Thursday, December 29, 2011

A value for money wine decanter

A decent decanter for $10. Maurice (a regular wine buddy of mine) recently bought a wine decanter from Cash Converters at Blk 710 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8. It comes very reasonably priced, I must say. It comfortably accomodates a standard bottle (750ml) of wine.



They still have a couple more of these new pieces at the AMK outlet. (I guess its not necessary to visit this particular outlet; you can always give Cash Converters a call and visit any of the other outlets convenient for you to reach.)  If you are planning a wine session at home with your friends during this festive season, a good decanter or two may just be the accessory to have at your table.

I did an earlier blog entry where my friend Aaron assembled a decanting kit (decanter, funnel and wire mesh) within $20.

This decanter from Cash Converters will help to bring the cost of a complete set down to $15 :p Do go visit if you happen to be in the neighbourhood!


Monday, December 19, 2011

The Chateau d'Esclans rose wines

I attended a rose-themed wine session last year. The rose wines were made from different varietals like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir, syrah, sangiovese, grenache; and quite a few of these wines were made from blends. Each participant kept note of his 3 favourite pours and contributed his choices later for some number crunching. The top favourite for the evening was a Chateau D’ Esclans rose wine, the Whispering Angel (a name one finds difficult to forget). This rose wine, made from a grenache blend, displayed a soft, silky texture which matched well with the subtle flavours of its body; something which the other varietals found challenging to outdo that evening.

Ch d'Esclans booth at WFA 2011, Singapore

During the recent Wine For Asia 2011 held in Singapore, I had the opportunity to taste Chateau d’Esclans’ series of rose wines. Ms Kate Tan, Singapore’s representative for this chateau, was good enough to introduce the wines to me.

Ms Kate Tan, Singapore rep of Ch d'Esclans

The first sip I tasted was the 2010 Chateau d’Esclans “Whispering Angel”, made from a blend of grenache, rolle, syrah, cinsault and tibouren varietals. This salmon-pink wine thrills one’s nose and palate with delicate, fresh red fruit notes, while the underlying minerals delight the palate and renders a pleasant finish. The Whispering Angel does not see any oak during its vinification process and therefore goes on to display an unhindered fruit fresh character.

2010 Ch d'Esclans "Whispering Angel"
The next 3 wines see a certain level of oak during their vinification process. This adds a certain depth to their body and a noticeable firmness to their body structure. The firmness witnessed in the palate grows as one proceeds from the 2009 “Esclans, to the 2008 “Les Clans” and finally to the 2008 “Garrus”. All 3 wines are made from grenache and rolle blends; with the “Les Clans” and “Garrus” made from 100% free run juice to add.

2009 Ch d'Esclans "Esclans"

2008 Ch d'Esclans "Les Clans"

2008 Ch d'Esclans "Garrus"
Some common characteristics seen in these 3 wines are the good display of fruit characters, complex bodies, a rich texture on the palate, and a firm body structure which renders these wines with the potential to be paired with more than just appetizers and starters during a meal.

(There’s ample tasting notes out there for the curious wine enthusiasts on these wines without the need for me to add some more).

Setting aside price-quality ratio of each of these rose wines, I am perfectly happy with the entry level “Whispering Angel” as my favoured sip for a hot afternoon with a sandwich or two; something pleasing, easy on the palate and thirst quenching.

When considering the price-quality ratio, I find the "Whispering Angel" a value for money rose wine to appreciate what comes out of this Chateau.

Recently a few of us began dinner at the Sin Hoi Sai eatery in Tiong Bahru with a plate of gong-gong and sips of Whispering Angel :p I am happy with this rose :)

You can buy this one at Changi Airport’s DFS section, The Wine Gallery outlets and at Ponti Wine Cellars. I am sure there a few other wine retail outlets in Singapore carrying the Chateau d’Esclans rose wines.


morgun pathi

Monday, December 12, 2011

Burgundy Wine Tasting Sessions at Ponti Wine Cellars

Burgundian wines at Ponti; twice this month at that. A good friend of mine recently started pursuing a wine course and all of a sudden decided to taste some wines from Burgundy to enrich her studies. Ponti Wine Cellars was having burgundy wine tasting sessions for the month of December and that’s the place which drew her attention to improve on her tasting skills.

