The Cork Brothers Food and Wine Pairing

ASSESSMENT OF THE 2010 RED BORDEAUX VINTAGE

2011-05-03T12:40:00.002+08:00

ASSESSMENT OF THE 2010 RED BORDEAUX VINTAGE

John Salvi-Master of Wine

Chris Low-Vintage Assets

INTRODUCTION

There are growers and producers who, now that the wines are safely in the vats and/or barrels, are claiming that their wines are even finer than the 2009s, for which the market paid astronomical prices for classed and famous growths. Is this really so, can we believe it and of so then why?

REASONS FOR QUALITY

One of the reasons, and perhaps the main and most easily understandable reasons why this might indeed be so was the quality of the grapes. Most great winemakers agree today that 80% of the wine is made in the vineyards. Also that you can make great wine with great grapes (you can also unfortunately make terrible wine with great grapes!!), but there is no way that you can make great wine with anything short of great grapes. We will look at the details of the weather later, as weather structures the wine of the year, but the grapes this year were magnificent.

Why were they magnificent? A very dry summer meant that we did not have any significant pressure from mildew and other fungus diseases. This is rare in the humid climate of Bordeaux where many winemakers who have tried making BIO wine here have given up and declared that it is an excellent way of committing suicide!

Fine, ripe, not over-ripe, healthy grapes mean that growers can take their time and practice highly detailed par cellar selection, picking each plot of grapes without haste and exactly when they feel that it has reached its optimum perfection of ripeness, without being in any way over-ripe. In the USA they talk about “hang time”, which we rarely have in Bordeaux, the window of perfect ripeness being very narrow indeed, especially with Merlot. This is a MAJOR factor.

Chris Low: This is confirmed when we tasted the wines ( from 11^th -16^th April 2011), we found out both left and right banks wines have dense but fine tannins with a purity of fruit not often found in such young wines. We could actually taste the sweetness from the wine and mark presence of fresh fruit on our palate and after taste.

Another reason for fine wine in 2010 is the complexity of the aromas and flavours. We had surprisingly cool nights in August and September and a lot of October (details below), and although we had warm to hot days we had none of the searing, blistering, grape-burning heat of 2003. A large variation of temperature between night and day has been proved to be excellent for the development of fine, complex and elegant bouquets and flavour compounds. This year was perfect for such development and we now have two major and very important reasons why 2010 produced those perfect grapes with the ability to make great wine.

Chris Low: The cools night from September to October has actually enabled the grapes to develop lots of refreshing acidity. The 2010 Bordeaux actually have higher alcohol then the 2009 but the wine do not taste flabby as it is balanced by lovely refreshing acidity.

A third reason is the highly sophisticated technical equipment that major properties, who sell their wine at expensive prices and can afford such luxuries, have installed in their chais today. With perfect temperature control, cooling systems, perfect control of oxygen supply, stainless steel everywhere, perfect hygiene etc. there is simply no excuse at all for a competent winemaker not to transform great grapes into great wine. Today the winemaker has total control. This was not the case in times gone by and is not the case today for the struggling smaller and lesser properties. It must never be forgotten that these are luxuries not enjoyed by all - far from it! Dry white wines can be made reductively without effort and red wines given exactly the right amount of oxygen, exactly when and as required.

Chris Low: From my observation from the past few years tasting barrel samples in Bordeaux. The main contribution from technology is the accuracy of the weather forecast, it enables most of the Chateaux to be extremely calculated during harvest, especially for 2010. This has resulted in many 1^st Growths and Grand Cru’s harvesting a very high percentage of excellent quality Cabernet Sauvignon in 2010!

A fourth reason, perhaps more debatable, is that many great oenologists, particularly Emile Peynaud, have said that the greatest wines are made in the driest years rather than the hottest. This year was particularly dry, as we shall see, and not particularly hot. We have seen the faults in the wines and the mistakes that were made with the ultra-hot vintage of 2003.

Chris Low: We observe most of the wines developing wonderful tannins with little evidence of over extraction as originally feared. Though higher in alcohol, the wonderful acids this year enabled the wines to be almost “drinkable” even from barrel samples!

A fifth reason was that the grapes were extremely small (a natural result of the dryness) and had thick skins. This had the already mentioned advantage of a lot of pigments and minerals in those skins, and it also gave a different and lowered ratio of pulp (and therefore juice) to skin. Fine for complexity, depth of flavour and colour, but with the one signal drawback of the vintage – a small crop!

Chris Low: The thick skins help give the wines a wonderful aroma. This year, there wasn’t any trace of vegetal notes and tones. Ripe pips as well, gave the wines some nice hazel nut tasting tones.

A TECHNICAL REPORT

Saint Emilion produced an excellent technical report in October, saying why THEY thought they had a fine vintage on their hands. They cited a very dry winter with a rain deficit from the beginning of the year and a daily minimum-to-maximum temperature difference of around 14°C throughout the summer. These two features coincide with what I have just said. They say that these weather conditions, which continued right up to harvest time, stopped the vine’s growth early, before the initial colour change (véraison) that heralds the onset of fruit ripening, leading to a substantial build-up of sugar in the pulp and of pigments in the grape skins. They say that the same conditions also helped to preserve the aromas in the fruit and, above all and vitally importantly, to preserve excellent acidity levels and thus perfect balance. In the dry white wines weak acidities were one of the problems in 2009 and the same problem was not unknown in some red wines. Here, succinctly put, are more reasons why 2010 had perfect grapes. It also shows that there WAS stoppage (hydric stress) due to the dryness around end July-begin August, and this should not be forgotten. It was not obvious this year as the leaves did not show shrivel or stress as they did in 2003, when even the grapes were burned if fully exposed to the sun. This hydric stress did, in some cases, slow down phenolic ripening and also helped keep those acidity levels up where they were wanted.

SOME OTHER COMMENTS

There was no rot at all. I am a cynic but for once I believe it because my son did the vintage at Brane Cantenac and other friends of his vintaged in different areas and all confirmed this unusual perfection!

Careful and meticulous control of grassing between vines in humid areas, leaf removal, green pruning and thinning, depending upon the needs of each and every vine, its age and its vigour, the terroir and the soil on which it was planted, all meticulously done at the correct time; all contributed to the perfection of those grapes.

Today people make up their own minds and no longer follow a leader like sheep as they used to do. The extremely heterogeneous conditions, leading to extremely heterogeneous ripening, led growers to start harvesting at widely differing times. The fine weather stayed with us until 20^th October and by then nearly everybody had finished.

Alcohol levels were naturally high, but on the whole not excessively so. High alcohol levels are beginning to be a problem all over the world, which regretfully we do not have space to discuss here.

As shown above, along with the reasons for it, I repeat that, most importantly, acidity levels were perfect. This was one of the problems with dry white wines last year, where weak acidities rendered a number of wines somewhat plump and heavy and lacking the wonderful crispness, freshness and vitality of 2010.

It would be very wrong to omit talking about the sweet wines, especially those made with botrytis cinerea. In September growers started to worry as the dryness has prevented the development of noble rot. Then 10.4mm of rain fell from 21^st-24^th and, with a cry of joy, the botrytis invaded. It grew and flourished magnificently and enabled wonderful, fully botrytised grapes to be harvested with very little grey or acid rot. So rich did the grapes become that Rieussec, among others, picked some un-botrytised grapes to keep up the acidity levels.

VINTAGE

A few vintage dates of various Châteaux to show how heterogeneous and individual were the picking dates of some of the great wines. The finishing date is perhaps more important than the start date as it was a stop-start vintage with waiting periods in between. Haut Brion, La Mission Haut Brion, Carbonnieux and a few others started picking their Sauvignon on 1^st September, saying that there was no reason to wait longer. Château Olivier started on the Semillon on 8^th as did Denis Dubourdieu. As the weather was perfect until 20^th the white wines were almost all harvested under quasi perfect conditions. Haut Brion and La Mission had both finished completely by 10^th.

Petrus started on 27^th September and finished on 2^nd October, picking only in the afternoon (95% Merlot). Durfort finished picking Merlot on 7^th October, started on Merlot but then stopped for greater maturity. As 11th – 18th October was totally dry everybody picked all out.Château Margaux went for bust, put 500 pickers on the job from 10^th and finished on 13^th. So did Lafite and Mouton was not far off the same. Château Palmer finished on 20^th. Château Durfort, on the other hand, only finished Merlot on 13^th and still had all the Cabernet to pick. Château d’Angludet finished on 15^th. As for precocity, the malo-lactic fermentation was in full swing in Haut Brion and La Mission by 18^th. Nearly all Saint Emilion had finished by 20^th, but not Château Guadet who vintaged almost until the end of the month,as did some Châteaux in the north of the Médoc, particularly Château Rousseau de Sipian who did not START until 16^th!! They said that when they picked the last grapes they had already had two frosts and there were no leaves left on the vines. In Sauternes Château d’Yquem finished on 26^th, but Château Rieussec picked their last grapes on 4^th November. I choose to finish, as I started, with Château Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion, which are both perfect examples of all that I have been saying about heterogeneity, hang time, stop and start picking and parcellar selection. They started their Red Wine vintaging on 8^th September, which was really early and before almost anybody else. However they did not finish until 9^th October, which although relatively early still meant that their vintage lasted for over a month, which is a very long time indeed!

FINALE

A word of warning! When one analyses and writes about a vintage, as in this article, one inevitably writes about, and concentrates upon, the better wines – the successes. In a region as vast as Bordeaux, which produces some 700 Million litres in an abundant vintage (considerably less this year, but the official figures will only be known in February of next year), there are inevitably some less good wines and even some downright poor wines – some say far too much and many!! There are only a few great artists, more good to excellent artists, plenty of adequate artists and some poor to thoroughly poor artists. If you regard, as I do, winemaking as an art, then the same holds true for the wines. Never expect to find a vintage in any production area universally good. If I may give a final word of advice, never trust completely my judgement or anybody else’s, however famous. In the final analysis it all depends entirely on your own personal taste and judgement. You will get a lot of pleasure tasting the 2010 vintage in Bordeaux and will have some wonderful surprises assorted with a few disappointments.

Chris Low: In Short, 2010 is a great year for the wines of Bordeaux. The reds are ripe and powerful, with fine acidity, firm tannins and pure fruit; the dry whites are exotic but crisp and bright. The sweet white wines have good botrytis and balance – fresher and less exuberant than 2009. This vintage is a twin for the equally exceptional 2009 – but certainly not an identical twin! Everyone will now wait for Robert Parker to release his tasting score for 2010, however the En Primeur campaign has already started on the 17^th April and we predict the 1^st Growths will release the 1^st Tranche price by end May till the middle of June, after the Vin Expo 2011.

And below are some of the outstanding wines from our list:

Wine to buy for 2010

● Ch Lafite Rothschild ,Carruades de lafite & Ch Duhart-Milon

● Ch Haut-Brion, Mission Haut-Brion, Clarence Haut-Brion.

● Ch Latour & Fort de latour.

● Ch Margaux & Pavilion Rouge de Margaux

● Ch Mouton Rothschild, Petit Mouton, D’Armaillac.

● Ch Pontet-Canet

● Ch Lynch Bages

● Ch Ducru Beaucaillou

● Ch Beychevelle

● Ch Leoville Poyferre

● Ch Palmer

● Vieux Chateau Certan( Pomerol)

● Petrus-not tasted

● Le Pin-not tasted

Bordeaux 2010: Expect Higher Prices?

2011-03-25T13:28:00.004+08:00

Spring has arrived in Europe, and as late March drifts into April, thoughts turn to Bordeaux and the unveiling of the 2010 vintage.

I’m already packing my bags for Bordeaux. From 10th-17th April. I will be down on the left and right banks of Gironde for a busy week of tastings. Oh yes, this year both the Cork Brothers will be tasting the Bordeaux 2010.

We actually arrive Bordeaux one week later of the official UGC Primeur tasting. So that we can tasting ala carte, concentrate and focus on the IGW.

Below is the preview of what are the Chateaux that we will be going. The Cork brothers will try the best to post our tasting notes and our thoughts of Bordeaux 2010.

Monday, April 11th

CH PALMER

Dinner + visit + tasting at Ch D'Issan

Tuesday, April 12th:

COS D'ESTOURNEL

Ch MOUTON ROTHSCHILD

GRAND PUY DUCASSE

CH LATOUR

CH PICHON COMTESSE

CH BEYCHEVELLE (visit-tasting-dinner)

Wednesday, April 13th:

VIEUX CHÂTEAU CERTAN

EGLISE CLINET

CHEVAL BLANC (VISIT + TASTING + LUNCH)

GRAND CORBIN DESPAGNE

CH LA CAUSPAUDE

TROPLONG MONDOT

CLOS FOURTET (VISIT+ TASTING+ DINNER)

Thursday, April 14th

CH HAUT BRION

CH CLIMENS

CH LAFAURIE PEYRAGUEY (VISIT+TASTING+LUNCH)

CH YQUEM

Friday, April 15th

CH Montrose

CH LAFITE

Lunch + visit + tasting CH Leoville-Poyferre

CH MARGAUX

CH LEOVILLE Las Case AND Ducru-Beaucaillou

Bordeaux 2009: The day Before…

2010-03-31T15:00:00.002+08:00

Arrive Bordeaux on the 27th March and was welcome warmly by my friend Bruno from Vignoble Aubert who family owns Chateau La Couspaude and Chateau Haut-Gravet in St Emilion. This year I am lucky as I received my baggage without delay. According to Bruno, It was great weather last week and he was enjoying the sunny day but was windy like Chicago.
Dinner on the first day in Bordeaux in Bruno’s House and the chef, Cecile. Bruno’s wife or the duck specialise. Why? Cecile’s weekly balance diet must include duck at least 3 meals in a week.
Duck breat+liver pie with prunes and goat cheese for starter. Tasty and we down it with Chteau Haut -Gravet 2000. Main course is duck fillet back with maple syrup +balsamic and went sexy with Chateau La Couspaude 2006.

On Sunday. I ask Bruno his view regarding the hype 2009 vintage. And he says in 2009, his wine from Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux Superior( generic Bordeaux) till his premium St Emilion Grand Classe is well balance with good acid, good tannin and lush alcohol. “ We did not do a lot of treatment to the grapes in the cellar for 2009 as compare to 2007. Emily(his sister in-law and the cellarmaster of the family wineries) is happy that the grape is in perfect condition during harvest and the ripeness of the tannin.” I am comfortable with his views after series tasting of his wine the next day in my apartment in Bordeaux centre. Together in the tasting is my friend from Singapore Peter and his wife.

Bruno giving a wine presentation of Domaine de Aubert
wines

That night, Bruno’s parents in-law Alain and Benedict host a dinner in Chateau de Ribebon one of their property in Libourne . Alain and Benedict in total owns and manage in total 6 families vineyard in right bank of Bordeaux which includes Chateau La Couspaude. Lovely dinner starts with warm pan fried of duck liver with spring pear and green plum; main course is duck breast grill on the Chateau fireplace( Benedict secret is using the vine from winter pruning as wood fire)

Vertical tasting of Chteau Haut Gravet. The 2000 vintage
is serve from Magnum and decanted for 1 hour.

Highlight of the evening is the vertical tasting of Chateau Haut-Gravet 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and the 2000 Vintage in Magnum. It is very interesting as I compare the wine of 2009 with the 2000 and find a similarity: subtleness and ripe tannin. Alain later elaborate that the 2009(gift from the god) for him is as good if not better than his 2000, he is very happy that they did not have to do many treatment for the vintage, though he was equally anxious during the harvest as everything is perfect from winter till autumn and he can’t afford any mistake in the winemaking process.
My opinion for the 2009 wine from Domaine Aubert: we have a lots of fruits, red and black synchronise with balance acid, sweet tannin cover with big alcohol. Even the basic range is well made. Good effort and well done to Alain and Emily!

Bordeaux 2009: The Official Tasting, day 1

2010-03-25T12:14:00.004+08:00

Today tasting was not so pack and quite relax. In our entourage, we have Peter my friend from Singapore. Gary and his wife from Hong Kong and a few new friends from Shanghai and Beijing as well. For the next three days, we are all hosted by Michel Martell. Our friendly Bordeaux negotiant.

Michel Martel and Chris Low @ Cos

 We head to St-Estephe and start our first ever Bordeaux 2009 primeur tasting with Chateau Cos D’ Estournel and was great by the owner Mr. Bruno Prats.
Pagoda De Cos 2009. Primary aroma of casis couple with smoke and spice. Refreshing acidity and accessible.
Chateau Cos D’Eastournel 2009. I found freshness, intense black fruits, warm mouth feel and sweet tannin from this Grand Vin. Actually drinkable at this stage.
Also tasted was Goulee. A wine made by Cos in Medoc.
We ask Mr. Parts impressions on 2009. “the wine are full-bodied, thick but not aggressive. The big tannin matching well with the freshness and spice typical of the Cos soil. 2009 Cos d’ Estournal has an original and unusual “Chalky” character. According to the Chateau, 2009 is the best vintage so far.

2009 Goulee, Pagoda and Ch Cos D,Estournel

 Next, we taste the “king” . Ch. Lafite is under renovation, so part of the visitor has to do the primeur tasting at Ch. Duhart-Milon.
Carruades de Lafite 2009. Blend of 50.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42.2% Merlot, 2.2% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Fresh and with purple fruits, hint of white pepper, easy to drink actually with bitter sweet aftertaste.
Ch Duhart-Milon 2009. 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot. I think I prefer Duhart then Carruades 2009? Lovely fruits though tannic and hint of savoury, minor herbaceous.
Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2009. 82.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot.
Typical Lafite cigar box and led .Red,Black and Purple fruit swim together with refreshing acidity. I can chew the sweet tannin and feel the warm alcohol with lovely after taste. What happen to 2009, they are all drinkable at this stage?

