Wine tour 2012 - day 4

Today we focused on Cote de Beaune, and started off by driving from the hotel to Puligny-Montrachet, passing through Pommard, Volnay and Meursault. It was actually very close from one village to another, taking us only about 15 minutes to arrive there if we didn't stop. But since there were time before our appointment, David took us through all the villages for a quick look. See how nice he had been...

We arrived at La Maison Olivier Leflaive to join a bigger group for the tour. It also included a nice hotel for visitors. A bit of background here. Olivier decided in 1984 to set up a new domaine with his brother Patrick and uncle Vincent, after acquiring the experience and techniques working in the family Domaine Leflaive. With his dedication, the wine is now getting much attention even if it is still not as renown as Domaine Leflaive.

Chris from the domaine brought us to the vineyards, taking a look at the Chardonnay planted just a short walk from the domaine. This year was a difficult year for Burgundy, with spring frosts and heavy rain for an extended period, and the harvest was actually pushed back for more than two weeks. We asked whether this would be a bad vintage but according to Chris, this year would be a test for the producers. Good producers would still be able to produce good wines by reducing the yield and through careful sorting. But for them the yield would be less than 50%, meaning the price would be high.

We then returned to the winery, and Olivier himself came with us to explain his philsophy of winemaking. Walking with us together to show the fermentation, maturation, and bottling facilities. He is such a funny and kind grandfather that we enjoyed the tour very much. And he made a joke of asking Grace to be his wife for a year, which we all supported!

Then we headed back to the maison for lunch, which was very nice though a bit long. We had tasted 6 wines: Bourgogne Les Setilles 2010, St-Romain Sous le Chateau 2009, Puligny-Montrachet 2008, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ Gain 2008, Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2007 and Pommard 2008. The Montrachet were good with the richness and creaminess though a bit too young to drink in my opinion.  

We thenthe vineyards in St-Aubin and Auxey-Duresses, for a personalized tour of Hospice de Beaune. The tour guide from the hospice was a friendly lady, who showed us the history, and other interesting things. The hospice had been renovated so it looked very well-maintained.  went back to Beaune, dropping by in different villages again to take a look at

Our guide also shared with us the funny medicine people in the medieval times, like letting the cow ate all the herbal flowers and collecting the dung to make medicine for patients, using the dried grounded cockroaches to make powder for curing coughs, and the slime of snails to make medicine for cold.

You may know that the Hospice is also famous for the wine auction. Through the donations the hospice had got into possession of more than 60 hectares of vineyards in different parts of Cote d'Or, the hospice produces wines every year and sold them on auction in Nov for charity. Through the connection of the agency, we had the chance to go the very exclusive underground cellar of the hospice and met with the winemaker Roland Masse, to taste some good wines. We had Volnay 1er Cru Cuvee Blondeau, Beaune 1er Cru Cuvee Guigone de Salins and Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru, with the last one selling at more than $2200 per bottle!

I had a very good chat with Roland and asked whether he got some good white also. He immediately went to the back and brought back a Meursault-Genevrieres 1er Cru Cuvee Philippe le Bon. So generous of him! We then had learnt the song and dance of the Conferie and it was such a happy and joyful time for us that we felt sad saying goodbye to them. Before we went I also bought two bottles at the shop: a Corton Grand Cru Cuvee Charlotte Dumay 2009 and Mazi-Chambertin Grand Cru Cuvee Madeleine Collignon 2009.

On the night, we went to Le P'tit Paradis for dinner. Located at the back of the Notre Dame in Beaune, it is a small restaurant serving tasty dishes. Opening a St-Aubin on the night, we all had a good meal and completed a happy day in Beaune.

(to be continued...)

Wine tour 2012 - day 3

In order for us to enjoy the vacation and not worry about driving and finding where to visit and eat, I have got a local tour company to book the hotel and arranged the visits and meals. I can happily say that this is a smart decision and we all enjoyed all the details. Let me share with you...

Our driver/tour guide David came to Paris to pick us up at the hotel in the morning. With five of us, the agency had arranged a new Benz Vito to accompany us for the Burgundy and Alsace tour. The car was very comfortable and spacious, and it was a happy ride from Paris to our first stop - Chablis, which took about 2.5 hours.

The weather was simply perfect in Chablis, sunny with a little breeze, and we arrived at Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard. This is a producer specializing in different wines of Chablis and the surrounding region. Meeting our guide in the estate, he took us to the underground cellar to look at what made Chablis special - the kimmeridgian layer which brings the mineral charcters to the wine.

We then proceeded to the winery to understand more their winemaking process. In this domaine, they have wines matured in four different devices: the most traditional large old oak barrels, stainless steel vats, small new oak barrels and the concrete egg-shaped small vats.

Depending on the style wanted, different devices are used, with the old barrels providing some development of the wines making it rounder and richer, the stainless steel retaining the 'true' flavors and freshness of the grapes, the small barrels imparting a strong oak influence and creaminess and the concrete 'egg' reserving for special parcels of biodynamic wines.

