Issue No. 71 www.winestory.com.ph

A tasting organised by fine wine merchant Bordeaux Index at its London offices on 21 March, comprised almost every major cru classé château from the left and right bank, including all five first growths.

Designed to assess the quality and character of Bordeaux’s finest wines 10 years after the harvest, such an extensive tasting was first conducted by Bordeaux Index four years ago with the 1999 vintage, and first reported on by DB after the 2000 tasting.

Speaking to the Drinks Business after this year’s tasting, Bordeaux authority Michael Schuster, who runs the wine school at the merchant, said the 2003 vintage was far from typical, while also noting that many of the wines were ready to drink now – somewhat prematurely for classed growth Bordeaux.

“I think it is a long way from the great vintages of the past decade – 2005, 2009 and 2010 – and it’s clearly not a classic vintage either, it is not like 2001, 2004 or 2008,” he commented.

In fact, he declared the 2003 vintage “a complete oddball” but with “some very attractive wines” – and consequently

IN THIS ISSUE : French Wine and Food Regions . Wine-Making Takes A Plunge . Ronnie Gonzalez’s Wine Story

Editorial Staff

10 Years on Tasting Highlights Peculiarity of Bordeaux 2003

by Patrick Schmitt

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stressed that 2003 was a “much better vintage” than 2002, which was described by him after last year’s “10 Years On” claret tasting as “quite difficult to enjoy”.Indeed, he expressed surprise at “how nicely so many of the left banks had mellowed… I’d be happy to drink almost any of the firsts.”

He admitted that such rapid development among Bordeaux’s top tier was atypical, and meant that many of the region’s most famous labels weren’t capable of the extended ageing expected of a great vintage.

However, with 10 year’s development, the best of the 2003s he added had “wonderful bouquets”, and Margaux and Lafite he said offered the drinker “tremendous pleasure already”.

On the other hand, drawbacks highlighted by Schuster after the tasting included the uneven quality of the wines, with, in some cases, an absence of Bordeaux’s prized freshness, combined with a soft, rather delicate fruit core – a result of the rapid rise in grape sugars and equally swift drop in acidity due to the extended heat wave from June to August in Bordeaux (and across France) in 2003.

Also, Schuster identified tough tannins in certain wines, which he ascribed to fruit sugars rising ahead of phenolic maturity – meaning some producers picked grapes with sweet fruit but slightly astringent tannins. He also blamed extraction regimes in the winery which may have been too brutal for the soft fruit, as well as too much new oak.

Continuation on page 2...

Jean Claude Berrouet Consulting at Lafon Rochet

by Panos Kakaviatos

Jean Claude Berrouet – best known for his 44 years as director of Petrus in Pomerol – has been consulting at Chateau Lafon Rochet since the 2012 vintage, but the chateau made no announcement until now.

For  Berrouet, who is so closely associated with the Right Bank, to work at a Left Bank classified growth may seem surprising, Basil Tesseron, co-owner of Chateau Lafon Rochet, told Decanter.com.

‘But 50% of our soils are made up of clays similar to those in Pomerol,’ he said.

Tesseron praised Berrouet – who started work at Lafon Rochet with the 2012 vintage – as a ‘living encyclopedia’ and for his understanding of precise blending.

‘We tasted the wines from vat and from barrel far more often [with Berrouet], before deciding on the final blend, and blending as a result is more precise; we no longer calculate in terms of 2% to 5% of one cuvee or one grape, but more in terms of 0.1% or 0.3%.’

The chateau, a Saint Estephe fourth growth, has increased percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon in recent years; Berrouet said that is largely due to climactic changes over the last 20 years.

‘Cabernet Sauvignon handles dry and hot weather conditions better than Merlot,’ he said. ‘The trend has been towards warmer and dryer weather, even though there are exceptions – like 2013 so far.’

Berrouet told  Decanter.com  that he is ‘very motivated’ to work for a Left Bank château and explained that ‘working parcel by parcel, understanding the microclimates within the vineyard as well as the percentage of grapes used’ will be factors for him. 