Carruades de lafite, duhart Milon and Ch Lafite 2009Vintage 2007 of Lafite that already bottle..what left is the barrel
Chateau Lafite impressions on 2009:
“ A joyful harvest. Although was difficult at beginning. Warm weather with long dry spell since june with light but welcoming rain in July. Harvest went wonderfully with no worries of rot. .
Cabernet remained comparatively small with thick skin, with excellent ripeness and expression of tannins.

Emmanuel Cruise and Chris Low

 We are in Margaux and stop at Ch D’Issan and tasting their 2009 with owner Mr. Emmanuel Cruse.
Lovely lunch hosted by Mr. Cruse too.
Blosson D’Issan 2009. 40% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Sauvignon. Primary aromas of plum and prunes, fresh crash pepper. Casis, prune and cholate appear on the palate with warm alcohol and subtle tannin.
Ch D’Issan 2009
60%Cabernet and the rest is Merlot. According to Mr. Cruse. 2009 is neither 1989 nor 1990. Close if not better than his 2005 vintage. Tannin is ripe due to perfect pneumatic ripeness of the grapes. At a stage he was afraid with the high alcohol content of the wine, thanks to great level of acidity, he hope The 2009 Grand Vin will upbeat his 2005. On the nose I had plum, casis and vanilla( though Mr. Cruse said he reducing new oak in his wine)subtle and balance wine with almost sweet tannin and warm alcohol and milk chocolate after taste.
Over lunch, we had white wine from Ch Lagrange-Les Arums de Lagrange 2008. Fresh juice of Sauvignon Blanc just nice with the Salmon Tartare. Blason d’Issan 2004, classical Margaux nose and silky finish, went well with the Lamb loin au jus. And Ch D’Issan 1999 with cheese, whoever have this vintage( also 2006) you are lucky…great stuff.

 We continue journey to Ch Latour after great meal from D’Issan.

The 2009 according to Ch Latour will be remembered thanks to the amazing hot and dry summers.
Merlot with great level of alcohol and very good level of acidity and the Cabernet Sauvignon has similar characteristics. Ch Latour with whooping 91.3% of Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.7% Merlot resulting only 38% of the production go into the Grand Vin. Majority grape went into production of Forts de Latour( 65.1% Cab Sauvignon, 32.3% Merlot and 1.9% Petit Verdot) and Pauillac de Latour( 53.8% Merlot and 46.2% Cabernet Sauvignon)

Tasting:
Pauillac 2009. Plums, very light vegetal and bell pepper. quite tannin but refreshing and easy to drink.

Forts de Latour 2009. Light intensity or rather mute nose for me. Presence of alcohol and black fruits on the palate.Fresh and elegance.

Ch Latour 2009. On the nose with presence of violet, casis and black fruits. What can I says with such high tannin(but almost sweet); starts with rather hollow mid pallet but later shows me good team work of fresh acidity and warm alcohol that promote to me some blackcurrant+medium rare steaks.
Solid efforts, I like!

Next we are in St Julien for the Lion. Ch Leoville Las Cases.
Which release a second wine just before the en-primeur with 2007 vintage:- Le Petit Lion
Ch Leoville las Case View on their 2009: “ perfectly healthy crop, resulting from their integrated viticulture methods, and very low risk of grey rot. Harvest took place in ideal conditions with evenly ripe for all grape varieties.

Tasting:
Le Petit Lion 2009. Light intensity on the nose. I had hash tannin and green on the palate. perhaps needs a few more years to impress us?

Clos du Marquis 2009. Been “promoted” to Grand Vin. But the Chateau claims Clos du marquis was never the second wine for Leoville Las Case. Fruity and white floral on the nose. Casis, milk cholate and bell pepper swim together and polish tannin in the palate. Interesting effort for 2009!

Ch Leoville Las Cases 2009. Mineral, soil, bell pepper and currants. Same on the palate plus milk cholate and hint of coconut on the finish. Did I mention the tannin is sweet?

 Our 1st day, end with my favourite Ch. Ducru Beaucaillou and we were warmly welcome by owner Mr. Bruno Borie who is passionate in Asia and learn to write Chinese. He stress that 2009 is a gift from the god but with a few challenging decision making. He is proud that this is his best effort since he takes over the operations of Ducru Beaucaillou in 2003. When I ask if this vintage is comparable to 2005 or even 1982. He mentioned 2 days of light rain just before the harvest perfected his 2009 with very ripe tannin, great alcohol strength and well balance acidty in the wine. “2009 will be great and it will rank side by side with Ducru Beaucaillou 1961. (we later have a tour in his private cellar and witness his impressive old vintage from 1920’s include handsome quantity of 1961 and 1982)

Tasting:
Chateau Lalande-Borie 2009. Crimson color with purple hue. Aromas of red fruit,s pretty mouth feel and easy drinking finish.

Croix de Beaucaillou 2009. Dark violet with presence of dark fruits, blackberries. Fruit and freshness is balance with round tannins.

Ducru Beaucaillou 2009. According to Mr.Borie boasts a beautiful deep violet. At this moment I find rice fruits, luscious structure, dense yet velvet, sweet and elegance tannins. Great effort wine, I like!

Over dinner, we tasted Ch Lalande Borie 2007 and Croix de Beaucaillou 2004. At start I like and feels it is subtle and easy drinking. But compare with the mini vertical of Ch Ducru Beaucaillou 2003, 2000 ( in magnums) and 1995 that display elegance and power. The earlier wine reminds me of new world cabernets.

During dinner, I question Mr. Borie the rising fear of global warming with hot summers and rapid rain. He said so far is good for the ripeness of the grape but he say if the heat is rising up with higher and higher alcohol content. We may see Syrah in Bordeaux. But he strongly addresses in English the word “winemakers” do not appear in France. Instead we have vineyard manager, cellar master etc, who the job is helping Mother Nature converting yearly weather and terrior conditions into the bottle and that is the word of wisdom for me of the day.

FIN.

Bordeaux 2009-The Hype?

2010-03-23T17:10:00.004+08:00

Bordeaux opens doors to journalists and merchants next week to taste and evaluate the 2009 vintage already touted as one of the best vintage in decades. The main point of interest isthe pricing which if increased from the last year, might be counter-productive especially due to the slow US market, despite the growing Hong Kong aka China thirst for Bordeaux wines. (Altough my Bordeaux negotiants told me this year Primeur campagin already flooded with merchants from US that did not turn up for the last two years)

During my last September visits to France. I met a couple of winemakers. They shared their Bordeaux expert’s view that 2009 is the best vintage in decades.
Even my best Friends Bruno Macarez from St Emilion who runs 5 family vinyards at the right bank of Bordeaux claims it is the best vintage in 27 years.

A similar buzz was in the air wherever the En Primeur came up for discussion. It seemed that few doubted the excellent quality of the vintage- the main point of discussion being whether it was better than 2005. This motivated many of us plan to be there for the exceptional vintage at month-end although there was a minority who would rather wait for the prices to be announced, the ‘last mile’ in the Bordeaux En Primeur tastings.

Well, I will find out soon as I will be in Bordeaux from 26th March till 4th April for the 2009 Primeur tasting. But before that, i have sort out a few interview of few prestiges chateaux done by other media and journalist.

Château Cheval Blanc is the Premier Grand Cru Classé Class ‘A’ property in Saint Emilion and is managed by Pierre Lurton who divides his time also at Chateau d’Yquem. He formed a team to look after the details at Cheval recently. Pierre Olivier Clouet is a member of the team and was responsible for four wines. He says, ‘Cheval is always a balanced wine but this year it is
richer and has added natural concentration, not more extraction. It has been good beyond our expectation and I am sure it will surprise the visitors. I am well aware that Bordeaux often hypes its new vintages. But I can assure them that the Cheval Blanc is one of the all timegreats.’

‘Awesome,’ exclaims Pauline Vauthier Technical Director of the only other Premier Grand Cru Classé ‘A’, Chateau Ausone owned by her family for 400 years, about the vintage. She adds, ‘it is showing very well right now; it has an excellent backbone, it’s powerful with a long ageing potential, it’s complete with very well balance with layers of ripe fruit and great aromatic length.’

Gildas d’Ollone, Director of the Second Growth Pauillac producer Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande says this ‘sumptuous’ vintage is less angular than 2005 and has more acid and alcohol than ’05. He expects the visitors to be surprised by the immediate appeal and charm of this wine in which Pichon has used 75% Cabernet Sauvignon as it was a great year for Cabernets.
‘Out of the ordinary but not classic,’ says Stéphane Derenoncourt of the 2009 vintage. The French enologist who, like Michel Rolland , works as an international consultant to several wineries including Château Pavie-Macquin, Château Canon-la-Gaffelière, Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Château Brown and Château Prieuré-Lichine, says this vintage will offer a wonderful opportunity for Bordeaux to improve its reputation which has seen a considerable damage in the recent times. He will be present again with the producers he works with, in Chateau Gaffelière in Saint Emilion under the group name of ‘La Grappe.’

Peter Sisseck of the Spanish top winery Pingus warns against raising the prices as he has heard some people talk about. He feels it may be a bit too adventurous although the 2009 is a complete vintage with ripe tannins and could be a ‘once in a lifetime’ vintage.

Bernard Magrez, owner of Chateau Pape-Clement in Pessac Léognan feels that the producers should not get carried away with the pricing for 2009 although the quality is better than 2005. He expects to keep his Chateau wine less than €75.

Chateau Angelus the Premier Grand Cru
Classé of Saint Emilion expects the price between €130 and €50, those of 2005 and 2008.

Do check out our blog again for update on the hype of Bordeaux 2009.

A selections of good old Bordeaux, great Bubbly and a CDP.

2009-11-09T15:30:00.011+08:00

This dinner that is long waited and planned for...it all started in Malaysia.
Lionel, Mike and me was having dinner in Kanichikan Yakiniku, PJ Malaysia. A magic question pop out by Mike which sounds like when is the last time the Cork Brothers went to Singapore.

Lionel said; Chris is the one who travels around Asia; i will only ritually visit Singapore every December to join our dear friend +business partner+ A professional race car driver's Christmas gathering. Well the main ingridient of the gathering is good food and great wines.

Here come Mike: Hmm. I wonder 1961 Chateau Margaux will be something interesting for you?

Here we were, in Absinthe Restaurant at Bukit Pasoh Road.
Menu 1
Duo of fines de Claire Oysters and Balik Salmon with Mirin Dressing
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King Prawns Sautéed with Spicy Chorizo and Pine Nuts, Mushroom Foam
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Pan Fried Foie Gras with Warm Blinis and Morello Cherries
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Traditional Fish and Seafood Bouillabaisse with Saffron Aioli and Croutons
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Roasted Rack of Welsh lamb with Braised Belgian Endive, Sweet Potato and Cumin Croquettes, thyme Jus
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Cheese Selection
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Vanilla Bourbon Crème Brûlée and Ginger Bread Ice Cream
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Menu 2

Chilled Ravioli of Lobster with Lime Sabayon, Pink Guava Julienne and Shiso
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Carpaccio of Venison Filet with Celery Remoulade and Black Truffle Dressing
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Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly with Star Anis Jus, French Beans & Small Cress Salad
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Rib of Beef “Black Angus”, Potato Gratin, Steamed Vegetables and Béarnaise Sauce
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Warm Valhrona chocolate fondant, vanilla ice cream and strawberry chutney.

And the wines;

Champagne Lanson Brut 1996 and Champagne Lanson Rose 1996.
Troplong Mondot 1997, 1961 Chateau Margaux, Clinet 1995, Leoville las Cases 1995, Montrose 1995, Haut Brion 1995, Latour 2002, Paul Jaboulet CDP 1990 and A very nice Placito from Sicili.

Jalan jalan makan makan HCMC

2009-08-30T20:35:00.005+08:00

dessert sample

Pan sear wagyu with spring vege and burgundy glaze.

Medallion of Chicken, cepe mushroom with cappuccino of parley and demi-glace

Sweet bread, cepe mushroom and beet

Pan Fried Foir Gras with caramelised onions and port reductions

warm fruit salad serve with crispy rice crackers

Various steam rice "custard" serve with crispy pork skin and dried shrimp, side with a tangy fish sauce.

Daily stable food in Vietnam "Pho"

This is the Chicken version

"Pho" Bu or Beef Noodle soap. like the raw herb and vege. the chili is fierce hot!
with happy Chris Low at the back ground.

Chris Low: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was a mystery country to me until June this year. Way before i step into this country, all i know about this communist country is from movie like "Good Morning Vietnam" and American TV series " Tour of Duty, Vietnam".

Until i visited the War Museum in HCMC, my view about the image of Vietnam totally changed and i wanted to know more about this country. And as what Cork Brothers always do, we discover the Vietnamese culture true the basic needs: Food!

Lionel and me visited HCMC in early June for 2 days. And i return to visit our business partner Mr.Thien in August with a bang...more wine and food encounters!

We were introduce to Southern Vietnamese food which includes various Spring rolls serve raw or deep fried. Fresh seafood from the river like fresh water prawns braised in thick soy and fish sauce; snails blanched and chopped with pork then braised with light broth; and "Pho"

Ultimately, the based is rice made product, fish sauce, fish sauce and better fish sauce + lots of healthy "unknown to me" raw salads, basils, bean sprouts and vegetables.

But what i like is "Huei" cuisine from the middle Vietnam. Slightly more intense from the Saigon styles. I need more visit to talk about this type of cooking. At this stage, all i can says is: "Unique and delicious!"

Street food to fine dining restaurant's...HCMC has lots to offer. And so wine friendly!

Will definitely sample more!

Bloomberg on the "Lafite effect"

2009-08-30T20:31:00.002+08:00

Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Kevin Hassett

One of the strangest developments in financial markets this year is the “Lafite effect.” It offers a valuable lesson about investing.
This financial crisis has walloped just about everything. It has even pushed down prices for fine wine.

The Vintage Wine Fund, which invests “in fine wine with an objective of steady, high capital growth,” declined 33 percent in 2008. This is newsworthy. In a 2008 paper, economists Lee Sanning, Sherrill Shaffer and Jo Marie Sharratt at the University of Wyoming demonstrated that wine investments provide enormous positive returns over time, with almost no correlation to the market as a whole.

Their study provides a textbook example of the problem with risk analysis. Until that time, the correlation of wine with the overall stock market was essentially zero. A hedge fund that bet on that remaining true would have lost big, because this time everything moved together.

One set of wine investors survived unscathed: those who bought and held the fine French wine Chateau Lafite Rothschild.
According to data compiled by wine exchange Liv-ex, the average list price for a bottle of 1982 Lafite was $3,386 in July, the highest ever. That’s about $280 higher than it was last year, and more than $1,100 higher than in 2007. Not bad for a bottle that you could have purchased for about $20 back in the 1980s.
So strong is the 1982 Lafite that its value largely withstood a downgrade, to 97 from a perfect 100, by U.S. wine maven Robert Parker. If you consider how much wealth has been destroyed in the past year, you would think that such a markdown would have devastated prices. Think again.

Lafite Index
The run-up appears to have affected all things Lafite, not just the 1982 vintage. The effect is so striking that Liv-ex created a new index to track the prices of the Lafite vintages from 2000 to 2006. That index is now only 4.4 percent below its long-term high. Few investments have done better.
The question for an investor is this: Is the Lafite price spike yet another bubble, or are there sound fundamental reasons?
One sound argument that might explain the increase is that there is a special “Lafite effect” associated with Asia. As wealth has increased there, the demand for luxury commodities such as Lafite has skyrocketed. “Right now, it’s almost an insult in some places to serve something other than Lafite,” Liv-ex’s director, James Miles, told me last week.
With the Lafite supply limited, this high demand for the supreme trophy wine has pushed prices through the roof.

As Asia Goes
Since Asia will presumably continue to grow in wealth, one might expect that demand will skyrocket and that today’s prices will someday look cheap.
The Lafite price might just as well drop sharply, and the argument for a decline is probably more compelling.

For one thing, prices might be higher now because of a speculative bubble.
Also, Asian consumers might become more sophisticated and grow to appreciate other wines, which they now shun, that are close substitutes for Lafite. If they do that, today’s prices might be a high water mark for some time. The 2000 vintages of both Lafite and La Mission Haut Brion both received perfect scores of 100 from Parker, for example. Right now Lafite costs more than twice as much.
The decision on investing today in Lafite probably turns on this question of whether it will become more socially acceptable to serve fine wines other than Lafite in the wealthiest corners of Asia. Today’s high prices suggest there are enough people willing to bet that Asian demand for Lafite continues on its trajectory.

By Kevin Hassett, director of economic-policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, is a Bloomberg News columnist. He was an adviser to Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona in the 2008 presidential election. The opinions expressed are his own.

Investor pour into liquid assets

2009-07-22T14:54:00.005+08:00

By Ellen Kelleher
Financial Time. July 17 2009

The returns on Château Lafite and Château Latour have outpaced the FTSE 100 over the past 12 months, prompting wine aficionados to add more bottles to their cellars instead of buying shares.

