Wines from the Southern Hemisphere

Right after the tasting at work, I headed over to Eric and Abby’s, where they hosted us again for wine tasting. When we were last over, it was a blustery late spring evening, so we had to sequester ourselves indoors, away from their lovely backyard with the inviting heat lamp, tiki lamps, and swings (oh how I want to move to the suburbs, not to live out the depressing life of a soccer mum, but for the opportunities a backyard can offer… Think al fresco dining, grilling, space for a giant trampoline…).

Anyway, there were 8 of us this time around, with 9 bottles of red wine from the southern hemisphere. Thank goodness we got nowhere close to finishing all 9; we ended the night with 6. I didn’t particularly want to lie in bed all day nursing a hangover, though my schedule now allowed for it since the planned trapeze show I was going to be in in the evening had just been canceled because of the awful weather forecast. Still sore about that, if you can’t tell. After a week of gloriously cool and breezy weather during which I was cooped up in the office, the weather gods had to literally rain on my parade today. Such a cruel tease! And I won’t be able to make the rescheduled show since we’d be enroute to Santa Fe then.

I digressed. The wines were decent: Jeff and my favorite for the evening was the 2008 Mohua Central Otago Pinot Noir we brought. Gorgeous pink color, with bright aromas of strawberries. It went down so smoothly with the creamy blue cheese and fig jam spread Adam and Mary brought.

We started the evening indoors, because of the threatening drizzle. But when we broke out the bottle of Australian Shiraz Miguel brought, the sheer jamniness of the wine inspired Eric to bust out his grill to make us desserts of coconut infused grilled pineapple on beds of vanilla ice cream. Or, as Mary said, happiness on a plate. By then, the rain clouds had passed, so we moved the graphing table of food for 20 out into the yard.

The rest of the evening passed by in delightful blur. I was content to just sit under the cabana, watching the flickering flame of the tiki lamp and enjoying the cool night air. How many more weeks of such beautiful weather can we enjoy, before we plunge into the cold and darkness again? I’m wearying of Chicago winters. Anyway, by the time we moved to leave, it was already 2am.

2009, Coming Home Again

Yes, I can see why you want to leave Singapore, everyone tells me over and over, it’s not that exciting a place to live in, it’s so boring.

They are missing the point.

To be honest, it took me the better part of a year from when I returned to Singapore to fully appreciate life here. Not because there isn’t anything to do here – someone once said (probably my mother) that life isn’t boring, it’s the person who is – but rather that it took me a while to feel part of a community again. One cannot simply expect to stay away for 7 years and return to find groups of people eager and waiting to take you into their fold again. Once I finally settled in however, I packed my schedule to the brim with activities: climbing, diving, etc. This might be a tiny little island, but there is plenty to do both on and off the island. Case in point: this weekend, I will be climbing, singing karaoke, playing badminton, swimming, playing tennis, kite flying, and having dinner with friends.

No, I’m choosing to leave not because I don’t like life in Singapore. I love life here, and I think that this past year, I have come to see home as here.

~.~.~.~.

Now that the year is drawing to the close, it’s time to do the traditional and look back at some of the most memorable moments:

Best Article/Book
I haven’t been reading as much as I used to. Most of my literature this year consisted of books on wine, and old books from my bookshelves that I re-devoured. Off the top of my head, I can’t quite name one book that made an indelible impression on me.

That said, there are two articles this year that I have read, and re-read, and also forwarded on to friends. The first was a speech given by Karl Paulnack, pianist and director of music division at Boston Conservatory for Boston Conservatory’s freshman class: Things that Matter. The second was Steve Job’s speech to the Stanford 2005 graduating class, entitled Connecting the Docts. I have turned repeatedly to this latter speech in recent days, while trying to come to a decision on the move back to Chicago.

Best Trip
I’ve made quite a number of trips taken this year:
1. Work trip to Jiuzhaigou, China, January
2. Skiing in Innsbruck, Austria, January
3. Work trip to Kunming and Lijiang, China, March
4. Ski trip and visit, Colorado and Chicago, April
5. Diving in Dayang, Malaysia, May
6. Work trip and climbing trip, Tianjin, Dalian, Suzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong, June
7. Diving in Tioman, Malaysia, August
8. Diving in Redang, Malaysia, September
9. Wine and hike trip to Tasmania, Australia, October
10. Upcoming diving trip to Sipadan, Malaysia

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Of these, I think the most memorable would be the week sojourn through Tasmania. Everything was perfection: the food, scenery, wine, hiking, company. The only lacking bit was time.

Best Wine
I haven’t tasted it yet, and I doubt I will, but 2009 marks the year I bought my first first growth wine, Chateau Lafite. In fact, I bought a case of it, along with half a case of Chateau Margaux, and several cases of second growth wines. These are for investment purposes.