Berrouet, along with his son Jean-Francois, also has consultancies in Israel, Argentina, China and California, where he consults on Merlot production at Twomey Cellars.

Source: decanter.com

‘Precision’... Berrouet Photo source: article.joinsmsn.com

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Pair these recipes with Bordeaux:

La Gomerie 2003

Steamed MusselsCognac ShrimpWine Sauce for SeafoodSun Dried Tomato and Pine Nut Stuffed Beef TenderloinFilet with a Merlot SauceRoast Leg of LambHerbed Lamb Chops

Burgundy

Burgundy is a storied wine region in central-eastern France known for wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

Since wine goes back thousands of years, it’s really impossible to pin point who invented wine. You can, however, isolate various stories about the origins of wine. Here are a few of the key points in wine’s long history:

The first written tale of wine is said to be in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.

Apparently, Noah planted vines and made wine.

Scientists have dated fossilized grape vines at 60 million years old.

Some Bordeaux blends, such as those from the Médoc, use more Cabernet; some, like those of St-Émilion, use more Merlot. The white wines are made with Sauvignon Blanc tempered with Semillon grapes. Typically, you won’t find the grape varieties listed on the labels of Bordeaux wines: look for place names and the names of the producers.

Hooray for the Bordelais!

Red Bordeaux wines pair famously with the beef, lamb, and ducks that are raised nearby. Fabulous foie gras and confit are made from ducks of the Bodelais. The beef and lamb of the area are sometimes prepared à la bordelaise, in a sauce made with red wine, ham, butter, shallots, thyme and parsley. This region is also known for its truffles and mushrooms. The Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde estuary, meanwhile, provide the shellfish and seafood that are served with Bordeaux’s white wines.

Source: wine.lovetoknow.com

Who Invented Wine?by Sue Lynn Carty

French Wine and

Food Regions

When you consider great wine and food matches, there’s no better starting place than France. It’s true, food and wine from the same region often make the best match. And why not? They grew up together!

Bordeaux

Situated in southwest France, Bordeaux is home to two towering giants of the wine world, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Mixing it Up

Arguably the most respected red wine region in the world, Bordeaux produces regal reds made primarily from blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc grapes.

The Haji Firuz Tepe wine jar, found in modern day Iran, is the oldest archaeological evidence of winemaking. The Haji Firuz Tepe wine jar, along with a wine press, known to be a wine press due to its tartaric crystal and tannin residue, was dated to 6000 B.C.

There were no written records about viticulture or winemaking for nearly 5,000 years. The craft of making wine was passed down for generations through families and apprenticeships.

Historians believe that Phoenicians were the ones who spread their winemaking knowledge to ancient Greece and Christian monks are credited with France’s reputation as one of the best wine making countries in the world. It was their meticulous records about grape varietals, terroir and growing methods that allowed France to perfect and develop its wine making skills.

Photo source: biblicalgenealogy.kavonrueter.com

In particular, wines made using Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from lighter sandy soils had the least ripe tannins, while cooler clay soils, with a better water holding capacity, gave more balanced results as the soil type allowed grapes to mature more evenly and slowly.

However, the earlier ripening Merlot seems to have faired less well in this early vintage, producing wines with high levels of sugar but not always full phenolic maturity.

Meanwhile, Cabernet Sauvignon from the northern Medoc, particularly Pauillac, produced the majority of the more attractive wines in this vintage – despite the free-draining gravel soils found in this commune. Hence, Schuster said his top three wines from 2003 were Latour, Margaux and Lafite, with Pessac’s La Mission Haut Brion and the Right Bank’s Ausone completing his top five wines of the vintage.

Speaking to DB more generally about the merit of tasting Bordeaux 10 years on, he noted that it was a particularly good time to assess the wines.

“After 10 years, many of the wines are just beginning to drink really nicely… and the market wants to know what the wines are like at this stage, because they want to buy something ready to drink.”

DB also took part in the tasting, and similarly rated the first growths highly, particularly Lafite and Margaux, while Latour appeared the most youthful of the firsts, with dense dark fruit and a tight tannin structure still evident.

