Hong Kong Wine Vault organized a tasting of the wines of Château Palmer tonight. Bernard de Laage de Meux, the Marketing Director who I met on my trip to Bordeaux, was there to meet and greet.
May 31, 2011
Château Palmer tasting
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Hong Kong Wine Vault organized a tasting of the wines of Château Palmer tonight. Bernard de Laage de Meux, the Marketing Director who I met on my trip to Bordeaux, was there to meet and greet.
2006 Alter Ego - sweet and ripe, smoky, oaky. Sweet on the palate but turned a little dry on the finish.
Hong Kong Wine Vault organized a tasting of the wines of Château Palmer tonight. Bernard de Laage de Meux, the Marketing Director who I met on my trip to Bordeaux, was there to meet and greet.
May 30, 2011
Blowin' smoke
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The Specialist took a day off today and was in my neighborhood, feeling a little bored. I agreed to join her for "one drink" at Tastings, not realizing that it would turn into a much longer evening...
I don't really go to wine bars - nor do I normally buy wine off a restaurant's wine list - as the margins are high and I've got plenty of inventory that needs to be drunk. On the few occasions when I have met friends at Tastings, I went for the "tasting portion" as I just wanted to get a feel for the wines.
As with my choice of restaurants, I would try something new but not stray too far into the unknown, for fear of "stepping on landmines". Most wine bars carry young wines which I find undrinkable, so those are automatically scratched off the list. I also don't see any point in going for the expensive, premium wines, as most of those are either in my collection or I'll find opportunities to drink fresh bottles with friends. So most of the time I'm picking wines from the cheaper end... and staying more with whites than reds, because young whites are easier to drink than young reds.
The Specialist took a day off today and was in my neighborhood, feeling a little bored. I agreed to join her for "one drink" at Tastings, not realizing that it would turn into a much longer evening...
I don't really go to wine bars - nor do I normally buy wine off a restaurant's wine list - as the margins are high and I've got plenty of inventory that needs to be drunk. On the few occasions when I have met friends at Tastings, I went for the "tasting portion" as I just wanted to get a feel for the wines.
As with my choice of restaurants, I would try something new but not stray too far into the unknown, for fear of "stepping on landmines". Most wine bars carry young wines which I find undrinkable, so those are automatically scratched off the list. I also don't see any point in going for the expensive, premium wines, as most of those are either in my collection or I'll find opportunities to drink fresh bottles with friends. So most of the time I'm picking wines from the cheaper end... and staying more with whites than reds, because young whites are easier to drink than young reds.
May 29, 2011
Brainless and no magic
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I'm not normally in the habit of visiting new restaurants within the first couple of months of business. Most of the time the establishments haven't worked everything out yet, and either the food or the service - or both - will disappoint. As fellow blogger KC commented, I'm reluctant to go and step on landmines.
Unusually, I found myself joining a group of friends for lunch at Al Molo today. Michael White is a big name in the food circles of New York, and there were high expectations when this place opened. Legolas Jr. had worked out a menu with the chef so that we can try out a bunch of pastas in 1/4 tasting portions, which was a great way to get a feel for this place.
I'm not normally in the habit of visiting new restaurants within the first couple of months of business. Most of the time the establishments haven't worked everything out yet, and either the food or the service - or both - will disappoint. As fellow blogger KC commented, I'm reluctant to go and step on landmines.
Unusually, I found myself joining a group of friends for lunch at Al Molo today. Michael White is a big name in the food circles of New York, and there were high expectations when this place opened. Legolas Jr. had worked out a menu with the chef so that we can try out a bunch of pastas in 1/4 tasting portions, which was a great way to get a feel for this place.
May 28, 2011
Acker Hong Kong XV pt 2: 3 Petrus vintages
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So here I go again... after complaining to my friends about suffering from "auction fatigue" - I did end up skipping 2 other auctions in the last week - I am back at it today. Part 2 of the Acker auction was held at Grissini in the Grand Hyatt today, and this would be the first time I stepped foot in the restaurant for the last 5 years or so.
I arrived mid-way through lunch, and ended up having some of the antipasti buffet. As usual I chose not to have the steak as my main course, but would go on to nibble on a selection of yummy desserts later in the afternoon and some finger sandwiches.
My friend once again was kind enough to invite me to join him at his VIP table, and I got to taste a good selection of wines:
So here I go again... after complaining to my friends about suffering from "auction fatigue" - I did end up skipping 2 other auctions in the last week - I am back at it today. Part 2 of the Acker auction was held at Grissini in the Grand Hyatt today, and this would be the first time I stepped foot in the restaurant for the last 5 years or so.
I arrived mid-way through lunch, and ended up having some of the antipasti buffet. As usual I chose not to have the steak as my main course, but would go on to nibble on a selection of yummy desserts later in the afternoon and some finger sandwiches.
My friend once again was kind enough to invite me to join him at his VIP table, and I got to taste a good selection of wines:
May 27, 2011
A very long day pt 2: excruciatingly slow auction
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My friend asked me to accompany her to the Christie's auction today, as her usual escort was unavailable and she didn't want to be sitting through it all by herself. This was a pretty unique auction, with the single consignor being Bordeaux's famed Château Latour. The consignor had taken wines from their own cellar (an ex-cellar/château sale) so the provenance is impeccable and cannot be surpassed. There were more than 100 vintages on sale, including just about every vintage from the 20th Century and reaching back into the 19th Century. There were 392 lots in total.
In conjunction (and actually prior to) this auction, Château Latour and Christie's put together "The Ultimate Wine Game" and invited a small group of participants from around the world. Two of my friends were among the participants, and it was clearly a mind-blowing experience for both of them. The friend I accompanied was featured both in the videos and the catalog, so I decided for once to dress up for the auction...
My friend asked me to accompany her to the Christie's auction today, as her usual escort was unavailable and she didn't want to be sitting through it all by herself. This was a pretty unique auction, with the single consignor being Bordeaux's famed Château Latour. The consignor had taken wines from their own cellar (an ex-cellar/château sale) so the provenance is impeccable and cannot be surpassed. There were more than 100 vintages on sale, including just about every vintage from the 20th Century and reaching back into the 19th Century. There were 392 lots in total.
In conjunction (and actually prior to) this auction, Château Latour and Christie's put together "The Ultimate Wine Game" and invited a small group of participants from around the world. Two of my friends were among the participants, and it was clearly a mind-blowing experience for both of them. The friend I accompanied was featured both in the videos and the catalog, so I decided for once to dress up for the auction...
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