Bowmore – what a lovely whisky

December 12, 2009

Whisky bottle and book

It was a pity that I did not have my “whisky book” with me (Michael Jackson’s ‘Malt Whisky Companion’ which my friend Rainer gave me) when I was shopping for “a drink” at Beijing International Airport. I just remembered the Islay island somehow but as a wine drinker I am not too familiar with the whiskies of Scotland. In fact this is only my second blog entry on whisky.

I picked up a bottle of 17 year old Bowmore (43 % vol), leaving a 15 year Bowmore behind. Later I learned from the above book that the younger whisky scores higher than the older one, but best is a Bowmore Darkest and a 40 year old, earning each 91 points.

Exposed to westerly winds, Bowmore Distillery is located in the village of Bowmore on the western coast of the Isle of Islay, a small island off the Scottish coast. The distillery was founded in 1779 not long after the village, the first planned village in Scotland, was set up in 1768 by Daniel Campbell.

The Bowmore label

The whiskies of Bowmore are distinct in their character. The water used shows some iron-tinged mineral and some peat aromas on the palate. The malt is of the intensity of the south shore and is malted at the distillery. About 30% of the whisky is aged in old sherry casks.

The Bowmore has a nutty taste, is smoky and shows some peat. It is firm and dry. I like its taste on my palate; it’s an awesome drink. Next time I will explore some more of the Islay distilleries (there are 7 on ths island). Stay tuned and look out for this superb whisky.

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Shanghai by night

December 11, 2009

Shanghai World Financial Center

My friend Wolfgang took me around Shanghai by bight. After we had dinner with view of the Bund, we climed two of the hightes buildings, the Shanghai World Financial Center (492 m), also called “the bottle opener” and the Jin Mao Tower (421 m).

Three men welcoming us at the elevator

The entrance presents itself in a kind of minimalist Japanese style, resembling a bit an Egyptian tomb somehow. Very interesting feeling entering this building.

The top 30 odd floors are occupied by the Hyatt Hotel. The following two pictures show these floors. We did not go to the observations desk because it was just too late. Our walk led us to various restaurants and bars, all splendidly furnished.

Photo from the lobby upwards where a band was performing

Photo from above, 30 floors down is the dance floor where the band is playing

It was a breathtaking walk, a bit overwhelming though. More about Chinese food you will encounter in my next blog entry.

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Beijing gray

December 9, 2009

Well, I am in Beijing by now and I am very surprised that I can enter my blog. When I wanted to add the picture in Shanghai the other day, the Great Fire Wall of China prevented me from doing so. The more my surprise that I can enter now.

It was a pleasant day despite the grey winter weather. Almost no visibility today. The people are nice as always in China and the food is excellent. I will report about some of my culinary excursions later.

I found Christmas music in every shopping mall; giant Christmas trees in all colours with flashing lights welcome the casual visitor. More new buildings, shops and shopping malls, restaurants and fashion outlets seem to open ever since my last visit in August.

The highlight of the day was my visit to Red Gate Gallery at Dongbianmen Watchtower. The current exhibition reflects the vibrancy of the young Chinese artists and their sense of humour. If in Beijing you should go and have a look. It’s well worth it.

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Shanghai blue

December 8, 2009

I cannot believe it. I am blogging from China, from Shanghai to be precise. So far, whenever I traveled in China I could not access my blog and wordpress. Now the impossible has become possible. Incredible. Does that imply that the old censorship policy has been changed? or is it just Shanghai which is more open to the world?

I will add a picture to this entry later.

PS: I had to wait for the upload because the Great Firewall of China did not let me do it. Two days later in Beijing I manged to get into my blog again.

From the Pudong side, view of the Bund and the Huangpu river

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Anniversary of Thai-German relations celebrated in style with German wine

December 3, 2009

The other day Lufthansa celebrated it’s 50 years of scheduled flight services to Bangkok, Thailand. I was invited to a function at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel which provided not only a splendid backdrop to the event but also supplied the guests with very jummy culinary delights.

Also the wines, a red and a white, both from Germany, were first class. Lufthansa served a 2008 Spätburgunder from Meyer-Näkel, Ahr and a 2008 Riesling from Hermann Dönnhoff, Nahe. What a treat. I could not believe my luck.

