I have not written in this blog for ages. That does not mean that I have stopped drinking. :-)

It is just that it has become so busy and nobody seems to be intersted reading this blog. sigh.. i suppose with Facebook and every social networking sites out there, blogging has receded to become unfashionable.

Hi guys,

I am talking about wine education today. I found the following basic guide very useful for beginners who want to learn about tasting wine. Pick this up in the website that advertise on my blog

http://www.essentialwinetastingguide.com/

Like I have been saying, please click on these adverts. They are rather interesting businesses which are related to wine. Have fun and help me to earn a few bucks for my next bottle. :-)


Wine Tasting vs Wine Drinking

The difference between wine tasting as opposed to wine drinking is that the former involves concentration, contemplation and consideration. Both are enjoyable, however they serve two completely different objectives, and are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

The Composition of Wine and its Various Components

Wine consists of a complex myriad of substances including water, alcohol, acids, sugars, polyphenols & phenolic compounds, salty substances, dissolved gases and aromatic substances. Each of these components affects the way we perceive the wines total composition.

Wine composition can be broken down into four major parts, as perceived by the senses:-

• Appearance and colour - characteristics observed by light
• Odour - volatile compounds detected by the nose
• Aroma - volatile compounds detected retronasally (from within the mouth)
• Taste - non-volatile compounds that contribute to the tactile sensation of the wine in the mouth

Our Taste Senses

The four primary taste senses that are perceived physically in the mouth, as opposed to flavour perceptions that are detected in the nose and in the retronasal passage include sweetness, bitterness, saltiness & acidity. We are just starting to learn more about a fifth sense known as umami.

Also important in wine tasting is the other tactile mouthfeel sensations of astringency, the warmth of alcohol, and the tingle of bubbles.

Wine Terminology

Communicating the various perceptions obtained during wine tasting is, for many people, one of the most difficult aspects of tasting, and finding the right vocabulary is only part of the problem. The correct use of the terminology to clearly communicate those impressions is also important to avoid misinterpretation.

A tasting vocabulary should be clear, concise, unambiguous, and with the ability to make the recipient understand the interpretations of the taster.

Note: The Essential Wine Tasting Guide© is the most precise and extensive vocabulary list ever compiled.

Serving Temperature

Too often, wine has been carefully crafted by the winemaker, nurtured in the cellar, and then thrown out of balance due to an inappropriate serving temperature by the consumer. It seems a shame for the wine to have come so far, yet be compromised in the last few moments.

White wine is generally served too cold ie: straight from the refrigerator. This has the effect of subduing many of the volatile aromas which are responsible for the smell of the wine, as well as affecting the tactility ie: acids become more noticeable while sugars/ alcohol become less noticeable. These components affect the balance of the wine by decreasing the body.

Red wine is generally served too warm ie: off the rack which is kept in the kitchen, bedroom etc. When served too warm, red wine becomes perceptively more alcoholic, especially on the nose as alcohol is very volatile. The wine also releases other aromatics too quickly, therefore not allowing the taster to discern the plethora of aromas, but rather be inundated with an aromatic overload that is less than pleasurable, and undecipherable.

The tactile perception of the wine also suffers as tannins become harsher, sugars and alcohols become more pronounced, and acidity seemingly diminishes. Again the balance is negatively affected.

(NOTE: The old rule of red wine at room temperatures originally based with the cellars of Europe in mind, and doesn't work so well in most parts of the new world. It is also fair to say that the art and science of wine appreciation has progressed to a new level over the last 20 years and the 'room temperature' guideline is probably not suitable for many parts of Europe either.)

Decanting

Decanting is a useful process that can reduce the reductive aromas associated with aged red wine stemming from sulphides like mustiness, while slowly oxidising and releasing other more subtle aromas like fruit and spice.

In a young red wine, it has the effect of softening youthful tannins, thereby rendering the wine more approachable at an earlier age. It also reduces the amount of dissolved carbon dioxide.

Decanting can also create expectations associated with the wine, for better or for worse.

Stemware

For some people, the glass they choose to taste or drink from makes all the difference, for others it makes none. However it is the opinion of the author that whether it is a serious wine tasting or a casual drink, the style of glass you choose can, and ultimately will, influence your overall perception and appreciation of the wine.

