German wine tasting

Went to a wine tasting session at a German restaurant named Magma this evening, thought it would be nice to share some details on the wine tasted. There are as follows :

The first one to come:
- 2006 Langenlonsheimer Riesling, Q.b.A., Semi Dry
Alc. 12.5% vol, acidity 7.1g/l, residual sugar 7.0 g/l
Sweet, exotic yellow fruit aroma with mineral note
Price per btl: SGD 38.00
(I quite like the sweetness and chrisp feel of this white..)

The second one to come..also a white:
- 2006, Langenlonsheimer Koenigsschild, Gewuerztraminer, Selection, Semi Dry
Alc. 13.0% vol, acidity 5.0 g/l, residual sugar 8.9 g/l
Price per btl: SGD 55.00
(Didn't really like Gewuerztraminer due to the bitter finish though...)

The third one, finally a red!!:
- 2004 Blauer Spaetburgunder (Pinot Nior), dry
Alc. 13.5% vol, acidity 5.4 g/l, residual sugar 1.4 g/l
A fresh, soft wine with fine cherry aroma
Price per btl: SGD 40.00
(Very smooth and soft red, comfortable for leisure drinking for me =))

The final one..a dessert wine!!woohoo~:
- 1999 Langenlonsheimer Loehrer berg, Scheurebe, TBA, dessert, 0.5 l
Alc. 7.0% vol, acidity 10.1 g/l, residual sugar 287.4 g/l
Price per btl: SGD 145.00
(Yes you read it right..nearly 150 bucks..but the taste is worth every cent! Very sweet and viscous..I lurrrveee it!!)

FYI: all the above wines are actually from the Nahe region. To be more specific, they are all from the Wilhelm Schweinhardt winery, which happens to be one of the largest in the Nahe region. Hope you guys love the wine if you happen to try them *cheers*

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*

love some cheap light to medium red?love this recommendation...

Asian food is great. Love it but sometimes a meal just seem imperfect without painting it with some reds. This recommendation that I'm gonna make this time round is great with asian dishes and even with barbecue food!

And yes, the star of this recommendation is a 100% Merlot. Being a medium-bodied, soft red, this grape is indeed a fashionable character in the world of wine. A product of the south of France, this creation is made by 2 young winemakers trained in the New World. Hence, you'll realise that this red tends to taste rather "New World" in style. So, if you happen to like fruity reds, you might just find this a comfortable choice. You can easily find yourself indulging in the powerful flavors of ripe cherries and plum. Feel the linger as this bottle of Merlot leaves a long and velvety aftertaste.

While not a bottle that can create a impact, but it surely is one that you can easily match with a wide range of savory dishes. Avoid, nevertheless, very light dishes like leafy salads and also any hearty stew or heavily spiced dishes. Otherwise, the touch it creates on your tongue makes it quite a safe match for your meal as it doesn't contain heavy tannins nor excess sugar. And importantly, its cheap pricing makes it affordable anytime, anywhere! Not only is it suitable with food, its soft fruity nature makes it a delicious choice on its very own too!!!woohoo~~prost!

So if you are interested in this bottle of wine that I've suggested, here's some references:




Merlot
Vin de Pays d’Oc
2004
Mis en bouteille a chanes pour af 21220

Hope you'll enjoy this recommendation. Once again, a comfortable choice given its price and soft touch.

P.S Just for some additional knowledge:
If you observe with some close attention, you might have noticed that the labeling in the above pictures do not look like classic French label which I once mentioned about in the previous post. This is so as wines from vin de pays d'Oc are labeled by the principal wine variety, instead of the origin. This thus makes it simpler and more comfortable for us to understand. *cheers*

A recommendation to make..=)

Here's a recommendation i would like to make to those of you who love smooth tasting wine...something that is suitable for leisure drinking or even with your meals. I personally love this wine because i love the feeling of how it blends with my taste buds. The touch it gives is so smoothing that the first sip makes me long for more. And if you're concerned that the smoothing touch is not gonna excite your taste buds enough, not to worry because this Bordeaux is also rich in taste as well, thus giving a lovely combination. I hope you guys will love this recommendation =) The details are as follows:

Classic Chateaux Wines - Red Bordeaux Wine
2004
BORDEAUX SUPERIEUR
Appellation Bordeaux Superieur Controlee

Selected by CAMUS
Product of France