Wine Fair : Jason's International Wine and Beer Fair at Vivocity 27-30 Sept 07

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Hiya all, I visited Vivocity for a movie yesterday and also took the opportunity to take a look at the Jason's International Wine and Beer Fair in the main atrium. There were quite a few distributors with the usual wines available at Cold Storage or Jasons. Not much classified growths being sold but they had Reserve de la Comtesse 2002 going for $56 and Fugue de Nenin going for $59. It was pretty cramped moving around the fair area, but the promoters were friendly and offered tastings of their wines.

In fact, the better value deal was the Australian Wolf Blass promotion at Vivocity Bottles & Bottles. Black Label 2003 $99, Grey Label 2005 $45 and Presidents Selection 2005 $30.

Wine Fair : Carrefour Wine Fair at Suntec City (20 Sep 2007)

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Was fortunated to pop down for the VIP night at the Carrefour Wine Fair at Suntec City on Thursday night. Met quite a few friends from WineKakis there, of course Dan, SK and TK. There was a crowd even before the doors opened and whilst most people rushed for the wine tastings, we went for the special prized bottles that night to check the ullage, namely Reserve de la Comtesse 2004 $52 and Chateau La Dominique 2005 $73( which I understand is beside the famous Cheval Blanc) .

This year's arrangement was pretty similar to the last fair with the french wines on the left and the new world ones with the cheeses on the right. I was pleasantly surprised that Carrefour had managed to grab hold of a few 2005 vintage wines, one of which is the 2nd wine of Chateau D'issan i.e. Blason D'issan 2005 $47 (past review 1996 vintage here). Tasted the wine during the evening, and found it has a un-promisingly musty woody smell on the nose, but I suspect it could be the open glass. It was better on the palate with warm fruits and a good length. I managed to go again today to Suntec City, and guess what?! It appears it is already out of stock!
Today, I also managed to grab a classified 4th growth (4eme Grand Cru Classe Haut Medoc) Chateau La Tour Carnet 2005 $59. It is managed by the same gentlemen Bernard Magrez, who also manages Chateau Pape Clement and Chateau Fombrauge. I checked the reviews on the net and were pretty good before I purchase it. Not many bottles are left on the shelf !

There was also the Chateau Pick from Sauternes which was also available and recommended by in this blog at the last fair going for $27. Good value for money for a Sauternes wine. A lady behind me at the cashier today bought a bottle.

Kudos to Carrefour for helping us wine fanatics get some Bordeaux 2005 vintages at affordable prices! Please continue to do so!

Wine Guest Review: KT

Hello everyone...

Its me again... No i am not turning into a wine addict like desdragon but just happen to frequent Wine Connection at Robertson Quay after stocks meeting on wednesdays with my alcoholic anonymous colleagues. hehe.

This is an Argentinean red ... Its pretty good... (heheh hows that for a bimbo wine review)

Wine Guest Review: KT

Hello!

Havent written here for sometime... Anyway went to 1 of the little wineshops surrounding UE2 @ Robertson Quay after work 2 weeks ago with some colleagues and the manager of the store was recommending this bottle, which i must give 2 thumbs up!

As you all know that Desdragon is a red blooded red wine fan, decided to give this blog some balance by recommending this white wine, Beelgara Estate Range Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (which u can tell i am just typing off the photo).

Personally i am one of those pple who issnt a wine fan because of the acidity in the wine but this one is really nice, there's very little hint of acidity and makes you want to savour more.

The owner of this place says that this bottle runs out very fast when ever he has stock. =)

Wine at NTUC Fairprice Finest Bukit Timah Plaza (16 Sept 07)

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Hiya all, popped down to NTUC Fairprice Finest over the weekend as I promised to do a review of the place. In general, the newest upmarket supermart of NTUC seems a little out of place in the older Bukit Timah Plaza. Just getting into the carpark was a headache with cars trying to get out at the same time. But I must say that they have a good concept. The convenience was the ATMs, KFC, Chocs, Unity pharmacy and Singapore pools all located WITHIN the supermarket itself. The food in general, at least in our perception, was fresher and consisted of more quality produce.

For the wine section, there is a decent range of wines from new world and old world. The wine chiller was somewhat plain in the setup, except for the cool sliding glass door. But they did have a good range of old world french wines from nice vintages of 2000 and 2003.

Chateau Branaire 2000 at $120
Chateau Talbot 2000 at $135
Chateau Beychevelle 2003 at $95
Chateau Larrivet Haut Brion 2000 at $124
Chateua Branaire Ducru 2003 at $138
Chateua Bahans Huat Brion 2000 at $112

I was also fortunate to chance upon Ch'ng Poh Tiong giving a lecture on wines, which was well attended ( he is hidden in the photo).
The most interesting wine I found there was a Haut Batailley 1994 going for $78.
So in conclusion, a good effort by NTUC to provide a more exquiste range of wines.

Wine Entry : Yering Station Shiraz Viognier 2006 (Australian)

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I had dinner at multi-award-winning Il Centro Restaurant and Bar located in the heart of Brisbane at the popular Eagle Street Pier. From it's prime vantage point, the restaurant has sweeping views of the Brisbane River and Story Bridge. Since 1992, the restaurant has provided guests with a fine balance of casual but elegant al fresco and indoor dining with a modern Italian flavour.

I had a glass of Yering Station red wine with Seafood chowder in tomato base and Braised Lamb shoulder which were both excellent! The Seafood Chower has succulent slices of squid, crab and scallops. The lamb shoulder was coated with a fine batter to keep the meat moist and tender.

Yering Station Shiraz Viognier 2006 :
Smooth and dark current fruit with above average gameiness, an after-taste of delicate mint spices and pepper.

Wine Vineyard Visit : Pettavel (Geelong Australia)

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By the way, I have not realised that this blog is already 2 years old!
A big thank to those who have continuely been back to join me in my wine adventures.
So here's another on my recent trip to Aussie land...
This restaurant, wine cellar and vineyard are about 20 mins away from Geelong city. I must say that the service is impeccable, from the lady who opened the door & welcomed me to the gentleman who served the wine tasting samples. The food is exquisite with several choices from a host of entrees to a full banquet set of soups, appetizers, mains and dessert. The first dish is the entrée that was on the house, a smoked trout with blue crab topped with chives and herbs. The second dish is the venison served with mashed potatoes and figs. They have a very nice perfumed pinot noir and a lychee almond smooth late harvest Riesling, however I opted for the below dark intense Shiraz blend for the meat dish I had.
2004 Southern Emigre Shiraz Viognier

Lifted perfumed aromas, vibrant rich plum and fruit flavours with spicy shiraz complexity and integrated fine grain french oak. Abundant ripe sikly tannins fill the mid palate and provide length. Drink now with red meat dishes and cheese platters.