This isn't to say that every wine demands, or even deserves good stemware, but an average wine will seem better when consumed from it and a top quality wine will seem less when tasted from inferior stemware. Characteristics of good stemware include:

• Stem with which to hold and swirl wine, also avoids excessive warming of wine from bodyheat
• Cut lip for smooth delivery of wine onto palate
• Tulip shaped bowl decreasing into a narrower opening for concentrating aromas
• Colourless

Professional Vs Amateur Tastings

A professional tasting, by necessity usually has an objective, whether it is to analyse, produce, judge, blend, classify, or market a wine, the steps are usually similar - it is the focus that changes.

An amateur tasting, need not be as discriminate,but can follow a similar set of guidelines that will quickly enhance the tasters ability to perceive more, evaluate those perceptions, understand the evaluations, and to ultimately increase the overall enjoyment when tasting wine.

Factors affecting Tasting

Many factors will affect the way you perceive a wine and therefore the degree to which you will appreciate that wine. These factors include:-

• Your immediate surroundings ie:
• Location eg: sterile laboratory or dank cellar
• Nearby odours/aromas eg: perfume, coffee, food,
• Degree of lighting,
• Noise and other outside distractions
• Air current movement ie: diverts aromas from the nose
• Both the ambient temperature and the temperature of the wine
• Colour of surroundings ie: affects mood
• Differences in personal perception
• Concentration
• Stemware
• The time of day
• Your expectation (this is exaggerated if you have seen the label, cork, bottle-shape etc)
• Your general health
• When you last ate and what it consisted of

However, no factor will influence your ability to discern a wines quality as much as your wine tasting proficiency!

Wine tasting is a skill and is intended to be fun! With increased knowledge and experience, your wine tasting will become more rewarding as you gain proficiency.

Hi,

I just had a nice lunch at Keng Hsin place's last Friday. The timing was really amazing. Just like what Brian said, it must have been divine intervaention for us to have a short day for us to have lunch. We were so busy once school started and had to postpone our lunch a couple of times. So last friday's short day was really good.

First, the food. Brian brought back leg of ham from New Zealand and it tastes wonderful. Keng Hsin surprised us with his pickled artichoke infused with premium olive he brought back from Melbourne. I don't know Brian but the the artichoke is perfect match with my Teochew taste bud.

We started the session with a nice and trustworthy bubbly - Keng Hsin opened a bottle Jacob's Creek. I have forgotten how good and reliable this bubbly is after drinking better bubblies. It went especially well with the artichoke. This is a good drink to have during this festive season.

The red is aways the star of the day. We opened a bottle of Taltarni Three Monks Cabernet Merlot. I know, the name is interesting or weird, depending on how you looked at it. Well, I thought it is befitting for Keng Hsin, Brian and me. This is a good wine to celebrate our friendship. Ok. About the wine. On the nose, it unmistakably Cab with its herbaceous, brambly scent follow by a whiff of spice and vanilla. Well, the best part is always on the palate - abundance of blackcurrant with fresh forest and tobacco box. The back palate is full of mocha and rich vanilla. It is absolutely delicious! worth every cents of the $30 for this bottle. And for a while, I thought it reminded me of the Villa Maria in my previous post.

It took me too long to craft this blog and I think I have written enough. The following are the technical details of the wine. Enjoy!



Taltarni Three Monks Cabernet Merlot, 2004

Taltarni Three Monks 2004 characterizes Taltarni’s distinctive style of opulent flavours, structure and cellaring ability. Sourced from cool climate regions including Victoria’s Pyrenees and Strathbogie Ranges the inclusion of Cabernet Sauvignon provides layers of rich cassis and roast chocolate flavours while the balance of Merlot adds palate weight from the luscious concentration of plum and red cherry fruits.

A period of malolactic fermentation followed by 12 months ageing in a combination of 2-3 year old and 15% new American oak creates a wine with a subtle assortment of nutmeg, cinnamon and cedar spice.

Three Monks is one of Taltarni's newest additions to the portfolio and already a crowd favourite.