Of the right bank wines, Ausone showed immensely generous, ripe, sweet fruit, although in DB’s view Cheval Blanc showed superior structure and elegance, with chalky tannins as well as a cooler note perhaps from the high proportion of Cabernet Franc.

Some of the better value wines from the vintage included the perfumed Margaux second growth Château Brane-Cantenac; Saint-Julien’s Château Talbot and Léoville-Barton, and Pauillac’s Château Pontet-Canet .

Schuster rated Château Haut-Batailley, Grand Puy Lacoste, St Pierre, Langoa-Barton and St Emilion’s Belair for value.

Source: thedrinksbusiness.com

Issue No. 73 www.winestory.com.ph

Source: allrecipes.com

Giddy about Burgundy

The great red wines of Burgundy are made from Pinot Noir grapes, the whites from Chardonnay grapes. As with Bordeaux wines, you generally won’t find the name of these grape varietals on bottles of Burgundy--labels reflect the location where the grapes come from.

The Dish on Dijon

Burgundy is also a major food center. The food capital of Burgundy is Dijon, situated at the top of the wine-producing area. Classic dishes include Boeuf Bourguignon, coq au vin and salmon in Chardonnay.

More than Mustard

True Dijon mustard is prepared with unfermented juice from local wine grapes and is a classic component of many meat and vegetable dishes, particularly those prepared à la dijonnaise. The area around Burgundy is also well-known for its cherries. Duck with cherry sauce and a bottle of red Burgundy is a classic pairing. Dishes cooked à la bourguignon, meanwhile, will feature a red Burgundy wine sauce with mushrooms, onions, and bacon.

Serve these dishes with red (pinot noir) or white (Chardonnay) burgundies.

Chassagne Montrachet Niellon 2009

Gingerbread Beef Bourguignon Steak Tips with Mushroom SauceEscargots Vol-au-VentSalmon with Dijon Cream SauceDuck Breasts with Raspberry SauceMushroom Chicken DijonDijon-Tarragon Cream Chicken

Lyon and the Rhone

Syrah and Grenache are star players of the Rhone wine region, a long river valley that stretches from just below Lyon down to Avignon.

Regional Differences

The Rhone wine region stretches 125 miles along the Rhone river valley and comprises two very distinct grape-growing areas. The vineyards of the steep northern Rhone valley produce Syrah-based wines characterized by pepper, sturdy fruit and somewhat exotic tar and smoke flavors. Production is small--but the recognition is large. The wider, warmer southern Rhone produces wines based primarily on fruity Grenache blended with Syrah and other red grapes. Sensational rosé is also grown in the southern Rhone.

The Hearty and the Haute

The city of Lyon is a gastronomic capital that is second to none. Its reputation as a culinary center extends back to antiquity, when it served as a wine supply center for Roman soldiers stationed on the frontier. Two proud culinary traditions have emerged side by side in Lyon: one encompasses refined, elegant cuisine, while the other is typified by rustic, hearty dishes of the country hearth.

Lyon(ion)

In Lyon, the lowly onion rises to remarkable heights. Dishes prepared à la lyonnaise will feature onions in some incarnation, whether in a sauce or as garnish. In Lyon, potato and meat dishes, soups and omelets are primed for onion preparations. The classic Lyonnaise sauce is made from sautéed onions cooked with white wine or vinegar and demi-glace. You can’t go wrong pairing Lyon-inspired dishes with wines of the Rhone, whether southern--like Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Tavel and Gigondas--or northern, such as Hermitage, Cote Rotie and St. Joseph.

Vieux Telegraphe CDP 2006

Filet Mignon with Rich Balsamic GlazeVeal Roast BlanquetteRomantic Chicken with Artichokes and MushroomsTrout AmandineOnion QuicheLyonnaise PotatoesPumpkin and Sausage SoupBouillabaisseFrench Onion Soup

Alsace

Keeping Pace with Alsace

German influences can be found all over Alsace, not least in the region’s cuisine and in its complementing wines.

