I'm not a big fan of wine by the glass in chain restaurants. It's usually overpriced, and below average. But sometimes, needs must. So for the benefit of my public, at Strada in Heathrow in T3 before catching my very long flight to Hong Kong, I decided to have a glass of Fiano with my butternut squash risotto. It's a grape I came across just a few weeks ago when going to blind tasting of Italian wines. I was forced into a corner to buy something from a nearby branch of Oddbins, and picked up a Fiano di Avellino. Being a blind tasting for 30 odd people, however, I didn't quite get the chance to savour it's complexity. The Strada version was from Siciliy where the hot sunshine will give ripe and full flavours. For once, the wine list description was almost an understatement. Ripe peaches were mentioned. Frankly, this, in a blind testing could have passed for a glass of peach juice. If you like your wines fruity, then definitely give it a go, and it was good to match the squash risotto.
My next wine experience was on board the Cathay Pacific flight... Perusing the options, I opted for a Mosel Riesling Feinherb (off dry). We often here that drinking alcohol on flights isn't recommended, so going for this lighter alcohol version was probably sensible. Juicy, ripe, fruity and as refreshingly acidic as Riesling gets, the hint of sweetness was a good counterpoint. Just a pity I forgot to pack a toothbrush in my hand luggage!
The next bottom's up moment was in Kowloon's Novotel. A free welcome drink was included on check in - with Chilean wines being the flavour of the month. The Chardonnay had rather more oak than i've seen of late and is probably exactly the sort of Chardonnay that's put a lot of people of Chardonnay. Still, it's free so who am I to complain?
Arriving next day on the Gold Coast it was back to red wine. And fortunately one that you can try at home. Wolf Blass President's Selection Shiraz is available in several supermarkets at home and was pleasantly smooth and rich. I only enjoyed a small glass though, as jet-lag was really beginning to bite.
The next bottom's up moment was in Kowloon's Novotel. A free welcome drink was included on check in - with Chilean wines being the flavour of the month. The Chardonnay had rather more oak than i've seen of late and is probably exactly the sort of Chardonnay that's put a lot of people of Chardonnay. Still, it's free so who am I to complain?
Arriving next day on the Gold Coast it was back to red wine. And fortunately one that you can try at home. Wolf Blass President's Selection Shiraz is available in several supermarkets at home and was pleasantly smooth and rich. I only enjoyed a small glass though, as jet-lag was really beginning to bite.
Tuesday began healthily enough with a yoga class. Most unlike me! Sadly, this was where my virtue for the day ended. With Purple Teeth's best friend being a fellow wine lover, it was unsurprising that our coffee morning invitation should actually be a mulled wine party with a bunch of ex-pat Germans and Argentineans. As for what the wine was, once it's been mulled, it doesn't really matter, but the mulling spices were from a Shropshire blend and the Germans seemed impressed too, so all good. It didn't stop there however... Onto a very cheap and cheerful Chinese cafe for lunch, we asked for a wine list. Two bottles of red were brought to the table, both fresh from the very chilled fridge! We opted for the cheaper of the two. In these conditions, how good could it be?
I'd read about Alentejano (Portuguese) wines as part of my WSET syllabus, but I hadn't had the opportunity to taste any. Therefore it was my duty on your behalf to understand the varietal and terroir complexities...
Given the challenges (super-chilled red wine and a pairing with Singapore Spicy Noodles), it fared remarkably well and we managed to polish off the bottle. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it!
As per the label, it was remarkably smooth and the fruit character was mainly red plum. I've no idea what was in the blend - doubtless some Merlot with local varieties. It tasted somewhat like a softer Carmenere.
Word of Purple Teeth is spreading, and the ex-pat wives are talking of holding a Purple Teeth Tasting Event. Inspired by this enthusiasm, I had a quick look in the local supermarket for ideas. It's not every day you see supermarket shelves laden with Krug, Penfold's Grange, Pontet-Canet, Chateau Talbot, and a selection of Canadian and German Ice Wines! I certainly hope the idea comes to fruition as with the right budget, this could be plenty of fun. You'll certainly hear about it if it does.
Meanwhile... Cheers!
Given the challenges (super-chilled red wine and a pairing with Singapore Spicy Noodles), it fared remarkably well and we managed to polish off the bottle. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it!
As per the label, it was remarkably smooth and the fruit character was mainly red plum. I've no idea what was in the blend - doubtless some Merlot with local varieties. It tasted somewhat like a softer Carmenere.
Word of Purple Teeth is spreading, and the ex-pat wives are talking of holding a Purple Teeth Tasting Event. Inspired by this enthusiasm, I had a quick look in the local supermarket for ideas. It's not every day you see supermarket shelves laden with Krug, Penfold's Grange, Pontet-Canet, Chateau Talbot, and a selection of Canadian and German Ice Wines! I certainly hope the idea comes to fruition as with the right budget, this could be plenty of fun. You'll certainly hear about it if it does.
Meanwhile... Cheers!
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