Yellow Wines from Jura in Singapore

For the inquisitive wine drinker. A white wine called ‘Yellow wine’ (Vin Jaune) from the Jura wine region of France.

Though by and large white wines try to retain freshness, youthfulness and fruit notes; the vin jaune on the other hand embrace and display a partially oxidative character . They are certainly not the sort of whites produced at large in other wine growing regions of France or across the world. A little unique in style and certainly an acquired taste for the local wine consumer in Singapore.

I had the opportunity to taste yellow wines from Domaine Rolet (Jura, France) recently at Vintage Wine Club (a wine company located at 49 Jalan Pemimpin). The colour in fact does not make one sit up and take note; I believe wine consumers are used to seeing white wines come in different shades (from colourless to deep amber). But the nose will certainly make one aware of the difference a yellow wine offers when you bring the glass closer for a whiff.



Domaine Rolet , Jura
 

Antonin Pon (one of the founders of this wine establishment) explained that unlike regular white wines which upon fermentation are aged with minimal oxygen contact (in order to preserve a wine’s freshness and fruit characters); yellow wines on the other hand are aged in partially filled barrels with a layer of yeast on the wine’s surface.

It’s similar to the process a Fino sherry undergoes during its aging phase (but unlike a Fino sherry; yellow wines are not fortified prior to aging). This manner of aging (with partial contact to oxygen) results in the wine attaining a good shade of yellow and a degree of oxidative notes. Also, aging in contact with yeast makes the wine embrace aromas and flavours that the yeast imparts.

One does not easily come across yellow wines in Singapore. Luckily, for those keen to see how older vintages perform, the Vintage Club carries back vintages of these wines as well (1985, 1988, 1995, 2000 and 2005). Apart from whites, Vintage Wine Club also brings in red and sparkling wines from Jura as well too.

It presently carries  more than 200 labels from different wine growing regions in France. Wine enthusiasts can attend free tastings held every Saturday (from 11am to 5pm) to learn about these wines.

For more details, you can contact:

Antonin PON - Founder Vintage,
Wine Warehouse
Tel : +65 9851 0749 49
49 Jalan Pemimpin, Loading Bay APS Industrial Building
01-09, Singapore 577203
www.thevintageclub.sg

Wine tasting at Crystal Wines on 10 mar 2012

Crystal Wines held its Italian & Spanish Wine fair on 10 mar 2012. I attended one of its tasting sessions Saturday afternoon with some friends with a view to boosting my personal wine reserve. Purchasing wines at a decent discount is always a good motivation. Furthermore this fair held a tasting of 20 wines, giving enthusiasts as opportunity to taste before purchase. Here’s some feedback from my wine buddies regarding the wines offered for tasting.

The favoured value for money deal acknowledged by most was the Castellblanch Gold Brut Cava NV. A sparkling wine from Spain, it went at a discounted price of $20. It makes a good match for food with light to medium body weight. Be it a sip for a hot afternoon with sandwiches, an aperitif before dinner, an accompaniment for starters like salads and soups, or to pair with seafood dishes, dim sum or even a steam boat meal, this bubby offers a versatile option.

Two reds were noted for being easy on the palate and approachable to drink at this moment. They are the 2004 Marques De Caceres Reserva Red (discounted price $46.40) and the 2009 Talenti Rosso Di Montalcino (discounted price $37.50).

Those who had a preference for Italian wines went for Veneto’s 2008 Nicolis Seccal Valpolicella DOC Classico Superiore Ripasso for its supple body and generous flavours (discounted price $45.60). Another sought after red was the 2008 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto (partly for its affiliation with Sassicaia I suspect; at a discounted price $63.75). The latter is slightly closed at the moment and would do well if given an opportunity to gain some age. A little patience will benefit this purchase.

Three wines that showed ample body, depth and complexity were the 2006 Il Borro IGT Tuscana (discounted price $71.40), the 2006 San Polino Brunello Di Montalcino (discounted price $78.75) and the 2006 Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo Brunello Di Montalcino (discounted price $94.40). Well made wines but they ain’t exactly tamed at this point in time. I would lean towards some meat dishes to provide a pleasant complement if one is tempted to open any of these bottles in the very near future :)

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

A Food and Wine pairing workshop with Stephanie Rigoud at Hilton Singapore

It was a call to explore food and wine after a few days of quiet respite. I received an invite to attend a food and wine pairing workshop conducted by Hilton’s sommelier, Ms Stephanie Rigourd.

