Wine for Dragons

Singapore Wine Blog... Wine Reviews and Tastings... Review of Wine bars and Wine accessories...

Monday, October 24, 2005

What kind of wine drinker are you? Wine Demographics

Got this off the web, looked so interesting that I had to share with everyone...
What kind of wine drinker are U ?

Enthusiasts are consumers who are passionate about the entire wine experience from researching what they buy to sharing their discoveries with friends and family.

Image Seekers feel sophisticated on one hand and adventurous and trendy on the other hand – they are just as likely to choose wine with sophisticated labels as wine with fun, image-driven labels.

Savvy Shoppers seek great wines at a great value; they enjoy drinking and shopping for wine and believe that good wines need not cost a lot of money.

Traditionalists want to feel that their wine is made by a well-known winery that’s been around for a long time.

Satisfied Sippers look for a sensible choice they can feel comfortable serving to friends and family .

Overwhelmed consumers, who make up the largest group, 23 percent, find shopping for wine complex and worry about making a mistake. Good shelf descriptions and retail and wait staff recommendations play a key role in their purchase decisions.

I think personally I'm considered an Enthusiast...this wineblog must be the testimony to this labelling :)

Wine Entry : Black Opal 2001 Australian (Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot)

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This wine is very approachable and smooth with a mild taste. The colour is a bright ruby red. Got this at DFS Singapore Airport for S$25, this wine is not sold openly in the supermarkets but can probably get it at boutique wine shops. This wine is my strong recommendation for one with good value. I have already savoured many a bottle.

Smell : Rose, autumn sweetness with blackcurrents overtones.

Taste : Smooth with no or mild tannins, filled with gooseberry and raspberry.

After-taste : Presence of dark chocolate which has a bitterness in the medium finish.

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Austrian Wine Appreciation Workshop

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On the 19th Oct Wednesday, I attended an Austrian wine appreciation workshop with Ms Poh Q2 / KT and of course my wife. We had a great time there with finger food (chicken wings, Brie and Cambermart cheese). Never knew that the Grassroot’s club near the Yio Chu Kang MRT has such a nice cosy place like the WineRoom (run by Le Raisin) www.le-raisin.com.

The wines we tasted included (www.heuriger.biz) :

Whites
Weiner Gruner Veltliner
Loimer Riesling Langelois
Heinrich Weissburgunder
Heinrich Zweigelt

Reds
Pockl Zweigelt
Skoff Hochsulz Sauvignon

Dessert Wine
Skoff Chardonnay Trockenbeerenauslese



Both Ms Poh Q2 / KT loved the dessert wine the most (each of them bought one - not cheap though!) and I must confess myself that it’s one of the best dessert wines I have ever tasted. Tastes like pure refined Honey intensely flavoured with peaches, oranges and apricotes. However, I felt the reds were good, but lacking somewhat in their finesse and flavoursome that French and Australian wines possess.

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Wine Entry : Saltram Shiraz 2001 Australian

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Relatively pleasant wine to drink, brick red in colour and mild to taste. Very atypical of a Shirza which tends to be stronger and more spicy. Got it from my club again at about S$29.

Smell : Intense smell of alcohol and flora. Slight tinge of jasmine and vanilla.

Taste : medium-bodied, flavourful of blackcurrents/raspberry, very smooth and approachable with mild tannins.

After-taste : Slight hint of pepper and spices.

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Sunday, October 09, 2005

Wine Entry : Penfolds 138 Old Vine Barossa Valley 2002

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This is definitely not a wine for the faint-hearted, an obvious full-bodied and powerful wine which can be kept for a longer period of time. I got this bottle during the Jasons Wine Cellar – International Wine & Beer Fair 2005 (29 Sept - 2 Oct). The interesting thing is that I had actually bought the same wine during the Carrerfour Wine fair but of a different vintage i.e. 1999. The 2002 vintage was selling at S$29.90 and the 1999 vintage was selling at S$43.00 So does that mean if I keep the 2002 vintage for another 3 years it will appreciate by 43%? :)
Personally I feel that the 1999 vintage surpasses the 2002, due to the aging and mellowing of the wine.

Smell : Soft flora and summer scents

Taste : Full-bodies, overwhelming blackcurrents, tinge of dark chocolate and pepper.

After-taste : Astringent with slight tinge of sweetness.

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Wine Entry : Chateau Haut-Galouchey 2002

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My parents bought this wine from the Carrefour Wine Fair at Suntec City. This wine is touted as a sweet white wine, but it is not as sweet as a Botrytis or Ice wine. It costs S$22 which is reasonable for a 750ml bottle. Would go very well with seafood or chicken, ladies I gather will like this wine.

Smell : Fragrance of lemon and citrus fruits.

Taste : Generally easy to drink and very refreshing. Almost like a lemonade with alcohol. There is a slight tinge of sweetness and relatively low alcohol content.

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