Wineshark weekly - 18 March 2012

This week I had my sparkling wine examination. All the three were rose sparkling, something I was not familiar. In my life so far I had only tasted one in fact. But fortunately it seems that I have guessed two of them correctly, with only the White Zinfandel sparkling (something I didn't know exist...) that I got wrong. The theory part of the exam was not too difficult, though I don't know whether I got all the points written. Hope the results will turn out better than I expect.

Now moving into the still wines part, the most difficult in the 6 papers. There are so many things to read and memorize, I have set a study plan, and with the amount of contents, I have to start now and do everyday, but it will still take me up to end Dec to finish all. The first part is Bordeaux and I am now also organizing some tastings with my friends for getting familiar with the wines.

Talking about wine I went to a Guigal tasting organized by ASC last week. The wines tasted were nice, and even though the best from their Cote Rotie like La Turque was not available, I did taste some good ones like Condrieu La Doriane 2009, Saint-Joseph Vignes de l'Hopsice 2007 and Cote Rotie Chateau d'Ampuis 2007. I also ordered a box set of them from the event.

My colleagues were saying that I was going to a lot of expensive restaurants. So this week I tried something different, the traditional wanton noodle. The shop I went was Ho Hung Kee in Causeway Bay. The signature is the Wanton Noodle, and obviously I ordered one. The noodle was chewy, and the soup was simply delicious. You can see that they have put the shrimp eggs into it. But of course the wanton is the star, having the right size and perfect proportion of pork and shrimp, wrapped in thin dough.

Apart from the wanton noodle, also ordered the Stir Fry Pork Rice Noodle. The rice noodle (or ho fan) was not gel together, and you can clearly separate individual stripes, showing the skill of the chef in cooking. The other dish was the Boiled Pig Liver and Kidney. There was not any smell that normally you will find on the kidney/liver, and it was just at the right level to maintain the crispiness without any feeling that it was not cooked properly. Again, the skills of the chef did show. Overall it cost $200, very expensive for the type of things we ordered but the quality was really good. Definitely worth to try!

I also cooked something yesterday. The first was a Prawn on Toast and the second was Chicken a la King. Even though the prawn on toast was good, problem is that eating too much can easily cause you a sore throat, because it is deep fried. The chicken was tasty also, and my wife actually packed some for her lunchbox to bring back to office on Mon. Detailed recipes are available in my blog.

This week I started to plan for my Sep wine tour. A preliminary itinerary was prepared though the cost was quite high and I need to further fine-tune. But there are good spots to go to. I am still considering whether after going to Burgundy and Alsace should I go to Bordeaux or Germany. Since I had been to Bordeaux before, I prefer actually going to Germany, especially with my friend still working there. I will share the final itinerary here once I fix it...

On the wine, I bought a bottle of Argentina Torrontes, from Bodega Tamari. That will be for one of my coming tasting. But I am also happy to add another premium into my top 100 collection: Krug Clos du Mesnil 1998, as a self-congratulation for finishing the exam. I promised myself that if I got a good grade, I will also buy another premium champagne like Salon or Bollinger VV Francaises.

Finally, to share with you the wines I tasted this week:

Acceptable quality mid-range Bordeaux, second wine of Chateau Kirwan, with a deep ruby colour and reasonably intense, youthful nose of blackberry, blackcurrant, plum, liquorice, cloves, smoke and violet. Fairly high in acidity, with a medium level tannin, bitter yet fine-grained. Medium in body, with a fairly light palate of blackberry, plum, liquorice, smoke and cedar. Finishing with a fairly short length, the wine is of fair complexity on nose though simple on palate, but still in good balance overall. Ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of 1-2 years.

Good quality mid-range Bordeaux red, second wine of Chateau Marquis de Terme, with fairly deep ruby colour and garnet rims. On the nose, it exhibits fairly intense and complex aromas of blackberry, plum, cedar, liquorice, savory, cigarbox and chocolate. Medium in acidity, with well-integrated and fine-grained tannin, the wine is of medium body and having reasonable intensity of blackberry, plum, chocolate, savory and smoke flavors, finishing with a reasonable length. Good balance overall, with a well-defined structure. Ready to drink now and can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3 years.