Ms Stephanie has quite an affiliation with things wine. She has studied at the reputed Tain L' Hermitage wine school under Maitre Sommelier Pascal Bouchet. She holds 2 diplomas related to wine, has worked in Chateau Smith Haut Laffite's hospitality complex in Bordeaux for a year and also as Chef Sommelier for Chef Laurent Peugeot in Burgundy for 18 months. She has visited over a 100 domaines in the pursuit of wine knowledge and even made her own wine, 'Bourgogne Rully, Cuvee de la petite sommeliere' (partnering wine maker Ludovic Belin in 2008). All these achievements at a young age, I must add!

Stephanie started the workshop by sharing a key piece of advice with the 16 participants for the evening: “Pairing is the exercise of bringing food and wine together in such a way which makes people happy”. I think that about sums up the quest in any food and wine pairing pursuit.

Striped off any deemed rules, guidelines and jargons, the practice of pairing is simply an act to enjoy food and wine together. It's not necessarily about getting the pairing ‘technically correct’; but more about you the diner being personally ‘happy’ having a particular dish with a particular wine.

Our palates differ. Whether we like or dislike a particular dish or specific wine is a matter for personal preference. Even the ‘reasons’ for liking a dish or a wine differs between 2 individuals. It’s only fair then to expect each diner to have his or her personal preference (which makes them ‘happy’) during pairing exercises.

Gladly, this diversity in individual preference was adequately witnessed when the 3 tables of wine enthusiasts were served with 6 courses (each course coming with at least 2 wines to be paired with) for the evening. Diners voiced differing preferences and different reasons for a particular preference as well.

Some made their choices by taking note of how a wine affects a particular food and opted for a wine which 'showed the food best'. They preferred a wine which did not subdue or negatively affect the flavours in a dish. Other participants on the other hand, looked at how the food affects the nature of a wine and opted for the wine which holds and shows itself better when paired with a dish.

For example, take the response from fellow diners when served with the first course.

1st course

Cold oysters and hot clams with 2010 Neudorf Chardonnay, NZ and 2009 Domaine Jaboulet ‘45eme parallele’, Cote du Rhone.

At my table, for the raw oyster served cold, most preferred Jaboulet’s crisp, lean white as it allowed them to enjoy the freshness and subtle flavours of the oysters. They found Neudorf’s chardonnay great on its own (with strong flavours, and a bigger, rounder body); but when paired with oysters, they felt that this wine overwhelmed the lighter flavours and freshness of the oyster.

But 2 diners at my table however preferred the Neudorf’s white over Jaboulet’s. They felt that the oysters tend to subdue the flavours and mid-body depth of the Jaboulet and make the wine show itself weak on the palate. The Neudorf white however showed depth of body, appealing flavours and a pleasant finish despite being tampered by the oysters.

Same table of diners with different approaches and different pairing preferences :)

Likewise when these 2 wines were paired with the hot clams; most preferred Neudorf’s chardonnay this time round, yet one went with Jaboulet’s white. 

2nd course

Mushrooms risotto scented with truffle served with 2010 Fattoria Le Pupille (Traminer,SB) and 2010 Ch Senailhac, Bordeaux Superieur.

The risotto showed strong aromas but its body however revealed a low intensity of flavours. Most diners preferred the risotto with the traminer and sauvignon blanc blend as the wine pleasantly held itself against the risotto. Quite a few diners did not prefer the interaction between the firm tannins of the young Bordeaux red and the flavours of the risotto.

However I must say that the risotto helps to soften and ‘open up’ the body of the red. After sampling the risotto if one goes back to the young red, this wine now displays a smoother, rounder more approachable body. This is one pairing where the food helps to make the wine ‘taste better’ than when having the wine on its own.

A quick and brief snapshot of diners' preferences for the rest of the evening’s courses:

3rd course

Herbed crusted salmon with Beurre blanc and avruga. Pan seared sea-bass with saffron salad sauce on spinach. Served with 2007 Domaine de Montille, St Romain and 2008 Ch Pierrefitte “cuvee de malte”, Lalande de Pomerol.

For the seabass, the majority of the diners voiced a preference for the 2007 white burgundy. The salmon received a mixed response; most going for the white wine while a few preferred the 2008 bordeaux red with the chunky meaty salmon.

