Old wines are for birthdays
Can there be another product that is capable of an ever-inflating price tag beside wine? Cheese possibly, but hardly any other food will come close to these. As an agricultural product and ingestible item, it sure is weird why people are willing to fork out exorbitant amount of money for things that are really old. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
Wines of Portugal – Fancy a dry Port?
Portugal, known for its pastries, salted cod, fado music, soccer players, and most importantly, Port wines. Once a powerful maritime empire, today traces of Portugal influence have became tourist attractions in many cities like Macau and Malacca. In the wine aspects, Portugal is synonymous to Port wines. Been so since 1703, looks like it is […]
Sparkling – Champagne, Christmas, Celebration
December is like a magical month. A month when people go slow, feel pleasant and generally happy. This is also the month of counting down, to Christmas and to New Year. In essence December is all about the letter ‘c’, celebration. The wines of Champagne have always been highly prized for such occasions, but most […]
Singapore Wine Fiesta – Across the new world
Gees… What crews did Straits Wine hire? Merry-men of Santa Claus right before Christmas? It took one night, and the Wine Fiesta layout was shuffled. First of the many wineries present was ARA with their highly expressive wines from Marlborough. I mentioned the flank was missing, now I stood corrected.
California wines – Going beyond familiarity
I know the day will come when an elderly looking man presents his range of everyday drinking wines made from a lesser-known region. Bottles of delicious California’s Central Valley wines, a sincere smile. And after several glasses, I am a happy man.
Beating the wine conformist
What do you see in a wine before you decide it is well-made? That is a million dollar question. Finding gem among stones is a challenge. If our expectation is to meet every bottle from a region tasting similar, then we are seeking conformity and not character. But of course some regions are just so […]
Durian Wine – The unthinkable made possible
Yes, you saw the title correctly. If you are still in disbelief, read the following words. Durian. Wine. If you are a fan of both, go ahead with the curious “ooh” and delightful “ah”. But consuming one within short interval after the other is known to have a lethal effect, so is the lethality going to […]