Best Restaurant

I loved my trips to Ember, and Grand Asia has the best sizzling pepper beef ever, but hands down, the best restaurant of the year has to be Alinea, and not just for the hefty price tag. The food was as much of an experience as the service and the presentation. I doubt I will be making a return trip sometime soon, but no matter, that way the magic is preserved.

Best Challenge
Diving, diving, diving! I love it as much for the incredible scape and amazing diversity of life and color underwater as for the companionship of all my zany friends.

DGS: Tasmanian Wine Night

On Friday night, after a few rounds of endlessly debating what to do with the evening, a group of five of us found ourselves in my living room, too lazy to join the crowds milling around downtown. It had been raining the entire day, so the toads in my ponds were happily frolicking in the fresh water, and loudly mating. So it seemed fitting to pop open the bottle of Barking Frog Pinot Noir that Jeff brought for me from Oregon, particularly also because I was curious to see how it matched up with the Tasmanian Pinot Noirs were we going to try at DGS the following night. Well, I loved the glass cork – super fun! Other than that, I must admit being a little disappointed with the wine. To be sure, it was very smooth, with just the thinnest layer of tannins coating my tongue. The color was a nice, light red. But there wasn’t much of a nose, and it tasted a little watery without a kick at the end. Still, it was a nice enough wine to drink and we spent a pleasant evening chatting and laughing about movies.

With the taste of Oregon still fresh in my mind, I was excited to re-try the Tasmanian wines we had lugged back. DGS was a cozy affair – about a dozen people, just enough to squeeze around the dining table. For food, we prepared cheese and chocolate fondue, along with chicken and steak, tons of fruits, bread, and mum-made walnut brownies. Very nice (and affordable) spread, if I say so myself.

We kicked off the evening with the bright and refreshing Riesling from Stefano Lubiana, the Stefano Lubiana Alfresco Riesling 2008. Everyone really enjoyed the slight tinge of sweetness and the fizz on their tongues. Wonderful way to get the taste buds alive.

We opened the Bay of Fires Chardonnay 2008 next. In comparison to the Riesling, this was heavy, but with enough acidity to make it lively and not dumb. Now this is a nicely balanced Chardonnay – just a touch of butter and lemon.

We moved on to the Moorilla Estate Praxis Pinot Noir 2008 from Hobart next, and I was struck by the stark contrast with the Barking Frog. Now this one had a lovely nose – fruity, with some earth, just the way I like my Pinots. It had a thicker body too, more solid, but just as smooth.

Our next wine, the Pipers Brook Tamar 2004, elicited mixed responses. Everyone fervently agreed that it did smell like ketchup, but some, like RX, was not a fan. Where’s the fries, she asked.

We then went back to Stefano Lubiana, for the Stefano Lubiana Merlot 2006. Now, I remember that it wasn’t my favorite wine from the trip; we just felt like we had to buy at least two bottles from that winery, since we were getting Lubiana to help us ship a case of wine back to Singapore. Nonetheless, it was a solid wine, and RX expressed her enthusiasm for it.

At this point, people were starting to flag a little from the hearty food and wine. So I broke out the Delamere Blanc de Blanc 2004, a beautifully made sparkling that had just the right touch of yeast, bubbles, and sweetness. Loved it!

We sat around chatting and laughing for a while more, about all things irreverent, and then I decided to open another bottle, the Frogmore Creek Ruby Pinot Noir Port NV. I loved this port. The Frogmore Creek tasting was our last winery tasting, and I had resolved not to buy any more. However, the port was so delicious I couldn’t help it. So it was a delight to drink it again, and a bonus when RX decided she had had enough and gave me the rest of her glass.

Fun times, great wines. I didn’t check, but I do hope that everyone went away with similarly favorable impressions of Tasmanian wines.

Quiet Weekend

Tone of the weekend was chill – no sweating under the hot sun, no feeding of mosquitoes = no climbing. I had deliberately set aside the entire Sunday to stay in to read, and think about stuff. Honestly, I wasn’t all that productive. All I have to show for it are some pages of reading (not nearly enough; not by half, bleah), and several more stages cleared for Bejweled on the iphone. It’s been ages though, since I’ve given myself that kind of time out to catch up on sleep and just nua.

Not to say that I cooped myself up the entire weekend. Friday night, a bunch of us gathered at Ruoxi’s, ostensibly to exchange photos and videos from our Redang dive trip. Instead, we just tucked into mounds of delicious food – nasi lemak, curry chicken, otah etc. And then, bellies full, we spontaneously decided to sing some karaoke. What a trip – in the next two hours, we revisited all the popular songs from way back. Anyone walking by our tiny little room could have instantly pegged our age group. I’d quite forgotten how delightlfully cheesy the Grasshopper MTVs were.