Vins of the Vosges

White wines rule in Alsace, dominated by minerally Riesling, spicy Gewurtztraminer and peachy Pinot Gris, but also represented by Muscat, Pinot Blanc, and the lesser known Sylvaner grapes. The grapes of this region are grown in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains, which shelter the vineyards from wind and rain. Alsatian wines distinguish themselves among French wines by being labeled according to grape variety. Look for the tell-tale tall green bottles that denote Alsatian wines.

Defined by Diversity

Alsatian cuisine is like none other in France. Throughout the centuries, the Alsace region repeatedly changed hands between France and Germany. The culinary influences of these two countries are borne out spectacularly in Alsatian cuisine. The language of Alsatian cuisine is bilingual: in the city of Strasbourg, you can sit down for langouste cardinalisées with a side of spätzle or flammenküche and choose from local wines like Riesling and Gewürztraminer or Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc.

Sauerkraut, French? Oui, Bien Sûr

When sauerkraut steps across the Rhine into Alsace, it is known as choucroute and is typically cooked with Riesling, juniper berries and caraway seeds. Recipes vary, but when choucroute is prepared with potatoes, a variety of Alsatian sausages, ham and other salted meats, it is called choucroute garni. It is a one-pot feast that is particularly delicious washed down with dry Alsatian Riesling.

Here are recipes that are representative of Alsatian cooking. Consider serving them with Alsatian whites like Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Blanc.

Hugel Guwerztraminer 2011

Plum Custard KuchenKevin’s Cherry TartCherry Chambord ButterGerman Spaetzle DumplingsPork Chops and SauerkrautSauerkraut a la FranceOnion TartQuiche Lorraine

4

Winemaking Takes a PlungeBy: Suzanne Mustacich

communion on Holy Thursday. Undeterred, he went to Leghorn (now Livorno) and established a successful medical practice.

But ever restless, Mazzei left for Smyrna, Turkey, where he continued the practice of medicine for two and a half years. Bored with life in Smyrna and a rmed with a supply of Turkish opium and some other local products, he sailed for England in December 1755. In London he sold his Turkish goods for a sizable profit, rejected offers to resume his medical practice and made a living giving Italian-language lessons to the British gentry. With the profits from the sale of the Turkish goods, Mazzei opened a shop specializing in wines, silks, olive oils, anchovies, parmesan cheese and other Italian products that were almost impossible to buy in London.

Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Photosource: Monticello.org

Source: forbes.com

Is the secret to great wine under the sea?

Many winemakers are experimenting with aging wine underwater. Is there a benefit, or is the idea all wet?

Winemaking doesn’t normally require a snorkel, but experiments in underwater winemaking in France, Italy, Spain and Greece may have vintners reassessing their gear. By playing with the parameters of how wine is fermented and aged—oxygen exposure, temperature, darkness, pressure and agitation—winemakers are using the sea to rethink how we make great wine.

“Of course, if people want to put all the wine in the world underwater, it’s going to get complicated,” said winemaking consultant Michel Rolland. “But is there an effect from submerging the wine? Certainly.”

In June 2011, Bruno Lemoine, director of Château Larrivet Haut-Brion, chained a 56-liter new oak barrel filled with his 2009 Merlot-Cabernet blend to an oyster bed owned by his friend Joel Dupuch, an actor and seventh-generation oyster farmer. “I didn’t know what to expect. I was afraid it was complete nonsense, but we were very, very pleasantly surprised,” said Lemoine.

To be continued on page 5..

Thomas Jefferson’s Love Affair With Wine

by: James M. Gabler

Although born on the Virginia frontier, Thomas Jefferson became the most knowledgeable wine connoisseur of his age, and his tastes in wine covered the world: France, Italy, Germany, Madeira, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Hungary and, of course, America.

His interests in wine developed early as indicated by his 1769 Shadwell wine inventory: 83 bottles of rum, 15 bottles of Madeira, four bottles of “Lisbon wine for common use,” and 54 bottles of cider, an inventory that would change radically with the passage of time. Exactly when Jefferson decided to design and build his own house is not recorded, but the first mention of Monticello (which means “little mountain”) is noted in his Garden Book on Aug. 3, 1767. A wine cellar, 17 1/2 feet long, 15 feet wide and 10 feet high, was laid out near a cider room. The 28-year-old Jefferson and a 23-year-old widow, Martha Wales Skelton, were married on New Year’s Day, 1772, at the home of her father, John Wayles, and two weeks later they arrived at Monticello on horseback in a snowstorm.