Winemaker Comments
Colour: Deep black cherry
Nose: An alluring assortment of uplifted black cherries, dark
berry fruits, scorched almonds, coffee, tobacco leaves and licorice
allsorts.
Palate: A well-structured wine with layers of plump plum and
blackberry fruits. A mix of savoury spices, subtle herbs and firm,
dusty tannins balanced by good natural acidity.
Serving Suggestions: A perfect accompaniment to a veal ragout.
The explosion of rich fruit flavours in Taltarni’s Three Monks 2004
makes it ideal for immediate enjoyment whilst young and fresh,
but offers the complexity and structure to age gracefully for many
years to come.
Wine Analysis
Acid: 6.3 g/L pH: 3.63
Alcohol by Volume 13.5%
Harvested: April 2004
Bottled: November 2004

Hi,

Today's topic is about an interesting winery in Yarra valley, Victoria, Australia. The Domaine Chandon Green Point. The winery is just a short drive from Melbourne. My friend, Keng Hsin made sure that it is one of those most visit winery when he went there for holidays with his family.

In his words, the place is more beautiful than what we saw in the website and TV. The winery is famous not for its still wines but its bubblies - sparkling wine. The winery is established by Moet & Chandon in 1986. The Moet & Chandon from France. As you would have expected, the company transferred their wine making techniques from France to their subsidiary in Australia and produced a very interesting and fine bubbly that oozes French artisan style and reflects the terroir in Yarra.

You would be disappointed if you were to compare this bubbly with its French cousin in Champagne. In fact, that would be a tad unfair to the Chandon Green Point. Last Friday, when Brian , Keng Hsin and I gathered to share our wine, Keng Hsin uncorked the bottle that he lugged back from Australia. Just like Brian, he resisted the temptation of uncorking it before we met and I am fortunate to have a drink of this excellent bubbly. Apologies to Keng Hsin. I was so overwhelmed by Brian's Villa Maria that I have not spent time writing about this wine.

Here it is. The wine glittered in the afternoon sun in beautiful light gold accompanied by strings of pearly bubbles. I could smell the wine at a distance as it flooded the whole room with sweet scent of floral and fresh apple aromas, the most unusual thing. The slight sweetness followed through on the palate without becoming overbearing and balanced with a clear, crisp acidity at the back palate that gives this wine the its back bone.

Make no mistake, this is a very good bubbly. It is more like a very good Prosecco than a Champagne. I think Keng Hsin liked it but I think he probably prefers it to be more like a Champagne.

Anyway, the bottle that he brought back to Singapore is only available in Australia. The one you get in Singapore is one level lower than this. So next time if you are in Melbourne you may just wanna swing over to Green Point, pick up a bottle and have a nice picnic at Green Point.

Salut

Sam

Hi,

Happy New Year! It has been a great New Year.

Drank a bottle of nice Cabernet-Merlot from Villa Maria last week. It is a 2002 Reserve Villa Maria Cabernet Merlot. It is really nothing like a New Zealand Cab at all. Strong blackberry, floral cassis and cedar vanilla on the nose which follow through with the taste, only better. the intense flavours of blackberry intermingled with the melange of rich vanilla and earth and mocha makes the wine luscious and simply delicious. If I were to do a blind tasting, I would have rate it as a very good Australia Cab.

It is so unbelievable and I have my friend Brian to thank for that. He brought it back all the way from NZ and resisted the temptation to uncork it before we met. He bought it at NZ$59 but we all know that it probably will cost a lot more if it get here at all. So far I have not seen this wine in the market but I bet someone will bring in soon. With the high quality taste and the on going good reputation of NZ wine, I estimated that the price will be around $100 - $150 in retail.

That is why I am so grateful to my friend Brian.

Anyway, if anyone offer this wine to you, remember to savour it slowly and enjoy every drop.

I have the technical details in the following.

Cheers,

Sam

Villa Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 2002

Bottle Size: 750ml Variety: CabSav/ Mer/Mal Vintage: 2002 Region: Hawke's Bay Vineyard: Various Country: New Zealand Alcohol: 14.5% pH: 3.55 Total Acidity: 6.30g/L Residual Sugar: Nil Sweetness Indicator: Dry Cellaring Potential: 2010 to 2012 Serving Temperature: Room Temperature

Viticulture
The 2002 season in Hawke’s Bay was terrific for ripening Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varieties. A long warm autumn period ensured clean and healthy fruit with ripe flavours and tannins. This vintage will be remembered as a classic year producing bumper yields and outstanding quality.

