An Australian wine review to share...

Very unlike my style to blog about an australian wine. However, since I came across this particular bottle of Australian red, why not share my experience ya?

A rather unique description was actually attached to this bottle as follows:
"Serpico was a famous NY police officer in the 70's who wasn't afraid to "work against the grain" and in doing so exposed the immense depth of police corruption in the era. With Mitolo Serpico we aim to step outside out peers and redefine the accepted style of Australian wine."

Hmm...so what has been stirred within you after reading the description? Will it be a bottle that will be able to get your curiosity aroused? If you're still in the midst of your hestiation, allow me to being you through some insights (probably biased insights though)...

A 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale-thin in texture. However, I wouldn't see it as a good thing here because what was brought along with the thin texture, was a superficial finish. No in depth emotions was found. The mild spice that landed on my taste-buds subsided and left me like in a split-second moment. Savouring it seems like an unexpected request to be made. All in all, the tannin while light enough to serve for casual chit-chats, it just didn't meet the standard to add colours to the session.

Here's more information should you wish to know more about it:

Mitolo
Serpico
2004
Cabernet Sauvignon
McLaren Vale

Produced by Mitolo Wines
CNR of Angle Vale Road
Johns Road Virginia,
South Australia 5120
www.mitolowines.com.au

Produce of Australia
Preservative (220) added
15.0% alc/vol
approx 8.9 standard drinks

Audendum defendere fides tuas
nonque conformandum plebi est
750ml

P.S: The above review is solely based on my personal tasting experience and holds no intention against the producer in particular. All are still encouraged to give it a try. Afterall, with the unique tastebuds of every individual, you just might fall in love with this wine.

M. Chapoutier 2005 - Belleruche

A new wine recommendation is finally here.

Chapoutier has been a ringing name in the Rhône Valley since 1808. As for Michel Chapoutier, being one of wine's fascinating characters, he is by no surprise a man of character, a lover of the terrior as well as a perfectionist. The quality of products of M. Chapoutier should not be too disappointing. Afterall, with such a long historic background and a devoted producer, you can be quite assured it is likely to be able to satisfy you.

With a typical style or a set style, as well as a permanent objective to work out differences in tastes, and a constant desire to bring out the specific tastes provided by each local terroir and wine, this is how M. Chapoutier sum up the Chapothier Estate quest. Surely, this would be a point worthy to note - to not expect just another typical boring red that is!

And as for me, i guess it did worked for me. An initial overwhelming effect that may come a little unexpected, but if you can get over that very first sudden touch and settle your lips to a close, you will get to experience the tender and smooth finish it leaves lingering in your taste buds. Rather dark in colour, but the texture is surprisingly comfortable and rather thin. Tannin content wise, I would say its just right for even casual drinking. With no food required, it can still be a great accompaniment through the night.

So here are the details you might find useful should you wish to give it a try:


(Please note that this is just a label for reference, the exact details for the bottle mention are as follows...)

Belleruche
Cotes-du-rhône
Appellation cotes-du-rhône controlee
M. Chapoutier
2005
Mis en bouteille per M.Chapoutier 26600 tain france product of france
13.5% alc/vol

P.S Additional informations were obtained from the following website:
- http://www.chapoutier.com/
Hope you guys love the new wine recommendation. *Prost* to a new beginning in the year too! =)

simply French white...

A simple restaurant, with a simple him, with simply delicious dishes, and with a simple French wine is all that I need to end my stressful day yesterday. And you might be able to imagine the kind of relief and hair-let-down emotion I feel when the combination of some wonderful Lobster and crab stuffed mushroom covered with cheese, coupled with a glass of French white wine took control of my mind. I was no longer thinking of work anymore. Yes, nothing beats having some wine after a stressful day. It just flushes my worries and burden away...Swoosh...

Oh, and not allowing myself to be overly engrossed with the powerful sense of relaxation I felt last night (though I seriously would love to go through that moment again), let's go into the topic for tonight. Ahh..yesh some white wine would be lovely.

I particularly love having the company of reds during meals. However, the combination of light dishes with white wine last night really proved itself perfect. Erms... Alright almost perfect. With some seafood in the dish, I thought maybe some medium-bodied white might fit in just right. So I ordered a glass of classic french white from Languedoc. It's actually a Cornerstone wine. And just for some additional information, Cornerstone wines are actually conceived by Clinton Ang at the age of 28, this allowing him to be the first Singaporean to enter into joint ventures with vineyard owners in France. Through this, he also tried making and blending his own style of wines, challenging mindsets and tradition! Woohoo...3 cheers to his courage and terrific move!

Hmmmmmm and so now comes the details of how the wine taste like. Right there sitting in that glass captures the aromas of green apples and lime. The texture is rather smooth, and the aftertaste is indeed refreshing. As I coupled it along with the light mushroom seafood dish, I would say the combination isn't bad at all. The wine is not too weak and neither is the dish. None is too over-powering as well. Served chilled, the wine also gives a tinge of added freshness to my palate, and this helps me even after I completed the dish as it prevents me from feeling too sick or filling from the meal.