It is perhaps apocryphal but Jefferson’s great-granddaughter, Sarah N. Randolph, reports that they found a bottle of wine “on a shelf behind some books” that they shared before retiring on their Monticello honeymoon night. It was the first of many bottles that he would enjoy at home with family and friends. In his account book of Sept. 15, 1772, he records liquors and bottles on hand, including “about three gallons of rum and a half hogshead [271/2 gallons] Madeira, 72 bottles of Madeira, 37 bottles of Lisbon wine, 29 bottles small beer, 10 bottles of port and 31 bottles of miscellaneous in the closet.” The year earlier he had recorded ten dozen bottles of port, so in the intervening year, 110 bottles of port had been consumed.

In November 1773, Philip Mazzei, one of the most interesting men to enter Jefferson’s life, landed in Virginia from England with his wife-to-be, her 12-year-old daughter, and ten Italian vignerons. Mazzei arrived with a plan to cultivate European grapes, olive trees and the egg of silk worms to make silk. Traveling with Virginia merchant Thomas Adams to Adams’ home in Augusta County, where Mazzei expected to establish his vineyard, they stopped along the way at Monticello to visit Jefferson.

Early the next morning, Mazzei and Jefferson went for a walk through Monticello’s hillsides, and Mazzei found the vineyard land he was looking for, a 400-acre tract adjoining Monticello to the east. He named it “Colle.” Jefferson described the land that Mazzei selected as “having a southeast aspect and an abundance of lean and meager spots of stony and red soil, without sand, resembling extremely the Côte of Burgundy from Chambertin to Montrachet where the famous wines of Burgundy are made.”

What Mazzei and Jefferson talked about on this early-morning stroll was not recorded, but it sparked a lifetime friendship and caused Jefferson to become a partner in Mazzei’s vineyard project, the first commercial vineyard venture in America. As Mazzei remembered in his autobiography, “By the time we returned home, everyone was up.” Looking at Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Adams said: ‘I see by your expression that you have taken him away from me. I knew you would do that.’ Jefferson smiled, and without looking at him, but staring at the table, said: ‘Let’s have breakfast first and then we’ll see what we can do.’ ”

Whether on that morning walk or later, Jefferson learned that Mazzei had grown up in a mountain village in Tuscany, Italy. As a young man, he studied medicine at the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital in Florence, but was dismissed for drinking wine before taking

Issue No. 75 www.winestory.com.ph

The oyster-bed barrel, dubbed Neptune, spent six months immersed in Arcachon Bay, partially exposed to air for an hour a day at low tide. High tide put the barrel 20 feet under. The wine also weathered the bay’s legendary current.

“Twice a day there is this enormous mass of water—800 million cubic meters—that comes and goes to the Atlantic,” said Dupuch. Meanwhile, a similar 56-liter new oak barrel, named Tellus, aged the usual way in the cellar in Leognan.

In January 2012, the barrels were reunited on land and analyzed by Rolland’s lab. Tellus had a more youthful color and better polymerization of tannins due to the micro-oxygenation in the cellar, while osmosis between the sea and the wine gave Neptune a touch of salt that masked bitterness and heightened flavors, a slightly lower degree of alcohol and rounder tannins.

“The wine that was in the submerged barrel was clearly better—more complex, more intense than the wine that was aged in the château’s cellar. It was inarguably a completely different wine,” said Rolland. “We have a more approachable-tasting wine, and the tannins are much softer, they seem older.” Intrigued by the sea, Rolland is also consulting on a deep-sea cellar, 124 miles off the Atlantic coast at a depth of 3,280 feet.

