Posted in Italian Red, Italian White, Wine Tastings, tagged Amarone, Pinot Grigio, red wine, White Wine, wine on November 8, 2009| Leave a Comment »
From left : Mr. Federico Cerretto of Cerretto (Piemonte), Mr. Nicolas Belfrage (Master of Wine)
My palate is more acquainted with Old World wine, Italian wine being one of my favorites, especially Barolo. When I received the email from Watson’s Wine for the many tastings and dinners they were hosting this week, my first choice was the Italian Wine tastings.
The tastings was led by Nicolas Belfrage, Master of Wine along with three vineyard owners. (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, tagged Bordeaux, Château Gruaud-Larose, red wine, Saint Julien, wine on October 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »
My husband loves cooking and we would always try food wine matching on the weekends. One of our close friends, who enjoyed my husband’s cooking, suggested one day that he will bring along a bottle of 1990 Chateau Gruaud Larose if my husband will prepare the dish to match the wine. The wine was retail at HK$ 1,200, so not a difficult decision to make! (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, tagged pichon lalande, reserve de la comtesse, stinky tofu, wine on October 19, 2009| 2 Comments »
Source: http://www.charleskaufman.com / Artist: Charles Kaufman
These days, it seems like the topic of WINE will easily break the ice in gatherings. For me, the company is more important than the wine itself. Sharing a few bottles with friends is a perfect way to spend an evening.
After the completion of the first Wine Appreciation Course, the instructor arranged a dinner as a graduation dinner in celebration of completing the course. About twenty people joined, and from that day onwards, we had continued to meet on a regular basis for over two years now! (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, Sweet Wine, tagged D'yquem, Sauternes, wine on October 19, 2009| Leave a Comment »
This is the most expensive Sauternes – the renowned sweet wine region in France – and I had the honor to taste a bottle with my friends some time ago. A half bottle costs over HK$1,000. So is it worth it?
When I was taking the Wine Assessment program in Open University three years ago, the Advanced Course was quite tough and I took a day off from work to prepare for the final exam. I was very frustrated as I kept forgetting what I had studied already. There is only one cure for me to ease off my pressure – I went to Pacific Place and shopped. (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, Wine Makers, Wine Tour, tagged barrel tasting, Bordeaux, Clos de Sarpe, St Emilion, wine on October 19, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Have you ever tried barrel tasting? It’s the tasting of wine straight from the oak barrel. It was a wonderful experience, not because of the tasting, but because you feel the passion from the winemaker!
This summer I visited Bordeaux with my husband. Through my work contact, I happened to have the opportunity to visit Chateau Clos De Sarpe, a Grand Cru vineyard in St Emilion. It was a private tour arranged just for me and my husband. The day of the visit was National Day, so I was very lucky that the Chateau owner also the winemaker was in town and hosted the tour. (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, French White, Italian Red, tagged vertical tasting, wine, Wine appreciation on October 11, 2009| 2 Comments »
I always love wine, and if you ask me how long I’ve been enjoying the fermented grape juice? Well, I had enjoyed it for more than 20 years!
Amongst my friends and the people that I work with, I am quite well known to be a wine lover. So I do get quite a number of invitations to wine-tasting dinner or events.
About 3 years ago, a very good friend of mine asked me to join a Vertical Wine Tasting at his friend’s place. My husband and I, along with 10 people, attended the event. There was a Bordeaux wine, and we tasted probably 5 vintages. Most of the time, people will find it quite hard to stop me talking, but on that night….. I was unusually quiet. They were all sharing their comments on the nose and palate of the wine, but I wasn’t able to smell or taste a single damn thing they described. (more…)
Posted in Italian Red, tagged barolo, Monprivato Barolo 1998, Nebbiolo, Piedmont, red italian, wine on October 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »
In April 2007, I walked into a Wine Appreciation class, and that opened my heart to the world of WINE and started my journey in understanding wine. I was known as the Madam in class. Somehow the instructor and the people that attended the class thought I was a police officer, which is also known as Madam in Hong Kong. I loved the name because it sounded very authoritative!
I always enjoy wine but understanding the old world wine is always difficult. When I walked into a wine shop and stood in front of the France session, there are the different regions – Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone and so on. And then there are various towns within the region, but I still couldn’t figure out the grape varieties or if the price tag is reasonable. And then there is Italy, Spain… forget it! (more…)
Grape Wine Journey 