Somewhat spontaneously again on Saturday evening, another bunch of us gathered at Palex’s, to admire his enormous LCD TV and humungous collection of movies. Because it was the DGS group, we brought along some wine, including a bottle of Meadowbank Henry James Pinot Noir from Tasmania (absolutely delicious, and impossibly smooth!). Peirui and I, the two girls in the group of five, overruled the boys’ preference to watch Surrogates. So we saw The Ugly Truth instead, and we thought that the boys secretly preferred that choice as well, judging from their awws, and so sweet at various points in the movie. Fun and relaxing evening though; should have gatherings like that more often!

Tasmanian Wines: A Tasting Review

The following is a review of the wines we sampled in Tasmania. Some of the notes were written right after we stepped out of the winery; some after listening to our various (mildly tipsy) voice notes. We were not as diligent as we could have been, so in most cases, the notes center on wines we were most taken with, and do not cover each and every single wine that we tasted – around 100.

Moorilla (Hobart)
Jeff: I remember we liked the wines including the Pinots, but came away with the impression that the wines were a little pricey. They definitely are targeting the more upscale market with their erotic art labels. They also have a brewery.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Kelvedon Estate (Freycinet Vineyards)
Jeff: We went with the recommendation of our hostess at The Banc, a cosy (read, less then 10 tables) restaurant in Swansea, when she recommended the Kelvedon without hesitation. It had a beautiful nose. Very good, so much so that we bought another bottle to bring back to share.

Milton (Freycinet)
Didn’t think too much of the wines there. The pinots were a little disappointing ESP after the amazing kelvedon Pinot we had with dinner at the banc. The one wine I liked from Milton was the gerwurtz.

Jeff: This was definitely the biggest letdown of the trip, luckily it came at the start of our wine tasting tour so we forgot we even came here pretty quickly. I think their pinots were pretty forgettable, and whites were ok, but nothing that was too standout, except maybe the Gewurtz had a good nose ( If I forget which wine I liked from the winery the next day, then it probably wasn’t that good ). The lady behind the counter wasn’t too engaging and she was too busy putting scotch tape around the mouths of the stoppers.

Springvale (Freycinet)
Liked the two styles of Pinot from springvale. Bought both. The gerwurtz was not bad as well.

Springvale is reached after a long drive down a dirt track off the highway. You pull up in front of a ‘farm shack’ that houses their tasting room. (edit: Actually according to the website, the cellar door used to be a stable built by convicts in 1842!) There is something about the rustic style of the tasting room that I really like. Springvale is small and family owned, but they seem like they are open to expanding. They had someone who tried to export in the US but without success. One problem with export for them is their small production and their ability to consistently produce the quantity of wines because of the fickle nature of Tasmania’s climate.

I liked their two styles from Pinot. The cheaper, more fruit forward “Melrose” Pinot is the one that they are targeting to sell in Hong Kong. That one is made with second tier grapes blended with Pinot Meunier. Their main estate Pinot is made with the top grapes.

Later on in the trip, we opened a bottle of the Springvale Freycinet Coast Tasmania Pinot Noir 2007 we bought to go with our home cooked dinner of Italian sausage pasta. The wine was amazing, simply amazing. Very very good. Very approachable; soft. Can’t really feel the tannins; doesn’t really coat your tongue. Just goes down really well, very friendly, pairs very well with pasta and spicy sausage. Wine rounds out the pasta. Delicious wine.

Jeff: Very good, very soft, well balanced, good body, soft tannins, strawberries. Very smoooth.

Freycinet Vineyard (Freycinet)
Jeff loved the cab merlot from freycinet but since we already bought two other bottles we didn’t get that. Very few cab Sauvignon around here; they are mostly blended with cab franc or merlot. Suppose that is a cool climate thing. We had a super briny and bright Riesling. Little too tart on it’s own but so beautiful with oysters. Just rounds off perfectly. They also had another riesling that was blended with a german grape: that was just a touch sweeter; good to drink on its own. We also bought the fruit forward Pinot just cos it doesn’t have to be aged as long.

I really liked their two styles of pinot. Both styles were still less fruit forward than the other pinots we’ve tasted. The Louis Pinot is $24 and is a very good pinot at a very good price point. I thought the riesling was ok, but we bought it because it was a little extra tart but we thought that would go well with oysters (edit: it did!).

I also liked their cab merlot. It was really well balanced, full bodied and spicy, with a good strong finish.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Pipers Brook (Tamar Valley)
Giant vineyard compared to the others. More than 20 ha. Tried a whole range of wines. Loved the Riesling – bright with stone fruit and more floral than the Freycinet one. Me like. The pinots were lovely as well. The Ninth Island Pinot Noir was not aged in oak; you can smell the strawberries and some spice. The Pipers Brook was more complex – same nose of strawberries but the oak gave it a more earthy kick. Very nice! Almost tempted to get that but then we tried their blended wines, the 2005 Ninth Island Tamar and the 2004 Pipers Brook. Amazing noses!!!!!!! The latter especially. Ketchup!!!!!! Would go great with fries. Mmm.

