Wine Tasting (1 Viewer)

[Chris Tsutsui]

I once had a girlfriend who's parents always drank wine. Since I didn't know the slightest thing about wine, I went to the book store and read a couple books on wine. I think one of them was "wine tasting for dummies" hehee

Anyways, there was a lot of information in those books that can help with the knowledge and terminology of wine. So then at least I'd have a few things to say about the wine. I told them about how red and white wine is made and the factors that affect the taste.

I think it makes you appreciate wine tasting more when you learn more about it.

So I end up breaking up with the girl and now I havn't had wine since. hehe I wonder if it will bring back memories?

 

[Yee-Ming]

Interesting that Lew should bring up Cloudy Bay and its famous Te Koko -- I was hunting for that in the shops, and in one I memorably got the reaction "yeah, right!", just like the Tui (a Kiwi beer) ads. In another, I was told that it sells out within days of its release.

Gibbston Valley does a very good Pinot Noir (won best in world at some exhbition in 2002 or 03, IIRC), if that's what you're leaning to. Some good reds I tried when over there were Te Mata's Coleraine, Mudbrick, Hyperion's Gaia and Heron's Flight, but the latter two are very small vineyards in the Matakana region and apparently don't export their stuff at all. But if you ever make it to Warkworth, on the North Island, that's one wine trail I'd highly recommend.

As a very rough guide, the South Island produces great whites, some great Pinot Noirs, but can't do decent reds as the weather's too cool; the North Island, with warmer weather, manages both, but as the weather isn't quite as warm as it is in Australia, the reds are not as "big" or "jammy" as the "big Aussie Shirazs" (less ripening). Having said that, it makes for more subtle reds, which in the hands of skilled winemakers makes for some interesting product.

 

[Lew Crippen]

I’ve not seen Te Koko since I’ve been back in the States. I’ve really had it only three times: once in a reasonably upscale restuarant in Sydney, once in a similar one in Wellington and once dinning out in the Marlborough itself.

Now I just count myself lucky to get a bottle of Cloudy Bay’s regular Sauvignon Blanc.

Have you tried their sparkling wine Yee Ming? I found it fairly good.

Wine is quite an expensive hobby to maintain in Singapore. When I lived there, it was not hard to obtain good wine, but only at a price.

 

[Yee-Ming]

We have a bottle in the wine-fridge, but haven't tried any before; a little ageing is de rigeour these days. But since we must've bought it over a year ago, maybe it'll get popped soon.

Seriously, the hard thing right now is to resist the temptation to open any of the Kiwi wines we just carted home, seeing as they all need a little ageing. It's quite amazing really, at one winery we were able to taste a 2001 and a 2002 vintage of the same wine, and the difference was quite marked, with just one year's ageing.

As for the expense, true, but there's been a proliferation of wine importers over the past few years, so notwithstanding the tax, the prices are otherwise getting more competitive, with less outrageous mark-ups at retail for the better wines. The funny thing is, if you're going to drink wine in Singapore, you're better off getting mid-range stuff and avoiding plonk altogether, since the tax must double the price of plonk. As an example, cheapo Rosemount Estate stuff went for around NZ$10 (which would be about S$11.50), but costs S$25-30 here. Might as well buy Cloudy Bay, around NZ$35 there but S$50 here.

After digressing so much, it occurs to me that, in response to the original question, try buying one of those "for dummies" or "keep it simple" guides. They're actually quite informative (I have some of them), and shouldn't be very expensive. You can save the pricey glossy coffe-table-type books for later once you've gotten going; I remember reading a friend's book on French wines, with a half-page explaining why Chateau Petrus is the world's most expensive wine a particularly interesting side-bar. Maybe someday I'll finally be able to afford to taste some...

 

[Lew Crippen]

That was always my reasoning when I lived there Yee Ming.