I assured her that this particular wine course she’s pursuing does not have a ‘wine tasting component’ as part of the assessment (its purely multiple choice questions to attempt). Nevertheless she insisted, making me half suspect that the desire to sip Burgundy wines had something to do with more than fulfilling educational curiosity. Luckily places were still available for 2 burgundy tasting sessions and we signed up for both.


The first tasting was on 1 Dec. The rain that day was kind enough to take a brief respite by late afternoon and allowed for a dry journey to Ponti’s retail outlet at 204 Telok Ayer Street. There were around 10 folks that evening keen on the tasting session as well. The wines were from Domaine Jean Chartron. We tasted 5 wine (4 whites and 1 red):
2008 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Vieilles Vignes,
2008 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Folatieres,
2008 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos du Cailleret,
2008 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos du Cailleret Rouge and
2008 Rully Montmorin.

The second tasting session was on 8 Dec. This time it was an evening for red burgundian fare from Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret:
2004 Echezeauz Grand Cru,
2004 Vosne Romanee Village,
2005 Nuits-Saint Georges Les Plateaux Village and
2007 Beaune 1er Cru Les Avaux.

Ms Angelina Foo (from Ponti’s) conducted both sessions in a casual, informal yet informative manner; providing information about the domaines, addressing queries from curious enthusiasts and sharing her opinion on how these wines spoke to her. I must say her friendly demeanour made wine enthusiasts feel at ease and mid-way through these sessions there was comfortable mingling among the evening’s guests.
 
Both sessions showed wines which would do well with a little more aging. If I am to pick 2 wines from the first session for personal indulgence, they would be the 2008 Rully Monmorin (for youthful flavours and vibrancy on the palate) and the 2008 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Folatieres (for displaying good depth and structure in the body).

My choices from the second session would be the 2004 Echezeauz Grand Cru (for the varied subtle aromas displayed on the nose) and the 2007 Beaune 1er Cru Les Avaux (for the texture and flavours seen on the palate).

Visit the shop if you are around the corner; it has a decent range of French and Italian wines, not forgetting Austrian dessert wines too :p

For more pictures on these tastings visit: www.facebook.com/spiceinwine

Friday, December 2, 2011

The Mamba in the hands of its Master

Mamba, the latest in a series of Riedel’s decanters. I had the opportunity to see it recently while attending the Comparative Riedel glass tasting conducted by Mr Georg J. Riedel at Miele’s showroom in Winsland House II.

Mr Georg J Riedel with the green Mamba


There are 3 versions of the Mamba wine decanter. The black mamba, the green mamba and the clear-crystal mamba. The black and green mamba wine decanters are limited edition entities; only 100 of each produced. The clear crystal ones will be more generously produced for the indulgence of oenophiles everywhere.

 .. the green, black and clear-crystal ones

.. serial number of this particular Mamba decanter

Each of the black and green mamba wine decanters come engraved with a serial number acknowledging it’s place among the limited production. I was lucky to be able to see all 3 versions during the Riedel glass workshop. Only one each of the black and green mamba decanter arrived in Singapore and both were auctioned off for a sum of $2,800 later that evening.

The clear-crystal mamba wine decanters will most probably be available to consumers in Singapore by the end of this year, at a retail price of around $770. You should be able to get it at places like Takashimaya, Robinsons and Isetan (and a few other selected wine stores).

Stylish, well designed and hand made, I'll opine that the Mamba is 'more than a tool' for decanting or aerating wine. Its a piece of art, an elegant show piece to awe your guests for the evening with; its about flair and showmanship as you hold your friends' curiosity and attention with what it does to your wine at hand. The price you pay is for these little emotional 'extras'.

Its like owning a maserati or lamborghini in Singapore :p You don't exactly buy these for the sole purpose of getting from point A to point B. Call it the allure of sleek design or the raw power you fleetingly possess as you nestle into the driver's seat, but the pleasure you derive is not exclusively a result of the comforting realization that you are using it to travel safely from work to home every evening :)

Are you in the mood for something special this festive season ? :p


morgun pathi

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair 2011

The Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair 2011 was hugh. This is my third trip to this fair. This time round it was held between 3-5 nov 2011 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.


Organized across 2 halls with over 900 exhibitors and covering a gamut of wines, liquor and wine accessories, it certainly had lots to offer to the over 18,000 trade visitors who took part for the 3 days. Wines from 24 countries were showcased (at least going by what I came across during the fair). The delegation from Italy occupied the largest exhibition space this time round.