Jeff: I really liked their Riesling, made me change my mind on Rieslings in Tasmania. Good nose and good finish. The SB was nice and light. Ninth Island was unoaked, fruit forward, light color but still good body. Pipers Brook Pinot was more complex, oaked, spicy and would pair well with meat. We also loved the blends. The 9th Island Tamar had nice big berry flavors, a light body, and good to taste alone or with appetizers. The Pipers Brook Tamar had softer tannins and a big ketchup nose. We really liked the Pinots and the Tamars, but were more taken with the Tamars so bought the two Tamars.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Jansz (Tamar Valley)
Jansz makes only sparkling. We tasted four of their wines, and even though we were quite impressed, didn’t go away with any. Perhaps sparkling just doesn’t speak to us as strongly?

Non-vintage Pinot Noir and Chardonnay – fresh apple juice.

Rose: faint blush, not as unique on the nose. No oak on the non vintages.

2004 Jansz vintage – can smell the oak on this one. Nose like like orange peel pound cakes. Actually like the chocolate orange truffle we had.

Jeff: The non vintage was very light and nice, I liked it. Vineyard was big, grand and glitzy. I remembered we liked the Vintage the best.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Daryample (Tamar Valley)
Small vineyard. Used to be family owned, but in 2007, the Sundstrup family sold to the Yalumba Group, which also owns Jansz. 2007 wines and beyond use glass corks. tried five wines – the SB 2008 was nice and bright with stone fruit. Wasn’t too big a fan of the Chardonnay. It wa ok but not exciting. Well they are reducing their crops of chardonnays and concentrating on the SB which we think are better anyway. Tried the 2005, 2006, and 2008 pinots. The first was very fruit forward and super light finish. The 2006 was a little more subdued on the nose with more spice than fruit but fuller bodied with longer finish. The 2008 had a completely different nose!!! I liked it. We left with the latter two.

Jeff: The SB was well balanced, very good nose ( stone fruit? ), and very good finished. 2005 Pinot had a very fruity nose. 2006 had a much fuller body and a better finish. The nose was more subdued but you get more of the spice. 2008 definitely tasted younger, could age a little more but drinkable now.

They are planning to cut down on Chardonnay production, and concentrate on Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noirs. They’re also the only winery in Tasmania that uses glass cork stoppers.

The cellar door was also a pretty stark shack, pretty bare in the interior except for the wine, which is all that matters. We were greeted by this hearty fella sitting on a wooden stool behind the counter; we could have mistaken him for some shopkeeper in a small town except he was selling some very good wine. He was a cool chill guy, cheery, nice guy. It was practically a private tasting because we were the only ones there and he gave us tips on things to do and see along the route.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Delamere (Tamar Valley)
Currently 6.5 ha. The owner just bought a whole ton of cuttings. Planning to expand to 20 ha. Owns 150 ha of land. He has worked in the industry for 9 years including Oregon. Thought their blanc de Blancs was better than the one at Jansz. The Pinot was good but not the best we have had so far. The rose was interesting – floral with a slightly bitter edge. Dined on the property, in the sun with the resident dog and chickens.

Jeff: Shane Holloway is the the owner/winemaker here. He struck us as a little rough on the edges, hippy, laid back west coast dude. He’s been the winemaker for 9-10 years, and has worked in Oregon as well. He wants to concentrate on just chardonnay and pinot noir. Bought property 2 years ago. They have a lot of land to expand, only planted a small part of the property. Have new cuttings that they are going to plant. They market a lot through sommeliers and have them come to taste their wines and add to their wine lists. Send some to the UK and Harvard group of students. We had a good experience here because he let us lunch on the lawn with his dog and chickens.

The blanc de blanc was pretty good. Rose was not bad. The chard was ok.The Pinot was ok, not the strongest. But he said the newer plantings should be higher quality vines, the wines from those vines should be better.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Bay of Fires (Tamar Valley)
Five wineries in and my palate is getting tired. About hundred thousand cases max. Liked their Riesling. – well balanced with a good nose. Like their Chardonnay too. Lightly toasted fun nose! Light body. The 2008 Pinot noir was pretty good. Long finish nice spicy and fruity nose but the body was a little on the light side. Tannins were very soft.

Jeff: Mostly white wines. Only red is Pinot Noir. Pretty big winery with 100K max production. They source their wines from all over Tasmania (unlike the smaller wineries) and some of the other vineyards labels use the winery facilities at Bay of Fires. They had a couple of sparkling but liked their sparkling pinot noir / chardonnay. Riesling was very good. Good nose, crisp, well balanced, not too light and watery. The SB had good nose but weak body, very light color almost like water. The Pinot Noir – very light body and color. Good noise, good long drawn out finish but the body was weak and soft. Might be better with age, or not. Lacking in complexity. TPS liked it. Chardonnay was a bit oaky, more oaky than previous chards I’ve tasted in Tassie.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Grey Sands (Tamar Valley)
This winery owned by couple who also have day jobs. Tasting by appointment. We had a private tasting on a patio overlooking the slopes of the vineyard. Amazing view. They don’t make their wines but send it over to the Bay of Fires to make. Everything is pretty much done by hand.