After that we went up the estate building at the nice balcony, in which the breathtaking views of the Chablis vineyards greeted us. A brief explanation of the difference in Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru and Chablis Grand Cru was provided, which helped us to appreciate the classification.

Then it was the time to taste the wines. A total of 6 wines were tasted, including Petit Chablis 2011, Chablis 2011, Chablis 1er Cru Montmains 2010, Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent 2010, Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2009 and Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses 2009. Personally I like the 1er Cru Montmains and Grand Cru Les Preuses the most, with crisp acidity and good floral and fruit characters. During the tasting, the current owner, Julien Brocard, also came by to say hello to us.

Feeling hungry, we then had lunch in the estate, at the VIP room looking at the gorgeous vineyards outside. The food was all Chablis delicacies prepared by the chef at the estate, in family style, and were paired with two magnums: Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent 2006 and Chablis 2008. I also requested to try their red produced in Irancy and so two more bottles were provided. The food was so good we all had eaten a lot, and the ladies also passed some to Benny and me (no wonder we got fat after this trip).

Before leaving, I bought a bottle of 2009 Les Preuses and having Julien autographed on the bottle for me. At Euro 42, it was quite a bargain as the same wine is selling in HK at $630.

We continued our journey to Beaune, taking another 1.5 hours. Finally arriving our destination, Hotel Athanor, which is located in the heart of the town's historic centre. It is a former Benedictine convent dating back to the 16th century. Grace and Carmen actually stayed in the older building, built in the 16th century, and the rest of us in the newer building built in the 17th century.

Still early, we went for a walk around the town, going to different shops to check out souvenirs and other interesting stuff. There is a nice garden in which we saw a merry-go-round and nice flowers.

Our dinner was arranged at les Caves Madeleine, a nice small restaurant serving simple but good food and a good range of wines. The owner Laurent Brelin introduced the menu to us, and I chose a Volnay 1er Cru Les Champans 2009.

(to be continued...) 

 

Wine tour 2012 - day 2

We went to the Louvre today, expecting to see a big queue as it was free-entry on the first Sunday of the month. Fortunately since we were early we only needed to queue for less than one hour to go in. Weather was gloomy and there was a little drizzle, and it was a bit chilly, but we were all excited.

Just like any tourist, we went to see the most famous artefacts, focusing on the Denon wing, including Mona Lisa, Winged Victory and other treasures. It really would take a whole day or even more if we want to look at each individual piece of art. But as time does not allow (as well as our stamina), we spent basically a half day going to the different areas and left after taking lunch in the cafe.

Going out into bright sunshine, it was so gorgeous that we stopped to take photos of the glass pyramid outside, with Ah Foot as the model. Many people also stopped to look at him and thought we were crazy. But turned out Ah Foot was so good that many of the best photos were taken with him!

We then walked along the avenue to Place de la Concorde, taking a look also at the Luxor Obelisk, and then walked further to Champs Elysees. Visiting our Haagen-Dazs flagship shop, we took a break and had some nice ice-cream. Of course, the ladies began to get itchy with their shopping instinct and we went to the different shops like LV. Since I lost all my credit card, I got the excuse not to buy anything for Ivy, haha!

Afterwards we headed back to the hotel, to meet up with Benny who arrived in the late afternoon. We then went together to dinner, at a seafood restaurant called La Stella. Again, delicious food pairing with some wine, we all enjoyed very much and had a full belly to start our main part of the tour - Burgundy - on the next day...

(to be continued...)

Wine tour 2012 - day 1

Upon arriving at the CX counter Carmen and Ivy tried to ask for upgrade, but the ground staff told us the chance was slim as the flight was quite full on Business Class also. Not having much hope, at the gate, we had a good surprise as Carmen was upgraded. Being a gentleman, I then decided to switch my Business Class seat with Ivy, making me the only one in Economy :(

Unfortunately my neighbor happened to be a sound sleeper who slept for essentially the whole trip, making it difficult for me to go out to even stretch my legs as I was on a window seat. At the end, I watched four movies and did not sleep that much on the flight.

We took a taxi to go to our hotel - Mercure Paris Centre Tour Eiffel. Located very near the tower, it is convenient and modern, with good customer service also. Since it was still early, we dropped our luggage and went for breakfast at a small brasserie nearby, while waiting for Grace. The croissant was really nice.

After meeting up with Grace we started the first stop - Tour Eiffel. The weather was fantastic and there were not that many people. We only needed to queue for a short while before getting our tickets and then taking the lift to the middle platform. We took some nice photos on the Paris scenary but from that point my nightmare started...