Needless to say, the usual suspects from the new and old world countries were there. The ‘not so often’ seen ones came from places like Brazil, Korea, Slovenia, Georgia, Uruguay, Tunisia, Japan and Bulgaria.

I’ve uploaded pictures I took during this fair at www.facebook.com/spiceinwine (3 photo albums, one for each day); check them out to get a glimpse of the fair.

Its always a thrill to discover and taste new varietals which are not readily available in Singapore. A few I came across during this fair are:

a. Pecorino and Passerina from Domodimonti Natural Wine

b. Corvina as a single varietal wine from Piona

c. Susumaniello from Cantine Due Palme

d. Petit Manseng from Casale del Giglio

e. Erbaluce from San Cristoforo

f. Timorasso from Claudio Mariotto

g. Mavrud from Rumelia Wine Cellar, and

h. Tannat from Uruguay’s Pisano.

Other curious finds were the Japanese wines from the Yamanashi prefecture, and surprisingly italian varietals grown in Indian soil. My previous exposure to wines from India were those using french varietals alone. This time I had the chance to taste wines made from italian varietals as well. The Reveilo Wines from India made with grillo, nero d’ avola and sangiovese showed good flavours, balance and finish.

Among the wines from Brazil, its range of sparkling wines with good flavours and structure impressed me (both dry and off-dry styles); and Hungary had an eye catching pavilion which showcased its whites, reds and thrilled visitors with its Tokaji wines. Three other pavilions which drew people with their sweet wines were Germany, Austria and Spain (with its pedro ximenez , like the one from Bodegas Cruz Conde).

It felt good being at this fair (and the evening dinner sessions kept me feeling much better) :p I am certainly looking forward to the one next year :)

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Simply Italian Great Wine Asia Tour in Singapore on 21 nov 2011

The Simply Italian Great Wines Asia Tour 2011 was held in Singapore’s Shangri-la Hotel on 21 Nov 2011. More than 20 tables of wine from different winemakers were there to introduce what Italy has to offer to members of the local trade, press and other stakeholders.


Sparkling whites and rose to still wines were showcased during this event at one table or another. Some labels already have local representation through companies like Cellarmaster Wines, Pinnacle Wines, Grand Vin and Spirito Divino (to name a few).

Some highlights for me during this event:

a. Sparkling wine in the form of Prosecco was well represented among the tables. I had the good fortune to meet the representative from Carpene Malvolti who explained the key role Antonio Carpene played in the production of sparkling prosecco back in 1868 (the rest as they say is history). Apart from its DOCG proseccos, this winery also offered a Rose Brut and a Gewurztraminer Brut for tasting during this event.


b. Locally known italian labels like Masi, Pio Cesare and Biondi Santi made their presence felt; the crowd at these tables give a hint of their popularity in the local market.

c. I usually don’t get the opportunity to buy wines from Lugana at local wine retail outlets; it was therefore good to see wine companies like Zeni and PR.AS.CO SAS showcasing these wines.

d. Whites from Friuli and Alto Adige showed well. Cabert S.p.A. and Alois Lageder showcased interesting whites from their respective regions.

I did not get the opportunity to cover all the tables (it was a good crowd at this event) but am happy with the showing at those which I managed to visit.

I intended to do a 'photo-blog' type entry for this event; but uploading all the pictures into this entry looks like quite a task. I’ve therefore created a Facebook Page for this blog and uploaded the pictures into a photo album over there :p

The link is as follows if you like to view more pictures taken during this event:

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Twine, a new wine bar at Bali Lane

Twine, a new wine bar, opened in Bali Lane recently. Ever patronized the eateries in Bali Lane before? :p


Ten years ago Bali Lane can be described as a quiet, almost nondescript place. Things changed a few years back when outlets like Blue Jazz and Nabins came into existence and enlivened the atmosphere. Young ones suddenly had a spot in Nabins to sit on carpeted floors, smoke shisha and chill out with big pillows. The middle eastern songs and music with their exotic vibes often manage to bring a degree of life even to my middle aged bones.

Those not too keen to sit on floors found favour with the alfresco dining experience which Blue Jazz provided. It provided a quaint hangout for those who want 'to see and to be seen'. Many other eateries came along, made their presence and quietly went their way; but these 2 establishments have stood the test of time so far.