Oh and sorry folks, no pics for this wine recommendation this time round coz yup was in a restaurant. I would seriously loved to take some pics to post it here but well... here's some information about it in case you wanna give it a try.

CornerStone
Classic French White
Languedoc, France
Wine best for Asian dish
12% ALC/VOL
Best served at around 8 degrees.

Hope you guys like this recommendation. On an added note, this white might not be a real fantastic one, but if you just want something for casual drinking during meals, to round up it's quite a nice and smoothing one...So I gathered it's still worth some recommendation! *cheers* =)

P.S Some information used above is gathered from:
- "http://www.cornerstonewines.com/cs_wines.htm" on information for CornerStone wines
- "http://www.xotravelconsultants.com/images/white-wine.jpg" for the picture used

Not a bad choice at all!!!

Gosh been ages since this blog is last updated. Work is slowly depriving me of my space for wine, but nevertheless, I went against this deprivation last night and am most glad to share it with you guys once again! *prost to that* ...woo~~

Ooohhh icy and yes chill a little with some Icewine from Canada right at this very moment my darlings. If you haven tried Ice wine before, how about giving this upcoming recommendation some consideration?

Carrying the elegance of red wine, this Icewine holds a beautiful balance of slightly sweet red wine with a lychee nose. Not only that, the flavors of strawberries, cherries, honey and butterscotch is sure to make you long for more after the very first sip. Its rosy color adds to your eye's appeal, while its smooth and soft tender touch comforts your taste buds. And do take a moment to enjoy the long gentleness that the finish works on your tongue. A wonderful composition to add to the night indeed.

And to add a little more knowledge here, the Niagara region of Ontario (i.e the place of origin for this recommended Icewine), Canada is currently the most widely respected producer of ice wines. In fact, Canadian Ice wine, properly created, must follow VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) regulations to ensure a quality product. Key amongst these rules is that the wine must be naturally produced - no artificial freezing allowed. This makes ice wine very difficult to create as grapes must be guarded against too extreme temperatures. And because they are the last grapes on the vines, they must be defended vigorously against birds and other animals.
- extracted from http://www.wineintro.com/types/icewine.html
Definitely not a easy mission don't you agree?

So hesitate no more if you're longing for some tinge of sweetness in a glass of the all time favourite Pinot Noir, because this is surely one I feel all should try. Well at least, both me and my colleague gave this a thumbs up. Here's more details:



Legends Estate Winery
Ice Pinot Noir
Canada, Niagara
2004 vintage
11.8% ALC/VOL

Extra Info:
Can be drank at Balaclava bar @ Suntec (This is where I experience it, not too sure if it can be found in supermarkets though. All additional information are warmly welcomed!!)
Price at Balaclava bar - $79

P.S Legends Estates Winery Icewine was also acclaimed "Best Taste" by Wall Street Journal. Hope this gives you slightly more assurance if you're contemplating if you should really give it a go. Wish you guys love my recommendation and if you do happen to try this out someday, share with me if you agree with my humble review. =) Oh, remember to serve it chilled too!

For more details on wines from Legends Estates Winery, here's the link:
http://www.legendsestates.com - Disclaimer: The first picture is obtained from the website.

For more information on Icewine in general, do fell free to refer to my previous post "A toast to sweetness".
*cheers to all*

a simple wine review to share...- Shiraz Cabernet

Haven't really had the time to drink much recently, but came across this Aust wine that I thought I could share. Though undeniably, wines from France still appeal more to me. Nevertheless if you ever thought of trying this wine that I'm gonna bring onto the dining table in a minute, you might find this helpful in making your decision.

Shiraz Cabernet, a medium to full bodied red, can be quite a love to bring along for your meals. However, tannin reds like this seriously need food to match along, and i mean real hearty dishes that can match these blockbuster wine because they can easily walk over light food like salads and fish.

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon has a rather well-structured and balanced oak. With a mixture of assorted spices, chocolate and cedery oak, this wine might be too much to handle if served without any accompanying dishes. Well, at least that was the case for me. No lack of tannins for this bottle here I would say and just for a little information if you intend to give this a try, it is recommended in the wine tasting remarks for this member here that the 2004 vintage merits the tag, ‘Baby Bin 28’.

And well, I happened to have drank the 2004 vintage Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet and here's my personal humble review.

Firstly, this bottle of wine tasted too strong for me and I guess the combination of spices involving the twist of pepper and chocolates just didn't feel fantastic because of its lack of texture. Having a rather thin texture, and having gone through oak maturation, it felt weird on my taste buds. My tongue can hardly feel the aftermath linger but my nose felt so choked by the strong spicey aroma that was so fully integrated with the berry fruits due to the oak. However, on a bias note, the cedery oak was also something that I never really liked and I gathered perhaps it could just be me because I'm still one who goes for fresher and younger tasting wines. Or alternatively, it might be that the food i matched along with was not hearty enough to handle this deep red. However, if you happen to be one who loves oaked wine, you might want to try this out though and correct my views with your side of the opinion.

Here's more information that you might find helpful if you're interested to try this out:

Penfolds Koonunga Hill
Shiraz Cabernet
Australia
2004 vintage
13.5% ALC/VOL







P.S. Further readings and photo is taken from :
-www.penfolds.com