Wines from the Loire, I wished there is more around in this part of the world!
Have always been eagerly awaiting years to pass by before opening a bottle of Bourgeuil or Chinon from producers like Charles Joguet, Couly Dutheuil, Pierre Jacques Druet, Yannick Amirault, and of course Clos Rougeard in Saumur.
And this one from star Chinon winery did not disappoint, despite seeing 100% new oak. Polished and refined, a lovely wine at a fair price, enveloping your nose and tastebuds in inviting earthy and floral aromas. Can easily go another 5+ years.
This is one of the best, the grandest, of all dry Riesling made in Germany. A wine touched by the light hands of Helmut Dönnhoff, and now Cornelius his son, whom I just met at Prowein in Düsseldorf.
Unfortunately I waited too long to open this vintage, and the acidity wasn’t around any longer to hold the power and richness of fruit together, making an overall average experience of this Grosses Gewächs.
These powerhouses can be enjoyed for their youthful fruit during year 2 after the vintage, but should strut their best between years 5 and 10 depending the vintage.
If you invest in premium wines, get to know the ins and outs of that particular vintage too in order to determine peak drinking period!
The sparkling wine category has grown rapidly in Thailand over the past 3 or 4 years, and the big winner has been Prosecco. To keep prices reasonable, many lower grade Spumanti made their way into the country, leaving experienced wine drinkers now waiving off their hands to the sound of Prosecco.
The truth is this is still the best alternative to Champagne (unless you can locate a good Crémant) and one with a better QPR. So pick a special bottle, which you know has been stored well, such as the old vines from Ruggeri.
This Prosecco has more body, flavor, and bouquet, and is made from a rigid selection of top quality grapes grown on centenarian vines. The winery is one of the best in the region, but doesn’t own all of these old vineyards, and works closely with farmers in the esteemed Valdobbiadene DOCG to source a sizeable amount for their top cuvée.
I have always been a fan of Austrian wines, in particular the lighter-styled Gruner Veltliners and Rieslings from the Wachau in Lower Austria.
Over the years, the pricier and highly rated wines designated “Smaragd”, have become fuller, clocking in above 13.5% ABV and making it quite difficult to finish a bottle, at least for me.
For this reason I am delighted to find producers like Veyder Malberg, who can capture the purity and intensity of flavors into a bottle at 12.5%. The Hochrain 2011 was phenomenal on the nose, palette and finish, and wine that dances in your mouth.
This micro-brewery produces about 70,000 bottles annually and can be compared to a wine in its complexity. The pre-industrial age style beer produced from gravity flow is unfiltered and un-pasteurized, leaving behind a complex, deep and delicate yet strong, rich beer. The producers puts all emphasis on quality and you can see in on the selection of bottle, the label paper and typography, and of course wonderful taste.
Don’t forget to leave the bottle upright and always in cool and dark place as recommended. All the natural sugars are still in tact and the top can blow off as the brew is very much alive and will keep for a long, long time.
I only tasted No. 326 which is a golden beer with scents of caramel and cane sugar and aromatic taste of cappuccino and chocolate, and the Hvede, a complex and full-bodied wheat beer with soft and fruity notes of orange.
At the price of a good wine bottle, it is still worth every penny and you will have a hard time sipping normal beer again.
Even after years of drinking my way through the various intoxicating appellations of the Rhone Valley, I continue to be mesmerized by the wines from the Northern section, especially those from the steep sloped vineyards of Cote Rotie, located above the town of Ampuis and equal to the size of Hua Hin Hills Vineyard in Thailand.
Many classic as well as single vineyard cuvees have been tried and the names I fondly remember are Stephane Ogier, Christophe Bonnefond, Robert Jasmin, Francois Villiard, Jean Michel Gerin or Yves Cuilleron. While the soft vintages are easily approachable young at 4-5 years, the vintages of acclaim are hard hitting wines which need at least 10-12 years of maturation before opening up to expose complex aroma beneath the deep dark core.
La Landonne from Jean Michel Gerin
Looking at French wine map, it appears the entire Rhone valley, should make rich and warm wines from sunny vineyards, but not so in the northern reaches, which the French call vin septentrional. It is here in Cote Rotie, where structure is matched with elegance. Take a closer look and you are reminded of Burgundy in style, but will not mistake the dark-berried Syrah. The same schist and granitic soil that runs from Burgundy through Northern Rhone all the way to Piedmont, allows for vintners to create wonderfully Burgundian-styled wines respectively of Pinot Noir, Syrah or Nebbiolo.
Ogier vineyard
A good Cote Rotie rarely wows you from the start. Instead, it runs its course (2-3 hours in a decanter), before slowly building up intriguing concoction of dark berries, graphite, and smokey bacon fat – something you will find nowhere else. If the winemaker has co-fermented some Viognier with the Syrah, you will notice a light floral note in the bouquet. They are highly sought after and pricey due to limited supply and manual work on the slopes.
Seyssuel from above (google)
Are these wines worth the praise? An astounding yes, but you need find the right moment, and of course pay a handsome fee for each bottle. I suggest, that if you want a very similar experience, go even further north to an area around Vienne called Seyssuel. This was a coveted region during the Roman times, but left forgotten since until many of the young and talented winemakers moved there to reenergize what the trade knows as Vin de Pays Collines Rhodaniennes. Here you will find very similar wines for half the price.
Extreme Galician seafood with glass Atlantic white
The extreme weather along the Atlantic coast almost cancelled this event, but thanks to Fresh Direct a first barnacle tasting in Bangkok was made possible.
Saline and juicy, this creature from the rock is really unique. After a quick boil, it can be devoured by itself or dipped in roasted garlic aioli as Quince’s Chef Blair suggested.
aka goose barnacles
Pairing regional food with a local wine makes sense, and the Albarino, despite being richer than normal, added the extra flair. Balanced, well rounded, with lemony aromas and good fruit, this made for a fun experience.
Paza de Barrantes
Guests at each table immersed themselves to try stay clean from squirting juice. Delicious.
A good wine glass will certainly improve your wine experience, whether from Spiegelau, Schott Zwiesel, Riedel or the ultimate Zalto (also from Austria).
I have always preferred to drink sparkling wine, especially grower Champagne from a large glass, where the intense aromas have space to develop. However, since we came across the Gabriel Universal glass, this just seems to be the right one for every kind of wine, while keeping your wallet in check.
Nice design, nice thin rim, light and machine washable.
Who said good cheese must come from old Europe? There are some great cheese makers in the Yarra Valley, Australia, some nice ones in California, US and now…Thailand?
Reinhard Matheis left the commercial food industry to set up this artisan operation near Nakhorn Sawan, about 3 hours north of Bangkok. The milk he buys from a nearby coop which isnt certified organic, but surely free of additives. He uses French molds and cultures to create these creamy cheese. Each batch can taste slightly differently depending on what the cows have eaten.
The Thai-made Reblochon, Munster, Camembert and Brie are all good, despite being quite creamy. Well worth searching out at Heaven on Cheese.
Below you will find the sweet wine pairing which completed the strong cheeses nicely.
Bill Marinelli talked about sustainable seafood and explained how memoirs (similar to terroirs for wine) makes oysters taste different from one another. It is in fact quite simple, and ultimately the water quality surrounding the oyster bed decides the outcome.
Blair of Quince Eatery and Bar added some variety to the Barron Point oyster by topping them with cucumber granita, lemon black pepper or our favorite spiced tomato jelly.
All 5 samples tasted unique and refreshing, while pairing very well with a prosecco, cremant, US method champenoise, Check out the menu here