With just an estimated $3bn invested either directly or through listed and unlisted funds, fine wine remains a niche play. But it is attracting considerable attention from wealthy investors in Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai as well as the UK.

Since May, the price of 2008 Château Lafite – a Bordeaux fine wine – has jumped 56 per cent from January, according to Stacy-Lea Golding, investments director with Premier Cru, a wine investment company.“I think it’s a prime opportunity to buy in,” she says. “Prices have been affected by the financial crisis – and we’re seeing sharp adjustments over short periods of time.”

Between January and June, Liv-ex, the index of the top 100 investable wines, rose 3.3 per cent while the FTSE 100 returned 1.6 per cent. Long-term returns are even more impressive, with Liv-ex gaining 115.5 per cent over the past five years compared with a 1.9 per cent return by the UK’s largest 100 companies.

“Demand from Asia has been sustaining the wine market,” reports Justin Gibbs, a director with Liv-ex. Wine funds appeal to novice investors who are more comfortable investing with the help of managers. The “unit trust” model also helps investors to spread their risks.

Last month, Beijing saw its first fine wine auction, where two bottles of Château Lafite were sold for four times their estimate – at a 70 per cent premium to many UK merchants’ prices.

The size of the wine market has ballooned from $1bn to $3bn over the last decade, says Gibbs, with 20 funds springing up in response to growing demand.
Buying largely in Bordeaux, fund managers store investment-grade wine in bonded warehouses. The recent rise of sterling against the euro has helped funds based in London to buy at favourable prices.

Joss Fowler, a fine wine specialist with Berry Bros & Rudd, the London merchant, says investors should focus on two factors when buying wine: quality and the label.
“You have to aim at the top and buy the very best,” he says. “In the past five years or so, we’ve seen this market open up and certain bottles are improving as they are aging and becoming scarcer, which makes them more valuable.” A case of Château Latour or Château Lafite could yield 10 to 15 per cent in a year, by Fowler’s estimates

“You can build more yachts and Rolls-Royces and dig more swimming pools, but it’s difficult to bottle certain Bordeaux vintages,” he says.

A night at the right bank...

2009-06-24T22:04:00.006+08:00

Ch Smith Haut Lafite Blanc 1995
Ch Ausone 1988

Le Pin wanna be?
La Gomerie 1999

Troplong Mondot 1999

"rejected friend eggs"

