Don Melchor and his seven dwarfs
Why are there seven dwarfs? Simply because the wine, Don Melchor, is a blend from seven wines with distinct characters. Just like the seven dwarfs from folklore. But before you see the wine and personify it into the dainty, elegant Snow White, Don Melchor is the contrary. There is strength, subtlety, refinement, touch of sophistication […]
Visited: Champagne Taittinger
September 21st, I made my first ever visit to a Champagne house. Reims, a beautiful city where kings of the past used to be crowned, is where many big Champagne houses are. Epernay, a village not far from Reims, is where one can find smaller (and/or grower) Champagne houses. I took the easy option of taking a […]
Napa 2014 – Shaken and baked
Lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice, and as if it wasn’t bad enough with one calamity in a year, Napa just had its third run-in with mother nature. My visit to the Californian north coast two weeks ago couldn’t have been at a better timing. I arrived weeks after an earthquake and departed days […]
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
Early last year, words on the new Chianti Classico quality tier, Gran Selezione, made its way around. Very quickly, it became popular conversation topic among local trade people, with speculation about its impact and possible line of new products that may refresh the image of Chianti. A name that is as traditional as the aristocratic past of Florence. Things were finally […]
Do you want to build a… wine??
It does not snow in Singapore, so we can’t go out there and build a snowman. It is also impossible to plant decent vineyards here, so we can’t make our own wine. Or, can we now? Yes we can! Not in Singapore though, but you Singapore wine lovers, you now have the opportunity to make your […]
Back from Wine Educator's exam
I thank you if I have been missed. Having just came back from an intensive month of studying, I admit that one should not expect sympathy because none will be shown to people who chose to embark on the Society of Wine Educators’ (SWE) Certified Wine Educator (CWE) program. I asked for it, I went for […]
Varietal Celebration Days
If you’re not on Twitter, you may not be aware of the existence of celebration days for some wine-grape varieties. I am talking about such days as “Chardonnay Day”, “Cabernet Day”, “Grenache Day” etc… a day created to promote and celebrate a specific variety. On such days, those who would like to participate are encouraged to […]
Barolo – Can we skip the ten years wait?
Arrived with a pair of sleepy eyes and sore butt, I stood in Palazzo Gran Guardia expecting to pit my taste buds against a hundred wines. To taste all wines was a foolish idea which I did not entertain. As I stumbled through the halls amidst the buzzing of foreign greetings and seeing how television journalists caught unsuspecting guests for interviews, I finally […]
Vinitaly 2014 – In fair Verona…
[quote_simple]Two wine events, both alike in dignity. In fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient farming break to new technology, where berries blood makes farmer hands unclean.[/quote_simple] If Verona doesn’t sound synonymous to Vinitaly for you, then at least I should remind you of Romeo and Juliet. It was said that Shakespeare never came to […]
In Chile, Chilean wines redefined
Admittedly, many wine professionals frowned on supermarket wines most, if not all the time. There is something intangible associated with supermarket that makes their good value goods seemingly lesser in quality and standards. Unfortunately for Chilean wines, they seem to fall under this misunderstood category. Honestly, I had held prejudice against them too.