There was a queue of people waiting to go up to the higher platform, which we also joined. But I recalled that the ticket we bought did not include going up, so I told the ladies to continue to queue while I went to check with the staff. Confirming that an additional fee was required, I told them no need to queue, but by then they were already a bit far ahead in the line. Before they re-joined me, a lady standing in front of me stopped to take a photo with her mobile, which was weird because there was nothing there. I was a bit puzzled but had to stop and when I thought back that probably was the moment the thief opened my bag and stole my wallet! She basically blocked me from moving and there were a few other people around me at that point.

Right when the ladies re-grouped I sensed something wrong and checked my bag but my wallet was already gone. Very upset as you can imagine, I called the card centres to stop all my credit cards and then came down to the tourist office to report the crime. Fortunately I kept my passport and majority of my Euro separate and those were intact, but still losing close to $8,000 in cash...

My friends tried their very best to comfort me, and after getting the direction of the police station, we went to a cafe to calm down and think through the whole incident, also to list down the items stolen to report in the police station. Since I can't do anything more, I decided to forget as much as possible to enjoy my vacation instead.

Grace had booked a cruise lunch from Bateaux Parisiens and so we went to the pier. Originally I was a bit skeptical about the cruise as generally the food was so-so. However, it turned out to be exceptionally good, with us assigned a window table in the modern, comfortable cruise, having big glass windows and roof for us to look at all the scenary. Also, the food was very nice and paired with different wines. Though a bit sunny, we all enjoyed the cruise very much.

Carmen, Ivy and myself then went to the police station to report the case to get a file for claiming insurance later on. The building was rather like an old primary school, and inside there were a few other people who had similar bad luck. After filling the form and spent close to 45 minute waiting, I got the report and left.

Returning to the hotel, we took a brief rest before going to a Michelin restaurant Aux Lyonnais, started by the famous Alain Ducasse. The restaurant is in a side-street and quite difficult to find, but the food was prepared in traditional style and very delicious. Very reasonable price at EUR233 for four people, we all had a wonderful time.

(to be continued...)

Wineshark weekly - 11 Aug 2012

Someone asked me whether I have stopped writing this blog. I am simply too busy and got too many things to handle (plus a few trips over the last couple of weekends) so really got no time to write. But I will not give up this and really want to connect with you all.

Many of you may already I am leaving my job to join another company in near future. Yes, I am going to Starbucks, taking up a regional role in supply chain. It is a good challenge for me, also requiring me to cover more countries than I have now. There are so many struggles for me because on the one side I don't want to give up my 'investment' here in General Mills, and given the new structure and the expanded role I would get it is also a good career development for me. But having to relocate to Singapore may not be something I will consider at the moment...

While I am starting to do my handover and farewell visits to the markets, I am also working on the last pieces of my long-expected trip to France. With basically all the details settled for the part in Burgundy, Alsace and Bordeaux, the remaining is for the time in Paris which I still need to work on. But I am quite sure it will be a memorable trip, especially for me to charge up before moving to my new job.

The restaurant featured in this week is Hakka Ye Ye, a contemporary Chinese restaurant in Central. It is not a big restaurant, but give me a cozy feeling, with some interesting Hakka dishes. The taste is good, though not exceptional, and it is a good spot if you want to have some quiet time to enjoy some decent food in a good environment. Average spending is $230 per person, which includes three dishes plus drinks for two people.

My wine study has been falling behind quite a lot, and I need to really catch up. This week I only able to do a tasting:

Le Logis de la Bouchardiere Chinon 2006

I will work harder on this blog to make it lively. So bear with me in the interim, and I promise I will give a good sharing on my coming trip!

Wineshark Recipe - 56. Fried Fish Hawaiian Style

Ingredients:

• Fillet of fish - 8oz
• Cooking oil - 1oz
• Salt - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Plain flour - 1oz
• Egg - 1
• White wine - 1oz
• Worcestershire - 1 tsp
• Stock - 9oz
• Green bell pepper - 1oz
• Red bell pepper - 1oz
• Lemon juice - 1/2
• Butter - 1oz
• Diced pineapple - 1 slice
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Tomato paste - 1 tbsp
• Tomato ketchup - 1/2oz
• White thickened - 1oz

First cut the fish fillet and wipe it dry. Marinate with lemon juice, white wine, salt and white pepper powder.

Coat the fillet with flour and then egg, pan fry till it turns yellow.

Use butter to cook the green and red bell pepper, then add pineapple, white wine, Worcestershire, and other seasonings.

Pour the sauce on the fillet.

Wineshark Recipe - 55. French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

• Onion thinly sliced - 10oz
• Stock - 1lb 4oz
• Salt - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cooking oil - 1oz
• French bread slices - 2 slices
• Gruye're cheese - 2oz

First prepare the stock. I normally use chicken stock as I don't eat beef.

Heat the pan with cooking oil, then stir fry the onion until it turns slightly brown and fragrant.

Then add the stock till it boils, season with salt and white pepper powder, and add some white wine if you want.

Shred the cheese onto the soup, and then add the French bread.