Aythaya: Wine from Myanmar

May 3, 2009

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Nice peacock label

Did you know that also Burma (Myanmar) produces wines (some more “new latitude wines”, I guess)? Well, that’s an exotic place to grow the noble grape vine, isn’t it. We know of Burma only that it is a military dictatorship denying Aung San Suu Kyi the win in an election 20 years ago. Cyclone Nargis comes to mind and the devastation it brought to the Irrawadi delta. But grape wines and wine production?

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The wine from Myanmar

Watch out. My friend Wolfgang brought me a bottle of Myanmar wine, to be precise a bottle of ‘2006 Aythaya Myanmar Rose Muscat’. Grown in Aythaya village near Inle lake in the Southern Shan States at an altitude of 1,300 meters this rosé wine is produced by Myanmar Vineyards Estate Ltd.. It seems that a bunch of Germans up there is attempting to do the impossible and produce fine wines.

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The colour, a dark rosé

The plastic cork was not to my liking. The colour of the wine, a deep rosé, however, was quite appealing. A slight aroma of raisin (is it from the Muscat?), I thought to detect. The swish in the mouth was not what I expected. The bottle must have been exposed to some unfortunate conditions. I took a second sip. Not my wine, I must admit. No fruit, could be any liquid, I guess.

From the website of the estate I learned that the venture started in 1997 and that the first wine was made in 2004. Exports started in 2006 and put Burma on the world wide map of wine production. I hope my next bottle will be OK. The grape varieties grown are Muscat, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Also a Grappa is produced. Unfortunately, one cannot access the references (articles in newspapers) given on the webpage. I will have to find out more about this vineyard. Stay tuned to Myanmar wines.

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Anura Vineyards, South Africa

April 30, 2009

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At the recent South African National Freedom Day celebrations in Bangkok, of course South African wine was offered to the guests. All wines came from Anura Vineyards. I had never heard of this winery. The logo on the bottles carries a frog in the oval picture, therefore I guessed that this might be the meaning of “Anura”, and so it should be as I found out later from the Anura website.

The vineyards cultivates about 120 ha of vines and uses about 800 tonnes of fruit annually for its premium blends. Tymen and jenny Bouma are the owner-operators of the estate. The vineyard is located in Klapmuts, about 50 km North-East of Cape Town.

I had the chance to taste the following wines:

– Anura Pinotage, very nice, round and smooth (Top 10, ABSA Pinotage Award 2008)
– Anura Sauvignon Blanc, takes time to get used to, but after that very unusual white (Best Value 2009, Wine Magazine Best Value Awards)
– Anura Merlot, loads of red and black fruit, a hint of chocolate, medium-bodied (2004 vintage won two gold medals at Veritas Awards 2007)
– Anura Cabernet Sauvignon, a nice medium-bodied Cabsav, earthly and fruity (2004 vintage won silver at Veritas Awards 2007)
– Anura Syrah/Mourvedre, very unusual blend for me, powerful combination, spicy (2005 vintage won bronze at Veritas Awards 2007).

I might have tasted some others but cannot recollect the rest. The evening was just too wonderful with the performance of the three singers called “Three tons of fun”. The Ambassador and his wife danced and so did we. I wish more national days would be celebrated the South African way.

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Upper Goulburn Vintage Celebration 2009 – A Day on High and Long Lunch

April 24, 2009

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This coming weekend I would love to be in Mansfield, Victoria. That weekend, our association, the Upper Goulburn Winegrowers Association (UGWA) is going to host its 2009 vintage celebrations. What a treat, I tell you, the best of our wines are going to be on display, what a wonderful tasting out there in the High Country. On Saturday, 25 April (11:30-17:00) a day of wine and food tasting is going to be held, titled: “A Day on High”.

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And on Sunday it is followed by the so called “Long lunch” at Orchard Farm Cottage where various chefs present their food combined with Upper Goulburn wines. The menu sounds delicious, though for a conservative European like me, Australian food is often too rich. I explain this in my postscript, no offence.