4th course

Roasted rack of lamb with chianti mustard on polenta. Beef tagliata balsamic reduction. Duck breast with orange ginger. Served with 2007 Domaine Paul Jaboulet “Les Cedres” Rouge, Chateauneuf du Pape and 2006 Ch St-Pierre, St Emilion. 

Most diners swayed towards the 2007 Rhone red for the lamb, beef and duck servings. Without going into too much detail, one can say that this Rhone offered a pleasant compliment to the 3 types of meat on the plate. A few though voiced support for the 2006 bordeaux red and the beef pairing.

5th course

Platter of blue cheese, goat cheese and creamy soft cheese served with 2007 Domaine de Montille, St Romain; 2008 Domaine Paul Jaboulet “Les Jalets” Rouge, Crozes Hermitage and 2009 Tenuta dell Ornellaia Le Volte, Tuscany. 

This course got a mixed response from the diners. The 2008 white was preferred by quite a few diners for the creamy soft cheese and the goat cheese. The blue cheese offered a challenge though for the 3 wines.

6th course

Raspberry chocolate cake and Lemon meringue pie. Served with 2006 Domaine de La Place, Maydie and 2007 Domaine Paul Jaboulet “Le Chant des Griolles”, Muscat de Beaume de Venise.

This course brought out some clear preferences. Most diners favoured pairing the 2006 Domaine de La Place with the raspberry chocolate cake and the 2007 Muscat de Beaumes from Jaboulet was favoured for the lemon meringue pie.

All in all it was an interesting exercise which pleased the mind, delighted the heart and thrilled one's taste buds :)

Any good book on wine will clearly state that the only rule in food and wine pairing is to go by your personal preference, that which makes the diner 'happy'. Pairing 'guidelines' are out there, but these are merely to assist you in avoiding food and wine 'clashes' rather than restrict your choices :)

So go forth, explore and discover that which pleases you!

Wine tasting by Crystal Wines on 20 August 2011

Swung by Crystal Wines' retail outlet at Valley point yesterday for one of it's tasting sessions (which was held in conjunction with a discounted sale of 340 wines). Wines offered on sale came from Australia, NZ, Argentina, Chile, S. Africa and America.

For the session I attended, around 6 whites were presented for tasting. Of these, one white stood out:

2009 Misha's Vineyard Dress Circle Pinot Gris
Notes of pear, nectarine and spice greets the nose. The palate reveals a silky-creamy texture with good body weight and ripe pear fruit sweetness. Refreshing acid offers good balance and the wine has a lingering finish.The wine is ready to be enjoyed now. It was quite popular among the consumers as the stock in the retail outlet ran out by the session's end. (Though chardonnay and sauvignon blanc have played a major role in putting NZ under the international limelight, other varietals like pinot gris and gewurztraminer should not be overlooked. Though presently produced in small quantities, these varietals are however making their presence felt within the 'vino landscape' of NZ.)

Among the reds, some worth parting one's dollars for are:

2008 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Merlot: black currants and dried herbs notes in an integrated, round body displaying smooth texture and fine tannins. Good to drink now and can keep to age.

2008 Mitolo GAM Shiraz: black berries, black currants and coffee notes in a medium plus body which shows firm structure, ample tannins and a well balanced body. Wine has the potential to evolve further and show secondary development.

2008 Maxwell Ellen Street Shiraz: dark berries, spice, chocolate notes in a wine with good mouth feel and body weight. Reveals fine tannins, good structure and balance, and a lingering finish. Wine possesses aging potential.

Swing by the outlet if you are around the neighbourhood next time :p

Long Lunch at Brawn with St Emilion wines

Lunch yesterday was at Brawn in Marina Bay Link Mall. I was keen on this event as it came with a tasting of 25 St Emilion wines from The Singapore Straits Wine Company.

The event was fully booked and place was packed by 12.30pm. A good aspect about this event for me is the fact that a 3-hour period was set aside to conduct this lunch. It takes awhile to settle down, do the lunch, taste the different wines and talk to some of the representatives of the wineries who are there. These are things you don't want to rush but rather take one's time and go about the event at a leisurely pace.

The wines showcased were pleasant for this lunch. (I've mentioned the list of the wines to be tasted during this lunch on an earlier entry).