When I was a student of agriculture at Bonn University, one of my fellow students, came from the nahe wine region. She had a sticker on her car reading: “Nahewein ein Edelstein”, freely translated as “Wine from the Nahe a gemstone” (unfortunately this does not rhyme as the German slogan). Both wines were gemstones, indeed.

In the end the Riesling somehow blended better with the food, a mix of Thai, German, and other cuisines served in small portions in a snack-type fashion. The anniversary was celebrated in style with beautiful visualizations (among them old photos from good old Bangkok), street food, a twist dancing group, sepia photo taking, a choir and other singers. I wish Lufthansa many more successful years with their venture in Thailand.

PS: I did not bring a camera and therefore do not possess any photos. I also somehow forgot to study the labels of the bottles carefully. That’s a cumbersome affair for me if waiters are serving.

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Tree of life

November 29, 2009

The “tree of life” is a concept found in many cultures with various interpretations. The picture above was taken at the outskirts of Bangkok, a Bodhi tree under which Gautama Buddha achieved enlightenment.

Today is the 29 November, a very special day. It is the 15 anniversary of my children, the twins Lucy and Charlotte.

Happy birthday girls.

Below are the flowers for you, a special orchid which just bloomed on our terrace.

Since it is seven o’clock here in Manila, I have no bottle of champagne for a toast. That we will do later today when reunited in Bangkok.
Cheers folks

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How to open a bottle of wine

November 26, 2009

This is another technique to open a bottle of wine (and not breaking off the neck) if you are not in possession of a proper bottle opener.

Please do not mind the French.
The clip is self-explanatory, in fact amazing. It shows “where there is a will…….”.

Cheers

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Restaurant review: Waroeng Shanghai Blue 1920 in Jakarta

November 15, 2009

Shanghai Blue1

When discussing with my friends in Jakarta where to meet for dinner, Jasmin suggested “Waroeng Shanghai Blue 1920” right in the center of Jakarta.

The restaurant belongs to the Tugu Hotel group, owned by the family of Anhar Setjadibrata, a famous art collector from Malang, East Java. The family has two more restaurants in Jakarta, “Dapur Baba” and “Lara Djonggrang”, both exotic places with wonderful decorations of Indonesian and other antiques where we had spent memorable evenings with family and friends while living in Jakarta.

“Waroeng Shanghai Blue 1920” is no exception. The interior is just stunning. Apart from dining one can also listen to Jazz music which is performed on a large stage. It was my first visit, and I was in a nostalgic and elated mood: back in Jakarta and out with old friends.

We ordered a round of starters, in fact we ordered the whole menu of starters, followed by main courses. To say it from the outset: the starters were stunning, the main courses could not keep up with it and were mediocre at best. This did not prevent us from having a great time. We had a bottle of white wine from Western Australia. When selecting it together with my friend Flo, I thought that I would not forget the brand. Writing this blog entry a couple of days later, I must submit to the vagaries of life once again. Never assume the obvious. Memory will have its little victories. usually I take a photo of the wine bottles I consume, not this time. Maybe the reunion was just so much more important. Anyway, the started (see some in the pctures below) were wonderful and the wine was just right.

Shanghai Blue2

Shanghai Blue3

Shanghai Blue4

Shanghai Blue5

For us the evening ended in the Buddha Bar, a trendy hangout in Menteng. We were not deterred by a function for Cartier which occupied the interior of the bar but instead sat on the wide back-terrace with the garden view (also nice in the night).

I highly recommend to the casual traveler to visit the restaurants of Anhar Setjadibrata in Jakarta. The atmosphere in the three places – Waroeng Shanghai Blue 1920, Dapur Baba and Lara Djonggrang – is wonderful but unique, the exhibits are breathtaking, they bear witness to Java’s glorious past.

PS: I never stayed at one of the Tugu Hotels but friends of mine rave about the one in Malang. From the website www.tuguhotels.com you might get a glimpse what it might be all about. Breathtaking, spectacular come to mind. I promised myself that one day I will visit one of them and enjoy a night delving in Javas past and in a “Tugu bed”.

Address:
Warong Shanghai Blue 1920 Restaurant
Kebon Sirih Raya 79
Jakarta Pusat
DKI Jakarta – Indonesia
PH 1: +62-21-391-8690
PH 2: +62-21-7088-3366
www.tuguhotels.com

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Obituary

November 13, 2009

Yesterday, my good friend Peter Ryan passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was buried this morning in Singapore. We are mourning him.