The following wineries are presenting their wines:
– Buller View
– Buxton Ridge
– Delatite
– Gioielle Estate
– Growlers Gully
– Kinloch Wines
– Mt Samaria
– Murrindindi
– Nillahcootie Estate
– Penbro Estate
– Sedona Estate
– Snobs Creek
– St Winifred’s

Apart from the wines, one can also taste local food produce and buy a whole lot of other things. There is music and a program for children, in short it should be a fun day out there.

At the “Long Lunch” on Sunday, things are more structured. The dishes on offer are appropriately paired with the various wines from the region. I leave out the food so that there is something left for you to be discovered by yourself.

First, there will be canapés served (prepared by Café 41 and the Mansfield Regional Produce Store) with the following wines:

– Buller View Sparkling Merlot
– Buller View “Scarlet” Rosé
– Buxton Ridge “Molly Jean” Sparkling
– Delatite Riesling
– Kinloch “Don” Sparkling
– Murrindindi Shiraz
– St Winifred Pinot Noir

Entrée is by Christian Bergmoser (twice cooked goats cheese soufflé with a lot of other stuff) and paired with:

– ‘2008 Buxton Ridge Sauvignon Blanc’
– ‘2005 Murrindindi Riesling’

The main course is by Dave Livingstone of Crawford Kitchens (roasted quail on another assortment of various items). The wines are:

– ‘2007 Growlers Gully Pinot Noir’
– ‘2008 Kinloch Pinot Meunier’

The dessert is by Michael Nelson from The Deck on High in Mansfield to which a ‘2008 Delatite “Catherine” Gewürztraminer’ will be served. Goodness me that sounds all so nice. We have never participated in the vintage celebration ourselves, but the time will come, I am sure. In the meantime I will further explore Thai and other wines and train my palate. If anyone who reads this is in the vicinity of the High Country, I suggest you better check it out.

Cheers to all the good wines, the producers and presenters and: have fun.

PS: Australians like to not just use one or two main ingredients for a dish but many, many. I give you an example to illustrate that: a typical pizza margherita, with only tomatoes and cheese with some basil leaves, is considered by most Australians a kind of rip-off. There needs to be more on a pizza, at least 3 to 4 toppings and heaps of it (a little mountain on top of the dough). If you read the above menu, you see what I mean.

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Thai Wine: Gran Monte Syrah

April 21, 2009

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Some of my favourite wines from Thailand come from Gran Monte Family Vineyard. The ‘2005 Fiori Unfiltered Syrah’ from Gran Monte is the best I had drunk from this family estate. The wine has 13% vol. alcohol and a very beautiful colour, it is dark, dark ruby-red. It’s a fine example of a wine from the tropics, a beautiful New Latitude Wine.

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It was awarded two medals: one Gold-Platinum by the Wine Style Asia Award in 2007 and a Silver Medal by IFHS also in 2007 (International Exhibition of Food and Drink, Bangkok)

The nose is typical Syrah, one can anticipate the spicy, peppery, fruity red liquid. There is a lot of black forest fruit on the palate. The wine has character, is well balanced, elegant, with a long lasting finish. Just so yummy. The best Thai wine for me so far, i would say. 2005 must have been a great year for Gran Monte.

The wine has its price, though, 2100 Thai Bath per bottle, which is about 45 Euro or US$ 59. But it’s worth it, no worries; a wine for a special evening or just a day when you need a good drop. The only sore point for me is the label. I just don’t like this colour stuff. If in Bangkok just go and get a bottle and take some home: Thai wine, smooth like silk.

Where to buy?
Address:
Gran Monte Co. LTD
17/8 Soi Sukhumvit 6
Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoey
Bangkok 10110
Thailand

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Saar Riesling: Ayler Kupp

April 19, 2009

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Spaghetti alle Vongole

Spaghetti alle Vongole was the right pasta to be enjoyed with one of my “treasure” Riesling wines. From my last trip to Germany I had brought two bottles of Riesling back to Thailand.

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One of them was a ‘2007 Ayler Kupp Riesling Kabinett’ (dry), Saar from Bischoefliches Konvikt Trier. Nothing special, you might say, but a very decent Saar Riesling for sure (price: about 10 Euro/bottle). The terroir “Ayler Kupp” is world famous for producing excellent Riesling wines.