Greysands Romanesque Glengarry Tasmania 2005 – Jeff: Blend of 3 grapes – Touriga, cab franc, cab sauv. Very interesting nose is due to the Touriga grape. sweet bbq smell.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Stefano Lubiana (Hobart)
Jeff: Tasting room is also in their winery building, a big wooden barnyard building. Monique, wife of the winemaker, poured the wines for us. She was really nice and helpful and we had her ship the wines for us to Singapore. Their Alfresco Riesling was very refreshing and light, had a good floral nose. Their other whites – chards, sauv blanc were ok. Given the two styles of chardonnay, I couldn’t really taste too much of a difference. Their oaked version was really oaked very much and wasn’t that complex. Their Pinots were also a bit weak, because I don’t remember them being spectacular, and we were a bit disappointed because the winery had gotten good reviews for their Pinot. But I remember the Merlot being very well rounded and rich and full bodied and being surprised by the quality of it.

Meadowbank Estate (Hobart)
Jeff: Stefano Lubiana recommended we go visit Meadowbank. The vineyard is pretty big (40 hectares) and they have a big fancy tasting room cum restaurant with great views but pricey food. For such a big vineyard we were surprised that they didn’t make their own wines but sent their fruit over to Frogmore Creek next door. They had some pretty good wines. We liked their chardonnay, and preferred their unoaked ‘Meadowbank’ version. Their Pinot, especially their ‘Henry James’ Pinot was very good, very rich and full bodied wine. It was our most expensive bottle too at 49.50. I also liked their regular Riesling. The FGR Riesling was too sweet. They also sell a lot of their grapes to Bay of Fires for sparkling production.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Frogmore Creek (Hobart)
Jeff: They are also very big, and they have several labels under their control. In addition to Frogmore Creek, they also have the 42 Degrees South Label, the Wellington Label and the Rosalyn Estate Label. They have around 40 hectares (don’t remember if this includes their recent Rosalyn Estate acquisition). They also do a lot of winemaking for other vineyards as a contract winemaker including Meadowbank and Puddleduck. They had a lot of really good wine. I liked their Riesling better than Meadowbank’s. They also had a very good Gewurtz with a really big lychee nose. We liked it a lot. I also liked all three styles of their Pinot. They are all different but good in their own way, smooth, some with more tannins than the other but we decided to buy the Frogmore Creek 2007 Pinot. That Pinot had a little more tannins and a long finish. Their ruby pinot noir port was also very good, less sweet than your normal port. Their cab merlot blend was also excellent.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Down Under in Tasmania

I will probably get heartburn when we do up a final tally of the trip. Australia is not a cheap country to live in, nor is it to visit. I reckon the standard of living is even higher than that of Chicago.

It was a phenomenal trip nonetheless, and totally worth it.

Wine:
We left with two cases of wine – although we had pared down the number of wineries from our original admittedly ambitious list (we went to 13 in the end, plus stayed at another vineyard), we bought on average a couple bottles from each. The winieries here typically make two distinct styles of Pinot Noir: a more fruit forward, fresh and vibrant one, with a perfume-like nose of rose scented water and cherries; and a more complex, aged style that calls up spices (pepperberry bush, a Tasmanian plant) and oak trees. Look to the next post for a lengthier summary of the wines.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Accommodation:
We lucked out on the apartments and the one bed & breakfast that we found. They were all cute, spacious, and had different styles and charms.

Our first night, we stayed in newly remodelled apartment trailers with large living rooms and patios that overlooked the beach – beautiful sunrise. The second night, we stayed in a stone cottage with interior wood paneling and a kitchen in which we whipped up a breakfast of omlettes and fresh cherry tomatoes. This cottage, in Bicheno, also overlooked the coast.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Our first evening in Launceston, we stayed at a bed and breakfast. Although it was a little aways from the city center, the views were also gorgeous. The house was situated on top of a hill and from the living room you could look down into the valley and at the Tamar River. Beautifully apointed room, with small welcoming touches like a fresh jug of milk in our fridge for coffee and tea, and a decanter of tawny port with chocolate to enjoy in the evening. In the morning, we were also treated to a sumptuous made to order breakfast. Along with fresh juices, latte/cuppacino, toast, I had a beautifully done up saffron infused omlette with smoked salmon and hash, while Jeff got asparagus wrapped prosciutto with poahed eggs and hash. Such a treat!