Good quality Bordeaux, second wine of Chateau d’Issan, with fairly intense ruby colour. On the nose, it has reasonably intense and developing aromas of blackberry, plum, smoke, liquorice, oak and hints of savory. Medium in acidity, with ripe and fine-grained tannin, the wine is of medium body and showing reasonably intense flavors of blackberry, plum, cedar, smoke and liquorice. Finishing with a reasonable length, the wine is not particularly complex, but still in good balance. Ready to drink now and can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3 years.

Good quality Bordeaux red, second wine of Chateau Montrose, with a deep ruby colour, a reasonably intense and developing nose of blackberry, plum, oak, smoke, liquorice, blackcurrant and leather. Medium in acidity, the high level of tannin is well-integrated and grippy. Medium in body, the palate shows reasonably intense flavors of blackberry, plum, liquorice, toast and smoke. Finishing with a reasonable length, the development of maturity characters on the nose is a good supplement to the good fruit ripeness. Overall in good balance. Ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3 years.

Enough for this week, need to prepare to go to cooking class. See you all next week!

Wineshark Recipe - 31. Chicken a la King

First we need to prepare the Sauce Supreme:

• Butter - 2oz
• Oil - 2oz
• Flour - 4oz
• Bay Leaf - 1 pc
• White stock - 2 lb 8oz
• Avoset - 2oz
• Evaporated Milk - 2oz
• Lemon juice - dashes

Heat up the oil and butter, then pour the flour into the pot to stir under small fire, add the bay leaf and continue to stir till fragrant. Add the white stock slowly and continue to stir to mix well. Then add the avoset and evaporated milk, plus the lemon juice.

Ingredient:

• Chicken - 1 lb 4 oz
• Sauce Supreme - 2 lb
• Button Mushroom - 4oz
• Onion - 4oz
• Red bell pepper - 1
• Butter - 2oz
• Egg yolk - 1oz
• White wine - 1oz
• Salt - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp

First cook the chicken by boiling in hot water, then remove the skin and bone, cut into small pieces.

For onion, cut into small pieces also, then cook for a while in hot water. Take out to keep dry.

Use butter to stir fry the mushroom, then add red bell pepper and onion. Put the chicken and sauce supreme, plus the seasonings.

Wineshark Recipe - 30. Prawn on Toast

Ingredients:

• Fresh prawn - 12
• Bread - 2 slides
• Egg - 1
• Salt - dashes
• White pepper powder - dashes
• Ham - 1 slide
• Oil
• Flour
• Tartare sauce

First we need to prepare the Tartare sauce. The details of this can be found in my earlier recipe and it will not be repeated here.

Remove the shell of the prawn, then cut the back and remove the intestine. Flatten the prawn and marinate with salt and white pepper powder.

Prepare the bread by cutting into the proper size, then puff the two sides of the prawn with flour, dip into egg and put on the bread. Cut the ham into stripes and put one on the prawn.

Then deep fry.

Wineshark weekly - 11 March 2012

Beginning my study break for the sparkling wine exam next week, I started my leave on Thu after my trip to Manila. However, as I worried, I had to spend nearly two whole mornings on work, with different calls and important emails to respond to. The colleagues also joked that I would go back to office during my leave, and it was no exception this time...

This week I went to a Chiu Chow restaurant in Kowloon City called Chong Fat, in South Wall Road. Before going in I saw the seafood placed outside the restaurant, and those were really fresh and good. So it already gave me a good impression. Once we went in, the large variety of prepared food like panfried salty fish that greeted us told me I did not go to the wrong place.

The Pepper and Pig Stomach Soup was nice, with plenty of pepper and very good in the cold weather now. After drinking I felt warmth through my body and the pig stomach also was not rubbery.

For any Chiu Chow restaurant, the quality of their Marinated Goose will tell the difference. We had a goose slides and it was tender and not overly salty. A wonderful dish to go with cold beer...

The Bigeye fish is also delicious, as well as the Pig Blood Jelly with Green Chives. We had also ordered a Chiu Chow dessert which was quite interesting. Overall the cost was $345, quite reasonable and the most memorable thing for me actually was their services.

You may not expect anything special from a traditional restaurant like this one, but all the people had been diligent in providing tea, offering help, asking about the food and so on. I felt really happy eating even if the decor was not particularly impressive. A restaurant I recommend to anyone like Chiu Chow, and certainly if there are more people should go and try the seafood!

This week I made two dishes in my Sat cooking night. A Potato of Fish Soup and a Grilled Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce. The soup is really tasty and healthy. Try to do it at home!