Pete was a wonderful man, kind and loving and always helping out. He was a teetotaler, not drinking a sip of alcohol, but his liver failled him nonetheless (cirrhosis).

He tought me, among others, how ups and downs are part of human existence and that in end both do not matter. I also learned from him to appreciate the beauty of eccentricity.

He was a fan of Johanna Budwig and defeated his liver cancer successfully following the Budwig diet.

I salute you my dear friend. We will drink a bottle of champagne tonight in your honor, I will smoke a cigar and we will be reminiscing about the good times we had together. We will celebrate your life and the impermanence of it.

Though I am not particularly religious, I like the Irish folk song, “Your long jouney”, especially its version by Robert Pant and Alison Krauss. Two of the verses I find appropriate and want to share with you.

Your long journey

1. Verse
God’s given us years of happiness here
Now we must part
And as the angels come and call for you
The pains of grief tug at my heart

3. Verse
Fond memories I’ll keep of happy ways
That on earth we trod
And when I come we will walk hand in hand
As one in heaven in the family of god

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Sunday at the Yarra Glen Hotel

November 6, 2009

One of the great things to do on a weekend in the Yarra Valley is to attend one of the many life music events. I especially love the music on a Sunday afternoon at the Yarra Glen Grand Hotel. First of all the food is quite good and second the venue is very suitable for the occasion provided there is not too much wind rattling the tent in which the bands perform.

Moreover, the Yarra Glen Grand Hotel is a beautiful historic building, a landmark in Yarra Glen, with it’s tower which is visible from many parts of the valley, it really stands out.

We had lunch and eagerly awaited the Bob Starkie Band which was to play in the afternoon. Bob Starkie is well known in Melbourne. He used to be one of the members of the legendary Skyhooks in the 1970s, a cult band in Melbourne. One of their top hits was “Women in Uniform”.

But first came the food.

SundayPub0

SundayPub00

The food was hearty and very tasty, as the two pictures above show. The wines we had with it were excellent examples of the local wine culture.

We had a bottle of ‘2006 Mandala Chardonnay’ from the Yarra Valley and a bottle of ‘2005 Dal Zotto Barbera’ from Whitefield in the King Valley, a neighboring wine region with very good cool climate wines.

Both wines were excellent and very enjoyable. The 2003 vintage of the Dal Zotto Barbera was given 90 points. The Dal Zotto family with a proud Italian heritage is well known for their quality wines. Their Italian varietal wines made from Barbera, Arneis and Sangiovese grapes have won high acclaim. Also their prosecco is commendable. The high altitude of the King Valley and its cool climate seems to be very suitable for those Italian varietals.

Owned by the Smedly family, Mandala Wines is located just a few kilometers up the highway, north of Yarra Glen. The cellar door and restaurant (open for lunch Thursday to Sunday and dinner on Saturday evenings) used to be “Henkel Vineyard” but has been redone completely. I love the design of the label, a huge mandala, which changes colour on the website, and expresses the philosophy of the owner on life and wine-making.

SundayPub1

Mandala Chardonnay

SundayPub2

Dal Zotto Barbera

And then the music started. The Bob Starkie Band promised exciting entertainment. They did not disappoint playing many of the classical Skyhooks songs. It did not take long and the dance floor was crowded with rural folks moving and shaking. There is nothing better then a dance on a Sunday afternoon. It also makes sure that one is clear headed on a Monday morning. We had great fun. I can only highly recommend it to the accidental traveler. If in the Yarra Valley look out for live music events

SundayPub3

SundayPub4

Bob Starkie

Addresses:
Yarra Valley GRAND Hotel
Bell Street, Yarra Glen, VIC. 3775
Tel.: 03-9730 1230
int: +61 3 9730 2434
fax: 03 9730 2434
e-mail: hotel@yarravalleygrand.com.au
www.yarravalleygrandcom.au

MANDALA WINES PTY LTD
1568 Melba Highway Dixons Creek Yarra Valley Victoria 3775
Tel. +61 3 5965 2016
Fax: +61 3 5965 2589
e-mail: info@mandalawines.com.au
www.mandalawines.com.au

Dal Zotto Wines
Main Rd, Whitfield,
King Valley, Vic 3733 Australia
Tel.: +61-3-57 298 321
Fax +61-3 57 298 490
info@dalzotto.com.au
www.dalzotto.com.au

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