Consistently classic Chianti. Part 2 of Sunday evening. Part 1, here 2012 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Reserva Burgundy might be our wine sweet spot, but that matters little when you are on a Chianti budget. The difference is vast, yet Chianti offers an honesty that other affordable wines cannot. Most Chianti rarely sees new oak, relying…
Category: wine
2012 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Reserva
Wine cannot overcome all troubles. More often than not wine modifies our mood for the positive. Sometimes it doesn’t. It is not the wine to blame, there are bad headspaces that cannot be resolved with even the best wines. I have not been myself over the last few days. Maybe it is work, maybe it…
2010 Domaine Bernard Defaix Côte de Léchet Chablis 1er Cru
Chablis is Queen. If you ask her, Shell will tell you she does not drink white wine. There are exceptions, aged Alsace Riesling, aged Hunter Valley Semillon, and her favourite, Chablis. And then there are exceptions to the exception. The occasional aged Clare Riesling one or two Margaret River Chardonnay’s and a one-off Grüner Veltliner…
2007 Poggio San Polo Brunello di Montalcino
Vientiane treasures. Part three of the Kuala Lumpur to Laos journey. Finding wine bars in faraway places is one of my favourite pastimes. Every city has something to offer if you look hard enough. This tiny place seemed impossible. Tucked away off a busy Vientiane street, owned by an old Italian gentleman. The shelves stocked…
2008 La Spinetta Barolo Vigneto Garretti
Distant Dreams. The second chapter of the epic journey from Kuala Lumpur to Luang Parbang and back. The first of the Bangkok tastings can be found here – 2006 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand Turckheim Great wine can be found anywhere if you know where to look. Bangkok is no exception. Dig deep enough and you can…
2006 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand Turckheim
Distant dreams. There are three weeks until the term ends. Thoughts turn to travel around this time. Kuala Lumpur is the perfect launchpad for Asia, it is part of the reason we chose to live here, although we have grown to love it for everything it is, not just where it can take us. Times…
2009 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°1
The anti-patriot. I rarely drink Australian wines anymore. The lack of patriotism started before we relocated to Malaysia. Initially, I was intimidated by wines from other countries, particularly Old World wines. Complicated naming systems, vineyard classifications and unknown grape varieties caused a strange wine anxiety. The change started with Burgundy and continued to Italy. Now,…
Opinion: Becoming Burgundy
In the shadow of greatness. Some comparisons should never be made. This thought flashes into the mind the moment I hear the phrase ‘it is made in a Burgundian style’. Shell and I standing in a cellar door on the Mornington Peninsula. It is a cold, wet June in 2016. Having already visited the Yarra…
2015 Elio Altare Langhe La Villa
Wine is the great mood modifier. Shell woke up in a less than ideal mood. Her disposition filled the room with a thick fog of bad attitude. She was aware of the situation but continued on the theme throughout the day. She fluctuated between abrasive comments and immediately apologising, only to repeat the behaviour over…