My cellar continues to expand, with the following addition this week:

• Harlan Estate 2000
• Chateau L'Evangile 1996
• Faiveley Corton Grand Cru Clos des Cortons Faiveley 2002
• Vina Cobos Bramare Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
• Familia Zuccardi Torrontes Tardio Reserva 2009

Since I am at home, basically have been drinking one bottle per day. The focus is on Bordeaux to prepare for my study which will begin after the sparkling wine exam. I have tasted three bottles:

Chateau Lamothe de Haux 2009

Good quality mid-priced Bordeaux white of lemon colour, showing a fairly intense nose of youthful and fruity aromas of honeysuckle, hawthorn, grass, apple, lime, grapefruit and peach. Fairly high in acidity, the wine is of medium body with a comparatively weak palate of lime, grapefruit, apple, almond and apricot. Finishing with a fairly short length, the wine exhibits typical Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon characters. With refreshing acidity and fruity style, it is enjoyable and good value for money. Ready to drink now and not intend for further ageing.

Ginestet Reserve 2005

Acceptable quality low-priced Bordeaux of ruby colour, with a fairly light and youthful nose showing black cherry, blackberry, liquorice, cedar and vanilla. Fairly high in acidity, accompany by a grippy and bitter tannin, the wine is of medium body, with fairly light flavors of blackcurrant, blackberry, liquorice, cedar and vanilla, accompanying by a fairly short length. It is a bit too acidity without the fruit to support. Ready to drink now and not intend for ageing.

La Closerie de Camensac 2007

Acceptable quality entry-level Bordeaux red, second wine to Chateau Camensac of Haut Medoc. Deep ruby in colour, with a reasonably intense nose of developing characters, showing blackberry, blackcurrant, liquorice, pencil shaving, smoke and vanilla. Medium in acidity, with a resolved and dusty tannin of medium level. Medium in body, with a fairly light flavors of blackberry, cream, liquorice and green bell pepper, showing quite a bit of unripe characters, with a fairly short length. Ready to drink now and not intend for further ageing.

Enough for today, need to continue my sparkling wine study now, and wish me luck in the exam!!

Wineshark Recipe - 29. Grill Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce

First we marinate the chicken. Ingredients:

• Chicken
• Mixed vegetable shredded - 9oz
• Salt 1 tsp
• Thyme 1 tsp
• Black pepper finely 1/2 tsp
• Cooking oil 1 tbsp

Cut the chicken in half, then mix the vegetable with the other seasonings, squeeze till the juice comes out, and then cover the chicken to marinate for at least 2 hours.

For the sauce,

• Butter 1oz
• Onion finely 2oz
• Garlic finely 1 tsp
• Black pepper 1 tbsp
• Port wine 1 tbsp
• Gravy 8oz
• Whipping cream 2oz
• Salt 1 tsp

Use the butter to stir fry the onion, then add garlic and black pepper. Use the spoon to smash the pepper. Pour the wine and then add gravy, whipping cream and salt.

Pan fry the chicken on both sides for colour, and then put it in pre-heated oven to cook till golden.

Wineshark Recipe - 28. Potato of Fish Soup

Ingredients:

• Butter 1oz
• Onion finely 2oz
• Leek 2oz
• Carrot sliced 2oz
• Potato sliced 1lb
• Garlic 1pc
• Fish stock 2lb 2oz
• Fish meat 8oz
• White wine 2oz
• Salt 1tsp
• White pepper powder 1/4 tsp
• Whipping cream 2oz

First prepare the fish stock, putting the fish into the boiling water and adding mixed vegetable (carrot, celery, onion), bay leaf and black pepper. Cook for around 2 hours.

Stir fry the onion with butter, then add leek and carrot and continue to stir fry for a while, after that putting the potato, fish meat and fish stock.

Put the garlic clove into oven and heat till it slightly burnt, then peel off the skin and put the garlic in the soup, and continue to cook till the potato is softened.

Blend the mixture and then pour back into pot to cook, adding the white wine, whipping cream and seasonings.

Wineshark weekly - 4 March 2012

This week I went to a Japanese Restaurant in Wanchai, called Ten Sho, in Jaffe Road. When I arrived, seeing all the Japanese customers (yes, all the customers except us were Japanese), then I knew I had come to a good place. The decor was not anything special, but really got a traditional Japanese feel, and we were seated at the bar-table. With the fresh seafood in front of us, we ordered a sashimi platter, some skewers, a grilled mackerel and a shabu shabu.