Rev Distribution came into the scene a few years back and has been operating as a wine retail outlet at 31 Bali Lane ever since. Apart from selling wines, it used to hold regular wine tasting sessions to introduce wines and wine culture to new wine enthusiasts. Recently the management decided to convert their operation from a retail outlet into a wine bar, and renamed the place Twine.


Twine is open all week except on Sundays. It begins operation from 1pm and closes at midnight. It can comfortably accommodate around 20 people (seated) and a few more as standing crowd. It can be termed as an ‘inclusive’ wine bar as it also offers beer and hard liquor to customers who wish for other beverages for the evening.

It presently carries wine from France, N. America, Chile, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. The prices start from around $35 and upwards. It also serves finger food. If you however prefer something more substantial, you can order food from 2 eateries along this lane and it will be brought over to Twine for your consumption (without any additional charge).

The management is keen to offer this place for private events, parties and wine tasting sessions as well. If you are keen to hold an event here, you can seek assistance at 64880379. You can also get information on promotions which Twine offers at www.facebook.com/TwineBar.

Do check the place out if you are in the vicinity :)

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Comparative Riedel glass tasting conducted by Mr Georg J. Riedel in Singapore

The questions from a wine glassmaker to his guests: “What’s the point of buying a good wine only to drink it in a manner where it can’t show itself properly? Ain’t you wasting the wine and missing a good emotional moment?” Valid questions I must admit.

the Miele gallery

.. ladies from the Miele team

Wednesday morning I swung by Miele’s gallery (at Winsland House 2) to attend a Comparative Riedel glass tasting conducted by Mr Georg J. Riedel.

.. reps from Appetite magazine and Cellarmaster Wines

This invitation by Cellarmaster Wines gave me the opportunity to ascertain for myself 2 things:

a. how the shape of a wine glass affects the aroma, flavor , texture and finish of a wine in a glass, and

b. since different grape varietals offer different character profiles, to see if it is logical (and may be sensible) to drink a particular wine in a glass designed to show best what the wine has to offer.


.. Mr Georg J. Riedel with the Eve decanter

Mr Georg suggests that “wine in a wrong type of glass does not allow you to maximize the joy a wine can give”. We need to instead go beyond the common practice of using an ‘all purpose red wine glass’ for all our red wines or ‘one white wine glass’ for all our whites.

Since this blog is primarily for new wine enthusiasts (and some of you may out have had the opportunity yet to taste wines using the Sommelier range of Riedel glasses), I’ll briefly highlight a few of the exercises we did during this workshop and mention the ‘findings’. It may be useful to those considering the purchase of wine glasses for personal use in the near future.

.. the Sommeliers #4400series Riedel glasses

For this workshop, we were introduced to 3 Riedel wine glasses; Sommeliers Hermitage 4400/30, Sommeliers Burgundy Grand Cru 4400/16 and Sommelier Bordeaux Grand Cru 4400/00. We also were given 3 wines; a pinot noir, a shiraz and a cabernet sauvignon, each in a plastic cup to be used during the tasting.

Exercise 1: Tasting water (… yes, not wine yet but water) to see how each of these glasses deliver the water to the tongue and to identify the particular glass favoured by participants to consume water.

Findings on delivery: Each of these glasses does in fact deliver water to different parts of one’s tongue. The Hermitage glass delivered water to the back of one’s tongue, the Burgundy glass to the front of the tongue and the Bordeaux glass seem to allow the water to fall almost ‘everywhere’ over the tongue. The minerals and salts found within the water showed itself slightly differently when using each of these 3 glasses. Most participants favoured using the Bordeaux glass as it showed the water with a softer body and a smoother feel.

Exercise 2: Tasting pinor noir in all 3 glasses.

.. checking how a wine shows in different glasses

Findings on Aromas: We tried the Burgundy glass first and I must say it is wide enough to almost cover one’s face :p When with the nose (and for some their face) ‘in the glass’ as the speaker suggested, you get aromas of red fruits, spice and minerals coming forth in layers. In the Bordeaux glass, the spice note gets prominent in the nose but the red fruit aromas tend to be much subdued. It’s as if you almost lost the primary red fruit notes. The Hermitage glass skipped the red fruits and spice elements and instead revealed yeast and wet feet aromas; not exactly an ideal glass to nose this pinot.