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Our second evening in Launceston, after a fulfilling day of tasting, we pulled up into Rosevears Vineyards to find our own apartment overlooking the grapevines and the river. Gorgeously done up in a contemporary style, with track lights, floor to ceiling windows. Just had to wake up for the sunrise again to snap some photos.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Our wooden cabin in Cradle Mountain was a delight too. Although it got really chilly in the night after the fire in our wood stove died out, we loved that it was set back in the woods and had a lovely smell of pepperberry wood. It was such a fun surprise to be cooking in the kitchen and looking out to see a pademelon (looks like a small kangaroo) curled up right outside. Too bad we did not catch a glimpse of what the other guests affectionately referred to as Rufus, the giant posum that loved to visit the hut.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Scenery:
Tasmania, for such a large island state, is very sparsely poplulated. We spent most of our evenings in tiny towns with population not more than a thousand – Swansea had 580; Bicheno 700. Even Launceston had just 71,000 people. After so many days in the countryside, it was a bit of a shock to return to Hobart, a town of 200,000. All these other random Asians and kids decked up in goth milling about. But then again, it is a small city – probably 20 blocks by 10 blocks?

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

We wished we had more time to do the scenery justice. As it is, it was lovely to drive down the highways of Tasmania (one lane affairs typically, like in Scotland), past the bucolic countryside and lazy cows and sheep grazing in the flourescent green grass of spring. We managed a five hour hike in Freycinet National Park, covering the famed Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach circuit. Too bad the water was a little too chilly to splash around in, although that did not stop a quad of teenagers frolicking in the sea.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

In Cradle Mountain, we hiked the Dove Lake Circuit, which, as the name implies, circled Dove Lake, with the imposing Cradle Mountain as a backdrop. We also did two short forest hikes and revelled in the deep greenery and moss. One of the walks was aptly named the Enchanted Forest Trail. We covered that at first light, when the grasses and shrubs were still encased in delicate sheens of ice that sparkled and glittered in the soft morning rays, and took exuberant delight in snapping dozens of pictures of the pademelons calmly grazing not two feet from the trail.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

Food:
For the most part, fresh and delicious. We still dream about the calzones we picked up from Bread the first day we arrive in Hobart, as well as the super fresh beef and salad roll we picked up from the Ugly Duck Out in Swansea. But eating out in Tasmania is hard on the pockets. We made breakfast a couple of days and cooked dinner one evening but the food bill will be not much fun to look at.

From 2009 Sep-Oct Tasmania

In summary, a great and fun trip. We had a total blast and are putting Tasmania near the top of our list for a return visit. Still more wineries to taste and so much more hiking to do!

On wine, reading, and diving

Looking forward to diving in Tioman this weekend. The itinerary looks packed though, with dives from early morning through the early evening. At least I don’t have any night dives scheduled; still need to take my advanced diving for that. I wouldn’t mind a couple less dives in lieu of lounging on a beach chair by the waves with a good book in hand.

Been a while since I’ve picked up a book to read; re-reading Harry Potter and my wine books don’t count. So I stopped by the bookstore yesterday, and picked up 4 books: one on business, and three wine-related books. Hehe. I nearly bought The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It but then saw Bunny Crumpacker’s The Sex Life of Food: When Body and Soul Meet to Eat. Leafed through it – hilarious! So I got that too, along with Hugh Johnson’s Wine, a Life Uncorked and Vivienne Sosnowski’s When the Rivers Ran Red: An Amazing Story of Courage and Triumph in America’s Wine Country*.

Hehe so, even though I may have no wine to drink this weekend, at least I’ll still be able to read about it.

Did have some good wines this past week though:
1. Saint Clair Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Marlborough New Zealand
2. Kauri Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Marlborough New Zealand
3. Battle of Bosworth Shiraz Viognier 2005, McLaren Vale Australia
4. Atteca Garancha Old Vine 2006 Spain

My uncle (dad’s cousin really), a really youthful-looking dude (such that it’s hard for me to treat him as an uncle, and not a drinking buddy), went out to dinner with our family on Sunday night, and brought along the first two bottles. He’s a wine lover, and drinks quite voraciously, though only whites. He did bring a French red for us that dinner, and though we didn’t have it at dinner, he insisted that I bring it home to enjoy. Really liked the Saint Clair; beautifully light, with a wonderful fragrance.

I had the two reds at that said uncle’s place on Thursday evening; apparently it’s a family tradition to keep trading dinner treats back and forth – not that I mind in the least; he’s an excellent cook. The reds were both delightful on their own, but paired with his smoked salmon salad, oyster mushroom soup, and generous slabs of beef, sausages, and sea bass, the wines took on an almost cherry-like sweetness in the mouth. It was incredible, how well both wines paired with the food. Mmm.

*The LA Times on “When the Rivers Ran Red”:

‘When the Rivers Ran Red’ recalls Prohibition’s effect on wine country
Author Vivienne Sosnowski now has different images of the 1920s.
By Nick Owchar
August 5, 2009

Rivers and creeks overflowing with wine — was it a biblical sign of the end of the world or time for a free drink?