Vineyards
Fruit for this wine was sourced across Villa Maria’s three Gimblett Gravel vineyards, Ngakirikiri (60%), Twyford Gravels (30%) and Omahu Gravels (10%). Each of these vineyards produce slightly different styled wines, providing for an array of blending options. Villa Maria manages these vineyards to precise crop levels (2-2.5kgs per vine), and employs assiduous viticultural management activities, namely, leaf plucking around the bunch zone, timely trimmings of the canopy and irrigation practices to ensure ripe, clean and intensely flavoured fruit.

Winemaking
Hand harvested into small picking crates the fruit was carefully transported to Villa Maria’s premium winery in Auckland for processing. Each fruit parcel was individually fermented in open top fermenters. Traditional hand-plunging techniques were employed to ensure the optimal extraction of colour, tannin and flavour. After the fermenters were pressed and malolactic fermentation concluded, the wines were racked to oak barriques for maturation. After 18 months in new French and American barriques the wines were selectively blended, stabilised and bottled with minimal filtration. The bottled wine was then matured for a further 12 months before being released.

Winemaker's Comments
Deeply coloured this perfumed wine is rich with blackberry, plum, black-olives and floral violet aromas. On the palate the wine is richly concentrated and balanced with a ripe and chewy textured tannin structure. This wine will mature well over the coming years (March 2005).

Food Match
Matches well with intense and highly textured red meat, particularly beef and kangaroo. Also is an ideal accompaniment to richly flavoured cheeses.

Hi,

As we draw nearer to the New Year, I am carrying on with the series on sparkling wine. Today, I am giving credits to a Spanish sparkling wine that deserves more attention than it is getting in Singapore. For those of you who had traveled to Europe, you might have tasted or heard of this wine. I am telling you that this is a real gem. I borrowed a write up from a Spanish tourism web site that gives a very good explanation of Cava.

http://spainforvisitors.com/archive/features/cava.htm

A toast, in Spain, is practically always drunk with cava, the Spanish sparkling wine made by the champagne method. This is especially true when the New Year is brought in with the twelve grapes swallowed in time to the chimes of the clock in the town square or in the Puerta del Sol, Madrid.

Cava, made by the Champagne method, is a very acceptable alternative to French champagne and, it should be said, much better value for money. Almost all cava is produced in Catalonia, especially the Penedés region, although eight different provinces are included in the production area. Literary references show that wine with a certain amount of effervescence has been made in Catalonia since at least the fourteenth century. But it was not until the 1850s that serious attempts began to produce a wine with the same characteristics as champagne and production did not begin until the 1870s. Since then, cava has become tremendously popular and vast amounts, over two hundred million bottles, are now made for both domestic consumption and export. The best-known makes, Codorniu and Freixenet, have been involved in a full-scale trade war for years. Cava is not the only sparkling wine made in Spain and sometimes consumers are fooled into accepting something inferior. You can distinguish cava by the cork, which should be marked with a four-pointed star. Like champagne, cava comes in different degrees of sweetness. The following are the categories according to sugar content, although the characteristics of different wines may mean one manufacturer's seco tastes as sweet as another's semi-seco: Brut Nature - (no added sugar) up to 3 g per litre Extra Brut - up to 6 g per litre Brut - up to 15 g per litre Extra seco - between 12 and 20 g per litre Seco - between 17 and 35 g per litre Semi-seco - between 33 and 50 g per litre Dulce - more than 50 g per litre You will also see terms like Brut de Brut (very dry), Brut Gran Reserva Vintage... It is often thought that brut cava is somehow superior to the others, which is not true, although it may be more versatile. Because of the custom of saving the cava for the toast at weddings and other social occasions, it is also thought that cava is only suitable for the end of the meal, which is emphatically not the case. Cava, according to the wine critic Carlos Delgado, is "one of the few wines which can be drunk throughout a meal, simply by moving from brut to dulce, as long as there is no strong-flavoured meat dish." Delgado, somewhat snobbishly, also considers that "cava is always preferable towards the beginning of the meal," an elitist opinion perhaps related with the association between cava and (expensive) seafood. Cava is usually made by the coupage method, whereby must (grape juice) from different varieties of grape is subjected to the first fermentation, then mixed until the blend is consistent with the wine to be produced. The advantage of this is that a particular brand of cava will taste the same every year. It also means that most cava does not carry a year on the bottle, as must from different years is often used. Some are always made using the same grape variety, in which case the year will be indicated on the bottle: these are superior and evidently more expensive cavas. After the coupage, the wine is put into bottles and yeast and sugar added. It is then left for the second fermentation and aging. This lasts a minimum of nine months and may be up to three or four years, for a very special cava. A process called "riddling and disgorging" is then carried out. The bottles are stored nearly upside down so that the sediment settles on the corks and riddled, turned, for a period of thirty days. "Disgorging" is when the corks are removed, together with the sediment (usually with the help of a freezing process). Expedición, "passing liquor," a blend of the same wine as that in the bottle and others, together with the required amount of sugar, is then added in order to replace the lost wine and make the final flavour. Evidently, this process needs to be carried out very quickly. New corks are then put in and fastened on with the wire clasp before the bottles are labelled. Cava is sold ready for drinking and the "riddling and disgorging" process means that the fermentation process is halted. Cava does not improve with being kept, indeed it deteriorates with age: buy it, store upright in a cool, not cold, place, for as little time as possible, and drink it, preferably in the same week. Remember that the sweeter the cava, the cooler it needs to be served: a brut nature can be served practically at room temperature, but a semi-seco should be well chilled.