Findings on Palate: The Burgundy glass reveals a wine with a lively body, red fruits and spice flavours, and a good balance between the wine's components in one's palate. The Bordeaux glass shows the wine differently. The pinot takes on a linear flavor profile with bitter notes and high acidity which stifles the fruit flavours. The Hermitage glass reveals a concentrated, intense wine without doing much justice to the flavours. The Hermitage glass fared slightly better than the Bordeaux glass, but not as good as the Burgundy glass for the pinot.

Exercise 3: Tasting shiraz in a plastic cup, the Bordeaux and Hermitage glasses.

Findings: For me this was the most interesting exercise of the morning. Sipping shiraz from a plastic cup revealed lovely yielding fruit flavours with ‘sweet-fruit' notes, good acidity and a pleasant finish. The shiraz tasted enjoyable when tasted from a plastic cup! Surprisingly the same shiraz in a Bordeaux glass became overly thick and concentrated on the palate revealing black cherries and a short finish. One loses the yielding flavours which was witnessed in the plastic cup. However in a Hermitage glass the shiraz showed a supple, rounded body with flavours of black berries and spice; and a lingering finish. The advice of the speaker: “ Don’t use a Bordeaux glass for your shiraz, though one may think that is the next best option for a glass as both wines somewhat have similar body strengths and structures).

Exercise 4: Tasting cabernet sauvignon in the Bordeaux and Burgundy glasses 

Findings: In the Bordeaux glass one gets aromas of black currants, cassis, cedar and chocolate. Palate shows a rounded, supple body with good depth and balance. In the Burgundy glass much of the aroma is lost, and the palate reveals sour and green notes rather than the fruits. Tannins are slightly abrasive and the body shows a linear profile.

.. participants mingling at session's end
The shapes of a wine glass does seem to affect the aroma and flavor profiles a wine can reveal to a drinker. In the right glass one gets a better mouthfeel, layers of flavour, a good balance and finish from a wine. 

Georg J. Riedel looks upon glasses as “tools for noses and palates” and attending this workshop makes one appreciate the need for the 'right type of tool' to get the most out of a particular wine.


... morgun pathi
 

Sunday, October 30, 2011

When at Wine Fiesta 2011 (at Customs House)

Early part of Saturday afternoon I swung by Wine Fiesta. This wine event was organized by The Straits Wine Company at the Customs House. My timing was thankfully good, I escaped the soon-to-come drizzle. Other guests were just trickling in, providing an opportunity to do some tasting at a leisurely pace and talk to the winemakers present.

Despite the afternoon rain, the crowd began gathering in earnest by 5pm. Evening saw the place 'packed, swinging and alife’. The atmosphere was certainly different from the quiet, contemplative and serious group of wine enthusiasts I get to encounter at other tastings :p

The guests were intent to relax, enjoy, taste, drink and have a good time with their friends during this weekend; and this they certainly did with great exuberance.

Sips offered for tasting came from Australia, New Zealand, S. Africa, Chile, Argentina, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, India, Spain, Italy and France. Observing the folks, there seem to be a general preference among the younger crowd to taste sparkling wines and wines with are off-dry or sweet (Villa M's bianco moscato and rosso brachetto, the late harvest german wines and Tokaji seem to hold a particular appeal for revisits).

For me personally, I like the excitement of a new or unique find. There were a handful of such wines in this event:

a. Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf Du Pape Rouge 2006. This is unique for its use of all 13 permitted grape varietals in the making of this wine.

b. Provins Valais from Switzerland offered wines from varietals not usually seen in Singapore; 2010 Fendant Swiss Valley, 2007 Petite Arvine Maitre De Chais, 2010 Heida Maitre De Chais and 2009 Cornalin Maitre De Chais.

c. Burgundy's aligote varietal tend to get scant attention and make only the occasional presence at burgundy tastings in Singapore. Domaine Jean Marc Brocard offered a 2010 Aligote for tasting during this event.

d. Champagne Henri Giraud's Ratafia De Champagne N.V. (a vin de liqueur) stood out as a fine example of an 'unsparkling wine' from the Champagne region :p

I must say the staff and crew did a good job. There was an adequate supply of bottled water and plain crackers at each table for those who needed these, the spittoons were regularly cleared and the crew certainly carried themselves in a friendly and an approachable manner. These little things made for a pleasant experience during this event, which was well managed and ran smoothly; a no easy task looking at the strong number of participants in the evening.