One of the first to take the underwater wine plunge was Emmanuel Poirmeur, owner of Egiategia in the French Basque region, who in 2007 began putting his sparkling wine underwater during secondary fermentation. Piero Lugano, owner of Bisson winery on Italy’s Ligurian coast, began making spumante underwater in 2009 because he didn’t have adequate cellar space. “My imagination led me to the idea of the seabed as a perfect wine cellar,” said Lugano. He loaded 6,500 bottles into a metal cage and lowered it 196 feet into the sea off the Portofino Marine Park, where it rested for 16 months.

“The result was amazing, beyond my expectations! It shows a very intense color. The bubbles are fine and persistent. The aromas are very clean and delicate. The flavor is dry, clean, very savory and long.” Four vintages and 26,000 bottles of Abissi (Italian for abyss) later, Lugano believes the absence of oxygen and slight cradle effect, created by strong currents, encourage the optimal development of aromas.

He may be on to something, said Denis Sergent, Ph.D., technical manager for synthetic cork maker Nomacorc. The question is how wine handles a reductive environment—Sergent describes it as nano-oxygen rather than zero-oxygen. “It’s crazy, but in fact, it’s really interesting,” said Sergent about the underwater experiments. “Oxygen is the most significant factor in these trials, followed by steady, low temperatures and no light.”

Sergent spends his time worrying about oxygen—specifically, how much oxygen a wine needs, over how much time, in order to achieve aromas, flavors and structure. Nomacorc got involved in underwater wine when Laurent Maynadier, owner of Château Champs des Soeurs in Fitou, asked Sergent to taste two of his Corbieres blancs. One was a control sample from his cellar, and the second had spent three months 33 feet down tied to an oyster bed in the Mediterranean.

“It was amazing. I thought the guy was showing me two completely different wines,” said Sergent. “The white wine that had spent three months underwater was clearly better. It had these yellow-green glints and a nose of citrus and grapefruit. The wine that had stayed in the cellar had none of that.” Maynadier conducted a second trial with both red and white wines at a depth of 65 feet for six months. “It was too long for his white wine. There were more reductive aromas, which are swampy and cabbage-like,” said Sergent. “But the red wine aged under water for six months was fresher, more complex [than the land-aged sample] and very, very beautiful. The tannins weren’t as mature, but the aromas were fresh.”

The implication for Sergent is that Maynadier’s white wine improved with a short, cool, reductive aging, but it was a delicate balance. The red wine, however, thrived in an environment with less oxygen than it currently gets in the cellar. “What this shows is that the role of oxygen is crucial,” said Sergent. Varying levels of nano-oxygenation may help winemakers find the best expression of their terroir.

Few winemakers have the research-and-development resources of Josep Bujan, head winemaker at Freixenet, the Spanish sparkling wine giant, which produces 200 million

Source: winespectator.com

A Bitter Night for Château d’Yquem

On April 30, Bordeaux’s Château d’Yquem tweeted: “Today, the first cases of 2010 #Yquem are leaving our cellar.” Alas, not all 2010 Yquem left in the usual way. At 3 a.m. this past Monday, an alarm rang at the estate, but the gendarmes speeding down the long gravel drive shortly thereafter were too late.

Thieves had broken into the cellars, stolen 380 half-bottles of Château d’Yquem 2010, and disappeared into the Sauternes countryside. Yquem 2010 sells for $375 per half-bottle, making the loot worth $142,500. The wines were labeled, boxed and ready for shipment, though not all the boxes were sealed. The château’s cellars are currently under renovation, but the first-growth insists the construction work is not connected to the crime. “The investigation is under way,” a spokesperson for the Langon police told Unfiltered. Yquem has not had an easy time of late.

The 2012 vintage failed the in-house tasting test following a difficult growing season, and CEO Pierre Lurton decided against releasing a 2012 vintage. At present, the barrels are being emptied into vats, in preparation for selling it off in bulk to négociants. And the week before, the local Bordeaux newspaper caught online wine retailer 1855.com, currently under attack for alleged non-delivery of future orders, proposing to sell Yquem 2012 on futures. No price was given, but the château tweeted: “Reminder for scatterbrains: We are not producing Yquem 2012. Thus it’s use-less to try to buy it or sell it.” Or steal it, we might add.