Hi guys,

I am still writing about about Lindauer but this is a special reserve rose ( it is pronounced as 'roh-zay'). The ladies will love it simply because of the colour - it's pink. Just in case the guys think that this is a sissy wine, it is far from being a sissy. In fact, I my taste buds are so activated every time I drink this. It is crisp, complex and robust. A lot has to do with the large amount of pinot noir that is used in this wine.

For those who don't know much about sparkling wine, most good sparkling (Champagne) is a blend of pinot noir and chardonay grapes. Pinot noir is a type of red grapes and chardonay is a type of white grapes. The reason why most Champagne appears light gold in colour is because the wine makers remove pinot noir grapes from the juice quickly so that it does not take on the colour of the pinot noir. However, in making rose, winemakers allow the pinot noir grapes' skin to soak for a short while so that the juice takes on a pretty pink and richer flavours from the pinot noir grapes.

This rose not only takes on the colour of pinot noir, the larger proportion of pinot noir imparts the nuttiness and robustness. Not many winemakers amke this kind of sparkling wines anymore.I was told even in Champagne, France, there are very of this kind of wine. Of course, this is a special reserve so it costs more than the Lindauer Brut (Brut means dry in French). If I am not wrong, it is selling at $42 in Cold Storage.

Anyway, if you don't mind spending a little bit to get something very much better, try this. I recommended this wine to my friend to use this as the aperitif below he propose to his girl friend. I believe this will work. :-)

Cheers

This wine is a more special version of Lindauer and since its launch has received high acclaim from wine critics and commentators for its uniqueness and elegance.

Winemaker's Notes

Initial release date: 1996
Varieties: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Regions: Hawke's Bay and Marlborough

Description

Colour: Bright gold with coppery tones.

Aromas: Yeasty and toasty bouquet show excellent maturity from prolonged bottle maturation.

Palate: The wine is full on the palate with a pleasant, steady mousse and elegant aroma. The palate is crisp, complex and well balanced, with a predominance of Pinot Noir for full flavour and lasting taste.

Harvest

A portion of the grapes are hand-picked, then whole-bunch pressed through the gentle action of the traditional Coquard press. The remainder are machine harvested. Only the highest quality free-run juice has been used to produce this wine. New clones of Pinot Noir from Hawke's Bay have given a much richer and full style of wine.

Winemaking

Winemaker: Julia O'Connell

The wine is fermented in the bottle and spends two years ageing on lees. Use of controlled temperature storage has ensured optimum development, allowing the expression of the fruit and desirable yeast flavours.

Analysis

Alcohol: 12.0% by volume
pH: 3.25
Total Acidity: 7.5g/L as tartaric
Residual Sugar: 12.0g/L