A rare occasions that i end my dinner with chinese tea, not a dessert wine. but much appreciated.

~~~~~~~~

Chris Low: We had a chinese meal at our regular Cantonese Restaurent- Elegance Inn with some 1er selections of great growth right banks and a age bordeaux blanc.

This time, we invite one of our dear friend-Chef Max Chin as our guest blogger ans this is what he has to say.

Max Chin: "Being invited to a Chinese dinner last evening at Elegant Inn @ Hap Seng Building. Meal wasn't as great as the wines accompanied.

Excel Bordeaux Grand Crus line up with Smith Haut Laffite (white), Ausone, La Gomerie and Troplong Mondot which indeed all amazing in its own pristine class and tastes. Am I converted into a Fil de Bordelaise with these Grand Crus...Je sais Pas ??? My "Cork Bros" would need to work harder!

Lionel: Oh yes, did you tell them the fry egg is very good?

Leslie: I love eggs...i dont mind the rejects...

Wine Investors raise glass as market revives

2009-06-21T09:03:00.003+08:00

By John Stimpfig
Published: June 19 2009 16:03 Last updated: June 19 2009 16:03(Financial Times)

Had this report appeared six months ago, it would have provided some very sober reading for wine investors. Not least because the end of 2008 coincided with the first significant correction in the fine wine market for more than a decade.

During the first half of 2008, Liv-ex, an index of the top 100 investable wines, climbed by a steady and impressive 9.5 per cent before stalling during the summer. In the final quarter of 2008 it fell by nearly 25 per cent; in October it lost more than 12 per cent of its value – the biggest monthly movement since its inception in 2001.

There are no prizes for guessing why. Despite the fact that the fine wine market had seemed impressively impervious to the hurricane blowing through the financial markets for most of last year, it clearly could not remain immune indefinitely. The collapse of Lehman Brothers was the turning point, as many private and institutional investors desperately sought to avoid losses in the ensuing dash for cash.

They were not the only ones looking to liquidate their wine holdings: merchants had seen the writing on the wall and had already begun to empty their inventories. Distressed sellers and restaurants also started offloading, while a number of wine funds found themselves on the receiving end of growing numbers of redemptions.

Never before had such a flood of investment-grade wine appeared on the market simultaneously. At one stage, it seemed to almost grind to a halt as prices tumbled.
The wines that lost the most value were, of course, those clarets that had gained the most in the bull run of the previous two years. Initially, that meant the top 2005s, which had surged in price and were in plentiful supply. Some prices fell by up to 50 per cent.

However, as things got worse, it was not just the 2005s that started to feel the pressure. Older vintages such as the 2003s and 2000s were also sucked in, as forced sellers continued to dump stock. The contagion also spread to rarer and more mature vintages, pulling down prices of 1996s and the 1990s in their wake.

The situation was perhaps the most challenging of the modern wine investment era, for a variety of reasons. First, the economic downturn was far more serious than anything in the past 50 years. And unlike the Asian crash of the late 1990s, this crisis was truly global.

Moreover, as Justin Gibbs of Liv-ex points out: “This time around, the amount of wine held for investment purposes had increased significantly, leading to a greater sell-off when the market turned.”
But amid the doom and gloom, several merchants and fund managers saw grounds for optimism. As early as December, Stacey Golding of Premier Cru Fine Wine Investments called the bottom of the market. “Historically, fine wine has been the last investment to fall and the first to recover. Early indications, however, are showing that now is the best buying opportunity since 1997,” she says.

Andrew della Casa of the Wine Investment Fund is even more bullish. “Notwithstanding the ongoing turmoil in the financial markets, we believe that investment-grade wine will generate positive returns in 2009, with double-digit growth returning later in the year.”
Why such fighting talk? No doubt fund managers were hoping to re-establish some much-needed confidence. They also hoped to promote wine’s credentials as a safe haven in stormy economic conditions.

Others look to the past to predict the future. “In previous periods of financial and economic turbulence, there were short sharp decreases in wine prices followed by a period of stability and a relatively fast return to good fundamentals,” says Will Beck of Wine Asset Managers.

Fortunately, the market did not drown in wine last winter. Instead, it somehow managed to soak it up, largely thanks to the sheer level of interest from Asia. Miraculously, demand there remained rock solid, effectively underpinning the market.

At the end of last year, one merchant was selling £150,000 worth of wine a day through its recently opened Hong Kong office.

Other merchants and auctioneers have also registered record sales from the region. Of course, Hong Kong’s zero wine tax and duty helped, as did sterling’s weakness.
“For the Japanese, our wines are almost 50 per cent cheaper than they were at the end of 2007,” says Richard Harvey-Jones of Seckford Wines.

The beginning of the year saw a degree of confidence return to the market and some cash-rich traders and investors felt the time was right to go back in for a bit of bargain hunting.
As the selling pressure of the previous quarter subsided, 2009 also saw the return of price stability.

January and February saw increases in the Liv-ex 100, with a slight dip in March followed by a small bounce-back in April, of 2.4 per cent. Last month also saw a slight gain. As a result, the index is now up 4.5 per cent for the year to date.

Other grounds for optimism include the brightening macro-economic picture and the staunching of a flow of redemptions experienced by a number of funds.
Better still, new money is coming into funds. Further evidence of the nascent recovery is the narrowing of bid-offer spreads. Meanwhile, merchants and traders such as Wilkinson Vintners are busily replenishing stocks. With four or five new funds circling the market, this could provide yet another shot in the arm for fine wine prices.
“If 50 per cent of these new business projections are met, the effect on prices should be notably positive,” comments Gary Boom, managing director of Bordeaux Index.

Other areas of the fine wine market have also performed beyond expectations. For instance, this year’s Bordeaux en primeur campaign was a turn-up for the books in almost every respect.
Going into it, there were fears that another undersold and over-priced vintage could affect the wider Bordeaux market. Fortunately, those concerns were not realised.

Instead, many wines were sold through the supply chain, providing yet more evidence of consumer confidence and an improving market.
The auction houses also appear to have bounced back after wobbles at the end of 2008. Estimates have undoubtedly dropped to lure bidders back to the saleroom. But it seems to be working.

For instance, the latest Acker Merrall & Condit sale on May 30 in Hong Kong netted $4.8m for the New York auction house, topping its March sale which raised $4.5m.
Beijing also saw its first fine wine auction this month, where two bottles of Lafite fetched four times their estimate – at a 70 per cent premium to most UK merchants’ prices. Clearly, the Asian love affair with Lafite still has some way to go.
As a result, nearly every commentator believes the Lafite brand will continue to dominate. Only last month, the 1986 and 1995 achieved gains of 10 per cent, while vintages such as 2008 and 2004 look well-priced.

So is now still the time to buy?
Certainly, the market looks much more secure compared with the turbulence of last year.

Many professionals, including Mr Boom, believe it should experience a significant bounce within the next five to six months.“It’s starting to look good again. Some prices are up to 35-40 per cent off last year’s highs and things are picking up. As long as nothing goes seriously wrong in the world economy, it’s a question of when, not if.”

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

The highest total for any series of wine auctions this year

2009-06-01T15:09:00.002+08:00

Chris Low: Acker Merrall & Condit’s Second Wine Auction of the Year in Hong Kong realized an impressive total of almost 97% sold and HK$37.5 Million • An Incredibly Rare Lot of 1985 Henri Jayer Richebourg achieves HK$532,400 • The highest total for any series of wine auctions this year.

Hong Kong – Acker Merrall & Condit’s second Finest and Rarest Wine Auction of 2009 was held in Hong Kong May 30th and realizes an impressive total of HK$37.5 Million (US$4.82 Million). Together with its March auction which fetched HK$35 Million (US$4.5 Million), Acker Merrall & Condit’s sales in Hong Kong this year have achieved an impressive total of HK$72.5 Million (US$9.32 Million), the highest total for any series of wine auctions in Hong Kong this year.

This highly successful sale presented an amazing array of over 1,100 lots of the world’s most sought-after wines and champagnes including over 2,000 bottles of Bordeaux, 3,000 bottles of Burgundy and 1,200 bottles of some of the world's finest champagnes.

The competition was intense at the packed auction with wine collectors from around Asia bidding enthusiastically for their dream lots in the saleroom at the Island Shangri-La Hotel. There was particularly active bidding activity over the Internet as well as via absentee bids throughout the sale.

Wine investment: Best In Class whn adjusted for risk.

2009-05-27T11:10:00.005+08:00

Chris Low: Lionel and myself was interview by Nanyang Shang Pao on the potential of wine investment in Malaysia. The story covers how wine investment works, what you need to know if you would love to start an wine investment port-folio, risk management and investment strategy investing in "liquid gold" fine wines.

PS. The story is featured in Mandarin.

you can read more here.

http://www.nanyang.com/index.php?ch=9&pg=29&ac=960755

Investing in Fine Wines-Now may be the best time

2009-05-27T11:01:00.002+08:00

Chris Low: Red an interesting story from THE NEW YORK TIMES.

Please read more from the link below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/business/businessspecial3/21wine.html?_r=1

If you want to know more how wine investment works. Please go to one of our partner website
www.vintageassets.net or send your email to invest@vintageassets.net

KNK Japanese+Korean fusion BBQ

2009-05-20T14:43:00.003+08:00

Jacob's Creek Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay with cold dishes, then marinated chicken leg, scallops and Saba for white meat BBQ
USDA beef touge, USDA back ribs, wagyu beef and A4 kobe Vs Jacob's Creek Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay Rose

Chris Low: Every last Friday of the month. Lionel or myself will cordinate what we call "The Friday Lunch" . April events was held in KANNICHIKAN YAKINIKU in Ampang and hosted by Pernod Richard Malaysia and Mui Hua

The ingredient is so good quality and value for money that Lionel brought the family for a extended hours lunch a week after this lunch. What i think special in this restaurant; beside the great quality and fresh ingredient are the amenities provided in this restaurant.

The little BBQ pit they provide comes will very strong yet even charcoal fire; Exhaust system that suck out all the cooking fume and smoke and you walk out of the restaurant with very minimum post-grill odour.

And the sparkling wines we serve for this lunch from Jacob's Creek goes so well.

As the ice chilled Sparkling wines cool you down from the flame of the BBQ pits, it also provide enough acidity and body to work with the various seafood, white meat and red meat serve.

Great lunch.

And yes, i went back to that restaurant again 2 weeks later. And planning another one in June with another group of vinos and makan friends.

Bordeaux 2000 Tasting

2009-05-20T14:32:00.004+08:00

Ice chilled Dom Perignon 1999 for aperatif
All the wines are serve blind

Some tips for you, which one is the mystery 2005?

Reveiling the wines at the end of the dinner. Mouton 2000 was the darling of the night.

Chris Low: Lionel and myself are invited by the YPO Malaysia chaper to host a special dinner for the GREW. To make this dinner interesting and educational, we blend in wine investment element and a wine option game. It was a great evening with good food, great wines and meaningful networking!

Wine serve in the GREW evening
1999 Moet Chandon Dom Perignon
2000 Canon la Gaffeliere
2000 Ducru Beaucaillou
2000 Mouton Rothschild
Mystery wine: Chateau German 2005 Cote de Castilion

4 days after that, together with my friend See Kin and Mun Cheng, we had a 2002 Ducru Beaucaillou. Altough more ready to drink compared the 2000 Ducru, but i can tell that the 2000 Vintage is really big and long life. Another wine for our grand chilren.

And had the 2000 (that we opened sinces 3 days ago) again in the same evening with Hakka food and pork dishes. Hmm, St Julien is a good match with Pork dishes. Oik..oik

Angelus dinner

2009-05-20T12:02:00.007+08:00

braised Pigs ears in soy sauce serve cold with watermelon. Goes non stop with bubbly.
Angelus 2000,2003

Château Bellevue 2004

Le Fleur de Boüard 2005

Le Fleur de Boüard 2004

Representative from Angelus and Chris Low

Chris Low: Attended Angelus dinner middle of March in Singapore. This dinner was hosted by Hock Tong Bee Pte Ltd.

Would be envy and happy for those lucky few who manage to get some of the Angelus 2000.

Altough this is the 3rd event that i had this wine in last 12 months but i must say this wine is evolving and shaping into one of the greatest Angelus i had so far.

I picked up the Merlot dazzling fruit characters, balance and was blended with
Cabernet Franc that was slightly over-ripe but rich bouquet.

The is blackish-purple colour and show aromas of blackberries, plums and blackcurrants with delicate smoky notes and liquorice. My humble opinion that this is a long-ageing wine.

We also tasted in this wonderful evening which paired with wonderful menu prepared by Xin cuisne below:

Crystal dumpling with premium mushroom
Scallop and banana in dragon beard filo
Asparagus and pork slice with garlic vinaigrette
Champagne Renaissance NV Premier Cru
~
Suckling pig on shredded yam and pumpkin cake
Le Fleur de Boüard 2004
Le Fleur de Boüard 2005

Demi-tasse of double-boiled chicken tonic and cabbage

Pan-fried foie gras on trio fragrance rice
Château Bellevue 2004

Chinese premium highland green tea

Baked rock lobster with cheese, bacon and shimeji
Le Pardon de L’Angélus 2005

Single cut lamb chop with fish diced duxelle in light batter.
Château Angèlus 2000
Château Angèlus 2003

Lobster Encounters

2009-05-20T11:42:00.006+08:00

Chis Low: It was Lionel's idea after he had some great lobster meal at Elegance Inn menara Hup Seng (lobster stir fry with goose liver and another style was lobster stir fry with salted egg york)A dejavu of the global economic crisis? Because the lobster is only RM38 per 100gm!In a fine dining Cantonese restaurant.

And he share this lovely dining experience to me on the next day and i immediately propose; why don't we do it ourselves? Coming Sunday, here i was with 2 nos (close to 6kg for RM550)live Australian live lobster. Trust me, to kill both of the the giant shellfish is like having a session of arm wrestling with a full grown man. But the rewards is sweet.

We prepared the shellfish in 3 ways: Shashimi one of the tail for starter, lightly batter and pan fry the other tail so that we can make a macaroni cheese and lastly i steam the heads and claws with light soy sauce, brandy and some old ginger from Bentong. And the results? 5 hungry souls satisfied with Chris Low uric acid raised to the top of the profile!And we finished the meal together with Mumm Cordon Rouge Champagne.

Merely one week after the home cook lobster meal at Lionel's house. I rejoin my Singaporean "makan kaki" for a dinner in Imperial Treasure-Great wall City. This round of lobster meal is slight more intense...on the wine side. Thanks Robin for lovely Burgundies for that night. We had an St-Aubin from Domaine Leroy and lovely Vosne- Romanee 2006(surprise me that is so drinkable at this early stages)

And i always argue or debate with my vino friends that Bordeaux is perfect match with Cantonese cuisine and this was proven right again with Chateau L' Evengile 1985 and Chateau Cos d' Estournel 1990.

Light seared Scallop with egg white omelet and truffle oil. And the Champagne Jacquesson Vintage 1996 lift up the dish so well.

Cantonese style salt and pepper lobster tail, this went extremely yummy with the Bordeaux.

LOSBTER..anyone?

Farewell Dim Sum Brunch end January

2009-02-20T15:04:00.014+08:00

Lionel: I hosted a small farewell dim sum brunch for my friend Carla, the outgoing GM of The Carcosa just before CNY. It was at one of my favourite chinese restaurants, The Elegant Inn at Menara Hap Seng. They had just started serving dim sum a few months ago and I have to say, although the selection is small, it has to be one of the best in KL.

Totally, decadent as I chose to pair this wonderful brunch with champagne. The first was a bit of a oddity, a 1988 Dom Perignon which was given to us to try as it hadn't been stored very well and the neck level was already down to almost shoulder level on the bottle.

Now, for those uninitiated, dim sum and champagne is a pairing made in heaven. The delicacy of the dishes and the wine meld together seamlessly, and the bubbles just cleanses the palatte ever so gently to accomodate the next delightful morsel!

I know it doesn't look like much, but this is the ingredeints that went into the soup, damn nice with the champagne too!
Fried carrot cake
Fried Yam dumplings, yum, yum
These are the prawns wrapped in cheese and beancurd roll!
It was oxidized of course but still winderful, the honeyed secondary caracthers were all there and maybe even more so, hardly any bubbles left but what an interesting drink it made. Wonderful!
Steam Prawn dumplings of course
Now, I can't remember what these were called. they were like paus but with cream paste flavoured with mint. lovely
A hallmark of a good HK trained chef is if they can produce a "Chew Yim" salt and pepper dish, sounds simple but very difficult to do well. This is white bait friend in salt and pepper, perfection!
Of course, one bottle of champagne isn't enough. So a bottle of Drappier 2002, yum yum
Siew Mai or prawn and meat dumpling
Best Malai koh in town, yes not many people do this and most of them are terrible. This is melt in your mouth stuff, must try!
AS you can see almost didn't get a chance for the picture, very, very good egg custart

Vintage Assets on BFM, 89.9 - The Business Station

2009-02-18T14:22:00.003+08:00

Catch Vintage Assets: The Success Investment Story at 7.00pm, this Thursday, 19 February 2009 on The Late Late Business Show, BFM, 89.9 - The Business Station.

You can also listen to the interview on live podcast at www.bfm.my

Christmas and New Years Eve 08

2009-01-20T16:42:00.006+08:00

Lionel: I know this is damn late but like they say late better than never. For Christmas dinner which was a whole smoked Gammon ham together with a lovely USDA roast beef, we had 2 lovely and powerful wines.

The first one is from an estate name Chateau Montelena, no it's not French in fact it's from Napa Valley, California. This estate produced a Chardonnay which was part of a handful of wines that beat the French wines in the tasting of Paris 1976. we had a 1996 that evening and it showed how well a little age will do for this big, muscular Californian Cabernet. Silky smmoth but with loads of fruit and depth of power and finesse.

This was followed Cortaccio from Villa Cafaggio, this is an estate located in Greve, central to the Chianti Classico region. With recent investments it is now a very modern and forward thinking winery. The Cortaccio is a 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Sangiovesse blend.

A 1999, this is a wine that if tasted blind most would say that it's from the new world. Made with all the modern techniques allowed and from a very nice year. Unctous, juicy and ripe.

Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon 1996
Villa Cafaggio, Cortaccio 1999
These are some of the wines and whiskys served at my place on the 31st December 2008.

Pre Christmas Singapore 08

2009-01-20T16:28:00.008+08:00

Lionel: a good friend and business partner of ours resides in Singapore and in the last 2 years we have made it a point to visit them just before Christmas to have an early christmas dinner. Yes, its just an excuse to eat some good food and drink great wines. But really why should we need an excuse, life's too short! So, just do it.

We arrived in Singapore just in time for lunch and this was at the Crystal Jade at Paragon on Orchard rd. Now for those who haven't been to a Crstal Jade restaurant in Singapore, let me tell you now that the ones opened in KL recently are a pale shadow of whats on offer in Singapore.

Thats another story for another day, well we had lovely dim sum and we started it off with a lovely bottle of Ch Lynch Bages 2000. Now this is a 5th growth that sells for the price of a 2nd growth sometimes even more. Great wine, great vintage.

This was followed by another 2000 but this time it was from the right bank, which means it is dominated by Cabernet Franc and Merlot and not Cabernet Sauvignon as they are on the left bank. Chateau Angelus is from the appelation of St Emilion and if you think that the bottle looks familiar, it was the wine featured in the movie " Casino Royale" in the scene where Daniel Craig's Jame Bond meets his female counterpart on the train.
After an afternoon of shopping, we prepared for dinner with a 1996 Dom Perignon and then preceded to a new establishment that apparently is listed as one of the new restaurants in town that one must visit.
Its named The White Rabbit and its located in the Dempsey area in an old church building.
Food was good and the ambiance was lovely, service was good and of course the wines we brought along was great. Starting with the Chateau Latour 2002, young but lovely drinking nonetheless.
This was followed by one of the new wines by Harlan Estate, the cult Californian. This was the Pluribus, obviously new world in style and Cabernet Sauvignon on speed!
Last but not least is a wine that I believe should be on the list of 100 wines to drink before you die.This is the 2002 Kracher number 12. The late Alois Kracher from Austria was regarded as a genius and one of the world's best sweet winemakers by many and his TBA's which are numbered according to the concentration levels are amazing as they are rare. Find some quick, you won't regret it!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T12:09:00.002+08:00