Source: winespectator.com

bottles of cava a year. This spring, Bujan’s team will work with a diving company to submerge 500 bottles of cava at 80 to 100 feet under the sea to collect their own data on underwater secondary fermentation and aging. Half of the bottles will use crown caps, and half will use natural cork. “Our aim is to see the evolution of the wine,” Bujan told Wine Spectator. “There are many opinions, but nothing has been done as a real test.”

Gerard Liger-Belair, a Reims University-based bubble expert, says that cool temperatures slow secondary fermentation, which may have an effect. “I have heard that slow secondary fermentation produces fine bubbles, but nothing has been proven yet scientifically. We will need several years to analyze the data.”The tidal stirring of the lees could also lead to a more homogenous repartition of yeast, and thus a more homogenous dissolution of carbon dioxide. “I really would be delighted to get samples of wine fermented underwater with the same level of sugar as those fermented in traditional cellars, in order to scientifically compare the bubble size between them,” said Liger-Belair.

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Pairing wine and food is equivalent to matrimony; both were meant for each other. Both boost your whole wine & dine experience and it should not be a daunting task.

To further enhance the enjoyment of your wine experience, Wine Story recently added new platters to our menu. Aside from our tasty Nuts & Cheese Platter & scrumptious Plateau de Charcuterie, that features salami milano, cocktail hungarian, pfeffer salami, bread sticks wrapped in prosciutto, dried apricots, green olives with pimiento, generous selection of

assorted cold cuts plus the blockbuster combination of vintage cheddar, honey and coffee, 3 French Pâté Platters were included in our delightful set of dishes; each served with a fresh French baguette.

Our Chicken Liver Pâté, served with pickles, has a fine texture, almost creamy, French-Style with an earthy chicken liver flavour and a clear Chicken-based jelly topping will definitely go well with a bubbly. Our Pork Rillettes and Pâté de Campagne are served with French mustard & pickles; the former is a spectacular make-ahead starter that would be a nice pair with wines that have good tannins while the latter is a humble but delicious dish made from cuts of meat while our Pâté de Campagne is a great match to richer, darker & full bodied reds. The pairing possibili-ties are almost endless!

Make sure to try our fine wine with these new additions and let yourself be swooned away by your own pairing choices.

Luxury Events at Wine Story

With their esteemed clients, Wine Story recently held a back to back event at their flagship store at Edsa Shangri-La Mall.

Upon entering Wine Story Shangri-La, the guests were wowed with the interior art and ambience of the place. The guests, then, were enthralled with a classic Rose Champagne as their welcome drink while a red, La Parde de Haut Bailly 2005 from Pessac Leognan, & a white, Les Monts Damnes 2010 from Sancerre, were kept flowing throughout the event. The corporate event had a delectable buffet that were paired

flawlessly with the special wines.

An enlightening talk about wine and food pairing was held by Wine Story’s Carla Santos, Wines & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Advanced-Certified.

Throughout the night more, and more attendees expressed their enjoyment with their entire wine experience. Surprised by a chic gift box wherein a customized crystal wine glass, a drop-stopper and a bottle of Les Caleches de Lanessan 2009 were enclosed, the guests felt more delighted.

An event as fine as a First Growth is only suitable; a product launch, conference, meeting with team-building activities or a celebration of your life’s milestone will undeniably be more memorable with Wine Story as your event partner. Breathtaking wines to surprise your guests, differentiating service, exciting wine talks and individualized themes. Let the Wine Story team be a part of the entire process, considering all your ideas, concerns, needs and desires. Email info@winestory.com.ph or visit our stores at Shangri-La (633-3556), Serendra (846-6310) and One Rockwell West (869-0932) for bookings and inquiries.

Food & Wine:Better When

We’re Together

Issue No. 77 www.winestory.com.ph

A B.S. Architecture degree holder from UST, he worked with international architectural firms as a CAD 2D & 3D designer. He eventually shifted careers and became a successful businessman. His passion is to research, learn and do his best on whatever catches his interest. When he was into the sport of practical shooting, he joined Rizal Shooters Club and later trained to be a Range Officer accredited by the National Ranger Officers Institute (NROI). He is currently into diving. PADI certified in 2007 for open water scuba diver, now a PADI Technical Diver (Tec Sidemount and Tec 50). Aside from diving he is also a wine enthusiast.