This singular image kept coming up as Vivienne Sosnowski talked to the elder members of Northern California wine-making families — many in their late 90s — about life after Prohibition took effect in 1920. And it’s the image that inspired the title of her book “When the Rivers Ran Red: An Amazing Story of Courage and Triumph in America’s Wine Country” (Macmillan: 256 pp., $26.95).

“When I read how the dumped wine killed plants and orchards, and how fish died, it just boggled my mind,” she said in a recent telephone interview.

“When the Rivers Ran Red” casts light on a less-understood aspect of that infamous period in American history — an era whose familiar images of Prohibition usually don’t include its effect on American wineries.

A Tasting at the Wine Gallery

Andrew sent out an email to the DGS listhost, informing us of a free wine tasting of Australian and New Zealand Wines at the Wine Gallery Saturday. I was intrigued by the vast quantity of wines available for tasting – 76!!! – and curious to visit an unexplored wine shop. A little odd though, that nobody else on the 60 strong listhost wanted to join me. No matter, Wellian and I had been trying to meet up for the longest time now, so I invited him over for the afternoon. Hehe, he isn’t that big a drinker (tried prolly a third of what I tasted), but it was fun to catch up and chat nonetheless.

Elderton Command Shiraz 2005, Australia – Hehe, when I first arrived, I was a little overwhelmed by the packed tables of closely stacked bottles of wines available for tasting (76 different wines in all), and thus tried to get a handle on my confusion by going for the label that I knew. The Elderton. Could I have this please? I asked the guy, pointing at the unopened bottle of the Elderton Command. Would you want to try the Elderton Friends bottle instead, he asked, lifting the opened bottle of Friends. I demurred, since I had tasted it before (at Seven Ate Nine with Tanya and Paul). Smiling slightly as he opened the Command, he said, woah, you’ve gunned straight for the most expensive bottle in the room. Oops. Hehe.

Oh but it was good. We really shouldn’t have started on that bottle. Almost everything after couldn’t compare. It had a beautiful inky color, with a nose that smelled almost as dense as it looked, of concentrated raisins. Super smooth in the mouthfeel with a finish that lingered on and on. Totally loved it!

The Wine Advocate writes of the wine (97 points):

Elderton’s flagship is the single vineyard Command Shiraz, a wine with serious aging potential, and one with which all other South Australia Shiraz must be compared. The opaque purple/black 2005 Command Shiraz was aged in French and American oak puncheons (500-liter barrels). It offers up a sexy/kinky bouquet of wood smoke, lavender, leather, game, mineral, black raspberry, and blueberry pie. Voluptuous on the palate, complex, and dense, it demands a decade of cellaring after which it should offer hedonists much pleasure through 2035.”

Stephen Tanzer writes of the wine (94 points):
Inky ruby color. Vibrant raspberry, cherry-vanilla and coconut aromas are complemented by candied licorice and smoky minerals. Pliant, palate-coating red and dark berry preserve flavors are perked up by Asian spices and smoky minerals. Pretty exotic but not over the top, with gentle tannins adding shape and focus to the long, sweet finish. This is downright sexy today.

D’arenberg the Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier 2007, Australia – Unfortunately for this wine, we tasted it right on the heels of the Command. It tasted hot, with a tinge of metal in the mouth, and wasn’t as satisfyingly smooth or full bodied. A decent wine on its on to be sure nonetheless.

Elderton Ode to Lorraine CSM 2005, Australia – I think I’m a fan of Elderton wines; would be awesome if I could visit their vineyard if I do manage to go to Barossa in September. This one was delicious, with a nose so strongly reminiscent of Ribena that even Wellian agreed. Hehe. It also reminded me somewhat of a Maderia, with a sun burnt quality. Heh it was rated the top 16 wine of 2008. The American Singaporean (AS, we’ll call him. That’s the correct terminology for a migrated American?? Heh) standing next to us couldn’t help remarking over and over when he was tasting this wine, oh my god, this wine would do me in, it’s so damn strong. Indeed, it was, a heavy, powerful wine. He thought it would be too heavy to go with steak, I reckoned it would be a perfect after-dinner/dessert wine.

Stella Bella Tempranillo 2005, Australia – The AS wasn’t a fan of the powerful wines, it turned out. Singapore’s too hot, he said, and recommended his favorite tasting of the day, the Tempranillo (more often a Spanish wine). It was much lighter, smoother. Actually, kind of a milder version of the CSM, which I found way more fun.

Green Point Pinot Noir 2007, Australia – My best value tasting of the day, hands down. The AS was similarly enthusiastic about it as well. This light colored – almost pink – Pinot Noir was more old world style, with a huge earthy nose of truffles. Beautiful nose, and deliciously meaty body and finish. I need to stock up on this; only I’m not sure if the usual fare we eat at home would pair well with this.