The Cork Brothers wish all Happy New Year!

Tasting of Pichon Comtesse de Lalande@ Hilton

2008-12-17T11:47:00.006+08:00

Happy Chris Low with Gildas d'Ollone

Director General of

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande

Vintage 2004 Ch Pichon Comtesse De Lalande,

in line or better than the 1986 and 1996 Vinatge?

I am thinking of Teppanyaki Wagyu while savouring the fine tannin of this wine...

Reserve de la Comtesse 2003-lots of cassis, warm, up front and already enjoyable at this stage.

and Chateau Bernadotte 2002-Supprisingly backward and green, lots of green pepper linger with some cassis and black olives.

Under ground cellar of Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
(Spring 2008)

Vineyards of Ch. Pichon Comtess de Lalande that oversee Ch. Latour and the Garonne river.
Do you see the tower(La Tour)?
(Spring, 2008)

Happy Chris Low posting infront at the Garden of Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande during the 2007 En Primuer Campaign.

(Spring, 2008)

Chris Low: The Cork Brothers was invited to the Trade tasting of Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande organised by Milawa. We had the oppercunity of sampling 3 wines from the esteem Chateau and presented by Mr Gildas d' Ollone-Director General of the Chateau.

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a 2nd Cru Classe of Pauillac.

History of Pichon.

This prestigious viticultural estate was created by Pierre de Mazure de Rauzan in the 17th c. Château Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse-de-Lalande has carefully kept important archives including a great many records relating to the purchase of lands the estate is composed of between 1686 and 1689. Pierre de Mazure de Rauzan gave the vineyard to his daughter Thérèse as her dowry when she married Jacques de Pichon, baron de Longueville, the first president of the Bordeaux parliament.

In the 18th c., baron Joseph de Pichon, born 1755, died 1850, through his intelligence and strong personality, left his stamp on this estate by his great qualities as viticultor. The poet Biarnez celebrated baron Joseph’s 90-year long life linked to the quality of his wines. In 1850, in execution of his will, kept in the château’s archives, baron Joseph’s estate was shared between his five children, 2/5 to his two sons and 3/5 to his three daughters who entrusted their shares to countess Henri de Lalande. From then on there were two châteaux Pichon-Longueville, one belonging to the baron and the other to the countess.

Precious documents reveal rigorous management by the countesses de Lalande and Lacroix who looked after the estate in succession: day-books, books of accounts and despatch are an inexhaustible supply of information covering the period 1860-1910. In 1925, Louis and Edouard Miailhe bought the estate from the descendants of the Pichon-Longuevilles.

Since 1978, Madame de Lencquesaing, daughter of Mr. Edouard F. Miailhe administers Pichon-Longueville-Lalande with the help of a young professional and dynamic team. To this day all the furniture as it was arranged by the countess de Lalande plus several pictures painted by Sophie de Pichon Longueville remain as faithful witnesses of this illustrious family’s daily life.

Today Pichon is extremely up-to-date with its equipment - cellars and fermentation-room - allied to a profound respect for family tradition. Overlooking the estuary and the vineyards of Pauillac and Saint-Julien, an enormous panoramic terrace has two majestic wine stores. Similarly a precious collection of ancient glasses includes very lovely articles from Roman to modern times.

Thanks to the regularity of their quality, their elegance and their complexity, the wines of Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse-de-Lalande have won the esteem of wine-lovers the world over...I mean, for those who loves the finess, and feminine touch of the countess.

PS. This estate has been sold to the Louis Roederer/Deutz champagne firm .

An afternoon with 'Baron of Barossa'

2008-12-17T10:46:00.006+08:00

Nigel Dolan-Chief Winemaker of Wyndham Estate

with 2 Jimmy Watson trophy under his belt.

Wild Mushroom Consomme with Oxtail ravioli

paired with:-

Wyndham Estate Bin555 Sparkling Shiraz- Work interstingly well, the oxtail ravioli provide just enough punch to the consomme that lingers with the soft tannin of this rare red bubbly.

Foie Gras bon bon,caramalized apple

paired with:-

Wyndham Estate Show Reserve Cabernet Merlot-we let the acidity of the Merlot to cut through the fatty liver and it work ok, but the tannin of the cabernet give a dry after taste in the end.

I left a small sips of this wine for the beef main course and it becomes my favourite pairing of the day!Nigel makes this Cab Merlot Bordeaux style and he is please that some of us actually picked up the France Oak that he used during the making of this wine.

Confit of Salmon trout with poached oyster, dill & cucumber veloute

paired with:-

Wyndham Estate Show Reserve Chardonnay-The Chardonnay gives intense, ripe tropical fruits with light creamy yeast which compliment the flavoursome salmon and the tangy dill and cucumber veloute. It's a good marriage!

Oven roasted beef fillet, caramelized shallots,roasting jus

paired with:-

Wyndham Estate Show Reserve Shiraz-Opaque Red/Purple color with spicy, peppery nose. Ripe red and black fruits and careful balance of oak. I would love a lamb cutlet with this? I actually prefer the Reserve Cabernet Merlot with this juicy and perfectly done steak.

Happy Chris Low with Nigel Dolan.

Chris Low: With the 1992 and 2003 Jimmy Watson trophy wins, worked in Seppelt, Saltram and later the Group Red Winemaking at Fosters...surprisingly Nigel is extremely humble but you will quickly influnce by his overriding sense of fun and adventure in his character. An ordinary Australian who is serious of his barbie and i must say he loves his food too.

I was at Chinoz, KLCC over the famed Friday lunch last Friday of November, featuring Wyndham Estate and their newest Chief Winemaker-Nigel Dolan. Nigel winemaking skill is in his blood? or inherited from his father Brian Dolan-a legendary, respected winemaker who was the Senior winemaker of Saltram. When i asked what is his famous wine in Wyndham, he replied spontaneously Show Reserve Shiraz.

When the great lunch was closer to the end, i ask a very private question to Nigel and it's suppose to be of the record..."If tomorrow is the last day of your life, what is "the" wine that you will drink?" He wonder carefully:"I don't mine a 1962 DRC"

PS. Bravo Chef Haffiz and Wee Jey Teng!!

Prestige Wines 2008

2008-12-15T16:41:00.011+08:00

Lionel: One of the projects Chris and I worked on this year was the Prestige Magazine Wine Extravaganza. This was a project that had three parts, starting with a wine judging, a wine gala dinner and prize presentation and followed by a wine fair complete with masterclasses which was to be held in December but due to our unique culture at city hall, it has been deferred to January next year at the Pavilion.

We started the judging by separating the entries by pricing and varietal as much as possible. The format for awarding the wines was based on a medal system of bronze, silver and gold for each category and then best red of the show, best white, best sparkling etc.

We had a total of close to 200 different wines and judging was held over just one day with 6 judges and yours truly as the chairman. Below are some of the pictures from the event including the winning wines at the end.

Wines all wrapped up and tagged, ready for the tasting.
The panel of judges receiving their briefing from moi! The judges were a good mix of wine professionals and informed consumers including a chef and we had 4 men and 2 women.
More wines being prepared
No, he didn't get his black eye from drinking too much wine buthere we can see him hard at work!
some of the whites being chilled
some of the winning wines!
Best white - Anura Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa.( Casa Vino)

Best red - Chateau Cosse Coutelin 2005.( Casa Vino )

Best sparkling - Duval Lerol Brut N/V. ( Milawa )

Best sweet wine - Konrad Late Harvest Riesling. ( Milawa )

Extreme Chinese Cuisine

2008-12-13T16:57:00.012+08:00

Lionel: I know this post is so late but like they say, late better than never. I was in Hong Kong in December and one of the restaurants that I made a point to visit was a one that was featured in one episode of "No Reservations" with Anthony Bourdain.

The restaurant is called Bo Innovation( x-treme chines cuisine). First of all tracking down this restaurant was no easy feat as the address listed on most websites as well as restaurant guides was apparently outdated( we found out later). So we were sent on a wild goose chase but finally 3 different taxi rides later we arrived( at the very first location that the taxicab dropped us, sigh!).

Anyway, it was a relatively quite evening and the chef/owner was away in Spain but nonetheless the food was excellent and interesting. Deconstructed chinese cuisine presented in a modern western style. No, its not fusion but actually chinese cuisine.

Wine list was pretty good with a small but nice selection of wines by the glass as well.

Finally, just last week the Michelin Guide printed its first ever list of Hong Kong Restaurants and Bo Innovation received its first ever 2 stars! Bravo!

I can't remember all the dishes but these were part of the starter selections; I know they look completely western but trust me once you take a bite, you know your eating chinese, just not quite sure sometimes what the ingredients are.

Okay, this was foies gras but the sauce was definitely chinese
Rice with peas, shirmps
That red piece leaning on the fish is actually preserved ginger

Yabbies on rice
A nice littel Pinot Noir from California to go with the duck
Ngau Lam soup
rice with crab roe

Sage Restaurant Part ll

2008-11-28T10:49:00.009+08:00

Lionel: Well, I said I'll be back and true enough we went back to Sage for dinner again. Now, this was a special occasion in that we were celebrating my sister's 50th birthday. As such, we brought some pretty special wines to enjoy dinner with. Starting with a simple but wonderful Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut champagne. Slightly fruit forward but with a love dry, clean finish. We served this with the lightly smoked Saba(Mackerel) fish with Karashi mustard.

Holy Mackerel! This dish made the champagne ever more slightly sweeter by bringing more fruit flavours to the front palate, lovely.

The Karashi mustard is slightly creamy with nice hint of tanginess.
As the first champagne finished, we proceeded to serve another champagne and this time it was from the great house of Moet. The Dom Perignon 96 was a spectacular year, full of finesse and power. We had this together with pate en croute of chapon and foie gras(pictured above). Trust me, this dish taste much, much better than it looks. The Dom handled it beautifully and we actually served more of it together with the panache of Japanese Fish with Pistou.
The main course of grilled Wagyu with fine beans and yuzukoshu was served with my last bottle of the Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou 1996. A classic red Bordeaux from St Estephe with lovely minerals, cedar, pencil shavings and earthiness.This wine had been decanted earlier on and showed very little signs of aging.
We finished the savoury portions of this wondeful meal with a fantastic fedellini pasta with Hokkaido scallop.

Now, if you had read my last blog with regards to Sage, you would recall that I had some grouses about the service which I felt did not meet the standards that the kitchen was producing. Well, I'm please to say that there seem to be a slight improvement in this respect but unfortunately it still wasn't up to par in my view.

I'm not sure if it is due to a staff shortage, or training but on more than one occasion throughout dinner, plates were not promptly cleared. Wine service was also again a dissapointment as we had to get up and reached for our wine to serve ourselves or remained completely void of wine for the entire course.

It seems, that the service staff is just going through the processes without really understanding why they need to do it with regards to wine service, there seems to be a genuine lack of passion and pride in the service which is so obviously evident when you watch the kitchen staff in action!

Japanese food and wine

2008-11-24T15:44:00.013+08:00

Lionel: Our regular wine group met up this month in a Japanese restaurant out in the "burbs"! Subang Jaya to be exact. Now this wasn't the first time we have had Japanese food for our monthly dinners and Japanese food with wine is actually a given as it is light, clean and pure in its flavours and pretty uncomplicated on the palate.

Generally white wine is ideal and reds would definitely be of the lighter variety with the exception of certain meat dishes. But most importantly would be wines with good acidity as this works well with food the ensymes from the predominatly sea food cuisine.

We started with a Sashimi platter(raw fish) which had from the lighter more delicate fish right tru the Toro( Belly of the Yellow fin Tuna) which has an uncanny resemblance with a excellently marbled meat. This was served together with a version of shrimp toast. We paired this with a Sake but it would have been excellent with a Riesling as well.

Grilled chicken breast served with pickled Yuzu was paired with an Anura Sauv Blanc from South Africa, this is a lovely wine that is made in a very Sancerre style but with much riper grapes, lovely, not as perfumy as the N.Z. Sauv Blancs but defintely more minerally and savoury, excellent with food.
We also had a pretty rare white wine, a St Aubin from Roux Pere & Fils. This is a Chardonnay of course from Burgundy, minerally and a bit austere but wonderful mouthfeel.
Of course we had a German Riesling as well, I always am of the opinion that this is possibly the best type of wine to handle shellfish. In this case, we had a Riesling Kabinett from St Urbans-Hof, Mosel. A wine thats fruity on the front palate, slightly spritzi but finishing med dry.
We were all stumped when we tasted this wine blind, no one guess it. A very nice Verdelho from Sirromet, Australia.
A localized version of a Japanese roll complete with Chilli Padi inside worked really well with the Riesling Kabinett.
The pic right at the top of this post is a rare dish, a braised Angler Fish Liver, lovely textured and slightly similar to foie gras but firmer mouthfeel, we paired this with a great value Corton Charlamagne Grand Cru from a negotiant in Burgundy named Louis Max. Buttery, toast and nutty and mineral flavours abound in this lovely Chardonnay.

Port Lovers

2008-11-24T15:39:00.004+08:00

Lionel: Had an interesting tasting session not too long ago with one of the Oenologist from the Symington group which owns Graham's, Warre's and Smith Woodhouse Ports. These are of course some of the biggest and best port houses in Portugal and therefore the world as no country produces port as well as Portugal.

Now most people think of port as a dessert wine but technically its a fortified wine, this means that its a wine that has been added grape spirit before fermentation has been complete, thereby increasing the alcohol content and residue sugar, resulting in a strong and sweet wine that can virtually outlive you and me!

Although what was laid out before us was the usual suspects of sweets, such as kaya puffs, creme brulee and egg tarts. Chris very swiftly decided that we needed that take some action and purchased a small serving of roast pork(siew yoke). This proofed a hit with all three wines we tasted that day and the oenologist had to agree.

There are many categories for ports, we tasted a 10 year old tawny which I would happily have as an apperitif and I believe would do very well with some savoury snacks and dishes.The ruby port is also quite well known and can easily handle some more robust dishes such as roast meats. The Late bottled vintage probably would work better with stronger foods and definitely strong cheeses.
Oenologist, Jorge Nunes stating his point. I must say, its good to see these old established companies looking seriously at these market and not being afraid to experiment different cuisines with their classic wines.

Apart from the vintage ports that will come with a normal cork closure, most of the other ports have a reusable cork closure. These wines can be opened and reclosed with the same closure and remain good for quite a few weeks in the fridge, great idea if you want to enjoy your wines slowly!

The Hardy Boys

2008-11-16T23:54:00.010+08:00

Lionel: I was invited recently to a wonderful lunch featuring some of Hardys new premium wines. Lunch was in a restaurant named One Noodle but we definitely had more than noodles. The wines showcased included the new and unreleased(hence the unfinished label below) HRB range of wines. Now HRB means Heritage Reserve Bin and it wants to show off the multi regional blends that Hardys prides itself on. Yes in this day and age where we talk about single vineyards and single estate wines, Australia actually build its wine reputation based on its ability to have multi regional blends.

The HRB Chardonnay showed just the right amount of oak, with very nice tropical fruit flavours. It reminds me of a mix fruit juice with alcohol, very refreshing!
Some of the dishes served with the wines, although I have to admit that a little bit more effort in pairing the wines would have been better.

The other wines served that afternoon included the Oomoo range, these is a very popular range and the word Oomoo is aboriginal for beautiful!
The next day, Chris and I attended a masterclass tasting with Bill Hardy. Now, Bill is a fifth generation winemaker and now the international brand ambassador for Hardys. he also represents Australia in the world wine making body having learned his winemaking skills in Bordeaux under the famed Emille Peynaud. His views are quite unique and actually quite a shy man inspite of his great achivements.
We tasted a vertical of both Hardys Flagship wines, Eileen Hardy Shiraz and Thomas Hardy Cabernet. Amazing wines and very interesting to see the difference as the years go by. Although, most people associate Hardys with the basic entry level range, the fact that the winery is still producing wines of these uniqueness and quality inspite being corprotize since the merger with Constelattion wines is a testament to the Hardy family!

A happy Chris with Mr. Bill Hardy!

Fassssst Food and red, red wine!!!

2008-11-12T16:47:00.007+08:00

Lionel: Okay, okay, we finally did it. Fast food burgers, chicken nuggets and pizzas paired with wine???? And why did we do it? No it wasn't our "Sideways" moment, but due to popular request from our poll.

Hahaha...I know it took some time but I was just trying to avoid it. No, I am not a food snob as you can tell from all our wonderings, I just want good food.

The Pizzas were actually quite good and though we didn't manage a Whopper from BK, The Wendys 1/4 pounder was definitely the winner here in comparison with the bigMCD.

So what was the verdict? We tried some sparkling red, a very nice Malbec Cabernet blend from Argentina, and Ridge Zinfandel. They all worked with the burgers and the nuggets to a certain extent. Nuggets probably needed a sparkling white.

We finally cracked open a bottle of Chateau Lalande Gravet 2005 from St Emilion, great vintage from a very nice estate and you know what? It went so well with them all!!!!

So, now you know why Miles had the Cheval Blanc 61 with burgers in Sideways, a good or great wine will always prevail!!!!!!

Note* You are not allowed to BYOB to any fast food outlets, I checked. Even the 24hr ones!!!

It should all come together!

2008-11-04T14:17:00.012+08:00

Lionel: We finally made the journey to the new Sage restaurant. For the Cilantro fans, this is part 2 for Chef Kimura. No I don't think Cilantro is reopening, in spite of the official statement by the owners that Micasa Apts where Cilantro was situated would be reopen after renovations, that would not be the case.

Anyway, back to the restaurant. Just like Cilantro, they have a wine friendly corkage charge of only RM50 per bottle or you could choose a small but well selected list of wines. We started with a bottle of Drappier vintage 96 which went beautifully with the amuse bouche and crayfish but as we tend to drink a little fast, we decided to order a bottle of white to hold us till the meat dishes.

We settled on a lovely bottle of Ata Rangi Sauv Blanc 04, hoping that the age had given the wine some nice bottle age, cutting back its perfumed fruit. And voila! we were rewarded with a lovely, lovely minerally, slightly savoury bottle og Sancerre. It even worked well with the Foie Gras. The next wine is a unique limited production garagiste operation from St Emilion. Ch La . Gomerie is treated like a favourite child by its proprietror, the Becot family who owns Ch Beau-Sejour Becot. Jean Phillipe Fort, Michel Rolland's top assistant , is consultant for this 100% Merlot based wine produced from a small vineyard, with old vines and maximum quantity of 1000 cases a year. Highly rated by Robert Parker and with very high prices to boot.

Try it if you can find it!

Well, I know many people including many food blogs have raved about this restaurant. And we sat at the chef's table and it was great but yet there was something missing!

And I think I know what it is, the service didn't match the level of service from the kitchen! What I mean is that the level of service, attention to detail and effort from the kitchen was second to none and the service from the floor staff didn't match up. It was incomplete, it was missing a huge chunk of charm, warmth, attention, efficiency and most of all understanding of what they were doing that failed us.

Yes, I will be coming back to Sage again and I really, really hope it works better next time.

The beginning! an Amuse Bouche of cured salmon with fresh cream.
The Salad of Pan fried Crayfish with topinambour and truffle jus being served.
Lovely Ata Rangi Sauvignon Blanc 2004.
Seared Foie Gras with Anago and caramelized scallion
Perfectly pan fried sea bass with crispy skin and sea urchin sauce.
Chateau La Gomerie 1999, a St Emilion grand cru
Chargrilled Wagyu with sauteed mushrooms and Yuzukoshou
Tauleto Sangoveise 2000 bu Umberto Cesari
Fedellini Pasta with Zuwaigani and Scallop

Rose, Rose I love you!

2008-11-01T23:21:00.007+08:00

Lionel: I've always enjoyed drinking rosés. Their light, uncomplicated and when their nice and dry, they are a great match for a wide range of foods. Drunk chilled, its wonderful Sunday afternoon sip under the yum, yum tree.

I also think that its the perfect wine for those large communal servings of dishes at a family lunch or dinner such as we commonly do in Malaysia. The dash of tannin in the wine offers just enough to handle some meat dishes and the acidity handles the rest.