A few wines I particularly enjoyed during lunch are:

2006 Ch Bellefont Belcier

2004 Ch Dassault

2000 Ch Destieux

2005 Ch Fonroque

2007 Ch Corbin Michotte

2007 Ch Franc Mayne

2007 Ch Villemaurine

These showed the fruit flavours, suppleness and structure which I personally enjoyed. It was certainly a pleasant session catching up with friends, exchanging views and taking a few hours at a leisurely pace on a friday afternoon. I am certainly looking forward to the next one :)

Wine tasting: Wines from Portugal at Geylang Serai CC

Last Saturday I went to Geylang Serai Community Club for a seated tasting of wines from Portugal. This CC has a newly setup wine club which organized this tasting.

We tasted 7 wines during this afternoon session. They are from Viva Vino (address: 214 Syed Alwi Road, Singapore 207747, Tel: 62917866, www.vivavino.com.sg), a wine company which specializes in importing wines from Portugal. Mr Nuno Miguel Covas, the marketing and sales consultant of this firm, introduced the wines to us.

We tasted 3 whites, 3 reds and a port. They are:

2010 Aveleda Casal Garcia Branco, Vinho Verde. A 'green wine' (wine known for its freshness and made to be drunk preferably within a year); is light, clean, refreshing and an easy one to sip.  It shows a little fizziness in the palate (due to the presence of carbon dioxide) within its body, which lends a hand to this wine's freshness. It is light bodied, almost like having chilled water with a little alcohol in it :) It will be great for a hot afternoon, as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to starters. A participant remarked that it reminds her of soda :)

2009 Quinta d'Aveleda Vinho Verde. Another 'green wine' but with a more expressive body than the earlier white, this too reveals lightness, freshness, delicate fruit aromas and flavours. It can be enjoyed on its own or with some light bodied food. This too reveals a little fizziness when sipped.

2009 Esporao Reserva. A white from Alentejo, it reveals aromatic notes of tangerine, peach, lime and a hint of oak. The aging in oak has given it a firmer structure than the above 2 whites, which balances with the fruit flavours in the body and the refreshing acidity in holds. A well balanced wine with a lingering finish. One can enjoy this on its own, though I will prefer some food with this.

2007 Quinta do Casal Branco. An easy, entry level red from the Ribatejo region. Shows a light to medium body, reveals aromas and flavours of red and black fruits, and spicy notes though without much depth to its body. Alcohol 'heat' and spice shows in the finish; and I think slightly chilling this red will create a better balance in palate. Some light food will help in making the sips pleasurable.

 

2004 Alves de Sousa Caldas Reserva. This is a good red from the Douro region. The floral notes give way to reveal aromatic notes of dark cherry, tobacco and spice. The supple body reveals a good measure of fruit flavours, spice, soft and integrated tannins, and ample acidity to create a well balanced wine with lingering finish.

2007 JP Ramos Vila Santa. A red from the Alentejano region. This is a which at this moment shows harmony. Aromas of black fruits and spice balances well with the dark cherry flavours and spice revealed in the body. The texture is velvety and smooth with soft and integrated tannins lending it support. It will go great with meat dishes, though I am tempted to enjoy this with just bread and cheese (so that i can fully enjoy the wine without its harmony being affected by some strong flavoured food dish).

1998 Niepoort Colheita port. A single vintage port, the years of aging has gone to reveal a drink with pleasant dried fruits aromas and flavours. Medium bodied, smooth and with a lingering finish, one can enjoy sipping this on its own, or with some cheese, chicken or goose liver and biscuits as accompaniments.

The affable Nuno made this session an enjoyable one. All in all, it was a well spent session catching up on wines from Portugal :)

Wine tasting by Crystal wines

Swung by Valley Point to attend one of Crystal Wines' tasting session last Saturday. The tasting was on Italian and Spanish wines. This tasting was held in conjunction with its wine fair where up to 50% discount was given for some wines; a good margin indeed.

Around 15 to 20 wines were shown for tasting for the particular session I attended. I enjoyed 3 wines in particular. They are:

a. 2009 Bava Rosetta Bianca (Moscato). An off-dry bubbly which is easy to drink with good body, flavours and a lingering finish. Will work a charm as an aperitif at any session and for those into off-dry wines. It will balance well with some of asia's hot and spicy cuisine too. It went for $20 during the session, a splendid deal.

b. 2008 Bava Gavi di Gavi Cor de Chasse. A well structured white with pleasant yet subtle flavours. Its flavour intensity certainly wont overwhelm most food at any table. Be it salad, simple sandwich, pasta or pizza, it is likely to play a supporting role to enjoy the food at hand and yet make a pleasant sip. This too went at $20, again a good value-for-money deal.

c. 2006 Uccelliera Rapace, IGT, Tuscany. A red made with a blend from sangiovese, merlot and cabinet sauvignon stood out among the other reds at the tasting in terms of aroma, flavours, fruits in mid-palate, smooth body and long finish. It can be drunk now or kept away for a few years to undergo further development. The price was $61, but worth the value.