Cape Mentelle Zinfandel 2006, Australia – Wellian liked this one, nice and smooth.

St Hallet Old Block Shiraz 2005, Australia – Another recommendation of the AS. Nice big nose, very full bodied wine, but not nearly as sweet as the command or the CSM.

Jacob Creek Johann Shiraz Cabernet 2001, Australia – It was smooth, not bad, but for its price (~S$126) somewhat unexciting.

Fox Creek Shiraz Grenache 2007, Australia – Not bad, quite smooth.

Mitchelton Crescent Shiraz Mourvedre Grenache 2004, Australia – Rhone style, not too bad, but otherwise unmemorable – don’t have notes on it.

Green Point Sparkling Rose NV, Australia – After the exciting Pinot Noir from the same vineyard, I was thoroughly disappointed by this. It was insipid, without a nose, and without a body and finish. Basically your kind of wafer thin model wihout any curves whatsoever. The bubbles were huge and clumsy too. Hmm, actually, I just glanced through my journal, and I have tasted another Green Point before, a Viognier from our Yarra Valley DGS Tasting. I wasn’t impressed by the Viognier then too. But I really like their Pinot.

Sileni Estate Circle Semillon 2004, New Zealand – Lemony, limestone, nice refreshing weight in the mouthfeel

Montana Pinot Noir 2007, New Zealand – Not too bad, but I much prefer the Green Point Pinot Noir in terms of aromas, smoothness, and finish. This one seemed a shadow of the Green Point.

D’arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2006, Australia – It had a meaty nose, which stood it apart from the other Shiraz I had that day, but apart from that, I can’t remember too much about it

Yesterday’s Hero

After my (slight) derision of screw caps in the previous post, I am slightly sheepish to say that when I raided my wine fridge in search of a nice red to bring to the evening’s picnic at Fort Canning (to watch the SRT’s production of Much Ado About Nothing), I was looking for a screw cap bottle.

The Two Hands Yesterday’s Hero from Barossa Valley Australia (oh man, getting excited thinking about a possible trip there in September!) turned out to be the hero – in fact, the only screw cap bottle left in the wine fridge.

While the plan was to drink some of the wine, and bring the rest back – hence the screw cap – it was so delicious, we couldn’t resist finishing it. Hehe. We loved how silky and fruity it was in the mouthfeel, of currants and berries, with a nice peppery kick at the end. It went well with the crackers, sausages, and sharp cheddar that TPR bought. Haha, she also bought a paprika goat cheese that was so pungent (like manure) that we re-wrapped it up and edged it to the corner of our mat.

The play was tight, the script witty, and the actors brilliant. We were shouting with laughter for much of the night. A ton of fun – outdoor performances are such a brilliant idea!

Margaret River and Yarra Valley Wines

DGS Singapore held another tasting this past Sunday. Fabian and Zhongxi hosted the event at my place, and they had a spread of beef stew, pasta, BBQ ribs, roast chicken etc.

All but one of the seven wines they had sourced from their separate trips to Margaret River and Yarra Valley in Australia. Their aim of the tasting was to try wines from the lesser known regions of Australia, since most of the Australian wines that I’ve seen in Chicago and Singapore are sourced from Barossa Valley (or at least, the ones on my radar screen). 

For more information on the various wine regions of Australia, Australia Wine Region Map is a pretty nifty site that even maps out the various vineyards in the different regions – super useful for planning a road trip to Australia (yes, there could be one in the works)!

By an odd coincidence, we ended up with 5 whites and only 2 reds. Not that anyone was really complaining; it was still a very fun evening of easy conversation and laughter (not bad for a group of random folks most of whom met one another for the first time).

The wines we had (in sequence) were:

1. Pitchfork Sémillion Sauvignon Blanc 08 (Margaret River) - We didn’t have this chilled enough, but the wine was still nice and refreshing, with the grassy notes of the SB, softened by the Semillion
2. De Beaurepaire Captain Starlight Sémillion Sauvignon Blanc 06 (Mudgee) - With a 90% Semillion blend, you could definitely taste the sweetness; the crispness of the SB doesn’t quite cut through. Personally, I would rather the Pitchfork
3. Domain Chandon Barrel Selection Chardonnay 06 (Yarra Valley)
4. Green Point Cellar Door Viognier 07 (Yarra Valley) - Not my favorite example of the viognier. The nose was muted, and it wasn’t lively enough. The Viognier from Virginia that I had at last weekend’s DGS Chicago was much, much tastier.
5. Leeuwin Estate Prelude Vineyards Chardonnay 07 (Margaret River) - Nice and bright, with notes of pineapples and pears
6. Rochford Reserve Shiraz (Yarra Valley) - My favorite wine of the evening, this Shiraz is blended with a touch of viognier. Loved the nose. 
7. Clairault Cabernet Sauvignon 05 (Margaret River)