It was with this in mind that I brought this bottle with us last week to Sin Kee in Brickfields for our office lunch with an ex-colleague. Sin Kee is an institution in Brickfields, it started in a shack in front of a Shell depot located where the Sentral apartments are today. With its 5 tables, hanging bananas for you to pick as dessert and bus stop 2 feet away from the front of the shop, it was obvious that you patronised the shop for its food and not the ambience.

Today, they have relocated across the road to a ground floor of an office building complete with air condition. And whilst the ambience has improved, the food has stayed just as good!

This Shiraz rosé is a best seller in the U.K. market but unfortunately not in Malaysia. It is slowly being phased out of the market, but if your quick you can still find some in most supermarkets/hypermarkets. Its wonderfully dry, nicely balanced with enough fruit and flavour to handle the variety of dishes you see here.

The Rhone Ranger

2008-10-29T11:18:00.010+08:00

Lionel: Every time I drink wines from the Rhone Valley, I get caught in a quandry as to whether I should tell everyone I know how good the wines are or should I just keep it a secret( so that prices stay reasonable). Now, of course I don't think my voice is that powerful that it would influence the entire wine market, but if there was anything that the results of the March 8th elections teaches us, is that every vote counts!

So, my vote definitely goes to the Rhone Valley and its wines as some of the most sublime, exhilarating and compelling wines in the world. Yes, only a handfull of them have the prestige and cachet of France's more hallowed regions. Certainly, there have been fewer articles and books written about Rhone even though it's history dates back over 2000 years and coincides with the Roman conquest of what was then known as Gaul and hence introduce grape cultivation in France.

But many of its vineyards that have been ignored, misunderstood and underappreciated for centuries have finally arrived. They produced some of the most undervalued and underrated great wines of France and the world, from the sublime wines of the Cote Rotie, Hermitage and Condrieu to the Chateauneuf du Papes(personal favourite) that have no rivals anywhere in the world.

I was recently invited to a dinner at Frangipani featuring the wines of E.Guigal. Marcel Guigal is credited by many as the man that single handedly dragging Rhone from its malaise to its current standing in the wine world. The firm was started by his father Etienne in 1946, but due to an ailment, Marcel was forced to takeover in 1961 at a very tender age and that was when their fortunes changed making Guigal one of the most succesful wine companies in the world.

Cote Du Rhone rouge paired with warm tea smoked salmon with wasabi tobikko cream. the dish was lovely on its own and so was the wine, as expected, not a very good match due to warness in the wine and its distinct lack of acidity, would have been better paired with a Cote du Rhone Blanc.
Croze-Hermitage 2005 with Pan seared foie gras with apple rendang served as strudel. intriguing dish, lovely used of caramalized grated coconut and apple cubes which was a nice balance to the richness of the foie gras. However, it was again a miss on the pairing as it made the wine slightly tart. On its own, the wine lacked a mid palate and had a short finish.
Now, we come to what I considered the star of the evening, the Chateuneuf du Pape 2003. This was a unusually warm year and it needed the talents of Guigal to produce arguably one of the best CDPs they have ever made. It had power, richness and intensity to spare. Revealing a big dose of Asian herbs,spices, Blackcurrants and pepper. Full bodied and loads of alcohol.
Definitely overpowered the baked red wine marinated cod fillet and did not go down well at all with the cauliflower couscous.
The best and pairing for the evening was the Hermitage Rouge 2002 with a Grilled Wagyu Beef Cheek with braised red cabbage and mole sauce. The wine had some premature ageing but otherwise shown beautifully with bright Blackberry, white pepper, irodine, licorice and leather on the nose. Pretty dry with a medium body and hints of fruit compote sweetness on the front palate.

Guigal wines are widely available in Cold Storage and Jusco stores I believe, otherwise email the distributor Mui Hua at muihua@muihua.com.

More to Portugal than Port

2008-10-28T11:32:00.007+08:00

Lionel: Chris and I attended a Portugese wine tasting recently organized by a new wine importer that was set up specifically to promote Portugese wines. Now when one mentions wine from Portugal, it is normally associated with port. Unknown to many, inspite of its size as a country, Portugal ranks sixth in the world as a wine producing country.

While many wine critics actually rate Portugal as one of the most tradional wine countries, it is also in the forefront of some of the most imaginative and innovative wine making today. Though, it may still take awhile before they find their footing on the international stage especially in the Asian market, you could taste the potential in their wines and with almost 200 indigenous variety of grapes, there are some surprises!

The pictures below are but some of the reds and the best we had that evening was the Quinta das Baceladas 2004, a blend of Cab Sauv and Merlot. If you would like to try some of these wines, contact Templars Malaysia S/B at 03 62777005.

Us on Nanyang

2008-10-27T00:44:00.002+08:00

Lionel: We have been writting about wine and wine investments in Nanyang Siang Pau. The articles appear every Saturday. Check out the Chinese and English versions here.

A Balance Meal at Brickfields.

2008-10-26T16:05:00.005+08:00

Steam Prompet Fish.

Taiwan style 3 flavors Chicken

4 Heavenly King

Killer Curry Fish Head

Champagne Daniel Robert 1er Cru NV

Chris Low: Of many versions of curry fish head in K.L.(if you like curry fish head using grouper and with a hint a sourness) My family loved this family own Chinese restaurant in Brickfields near YMCA-LOK FATT. The owners is long known friend of my father Uncle Lok-and now run by his son.

One recent creations from the local Chinese-Cantonese food scene"the 4-heavenly king" which is a combinations eggs plant, bottle beans, petai, long bean and wok-fried with sambal+dried shrimp but uncle Lok give it a lift with crispy fried anchovy and extra dose of chili padi. And it's consider a mild version as my nephew Zhe-Xi also enjoyed it. (But mind that he is quite well train with hot and spicy although is only 4 years old...this is how we are brought up!)

Try this restaurant Taiwanese 3 flavors chicken, delicious and juicy...a rice killer.

Oh the prompet, it's rare to have such fresh one in a local restaurant. Thanks to mum, she always hunt for good fishes in Pasar Borong K.L...

A trade secret, you go there weekdays say 3 AM. And this whooper prompet is 3KG.

And once again, we proved that champagne is very versatile with food pairing and this Daniel Robert 1er Cru is yummy!

Hush! The new management is here

2008-10-26T14:52:00.005+08:00

Lionel: Last Thursday I was invited by my old friend Angie of Flamenco fame to try out some tapas at her latest join, Hush in Bangsar. She has taken over management of this bar more than a month ago as she renovates Flamenco. For some of you that think La Bodega started the Spanish trend in town, think again. Some of us will remember the first Flamenco outlet in U Thant area where it really started although, she called it Mediterranean cuisine, the Spanish influence was always there.

Anyway, she had brought in a young chef from Valencia on a visit and this night was to also showcase the new dining concept at Hush. It will all be small plates of tapas only and full dining would only be available for pre ordered functions in the 3 private rooms available. Whilst the wine list is still being put together, the drink list is substantial. Now what she needs is some really fine dry sherrys to match the lovely food.

I brought along a bottle of champagne, Drappier as I didn't have any sherrys on hand and guess what, it worked too; champagne just works with everything;

Second best dish of the evening was the lamb, braised for 2 days, shredded on a bed of onion jam with red wine sauce on one side and mushroom sauce on the other
This must be the winning dish of the night, when it came out I was thinking WTF? toast on mash potatoes? and the mash is cold? Actually its cod and potato mash and man, its the best damn mash I 've had.
Yummy cod and potato croquettes
I know, they look like ordinary potato wedges, but ordinary they are not. The sauce at the top of the plate is garlic cream based and works amazingly well.

Artisan Cellar, Palais Renaissance

2008-10-24T12:16:00.006+08:00

Dujac Morey Saint Denis 2002

Pegau CDP 2005(Artisan Cellar)

Happy Chris Low with Robin

State of Art Cellar.

Wine quotes in Artisan Cellar.

Chris Low: One of the main objective my recent visit to Singapore is to attend grand opening of Artisan Cellar in Singapore. A project by Aman, Henri, Robin etc. A chic, bright, state of the art wine cellar with very stylo and comfortable interior. Brovo Guys!!!

Leroy Bourgogne blanc 2003, Comte George de vogue chambolle musgny 2004, Diebolt Vallois Blanc de Blanc NV, Hubert Lamy Saint Aubin clos de meix 2006, Diebolt Vallois Cuvee Prestige Magnum are the few wines serve for the grand opening.

I got a bottles of Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape 2005 from Robin and headed for round two of dinner in Imperial Chinese Restaurant in Ngee Ann City.

We had a Bottle of Dujac Morey Saint Denis 2002 for a start with Roast Goose, Crispy roast pork and Century Eggs from Hong Kong(Yong Kee) It was sad that we don't have champagne with us because century egg and Champagne is a perfect marriage.

After one hour of breathing, the 2005 Pegau CDP open up evey nice. Layers, endless layers of stewed fruits, soir bois, leather and blacks fruits and pack with long and powerful aftertase. What a wine! Immediately called Robin and ordered 12 bottles for the near futures...

Looking forward my next visit! Viva Singapore.

Artisan Cellars
390 Orchard Road
#B1-01 Palais Renaissance
Singapore 238871
O +65 6838 0373 F +65 6836 0036

A Few Great Tasting recently at Wine For Asia(Singapore)

2008-10-24T11:07:00.006+08:00

Rare Treats: Hill Of Grace 2004

Stephen Henschke: Winemaker of Henschke

Various 2004 Bordeaux: Canon La Gaffeliere my favourite right bank.

A regular popular booth: Wine Review Great Bordeaux tasting.

Chris Low: I was down in Singapore for the 6Th edition Wine for Asia(WFA) 2008. Several highlights is the Henschke Master Class, The Lanson Champagne tasting and The Great Bordeaux 2004 tasting at Poh Tiong's Wine Review booth.

6 wines are tasted in the Henschke Master Class which include 2004 Hill of Grace, 100% Shiraz grapes from pre-phylloxera material brought from Europe by the early German settlers in the mid 1800s and grown in the Eden Valley wine region. Crimson Purple, powerful but have graceful balance and a lovely, long aftertaste. Yin How and me is just about to steal an unfinished glass of this wonderful nectar from a photographer seat just next to us.

2005 Mount Edelstone Shiraz, 100% 90-year-old-vine Shiraz grown in the Eden Valley wine region. It works like a second wine for the Hill of Grace(at least for me?). Softer and more accessible, sexy red wine with sweet plum and ripe tannin.

A white wine worth mention is The 2007 Julius Eden Valley Riesling, it may not take away my love (Stein Garden Riesling) but has lovely freshness, perfume and surprisingly good acidity, depth and crisp finish.

Was also spoil by Mr. Anton Hobb, export director of Lanson Champagne. I found my love with the Lanson Pink Label NV Rose Champagne. Lively fine mousse, splash of raspberries, lemon lime and a hint of flint and biscutti, I will recommend this lovely bubbly with local food! Also tasted was The Gold Label Vintage 1996, delicate, fine and lovely finish.

Champagne and Oz wine, Cheers!

My apologies for lesser quality photo taken from my camera phone.

Cool, Cool Wines

2008-10-22T16:27:00.022+08:00

Villa Vinea Amarone Della Valpolicella( Cave & Cellar)

Guigal Cotes-du Rhone ( Mui Hua Sdn Bhd, Cold Storage)

Morande Reserva Pinot Noir ( Cave & Cellar)
Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel (Wine Cellar, Jln Bangkung Bangsar)

Lionel: Everyone knows that you chill white wine. But red? I know , I know the idea seems a bit off. But belief you me, most red wines are served far too warm in Asia and some are ideal candidates for the refrigerator, and best of all, these can be good complements to all kinds of slightly spicier and or light food. Yes, some people might tell you that red wine cannot be chilled and should be drunk at room temperature no matter what. These people who give you these rules, they never tell you what room temperature is nor do they realize that room temperature is ever changing, depending on whether the room is in hot tropical Malaysia in July or in a stone cellar in Scotland in November, right? Of course they do not.

But even stone cellar temperature is sometimes not cold enough. Sometimes we want right-out-of-the-refrigerator cold, and yes, my friends, we can enjoy a red wine like that and I did just to prove my point.

Of course, you wouldn’t want to overdo it. Unlike a lambrusco, which you can drink straight out of the fridge, you want to take most reds out and let it sit for half an hour or, if you’re starting from the beginning, just put it in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes before drinking. If chilled but not ice cold, you’ve got yourself one refreshing drink, yum, yum.

All wines taste best when served reasonably cool (not ice cold). The ideal for a fine red wine is 18 to 25 degrees. A few red wines, however, are best at an even cooler temperature—around 14 degrees; they're the ones to seek when hot weather hits.

The best red wines for chilling are usually relatively straightforward, with a concentrated fruitiness and low levels of oak, tannin and alcohol. Beaujolais is pretty much the ultimate example of this style, although there are plenty of others, such as young and lighter Zinfandels and Pinot Noirs. And if you have tried any others that work, do drop us a line and we would gladly put them to the test!!!

Cathy's Bak Kut Teh Adventure

2008-10-15T10:48:00.004+08:00

Lionel: As we all know the true home of Bak Kut Teh is Klang and of course after having been told of Cathy's wonderful experience in Kota Kinabalu with bak Kut Teh and Laurent perrier champagne, we had to set the record straight.

So, where did we take her but to Klang, Teluk Pulai for some Bak Kut Teh last Saturday. We also decided that test the teory of matching BKT with a red wine, yes, yes I have said when in doubt champagne just goes with everything, but red wine with BKT?

We decided a young new world Merlot with lots of fruit and the distinct aromas of Tong Quai( chines herbs) which seems to be evident in both tha BKt and new world Merlots should work well together.

Well we are glad to report that the De Martino reserva Merlot 2005 which was purchased from Auric Pacific wines was just superb, it just worked wonderfully, perfectly harmonized and matched seemlessly with the thick unctous broth of the BKT, and Cathy our friendly MW(master of wine) agreed wholeheartedly.

Ok, ok I know there is still the old style traditional BKT which has slightly heavier broth with a more herbacious flavour to match but that will be for another day!

Perold in Malaysia

2008-10-13T10:47:00.007+08:00

Wai Lun from Bottles & Bottles with Cathy

Cathy: I’ve arrived in Sydney ahead of judging in the Sydney International Wine Challenge, and am thinking back of fond memories of my brief stay in KL. Highlights for me in my final 48 hours in the city included several South African wines, one of them the premium-priced Op Die Berg perold, made from syrah by the KWV for distribution mainly in its export markets.

Cathy & John with Perold

My encounter with a 2001 vintage of this wine took place at superb dinner the Cork Brothers threw for a handful of prospective investment clients last night. One of the guests who has visited South Africa before, John Chong, brought a bottle and served it blind, blaming Chris for the ‘deception’ played on me! It was dark, with intense nose of black fruit and some spice, and a salty but supple palate. I said it was Australian shiraz given the intensity and saltiness … and then turned to Lionel and uttered ‘but it’s so like a South African’. It was such a delight to share the wine with everyone there and, you know what, it tasted just fine.

Happy Cathy, Lionel & Stephanie

A few Humble wines that we drunk

Other wines we enjoyed that evening were selected by Chris for drinking, not for investment. They included a 2002 Cuvée Carl, a 1999 Camensac from the Haut-Medoc and a 2000 La Vielle-Cure from Fronsac as well as a 2005 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinette from Schloss Lieser in the Mosel. The food and wine matches were very good, but I did find myself mulling over the liquid portion of my meal quite often. The German wine was light but pleasant, without the piercing acidity and nervosity I’ve come across from those ‘higher up’ the QmP quality (or sweetness) pyramid. All three Bordeaux wines seemed to be at their peak – perhaps they’ll hold a few years more but why keep them when they are so delicious now? – showing typical black cassis, some earthiness and forest floor, and lovely firm tannins.

Happy Cathy at The Amex Platinum Dinner

The following evening at an Amex dinner, we sipped on wines provided by Bottles & Bottles. The South African chardonnay – 2007 Excelsior from Robertson – was sedate and seductive with gentle vanilla oak tones, as opposed to being bold and oaky. The Pencarrow Sauvignon Blanc – the 2nd tier wine from Palliser on New Zealand’s North Island – was also very commendable, with pure fruit nose and palate, zesty acidity and decent finish. My favourite wine of the evening was the Rustenberg John X Merriman Bordeaux-blend from Stellenbosch. A 2005 vintage, it was incredibly young and a shame really to open it now but it had the intensity and balance of a wine promising to improve with a further 10 or more years in bottle. Many of the other guests, however, reserved their highest praise for the special late harvest (a non-botrytised sweet wine) made from gewürztraminer by Van Loveren, fairly close to the farm that grew the grapes for the chardonnay. It was – as is the special late harvest style – gently sweet and light-textured, not unctuous or silky.

The evening drew to a close after an impromptu appearance on the stage by one of Amex’s guests singing solo, and very well too. We all had great fun, and I hope learnt a little bit more about South African wines. If you drink more of my country’s wines, I’ll have a reason to return again and again. Now that would be a reason to celebrate!

Guest Blogger: Cathy Can Zyl, Masters of Wine

2008-10-12T12:36:00.007+08:00

Remy Law

Hello everyone, I’m Cathy van Zyl, travelling in Malaysia for the first time and enjoying it immensely. I’m in KL as a guest of Lionel Lau and Chris Low, better known to you as ‘The Cork Brothers’.

To tell the truth, it was a bit of a rush – arriving at my home in Somerset West, South Africa, after from walking the five-day Whale Trail with my husband, Philip, and a group of friends at around 17h00 on the Wednesday and getting to the airport at 08h00 on the Thursday – but I made it. And with 24 hours I was in KK at the instigation of Remi Law, a wine friend who has moved here from Singapore, and who arranged for me to present a master class and wine dinner at the Hyatt Regency using wines selected by Meng Tan of winecellars, a wine distribution company in the city.

Champagne in Heineken Bucket

Remi and another friend, Angela (yes, it seems I have so many friends – you do in the world of wine!) who came over for the weekend and to attend the two events, were very concerned that I eat well so we went to a fish market-cum-restaurant, the docks to watch the catch being offloaded, a morning market in Remi’s new home village and a private home to join about 60 other people in a non-stop feast all within 18 hours of my plane touching down!

After that we had the class and the dinner, which was a very special meal itself. I suspect Remi had forgotten how much I talk or he would have suggested an hour-long presentation instead of two; but the faces of my audiences didn’t slump in despair, or their eyes glaze over, so I’ll notch this one up as a success.

The wines we enjoyed (and contrasted in style and origin) were Bollinger Special Cuvee NV and Bolla Torralta Prosecco NV; Maison Kerlann Chablis 2006, William Fevre Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume 2006 and Taylors Clare Valley Chardonnay 2007; and Paul Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 2003, Saltram Mamre Brook Shiraz 2004 and Fontana Le Selezioni Barolo Serralunga 2003.
Those in the sparkling and white flights did their jobs admirably, as did the Australian shiraz from South Australia (a blend of Barossa Valley and Eden Valley grapes) but unfortunately neither the La Chapelle or Barolo showed well. The former was just too ripe and lacked depth on the mid-palate while the latter was firstly too young to broach now but also appeared a bit ‘grubby’. Never mind, just gives us all there the opportunity to seek out other bottles and give the wines another go. Their reputations say they deserve it

The G8 with Cathy

The following day, we set off to Kinabalu National Park and here I had my very own ‘Sideways Moment’. Now, I don’t recall ever watching the scene from the movie Sideways in which the neurotic central character, Miles, consumes his beloved 1961 Cheval Blanc from a paper cup in a McDonalds outlet – I tried watching it on a crowed aeroplane, a challenge – but I’ve heard enough about it to know that my experience, while similar, were far happier than his. Miles is a divorced, failed author who takes a bachelor trip with his soon-to-be-married friend to wine-tasting country; a bitter-sweet experience for him, a far less cerebral and more carnal one for the friend.

Mine took place at the dinner Remi and Angela and I shared in a nondescript roadside motel. Here, courtesy of Agnela, we enjoyed a 2000 Réserve de la Comtesse, the second wine of Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande from decent glasses but a rather unusual decanter – a mid-sized beer jug! The meal was fresh and fantastic, the wine rich and dark-fruited, powerful but supple, and spicy. Angela, whose ambition it seems is to convince me that Bordeaux goes with everything (in Singapore last year, the meal was salmon sashimi), decided that the best match on the table was mushrooms stir-fried in garlic. After I said they had a porcini texture and flavour, she ordered another batch, this time stir-fried in a local sauce called ‘PX’. Bordeaux goes quite nicely with that, too, thank you.