All in all it was a good session which helped fill up my wine cabinet :)

30 gems by The Straits Wine Company

Last friday I visited The Straits Wine Company's latest retail outlet (at 180 East Coast Road) for a tasting of 30 italian and spanish wines. It's a tasting difficult to resist, as it came priced at a good value of $10.

The 10 spanish wines offered for tasting comprised of 3 sherries, 2 whites, 1 rose and 4 reds from Rioja. Among the 20 italian wines there 2 proseccos, 2 whites and the rest reds. The 2 hour tasting session was well attended. Both the ground and upper floors were packed wine enthusiasts.

Three wines which captured my interest were:

a. 2005 Fanti Brunello di Montalcino. It shows well on the aroma and flavour profiles, but what impressed me most was the texture. Smooth, silky and well-integrated elements made the wine a pleasure to sip.

b. 2007 Rocca delle Macie 'Tenuta Sant'Alfonso Chianti Classico Riserva. This wine speaks to the nose and its a joy just spending time enjoying the aromas. Palate shows a dustiness which adds to the rustic feel of this wine. I'll enjoy this wine with some food though rather than own its own.

c. 2001 Bodegas Altanza Reserva Especial Rioja. Good fruit aromas and flavours well supported by soft tannins, lively acid and a supple body. Its drinking well now though for those who like to keep it a little longer, this wine be accomodate.

Something which sold very well for the evening was the Bodegas Altanza olive oil :) Those who chanced upon the olive oil and bread slices during the tasting session were equally impressed by the quality of this olive oil. The outlet's stock got sold out for the evening :p

A wine worth mentioning in the 'whites' department is the 2008 G.D. Vajra Langhe Bianco Riesling from Piedmont. One do not see many rieslings from Italy sold in Singapore. Even from a learning point of view, its good to have the opportunity to compare the flavour profile of rieslings from piedmont with those from wine regions across the planet. I enjoyed the balance within its body between the fruits and acid; while a few wine enthusiasts there voiced a preference for the searing acidity dominant in some cool climate rieslings from other wine regions.

To each his ... :)

Wine Tasting: Greywacke wines

The Greywacke label is a new addition to the wines coming from NZ. Thursday at Ponti Wine Cellars wine enthusiasts had the opportunity to taste wines under this label. Kevin Judd, Greywacke wines winemaker himself, was present to introduce his new wares. He made Singapore part of his Asian tour to promote his new label.

Wine folks will know Kevin Judd through his earlier job as the first and long serving winemaker of Marlborough's award winning and well known Cloudy Bay Estate. He produced its first vintage and has been making wines there for 25 years.

Presently Kevin produces wines under his own label (year 2009 being the first vintage). We had the opportunity to taste 6 of his wines; a good range I must say. He is also known for his other interest, which is photography. He has spent some time capturing memorable facets of NZ's wine landscape.

The wines offered during this tasting were:

Greywacke Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010. A classic Marlborough style with ample fruit and body in mid-palate to stand against the acidity. One finds typicity here.

Greywacke Wild Sauvignon Blanc 2009. Its a 'like it or frown-at-it' type of wine.Using wild yeast for fermentation and adopting a minimalistic winemaking approach certainly brings out a different aroma, flavour and texture profile in this wine when one attempts to compare it with the earlier SB.

Greywacke Riesling 2009. Youthful wine with good mid-body, a hint of 'petrol' and lots of lime showing on the nose, and a crisp finish.

Greywacke Pinot Gris 2009. Made with low-yield and handpicked grapes, it leans slightly towards the Alsace style of PG showing more fruits, ripeness and a hint of fruit sweetness in the finish.

Greywacke Pinot Noir 2009. Shows good red fruits in nose and palate. One is able to enjoy the fruit which shows in mid-palate before being charmed by the acidity enveloping the fruit. Still young and with a potential to show better with a few years of aging.

Greywacke Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2009. Lovely fruits and spice slay one's nose and palate in this wine.

Unfortunately the Greywacke Chardonnay 2009 was not part of this tasting; something to look forward to in the near future I guess. The Greywacke label will certainly make a good addition to the growing number of NZ wines one can recently find in Singapore.