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Posts Tagged ‘Wine appreciation’

The bell tower @ Ch Angelus

Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, Wine Tour, tagged , , , on August 29, 2013| Leave a Comment »

ImageWhat is marketing? Ch Angelus is definitely a master of this!

Angelus means Angel in Latin, but there wasn’t any bell tower to back the nickname of the label.  So why the reference to bell tower?   The legend is the workers in the field could hear bells from three churches around the Chateau during the day reminding them to pray.

In 2012 Ch Angelus was promoted to Grand Cru Classe A in the St Emilion classification with the ranks of Cheval Blanc and Ausone.  In celebration of the promotion, the Chateau is undergoing a massive renovation with a bell tower to live up to their nickname finally. (more…)

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Chablis GC Les Blanchot

Posted in Chablis, French White, Wine Tastings, Wine Tour, tagged , , on August 2, 2012| 1 Comment »

Domaine Laroche @ Chablis

Chablis is a very picturesque town with a small river running in the midst of the vineyards.  It is always a good summer wine with its crisp acidity and mineral aroma.  If you have read the famous Japanese manga, God’s Drop, this is the wine to pair with fresh oysters.  And I found out why after visiting Chablis!

Doamine Laroche’s tasting room was off a quiet street in the heart of Chablis.  We tasted four wines from the domaine, Saint Martin, Fourchaume 1er Cru, Les Vaudevey 1er Cru and then the grand crus, les Blanchot. (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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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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Bordeaux 1961 Tasting

Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, Wine Tastings, tagged , , on June 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

What makes a great vintage?  In 1961, one of the greatest vintages in the 20th century, it was down to nature and wine making; modern technology definitely didn’t play a role.

Nature took its course and pruning happened naturally.  A very wet August followed with a sunny September produced small concentrated grapes with thick skins.  The end results were complex, aromatic and tannic wines with long aging potentials.

“But then,” the instructor Stephen Mack added, “the wines are 50 years old and let’s hope they are still drinkable!” (more…)

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Something simple, something light

Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, Wine Dinners, tagged , , on April 24, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Home-made French Onion Soup

Something simple …… black pepper ham with French bread
Something light …….. home-made French onion soup

After having a heavy brunch, something simple and light for dinner sounds very tempting.   As always a bottle of wine is a must to enjoy with the meal.

(more…)

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Tasting @ NYC

Posted in Italian Red, Wine Tastings, tagged , on August 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »

 

IWM @ Manhattan

New York City, that’s a place I use to spend a lot of time in. The museums, the shows, the yellow cabs, the bagels ….. visiting the Big Apple again brought back many fond memories of the good old days.  But then there was one thing I didn’t get to do back then – wine tasting!

So when the invitation came for wine tasting at Italian Wine Merchant in the heart of Manhattan, there could be only one response – SURE! (more…)

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Chill Out

Posted in Italian White, Italian Wines, Wine Dinners, Wine Tastings, tagged , on July 18, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The heat & humidity could be quite unbearable at times here, how would you choose to chill out on the weekends?  How about sipping a glass of Prosecco on a bus heading to Shek O, then an 8-course Thai lunch paired with 8 Italian wines?  Well, that’s how I spent my Saturday afternoon!

The classic Thai appetizer fish cake was excellent with the light refreshing sparkling Prosecco.  Then the 7 wines to follow were all from a same vineyard – Movia. (more…)

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Bartolo Mascarello

Posted in Italian Wines, Wine Makers, Wine Tour, tagged , on June 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Maria Teresa Mascarello in the cellar

There are the traditionalists, and there are the modernists.  In Piemonte, this holds true for the 7 vineyards we visited.  Aldo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa and Bartolo Mascarello are no doubt the traditionalists. 

Of the three, the visit at Bartolo Mascarello marked a very strong impression on me.  Probably because the wine maker and owner was a woman – Maria Teresa Mascarello, daughter to the late Bartolo Mascarello. (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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