Back in Kota Kinabalu the next evening, we set out to try Bah Kut The and, this time, the wine was a Laurent-Perrier given to me by Meng, because she’d run out of the Bollinger Special Cuvee I wanted to buy. We’d chilled the bubbles in a Heineken-branded ice bucket we’d borrowed from the hotel bar. Once again, the meal was superb and the wine spot-on. I had a smile on my face during my Sideways, I don’t think Miles did.

The trouble cork brothers

Here in KL a day later, I reunited with Lionel and met Chris and have spent several very happy days meeting their wine friends and eating, eating, eating. The Cork Brothers have taken me to some very special restaurants – like one serving Nyonya food in Kota Damansara, Malay food in Rebung at Bangsar, banana leaf indian food at TTDI; another the best roast duck and geese in the city (beforehand, we collected the best roast pork in the city and took it along with us to complement our meal). Let me tell you, wine goes exceptionally well with these dishes – an Australian riesling with the pork and an Amarone (from Italy) with the goose. I’d tell you more but I suspect Chris is already blogging the tale. And also to the oldest Chinese restaurant in KL for a quick but delicious lunch … with Chinese tea, a novel experience for this wine lover!

But, one of my best moments so far, was when The Cork Brothers arrived at the wine tasting dinner without a cork screw. I had to laugh … and so you can laugh along with me, took this snap of them phoning around to fellow tasters who hadn’t arrived yet to ask them to bring along a cork screw.

Till next time.
Gesondheid*

* ‘Cheers’ in Afrikaans

Best Damn Food Standing Room Only

2008-10-02T12:03:00.031+08:00

Lionel: The Cape Kontrei Cuisine event is held as a prelude to the Cape Wine Show. It is a celebration of the Cape's finest cuisine and paired with regional wines from all over South Africa.

This year’s event was held at Groot Constancia estate. This is the oldest wine estate in South Africa, dating back to 1685. And today, this National Heritage Site remains a true reflection of Cape Dutch Architecture.

The Constancia valley was the cradle of winemaking in South Africa and its sweet dessert wines became famous throughout the royal courts of Europe during the 18^th century. Groot Constancia is recognized as ‘the mother’ of the wine industry and today it is run by the Groot Constancia Trust, with its objective being ‘to promote and preserve the estate as a cultural historic monument, as an educational asset and as a financially independent wine producing estate’.

So it was a fantastic venue for what promised to be an interesting event. To be honest, I have never been a fan of eating fine food standing with nothing more than plastic plates, thank goodness we had metal forks and real wine glasses! So it was indeed with trepidation that I approached the giant marquee which was set up to house all the wines and the food.

There was a total of 18tables/stands of which 17 had food paired with wines and the last one having a selection of Brandy on its own. Now whilst I am never shy when it comes to food, I decided some initial planning where by a certain order with which dishes and wines to start with and proceed to was in order. The plan worked like a charm with the majority of the crowd starting alphabetically whilst we zig zagged our way round the marquee with good effect.

The stars of the night was surely the Crispy Pig’s Ear Cotechino and lentil flan and the Springbok Frikadelle with chunky tomato smoor. That has to be the best meal I have ever had standing up and on plastic plates!

Parts of the lovely Groot Constancia estate with the evening sky and lone star as a backdrop to the event.

The best damn Semillon from South Africa..........

Some of the Sauvignon Blancs paired with the Buffalo Bocconcini, Cured Salmon and Prosciutto chips. It's not Proscuiutto flavoured chips but rather sliced prosciutto which has been lightly fried....Mmmmmmm heavenly!

Medallion of Beef fillet rolled in Cep dust with Veal Jus was perfect with Cabernet Blends

Saute of Sweet Breads garden Peas and pancetta...yum..yum with the lovely Pinot Noirs
Lamb Loin Sous Vide style with Morel Cream paired with Merlot
Neil Jewell with his Crispy pig's ear cotechino and lentil flan! Don't u just love the shirt? paired really well with Pinotage!
(left) best damn pigs ears I have ever eaten!!!
Chef George Jardine of Jardine. The best fine dining restaurant in Cape Town. This man use to helm the kitchens at our very own Lafite at Shangrila KL.
Wild Mushroom and Foie Gras Dumpling, port reduction and truffle Jus paired with Diemersfontein Pinotage(above)

(Below) One of the better brandys produced in South Africa, aged 10years Uitkyk pronounced 8k!!

Chef Christophe Dehosse with his Springbok Frikadelle & Chunky Tomato Smoor, lovely with the Fairview Shiraz from Paarl.

a day in the Cape & evening at Stellenbosch

2008-09-28T20:44:00.009+08:00

Lionel: I spent the day with my good friend and S.A.’s only resident Master of Wine, Cathy Van Zyl. Her husband the editor of the Platter’s South African Wine Guide and her were kind enough to take us out for a drive round the Cape peninsular.

This really should be on everyone’s list of things to do before I die. We stopped at a wonderful restaurant called Harbour House in Kalk”s Bay Harbour. And after a whole morning of driving, we were all parched and the first bottle was a love Chenin Blanc from Raats Estate, it had lovely crisp acidity with hints of green apples and minerals. Yum, Yum. The second bottle was from Klein Constantia, an estate renowned for its sweet wines but we had a wonderful Sauvignon Blanc. Savoury, minerally, dry but with lovely fruit on the front palate. I’ve written an article once about trying S.Africa’s Sauvignon Blancs, as I think they are actually lovely, imagine a cross between a Sancerre and the fruitiness of the N.Z. ones. It was perfect for my Grilled whole Calamari with paprika.We even managed to spot some whales from the restaurant, amazing.

In the evening, we went to 2 different estates in the Stellenbosch region where tastings were hosted together with dinner. And were they different, it was pretty much like chalk and cheese!

The first was an estate called Stellenrust. This is an estate that only recently started to produced their on wine. They were previously just grape suppliers to the larger wineries and in fact, I believe the main bulk of their grapes are still sold. Lovely property with and amazing view of the sunset and they had nice wines too. While there, we tasted some good wines including the wines of South Africa’s first black wine maker Carmen. The wines are labelled Amani, which mean “Place of Peace”.

Now, the other estate was Waterford. Now, this is an estate that has put in some serious money, it shows both in the property as well as the wines. We were taken on a short tour of the wine making facilities and then a whirlwind guided tasting of all the featured wines both from the estate and other selected ones by the resident cellar master, Francois Haasbroek.

This is a young man who is obviously extremely passionate about his wines. Looking remarkably like a slim version of The Rock, he epitomizes what South African wines are today, European style, infused with modern technologies, money and new world terrior.

A few wines stood out for us, a white Bordeaux style blend called MagnaCarta, nice use of oak, minerally and savoury on the finish and good acidity on the long finish. And then there was the most expensive wine from South Africa and no it wasn’t from the Stellenbosch region but rather from Swaartland.

The wine, named Columella from Sadie family wines and made by the talented Eben Sadie. Eben Sadie left Spice Route wines in 2000 inspired by the Swaartland, and travelled overseas to get some European inspiration. And he returned to make only 17 barrels of his maiden Columella resulting in an instant hit. And the 2005 vintage getting the highest Wine Spectator rating of 95 for a Cape wine. A blend of Shiraz and Mouvedre, controlled power and freshness with dark ripe fruit, perfumed nutmeg and spice, supple and savoury, yum, yum.

Cathy Van Zyl MW, Francois Haasbroek cellarmaster Waterford Estate and moi!

The Way all Wine Bars should be!

2008-09-21T03:47:00.004+08:00

Lionel: Greetings from Cape Town! I’m here as a guest of Wines of South Africa for the Cape Wine Show and it’s gorgeous here. This is a picture of Table Mountain early evening!

The show hasn’t started yet but after 2 days, the wines and food I’ve tasted so far has been nothing but great.

I had dinner tonight at a wine bar that I believe all wine bars should strive to be when they grow up. The wine list at Caveau great and fun at the same time, I can’t describe it any better than their website. So please check it out.

I had a lovely glass each of Sterhuis Sauvignon Blanc 07 and a Waterford Cabernet Sauvignon 05. Good pairing with small plates of Karoo Lamb, Grilled beef cubes with béarnaise.

Ramadan Bazaar Attack!!

2008-09-18T17:06:00.007+08:00

Lionel: Well, there was an overwhelming request for us to pair Malay food with wine and we did just that. Sure, I made the mistake of asking Chris to buy the food from the Ramadhan Bazaar. It must have been like sending a kid into a candy store with the instructions of pick whatever you like!

Ladies and gentlemen, you won't be able to accuse us for not trying hard enough, that's for sure! I mean we had, ayam perchik, ayam panggang, rending ayam, nasi dagang, kari ikan tongkol, kicap masak daging, ikan keli bakar, sotong bakar, sayur masak lemak, murtabak kambing, murtabak ayam, meehoon sup, laksam,burung puyul goring, rendang daging, kerabu kaki ayam..........and we tried them all, believe me.

Wines served included a Grant Burge sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay, Jacob's Creek sparkling rose, Fox Creek Duet Cabernet Merlot and even a Justin Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 99
The Grant Burge was extremely dry but in a good way, expected the higher percentage of Pinot Noir to round it off but the lightness of the body held sway, not a great pairing but acceptable for many of the dishes which were much lighter too.
But the Jacob's Creek on the other hand was just lovely, dry and crisp but the rose had enough going for it that it even worked with the rendang, yummy!

Now, some of you may think that a red wine won't work with this food but it does. Lovely, ripe cherry, apricots and blackberry combination offset a lot of the heat and added another dimension with the sweetness. Lovely!

Lafite, The Best "French" restaurant in K.L.?

2008-09-13T15:09:00.013+08:00

Lionel:Just recently, on the 27^th of August to be exact. I dined at Lafite, Shangri La Hotel’s fine

dining French restaurant. It turned out to be the best French? meal I have had in the city. The

cuisine is classic but not heavy. Modern without being fussy or silly.

With a recent slew of new contenders and refurbished favourites, diners are spoilt for choice when it comes to modern European restaurants serving ambrosial cuisines in sharp, swanky settings

Lafite used to be the yardstick for a fine dining in this town. I remember dining in Lafite for the first time somewhere in the early 90’s; it was a romantic restaurant that guaranteed to impress the ladies. I don't recall the finer details of the evening, only that I was enamored with my date and charmed by Chef Stefan Servin's creative French cuisine. Lafite never failed to impress. But it was getting tired.

That is, until the Shangri-La hotel group decided to transform the Restaurant Lafite into something contemporary and modern.

Recently appointed Chef de Cuisine, Damon Campbell now offers you a different level of cuisine. With his signature dishes such as "Inside Out Pizza" which comes with tomato cotton candy and crispy cheese wrapped around a thinly sliced pizza bread and "Caviar Doughnut" which is a delicious mini doughnut beautifully decorated with Oscietra caviar and liquid garnishes of chives, egg yolk and shallots, it is extremely easy to understand, yet so exciting at the same time. And you wonder why didn't I think of that?

Apart from the earlier mentioned dishes, we also tried Chef Damon's Lobster Parmesan. The lobster comes in thick slices, poached with small tomato stew as a base, and to this is poured in a wonderful parmesan spuma or foam. Now, this is where it gets interesting. This is a parmesan based "miracroix" (basically a stock which instead of using chicken or fish bones, it uses parmesan cheese as the base) it is as wonderful as it is expensive! It had lovely cheesy flavours without overwhelming the natural flavours of the lobster meat. Perfectly paired with an Arthur Barolet Chassagne Montrachet, gorgeous.

While the pan fried foie gras was expertly done, it was the clever use of tangy cherry to cut through the oiliness and combining the savoury liver with the sweetness of the cherry meringue that lifted it beyond the ordinary. Paired with a delightful Paul Anheuser Kahlenberg Riesling Spatlese from Nahe in Germany.

Now, normally one does not look forward to the palate cleansers or intermezzo. But this is a fun one. It is a spherification of tropical fruit flavours trapped in an extremely thin casing and looked like an egg yolk served on a porcelain spoon alongside a yuzu sorbet. You just need to pop the whole sphere in your mouth and wait for the explosion of flavours to happen, and then move on to the sorbet which reminds me of a dry Clare Valley Riesling minus the alcohol. Delicious!

There is also the prerequisite walk in cellar with a collection of wines that was recently accorded the Best of Award of Excellence 2008 by Wine Spectator. The Best of Award of Excellence is only awarded to 802 restaurants worldwide out of over 4500 entries.

For mains, we had the Beef -> Broccoli, a rather bland name for a lovely dish of Wagyu beef tenderloin. This is served with naturally sweet broccoli puree and a side of wonderful smoked potatoes, Portobello mushroom and peppercorn gravy, yum. This was served with a lovely red from South Africa named, Diversity. Chris mentioned that this was a wine made by De Toren Cellars, a boutique winery and estate that has risen to cult status for their wines such as Fusion V although I can’t find any mentioned of the wine on their site.

Last but not least was the dessert, now I must admit I have never had a sweet tooth, though I appreciate a good dessert and Chef Damon's "Twisted" Black Forest Cake is a very good one. Imagine if you can deconstruct a Black Forest cake, all the main parts separated! Scrumptious. Am not sure about the wine selected here, although the Sauternes itself was excellent, pairing it with the black forest was maybe asking a bit too much.

This wonderful thing about this subtle cuisine is that it gives great wine room to shine. The 600+ selection list, offers plenty to choose from, especially in Bordeaux. It's deep in Chateau Lafite of course but also other stars such as Chateau Latour, Chateau LaFleur Petrus, and M. Chapoutiers La Modoree. Classic French is the principal strength, but there are verticals of Australia's Grange and Napa's Chateau Montelena, plus an extensive if slightly quirky range of Australian wines.

And as amazing as it may sound, wine lovers will find great value in Lafite's wine list. While I wished that I had deep pockets as I went through the list, I was pleasantly surprised to find lovely value in a Chateau Dufort Vivens 2003 at RM290 and even a Chateau Ausone 1990 at RM3, 850 is a steal.

Furthermore, the restaurant has a corkage policy which is great because it allows wine lovers like me the option of bringing a special bottle for that special occasion. On top of that they will even waive the corkage per bottle for every bottle purchased from their wine list. Now that is what I call a wine friendly policy! Unlike a particular well known steak house in the city that doesn't allow any wine brought in when their list doesn't have half the length and breathe of Lafite's.

Meetings in Singapore

2008-09-10T15:02:00.003+08:00

Chris Low: Was away 2 days ago for business trip and manage to catch up with my makan friends of Singapore! This is my first visit to Jade Palace at Forum Shopping Centre; it's has a aquarium at the entrance of the restaurant that i spotted some live bamboo clams....

We had 3 bottles of wine lined up hence we try to order the dish accordingly as what we always do.First we had a beautiful 2004 Puligny Montrachet from Drouhin that we ask the chef steam a live turbot with light soya sauce; steam live bamboo clams with glass noodles and garlic.

For Ch. Lafron Rochet 2000 and Ch. Giscours 2000; we ordered Black Pig "char-siew" and Chinese Roast duck leg. We finish with humble braised musturd leaf with chinese ham and fried "mee-bok" with crab meat.

Doris, Conee & Marie. Nice to catch up again and hopefully we will arrange another makan session when Samantha is in town?

Angus Steak House@KL Pavilion

2008-09-10T11:36:00.005+08:00

Chris Low: Finally have a chance to taste the steaks of Angus Steak house at Pavilion K.L.

At least a dozen of my friends had worship this classic Japanese Style Steakhouse while i was posted to Singapore. We are having a 4 courses set lunch-THE FRIDAY LUNCH organize by Pernod Richard Malaysia. Pan Fried Prawn with Bouillabaisse Sauce-It's an interesting use of sauce for this dish and the Prawn is perfectly prepared. We paired this dish with Wyndham Estate Bin 777 Semillon that have just nice acidity to bring out the flavours of the prawns.

We also have a small portion of Mushroom Soup while waiting for the main dish.

Char grilled Black Angus Tenderloin-The juice of the beef is perfectly sealed. A job well done from the charbrolier! But my humble opinion is beware when order your doness as they are serve on a hotplate that will overcook your beef. I like the watercress that is serve as side with the tenderloin as i love peppery herbs or vegetable with my steaks. Grilled US Black Cod-This juicy fillet of cod is good and actually lift up the Wyndham Estate Show Reserve Chardonnay.
Black Angus Rib Eye with Apple Shoyu Sauce-I actually prefer the rib eye to the tenderloin as if has more texture and flavours . Both cuts of steak went well with Wyndham Estate Show Reserve Cabernet Merlot.

We end with Panna Cotta for dessert and all sets with wine for

MYR95nett. ( choice of either one main course)

Down the memory lane In Pudu-Part II

2008-09-07T14:40:00.010+08:00

"Yau-Cham Grass carp"
"wantan noddles with char-siew& fish paste"

"Kwai-Fa Shark Fin"
"Steam Chicken"
"Pei-Pa Roast Duck"
"Prawn in Yam Fritter"

" Stuffed Fish Maw with Fish paste"

Chris Low: As promise to Lionel, we went back to "Sek Yeun" in Pudu last Friday to feast on some of the best traditional Cantonese cuisine in the oldest Chinese restaurant in town. (This time I prepared my camera way before hand)

Ordered almost the same dishes as 2 weeks ago when I was there with Uncle Lee, but the highlight today I must say is still the Pei-Pa roast duck and 2 other new dishes mentioned below.

We brought along a bottle of the Montana Pinot Noir, which was versatile enough with the food that we ordered but happily married the duck :) And I must agree with Lionel that this is perhaps one of the best value Pinot Noir we can get off the shelves today.

Many Chinese restaurants prepare "Kwai-Fa shark fins"-a not so humble sauteed omelette with spring onion, carrots & generous portions of shark fins, topped with fresh Chinese parsley. You wrapped it with crisp lettuce & a drop of black vinegar before you pop it in to your mouth.

But this is the best I ever eaten in years! We wash it down with Jacob's Creek Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay, yum!

After about 6 dishes, we were craving for Carbohydrates. So the friendly lady order taker suggested yet another surprise for us. I must say most of us in Malaysia have eaten wantan noodles or to be precise what I am trying to say here is "Gone-Low mee" And many of us have our own story to tell when it comes to their best "Gone-Low mee" stall. But try this version from Sek-Yuen which is so succulent, It comes with chunky pieces of "Char-Siew" and homemade fish paste. And if we weren’t rushing for an 2pm appointment, Lionel & myself would have ordered a second portion.

I must invite those who is looking for simple but good quality Chinese/Cantonese cooking to visit to this jewel in Pudu. Furthermore, the cooks who are working on the chopping board and the wood fire metal woks are already 60+years old if not older.

I definitely will be booking a table very soon and pop a few more of those shark fin omelettes with my dad when I get back from Singapore next week.

Now you have to excuse me while I braise some dark soya sauce pork trotters in the kitchen.

From Penang to the Rhone Valley

2008-09-07T10:58:00.007+08:00

Lionel: Now the geographical location of the Malacca Straits where Nyonya food originated and the Rhone Valley in Southern France is as far as you can imagine. But through the wonders of modern transportation and hence international trade that I find myself pairing an amazing wine by the name of Domaine La Soumade Rasteau Cote du Rhone Village with the lovely cuisine of Peony Garden in Kota Damansara. My friend Robyn invited us for dinner last night and what a find this little gem of a restaurant is! Now, this is Penang Nyonya. Not the more common Malacca Nyonya that is more commonly found in Kuala Lumpur. For the uninitiated, there is a difference.

Now Robyn is allergic to alcolhol so there wasn’t a huge debate on the matching ability of a classic Rhone wine with all its vanilla, blackcurrant and pepper on the nose, medium to full bodied for this particular vintage(1999) with a distinct hint of spiciness on the palate. Lovely long lingering finish with enough strength to handle all the different flavours from the Chun Piah, Lobak, Tau Yu Bak, Kiam Chai aik, nasi kerabu and even the perut ikan! Great stuff!

There is a nice story about this little winery that could and has confounded the conventions and produce great wine even if its is technically a humble Cote du Rhone Village.

The Southern Rhone valley is one of the most beautiful places on earth, with picturesque villages dotting craggy hillsides and vines for as far as the eye can see. Rasteau is located just to the west of the “Dentelles de Montmirail”, a craggy, “lacy” hill that is surrounded by Gigondas, Vacqueyras, and Beaumes-de-Venise(all the more famous names hence higher pricing). The vines of the area can be over 100 years old in the better parcels.

The Romero family has owned vines in the region for over 200 years. During the early 1900’s, the region became primarily a vegetable and wheat growing zone, but many families still kept their best parcels, and this was the case with the Romero’s. With the passing of Andre Romero to the helm of the property, the estate quickly became the winery to watch in the village, and is now considered one of the most quality-driven estates of the Southern Rhone.