The skewers (one minced chicken stick and one bacon-asparagus roll) were very tasty and good with beer.

The sashimi were very fresh, and I particularly like the uni, or sea urchin, which was so sweet and nice.

I have to admit I am not a fan of uni but I can't simply stop having more. The other fish and shrimp sashimi were also very good. The grilled mackerel was also delicious.

The only disappointment was the shabu shabu, not because of any quality issue, but simply because comparatively it was not so value for money in my opinion. Total cost for the night was $1135 for two. Nevertheless overall I enjoyed the meal very much and this is a Japanese restaurant that I highly recommend and definitely will visit again!

Some colleagues made fun of me and saying that I was never at home for dinner. Well, this week it was actually true. Monday I went to Sushi Hiro with some overseas colleagues, Tuesday I had hot pot in Sham Tseng, Wednesday it was Ten Sho as highlighted above, Thursday was K'cal in Sham Tseng, Friday Japanese sushi in TST, Saturday Fusion Gourmet in Sheung Wan and today going back to my parent's home... Sometimes wonder maybe that's why the maid was not good at cooking - lack of practice...

Yesterday at Fusion Gourmet we had our monthly wine tasting event. The theme this month was Central Italy, and we had the following:

Ruffino Orvieto Classico 2010

Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico 2001

Poggio al Tersoro Dedicato a Walker 2006

Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Annata 2001

Poliziano Vin Santo di Montepulciano 1997

I am very satisfied with all the wines except the most famous - the Biondi-Santi. Probably because it was not from a good vintage, it was very light and thin, with a high acidity and not much characters or structure. I hope my Riserva 2004 would be much better...

The Brolio was very good, intense and juicy, which still got a good vibrancy despite already aged for 10 years, truly living up to its name.

But the surprise of the day was the IGT from Poggio al Tersoro. A 100% Cabernet Franc wine, it got good complexity and concentration, allowing one to glimpse the reason the Bordeaux wine-makers add the variety into the blend, to make it more complex and fragrant.

Talking about the restaurant, it was certainly in a nice setting with cozy atomsphere. However, it is of a high price-tag and the food in my opinion was not exceptional. Maybe I am too critical now that I am doing a lot of cooking myself... 

More on wine, this week I got some more added to my collection:

• Antinori Solaia 2003
• Mommessin Clos de Tart Grand Cru 2000
• Joseph Phelps Insignia 1993
• Shafer Hillside Select 2003
• Chateau Rol Valentin 1995
• Ginestet Reserve 2005
• Conti di Buscareto Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Ammazzaconte 2008

Besides the wine I tasted in the party, this week I had been drinking sparkling, with one I highly recommend to all drinkers (E&E Black Pepper Sparkling Shiraz):

Acceptable quality traditional method sparkling from Cremant de Limoux, the wine has a light gold colour with small bubble size. Fairly light on the nose, it did show good complexity, with developing aromas of pear, lees, rust, green apple, biscuit and cream. On palate, it got refreshing, fairly high acidity and is light in body, showing reasonably intense flavors of hazelnut, green apple, biscuit, lees and lemon. Good in balance though only with a fairly short length. Ready to drink now and can benefit from further ageing of another 2-4 years.

Very good quality premium Australian sparkling shiraz with deep ruby colour and a purplish tinge. Small bubble size, it has a complex and intense nose of blackcurrant, black cherry, blackberry, plum, cloves, cedar and butterscotch. Slightly sweet, the wine has a lively acidity with fairly high tannin, rounded and fine-grained. Slightly high in alcohol, the palate is fair intense with black cherry, blackberry, plum, cinnamon, nutmeg and cedar. A creamy mousse, it got a juicy fruit with hot-climate ripeness. Good in balance, it finishes with a fairly long length. Ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 3-4 years.

With the budget constraint I don't get to travel much, with only infrequent trips going to Manila for business reviews and management. Theoretically I should have more time to catch up on my study, but at the end it was still not close to what I wanted in terms of progress... With my examination on sparkling wine coming up in one and a half week. I have decided to take a week off after my trip next week in order to get prepared.

So until next week, take care my friends, and wish the humid weather will be gone soon...