Q: How did you get into wine?

A. I’m a steak lover and I had read once that red wine is a good compliment to steak. So I started trying the everyday wines commonly sold in groceries. When I found the red wine that I liked, I was hooked. Q: What is wine for you?

A. One of the reasons why I got into red wines is because of its health benefits, particularly its antioxidant properties. Aside from its health benefits, I found out that a love for red wine is one of the things that my close friends and I have in common. Now we usually have a “steak date with wine” as our time for bonding and catching up with each other.

Q: What was your first favorite wine?

A. When I decided to try red wines, I started with the ones that were commonly available in grocery stores. I did my research and started paying attention to particular wines or winery for reviews, tasting notes, points, top vintages, premium or flagship wines, the regions’ famed grape varietals, etc. This led me to my first favorite, the Wyndham Estate Bin 555 Shiraz.

Q: What was the wine that changed your life?

A. It was the Katnook Estate Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon. Long before I got into wines, a shooter friend of mine who is also a wine merchant told me that the Cab Sauv is the most delicious red wine. It was a long and frustrating journey for me to like Cabernet Sauvignon, since I hate tannic wines. I ended up with Shiraz and St. Emilion as my favorites. Then I came across a wine merchant from whom I bought the Katnook Estate Odyssey and loved it so much. The long search was over.

Q: What is your favorite food and wine pairing?

A. Angus Ribeye and red wine. My choice of red wine depends on the sauce of the steak. I also cook my own steak and sometimes make my own red wine sauce.

Q: What are the wines that you drink now?

A. Medium to full bodied reds like Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa and Coonawarra) and Bordeaux (St. Emilion) and the Tempranillo (Rioja). Q: What are your dream wines (those you would like to acquire/drink someday soon)?

A. The Screaming Eagle and Petrus. I also can’t wait to open my Harlan Estate and Angelus already.

Q: Have you had any formal training in wine? If yes, where and what courses are these?

A. None at all. Someone once mentioned to me that when I get interested with something, my interest borders on obsession. With wines, I just think that I prefer to learn what I can through my own research, and my palate will do the rest.

Q: What’s the most valuable wine lesson you’ve learnt as a wine lover/enthusiast?

A. Although a lot of fine or great wines are usually expensive, it doesn’t always mean that the more expensive the wine, the better it is. It really depends on the person’s taste that will drink it. I tend to agree with one critic (I’m sorry I can’t remember his name) saying, “If you like the wine, then it’s a good wine”.

Ronnie Gonzales

What’s Your Wine Story?

Elegant wine evenings with delectable accompaniments are set to take place this August as Wine Story launches their exceptional monthly-themed wine tastings.

Wine Story will bring you to St. Emilion, the oldest viticultural area in the Bordeaux region. Not only is the town renowned for its wine but it’s well known for its stunning buildings and scenery. Together with the iconic 13th century Tour du Roy tower, which reminds everyone of the town’s long history, its Romanesque church overlooks the town’s steep, narrow & cobbled streets. Responsible for some of the most prominent, long-lived and luxurious wines in the world, the town had vineyards since Roman times.

From a line-up that includes La Forge 2002, Moulin Saint Georges 2009, Virginie de Valandraud 2008, Figeac 2003, Clos Badon 2007, Le Carre 2006, Fonplegade 2005 and Beausejour Duffau 2000, these wines will surely blow you away. Come and raise a glass with us and experience St. Emilion from a selection of predominantly Merlot wines on:

Saturday, August 3 at Wine Story SerendraMonday, August 5 at Wine Story Shangri-LaTuesday, August 6 at Wine Story Rockwell

Time: 6:00PM

Php 2,700 per person

To reserve a seat/s, e-mail info@winestory.com.ph or visit Wine Story at: Shangri-La (633-3556); Serendra (846-6310); Rockwell (869-0938)