The village of Rasteau is home to some of the oldest vines of Grenache in the whole of the Rhone Valley. Many parcels are over 80 years old, with some just over 100. As many of the vines are over 90 years old, the property of Domaine La Soumade doesn’t have to do a lot of coaxing of the wines to release the amazing power of these old vines. Even though the village is just minutes from Gigondas and Vacqueyras, it is still considered a Cotes du Rhone Villages. However, as a result of the work of Andre Romero and other quality-driven vignerons, Rasteau is said to be very close to receiving the full AOC.

Bordeaux o' Bordeaux

2008-09-01T09:51:00.006+08:00

2001 Chateau Latour, Pauillac The Pauillac region produced some of the most filled-in, satisfying Bordeaux reds of 2001, but this rich, elegant wine seems to have come from an even better vintage.

2000 Chateau d’Armailhac, Pauillac One of the most widely available wines from Pauillac, this luscious red, full of succulent fruit, is also a real bargain.

2004 Chateau Montrose, St Estephe This property can be mentioned in the same breath as the greatest Bordeaux châteaus—but charges a fraction of their prices. This dense, fleshy red is a star of the vintage.
2004 Clos du Marquis, St Julien A gorgeous "second wine" made from the vines of the fabled Château Leoville Las Cases, this mouth-filling red captures all the famous estate's elegance with an extra bit of cassis-plum fruitiness

Lionel:Located in a corner of southwestern France, there lies an area where the very notion of wine snobbery was invented, this place is named Bordeaux. But snob appeal aside, the wines of Bordeaux are some of the greatest I have ever tasted in the world; they're also the perfect gift for the hard-to-please wine lover. But even more important than that in our case, is its ability to pair so well with so many Chinese dishes. Most people would prefer to drink red wine irrespective of the food and as long as you are not pairing it with extremely spicy food, Bordeaux has the depth and elegance at the same time to work with a myriad number of Chinese dishes.

To understand Bordeaux( if that is at all com[pletely possible) one must understand first and foremost it’s geography. Bordeaux is divided into two sub-regions: the Médoc, Graves and Sauternes (the Left Bank), and, across the Gironde river, Pomerol and St-Émilion (the Right Bank). Left Bank reds are mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, while Right Bank reds are mostly Merlot and/or Cabernet Franc.
There are 12,000 producers in Bordeaux—most called Château(castle in French)whether they have an actual château or not, though many sell less-than-great wines. While the best wines from the monumental 2005 vintage won't be really drinkable until next year at the very least. We have been drinking wines from the excellent 2000, solid 2001, 2003 and 2004 vintages at prices much lower than the 2005s. But even then none of them are really cheap, prices have been going up and it doesn’t seem to be coming down anytime soon, but Bordeaux is still Bordeaux. So allow us to share with you some recent bottles which we believe are well worth the money

Malaysian Boleh!

2008-08-29T10:41:00.008+08:00

Lionel: Hidden within the concrete jungle that is Kuala Lumpur, there is a chef. A chef like no other, a chef that first learn how to cook at the tender age of 11, a chef that learned this very important beginning from his grandmother, a chef from Lumut. A chef that honed his skill later on in the hells kitchens of Michelin stars in London!

The lamb to kill for!

But now he is back in Malaysia, and Malaysian boleh! As some of us foodies wonder about the future of fine food and fine dining, now we have hope!
Try Chef Hafiz at Chinoz on the park and leave with a smile on your face and probably a very satisfied burp or two! That’s what we did at a dinner last night. Actually this was the second time we dined there and he has excelled himself on both occasions. We started the night with an excellent Pinot Gris from Escarpment which is hailed by the famed winemaker of Martinborough, Larry McKenna. This was almost the perfect wine to handle the starters of Tuna Tartare with anchovy toast. Wonderfully weighted, balanced with enough body to handle the tuna with the raw egg yet enough acidity to cut through the anchovy toast. Oily yet light, lip smacking good!
This was followed by a lovely Barbera d’Asti from Giacosa, juicy yet still fairly tight it was surprisingly versatile. Because if you have had Barberas before you would know what I meant, with some of them totally unpalatable and the excuse that Italian wines are meant for food just doesn’t cut it anymore, but this bottle surely changed my mind.
Beautiful NZ Escarpment Pinot Gris, more to NZ than just Sauv Blancs!

Last but not least was the star of the evening, now like all good winos do, we started with the wine before the main dish. It was one of my personal favourites from Chateauneuf du Pape from Deus-ex Machina, Clos Saint Jean 2003. This wine was awarded 95 points by Robert Parker when it was first released and upgraded to a perfect score of 100 after a recent tasting, and we couldn’t agree with him more. As the wine lingers in the glass, it is almost like nosing and drinking a liquid Black Forest cake, amazing. So there is Chris saying that he hoped the Lamb would do the wine justice and that it would be gamey enough!
Bang, it was like Hafiz heard him and the best damn lamb saddle came out of the kitchen. This is a lamb dish to kill for if you like your meat and I am definitely going back for more of this!

All lined up and waiting!

The Barbera and the amazing Chateauneuf du Pape 2003 !

A wine cellar?

2008-08-27T10:52:00.004+08:00

Lionel: Recently someone asked me what they should do to start a wine cellar at home. He had just moved into a new house and was thinking of converting a storage room into a wine cellar. Now, in my simple mind, building a wine collection means always having a good bottle on hand. You can go the next step and buy wines for aging, but that's not necessary: Since nine and a half wines out of ten are sold ready to drink—and even some traditionally age-worthy reds from Bordeaux and Burgundy are delicious when young—there's no need to put aside most bottles for extra maturation unless you want to.

With regards to storage I believe that as with doctors, the primary rule of wine storage is "First, do no harm." The two conditions that most threaten wine are direct sunlight and extreme heat or cold. Try to keep bottles someplace dark and cool (preferably, between 8 and 14 degrees Celsius). And no your bedroom with the air-con coming on and off is not going to be good enough!

Your wine collection will quickly come to reflect your personal tastes, but the suggestions here may be helpful for beginners. They cover a range of choices, from inexpensive bottles to pop open on a Friday night with left overs to age worthy wines to pull out when that special someone you want to impress drops by.

What to buy
Fallen Angel Methode Traditional Brut This sparkling wine from New Zealand has the right mix of richness and verve to partner with everything from spicy Asian food to fried chicken.

Dom Perignon 1999 From the legendary House of Moet, arguably the most famous cuvee prestige champagne in the world. What else can you say that hasn’t already been said before. The dryness, snap of acidity wil work with fresh seafood, Tim Sum, Sushi . Must have!

Wolf Blass President Selection Chardonnay 2006 This soft, juicy Australian white is less overtly rich than many of its Oz rivals. Refreshing, with aromas of sappy yellow apple and lemon.

Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc 2005 From New Zealand’s famed and cool Marlborough region, this white has a lean edge and a fresh finish, with a touch of varietal herbiness and pineapple.

Saltram Estate Wine Makers table Shiraz 2007 This red-cherry, spicy white pepper Shiraz makes this Australian red firm with lots of plum-currant flavour. Oaky but harmonious.

Chateau Pouget, Margaux 2003 In the Cabernet-dominated Médoc, this interesting cru classe winery has had a renaissance of sorts. As a result, this aromatic red from a excellent vintage is very supple. It's tasty now and will age well for 8 to 10 years.

Alex Gambal, Nuits St Georges Les Peuliers 2000 From a vintage noted for abundant fruit character, this luscious red Burgundy is scented with violets and licorice and something like sun-baked black cherries. Vibrant now, it will reward 10 to 15 years of aging.

Rustenberg John X Merriman 2005 This sleek new wine from South Africa was crafted full of black fruit, violets, vanilla icing and spice.

Quinta de Noval, Silval vintage port 2000. Vintage Porto can require years to mature, but this wonderful wine, is ready now. Rich,sweet and full of cinnamon and candied-plum flavors.

Star Selection
Alex Gambal Puligny Montrachet 2004
The wine is generously voluptious and compulsively drinkable, with a lovely expression of peach, citrus, melon, butter, honey and wildflowers. Plus if you can pronounce the name, you will impress everyone!

Down the memory lane in Pudu

2008-08-26T18:03:00.009+08:00

Chris Low: It's was last Friday when my friend Max called me after having drunk an expensive and rare bottle of Harlan Estate red 2003(money can't buy!) We end up gathering today in this hidden jewel of a restaurant with old school style cooking-Sek Yuen in Pudu.

The first time I indulged myself in this restaurant that uses wood fire to cook (yes, not even charcoal)...I was 7 years old. Sorry that I'd forget my camera again but this gives me an excuse to revisit this gem of an eatery again in the very near future?

All the dishes we ordered were basically humble home style cooking but seriously good food. Stir Fried sweet potato shoots with garlic, (yau-zham) deep fried grass carp, deep fried crispy-preserved bean curd pork belly that we paired it with the champagne I like of late-Drappier Blanc de Noir 2002.

We then uncork a bottle of 2003 Volnay from Bouchard Pere & Fils and a 2000 California Zinfandel with the fame"Pei Pa" Duck. A wonderful wine pairing for this crispy poultry!

When our dear friend Mr. Lee decided he hadn’t had enough and ordered stir fried petai with garlic & dried shrimp, stir fried kang-kong with garlic, stuffed sea cucumber with fish paste in Crystal broth. Yum!

Time came to leave the restaurant, we were stop by heavy down pour so we decided to stay and were tempted by the restaurant’s lady boss and ordered deep fried shrimp in yam fritter(kwai Fah-prawn). Man this dish is a killer; it looks like a London style fish & chips but fluffy in the inside.

Mr. Lee got up again and we thought this time he was going to washroom but 5 minutes later, (Wah Yeng) the lady boss brought out a plate of steam (Pak Cheat) chicken.
This not your ordinary steam chicken but the skin taste like jelly yet it's chewy with the meat so tender even the chicken breast could be cut using our spoon!

What’s the damage after feeding 5 hungry souls. RM189.50 including a complimentary plate of fresh cut fruits and ultra friendly service. (I hope they didn’t under charge us...)

Ok. Lionel, I promise we will go together next time (with camera)

Burbs...!

champagne & curry?

2008-08-24T17:12:00.002+08:00

The half empty bottle of Bruno Paillard Brut Premier cuvee N/V with what’s left of the food.

Lionel: Went to my friends Farah & Graham’s wedding party last night. What a party! I am still recovering from the obvious over indulgence of food, wine, champagne, cigars and dancing.
Set in a modern Indian restaurant, we had our own version of a monsoon wedding with the rain being substituted by a deluge of champagne. The champagne in mention this night was a wonderful brut premier cuvee non vintage from the house of Bruno Paillard. A wonderfully elegant wine dominated by Pinot Noir and considered by the house as the flagship for their style of wine.
This is all from a man who started the winery from scratch in a rented building and purchase grapes at the ripe old age of 27 after selling his classic old Jaguar for a 15000 euro starting capital. All these from a region that hasn’t seen a new champagne house in centuries.
Try this wonderful champagne if you can and you will be amaze at its resilience and poise in handling the spicy grilled lamb chops, curry butter chicken, tandoori grilled salmon and even the lamb curry.

Roast Goose and which wine challenge part 3

2008-08-21T17:08:00.006+08:00

Lionel: okay, it is definitive. The Goose is much gamier, stronger in taste overall and has much more fat than the duck. Hence, it is quite amazing that the champagne worked so well, albeit a Blanc de noir. Furthermore, the champagne even worked with the Suin lat choy, or Khai choy, a humble dish which its flavours just explode with the introduction of the champagne!
We also had a wonderful, but a tad too young Beaune Les Cras Premier Cru 2005, lovely wine, savoury and powerful but needed a bit more time, excellent with the goose but maybe a bit too tart for the duck,
But the winner of the day has to be the Chateuneuf du Pape from Domaine Ville Julienne 2003. A warm year but the wine had enough acidity still and what a combination, outstanding with the goose and just enough not to overpower the duck.
This restaurant name Wei Kee in Pudu is excellent and I would like to ask everyone who like duck or has never had goose to try them and let me know what wine works for you!

sake and then there is sake

2008-08-21T09:48:00.003+08:00

Lionel: Interesting lunch the other day as I was approached by a company to try some of their sakes and possibly help them find an importer in Malaysia. First and foremost, the Fukugen brewery is an old and established sake producer since 1758. This was the Edo period when the Samurai rode the streets and ruled the land. Owned by the Hirabayashi family, it has been passed from generation to generation and currently the president is the eighteen generation Seiko Hirabayashi.

Now to have a woman run a traditional family business like this is unusual enough, but Seiko is an impressive woman. Not only does she have pretty radical and forward thinking ideas on how to promote sake, she is also involve in the fashion business in Italy. Did I mention that she is good looking too?

Anyway, I digress. she apologize for only having 2 samples of pretty basic sake and not the best stuff which she promised to sent over.(yum, yum) the first bottle was one which she said had the best response from traditional wine lovers and we could see why. Medium bodied with slightly floral, fruity nose it reminded me of an Italian Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay.

Now the second smaller bottle was a lot sharper, tart but still with a very pleasant fruity nose without the sourish nose you usually find with some sakes. Very nice indeed and if these is the basic stuff, I can't wait for the better stuff to arrive.

Look out for the Fukugen sake!

Hell break loose at Vintry

2008-08-18T10:58:00.007+08:00

Chris Low:
Chris Low: Just a day before our A5 Kobe feast. I met a group of friends in Vintry Damansara.Started with Ch Duzac 2003-Quite tannic on the palate for a Margaux GCC...perhaps is still young but follow with harmonious and elegance aftertaste. I must say this is one of the underrated Bordeaux GCC.Then our thirst lead us to Ch Pouget 2002(4th growth Margaux), I must say 2002 is drinking very well now; black currant+white pepper and a touch of farmyard. We wash our wines with some homemade roast pork and deep fried pork belly(I love pork belly)Third bottle we knock the door of a bottle of OZ cab sauv from Stone cellar-Red Nectar 2005(we are actually now at the newly reopen rib shop which is 4 doors away from Vintry, ordered the Caramelised spicy pork and roasted asparagus)Just before we had enough another friend joined us and we went back to Vintry and end our night with three bottles of Tattinger NV Champagne .(OH YES! the fish head rice noodle soup from Kah Soh is not a bad idea for supper and went gorgeous with the bubbly)

Cing! Cing!

What happen when you don't take beef?

2008-08-18T10:39:00.008+08:00

Chris Low: A fine Thursday evening meeting up with friends in a cosy restaurant in Thengkat Thong Shin. My friend Thomas don't take beef and we have 3 bottles of solid red wine . A 1994 Cru Bourgeois, Ch.Camensac 1999 and a Dominus 1994(RP99).

So my challenge is too order dish that can handle the tannin of our wines and we ordred below:

Tuna Loin with baby Octopus. Work superb with Camensac and the Dominus

Pan seared scallop with mohama(cured tuna). The acidity of the Camensac handle harmony with this dish. Duck Breast-All three wine works; but he Dominus bring out the the flavour of the duck most. Lamb Cutlet. I prefer this dish with he 1994 Cru Bourgeois.

You only live once

2008-08-17T18:14:00.008+08:00

Lionel: okay, some people who read this might cringe that this is happened inspite of the current economic and austarity trend. But I say you only live once and my motto in life has always been "Carpe Diem" Latin for "Sieze the day".

Okay, I know they didn't have this in mind when they coined the term but we definitely lived up to the spirit. Let me start at the beginning;

Almost two years ago, a small group of wine and food lovers gathered for a dinner with each bringing a bottle wine each to pair with the food. It then became a monthly affair which I am proud to say has allowed us to drink some pretty amazing wines!

Now although each dinner is different and generally simple but good food. Occasionally, we sort of throw the whole hog in if you get what I mean. So to the dinner in mention, we had decided to have a barbeque but this wasn't your simple sausages and chicken wings stuff. We had managed to get our hands on an amazing slab prime grade A5 Kobe beef, fyi this is suppose to be the best grade of Kobe(55% polyunsaturated fat) at a price lets just say was the average salary of sales manager.

This was just the most amazing piece of beef to put in one's mouth and the wines we served was pretty good too! But I must admit, at the end of the evening, we all agreed that the best beverage with the meat was actually a beer! Mind you, this wasn't your average beer but a RM20 beer from a boutique brewer in western Australia called Little Creatures pale ale.

You have to try this beer if you don't like the taste of beer! It will change your mind, I gurantee it! Find it at a shop name Bottles & Bottles in The Gardens, Mid Valley.

There were 2 wines in particular that does deserve special mention, a wonderful Cornas and the Stags Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 1995. Cornas is from the Northern Rhone, primarily made from Syrah and it is just an amazing expression of the grape that just cannot be replicated anywhere else. Stags Leap Cask 23 is the legendary wine that came out tops at the Judgement of Paris tasting. I know some people can't get their head around Californian wines, trust me you have to try some of these and not the new over extracted juggernauts they call cult garage wines. Because these wonderful single vineyard wines are amazingly Bordeaux like, imagine a Bordeaux in a warm ripe year, elegant but without the somewhat harsh greeness. Wonderful!

Roast Goose and which wine challenge

2008-08-16T13:20:00.003+08:00

Lionel: Okay, I am throwing down the gauntlet and will be conducting the HK roast goose and which wine challenge next Thursday, 21st August at 2pm at Wei Kee HK roast goose restaurant in Pudu.

Anyone who wants their say or even if you just want to turn up and try the food and wine, drop us a mail and we will coordinate it. Chris and I will bring 2 bottles each of what we think will work and if anyone has their own suggestions, please bring the bottle along and just pay for your food!

Judging will be done as systematiclly as possible( we will try before we reach inebriation). I will be bringing a Brunello di Montalcino and Chateaneuf de Pape.

Anyone?

value for money?

2008-08-14T11:56:00.003+08:00

Lionel: recently, I've been approached quite a few times to recommend wines for wedding partys, engagement partys etc. The brief is always similar, good wine, can handle various types of food, suit the local taste buds and crucially, reasonable in price lah!

talk about wanting to have your cake and eating it as well! But after going tru numerous bottles, I think I've actually found a wine that should feel all the above criteria. I am sure that there are others out there that can fit the bill as well but this is for the moment, is a very good choice.

There is a tradition in Latin speaking countries to name a winery after a woman. But with all traditions, this is not compulsory. Most of us, whether in Chile or anywhere else, subscribe to tradition out of a sense of romanticism. Concha y Toro is Chile’s largest winery. In fact, it was the first winery in the world to list on the New York Stock Exchange.

The winery was founded in 1883 by Melchor Santiago de Concha y Cerda. “Don Melchor”, you probably know, is dedicated to the founder and one of the winery’s top wines. Although the winery did not follow the Chilean tradition of dedicating the winery to a woman, it has compensated by naming a lovely wine to Emiliana Subercaseaux, wife of Don Melchor.

I have tasted two vintages of Chateau Subercaseaux, a cabernet sauvignon and a sauvignon Blanc recently and they have all impressed with their consistent quality and good winemaking. Considering the price of around RM40 per bottle this is one of the best value-for-money wines imaginable. And it works with most local food as well!

Curry & Tom Yam paired with wine?

2008-08-10T15:01:00.003+08:00

Lionel: My wife took me to a newly opened Thai restaurant named Erawan out in Kota Damansara last night.

And although not completely ready for hordes of customers, the pride that the owners and more importantly the chef showed in their food augurs well for this establishment!

I know I've said many times in the past that soups are generally not a good pairing with wine and the best wine for Thai food would probably be a rose. I decided to bring along a bone dry Riesling and see how it would work.

The appetizer of Mien Kam, which is basically a salad of raw daun kadok filled with dried shrimp, fried shredded coconut, raw shallots, ginger, nutmeg, roasted peanuts and some kind of secret paste. This worked really well with the Jacobs Creek Steingarten Riesling 2003.

This is one of my personal favourite wines, bone dry, its almost like drinking a pure lime, & Lemon juice with absolutely no sugar, hints of minerals abound almost similar to licking wet stone! Great food wine this one.

The real surprise was how it got on with the Tom Yam Kung, not clashing, not harmonizing either but just remain status quo on the palette.

But boy, it was delicous with the chicken green curry, releasing a multitude of new flabours in the wine, such as some sugar sweetness, hints of grapes juxtapost with a enhance lemony flavours. In Chris's favorite line: it releases an explosion of flavours!