All in all it was an event worth attending (and at a decent price too I must add).

Below are a few pictures taken during this event.

.. the crew at work

Rocca delle Macie, Italy

Oddfellows Wines


Bouldevines, NZ


Golding Wines, Australia

K1 by Geoff Hardy, Australia

Dombeya winery, S. Africa


Boekenhoutskloof, S. Africa

Speri, Italy



Cave de Tain, France


La Forge Estate, France


.. as evening draws near





Friday, October 28, 2011

Gambero Rosso wine event at St Regis Singapore on 27 Oct 2011

It was an all too brief visit to the Gambero Rosso ‘Top Italian Wines’ road show held at St Regis (Singapore) today. I visited another wine trade event (Wine for Asia 2011) the early part of the afternoon and ended up spending too much time there; leaving for myself an hour and a half when I stepped into St Regis.


The place was crowded and buzzing with activity when I reached this event. There were more than 50 wineries showcasing their wares. I was able to meet a handful of representatives and taste their wines. Luckily, a few merchants are attending the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair 2011 next week; giving me the opportunity to catch up with them over there.

There was quite a good spread of wines from regions like Piedmont, Tuscany, Abruzzo and Puglia.

Two interesting finds I chanced upon today are:
a. the Cantina Gallura vermentino whites, a 'DOCG' vermentino from Sardinia. Their flavour profile seem to be richer when compared with their Tuscan cousins; and
b. Cantina Tollo's white wine made from the Pecorino varietal (first time I am getting the opportunity to taste this varietal).

I am sure that given more time, this event would have thrown up other unique sips; I'll just have to wait for the Hong Kong wine fair I guess.

Below are a few pictures taken during this wine event. More pictures are at www.facebook.com/spiceinwine.

Gambero Rosso road show



Argiolas wines from the island of Sardinia, represented by AntonioArgiolas








Ceci wines representative with good sparklies and local admirers.

Ruggeri wines from Veneto in the hands of Ms Rachelle Cruz (Taste of Tradition)


Rufino wines in the hands of Kevin Tan (Culina Pte Ltd)

Mother and daughter team of Masciarelli wines from Abruzzo (Water and Wines Pte Ltd)
Cantina Gallura wines from Sardinia; Ms Anna Napoli. Locally represented by Cellarmaster Wines.
Apollonio Wines from Puglia
Cecchi Wines (represented by The Italian Wine List)

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Wine dinners at Cafe Amigo

Café Amigo ceased operation end of September. A few of us took the opportunity to visit this cafe for wine dinners before its closure.

Diners would have previously patronized this café for its affordable food, decent range of wines and friday jazz performances. The prime ribs platter, apple strudel and the signature 'ice cream with PX' were popular dishes prompting revisits. I myself recall a couple of late night wine dinners here with friends, what with its attractive BYO wine policy.

Others would have visited this café to attend one of Tommy’s wine appreciation classes, or wine programs like WSET and CSW.

Dinner on Monday
It was the last monday of September. I dropped by for a wine dinner with members of the wine interest group, Wine Unplugged. The prime ribs platter was unfortunately not available that night. We settled for some of the other dishes and for desserts ordered the apple strudel and ice cream with PX.

apple strudel
ice cream with PX :p
Dinner on Friday
As luck would have it, another opportunity presented itself to attend a wine dinner here on the last day of the café’s operation with a group of ex-WSET classmates. We pre-ordered the prime ribs platter, just to ensure we get the opportunity to taste it again :)

This time round, the café was packed with diners who came to show their support and to listen to the jazz performance one last time. The food for the evening came a little slowly but surely (it was a very busy evening for the crew); and was worth the wait … the prime ribs platter finally :p

prime ribs platter
As usual, we had quite a range of wines to distract our palate for the night ahead. Among these, for the meat platter, I preferred 3 reds found at the table. The prime ribs completed the 2002 Balgera Valtellina Superiore Sassella (Lombardy), made the 2001 Ch La Tour Haut Brion (Pessac Leognan) more approachable and co-existed very well with the rich 2001 Summerfield Shiraz (Victoria).

We were the last guests to leave that night, bringing back with us memories of past evenings spent at this cafe to keep.