel @ Ch Palmer

My first encounter of Chateau Palmer was at the Robuchon restaurant in Macau, picked a bottle of 1999 Palmer from the well known extensive wine collection.  It was so aromatic, the tannin was very soft, and I felt in love with the wine ever since.

When the invitation came for a wine tasting of Chateau Palmer and also the chance of meeting Bernard de Laage from the Chateau, how can one resist?!  (more…)

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Ch Grand Puy Lacoste 53′

Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, Wine Makers, tagged , , , on December 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Ch Grand Puy Lacoste Wine Dinner

I guess the chance of tasting the 1953 vintage from a classified Bordeaux already got my attention for the wine dinner, and the rest were just details I didn’t really care.

Emeline Borie, the 3rd generation of the owner was hosting the dinner organized by BBR.  At dinner she told us her grandfather bought the vineyard in 1978, but the previous owner took all the wines from the cellar.   So they have to buy back the wines in the market, including the 53’ we were going to taste. (more…)

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Wine Tasting Class

Posted in Wine Tastings, tagged , on April 24, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Standing in the front of the Board Room, with 20 colleagues in the room, I was as eager as they were in my debut of teaching wine tasting. 

“Wine is for enjoyment, so let’s enjoy the ride and hope you learn something new today.”  I continued, “You will be tasting 4 distinct styles of wines.  At the end of the class, hopefully you will be able to name the wines just by tasting it.” (more…)

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