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The wine is a typical young Saar Riesling. Actually the wine region’s official name is Mosel, but I stick to Saar, Saar being the river where the grapes for this wine are grown in a small hamlet with the name of Ayl.

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We poured the wine, which had a light straw colour and is low in alcohol (11%), so that I could take a picture. I love the Saar Rieslings, they are wines to die for. They are well balanced, acidity, sugar and alcohol in a perfect combination. They have character, texture and structure. Aromas of melon, citrus, passion fruit, peach and/or floral notes are to be found.

The match of the food with the wine was perfect. The slight spiciness of the seafood pasta and the basil went very well with the citrus aromas of the young, slightly bubbly Riesling. The wine was very fruity, a citrus bomb, so to say, marvellous. If you have a chance to visit the Saar region, please take your time and taste some of the local wines.

PS: After the extensive lunch, by the way, we had some chocolate, espresso and port of course. I smoked a big Cuban cigar. The tropical heat made us feel mellow; what a joyful day.

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Back in Bangkok

April 13, 2009

Our flight from Jakarta to Bangkok was pleasant. Though we had about six hours delay. We arrived in the evening after 9 pm. From the Internet we knew that there were violent clashes between the armed forces and the red-shirt demonstrators in the centre of town. As long as the airport is not occupied…, we thought, it should be fine for us getting home. And so it was. The streets were deserted and it took no time to reach Thonglor, Soi 17. The family had come back from Krabi island the same day. Reunion, what a joy.

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Easter Monday is an official holiday in Germany. Now that the family was together again, we did one of our normal Sunday routines: reading, listening to music, doing some sport and eating together. After about a week on Asian food, I longed for a pasta and a pasta it was to be! (rigatoni ricotta spinaci).

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No better wine than a Thai wine, I thought; it would go well with this meal. I chose a bottle of ‘2006 Fiori Unwooded Chenin Blanc’ from Gran Monte Family Vineyard in Asoke Valley. Chenin Blanc is usually not one of my favourite white varieties but I knew that Gran Monte produces a decent one.

The wine has a nice golden colour, not much of a nose though, but typical Chenin Blanc flavours with a well- balanced acidity. The tropical fruit flavours went well with the pasta. This is a nice wine.

The sun was shining, four people were digging in, hungry like construction workers and busy telling stories from the holidays on Krabi and the elections in Indonesia.

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Restaurant review: Elbow Room, Jakarta

April 11, 2009

By default I had some time for myself. I took the opportunity and strolled through Kemang, the area in Jakarta where my hotel, the Grand Flora, was located. The other day, I had briefly met friends at the “Elbow Room”, a brand new place to hang out in Jakarta but we only had a couple of beers.

I was impressed by the shiny new décor of solid wood panels and the copies of paintings by classical and modern artists. Also the high ceilings appealed to me, so did the non-smoking ban which provides the air of freedom in a world which more and more subdues private lives to the wisdom of a certain kind of political correctness. I consider myself a non-smoker despite my occasional cigar burning rituals I perform with great gusto.

Last night I went there again, this time for tea, as we say in Australia, which translates for non-Australian as “dinner”. Apart from the wood beams and wood panels, the bar contains also some type of ship-features, in golden metal colours. At first sight the large round window on the first floor gives the impression of a porthole. The smaller inner-circle is more reminiscent of an eyeball though which you can look through and out to the street. The toilets are done in ship-style too.

I choose a table on the first floor near the window and sat in the big and solid country-style leather chair, I like so much. I was not very hungry. Actually, a glass of wine would have done it for me. From the earlier visit I knew that you can only order whole bottles. The waiters are extremely friendly and helpful (great service). The jazz music gives the place a flair of intellectual sophistication. The lights are subdued, in fact the place is rather dark.

elbow-room

My little digital camera could not cope with the general darkness of the place. This is why I cannot show you pictures of the interior and of the food I consumed. I ordered bruscetta and fried zucchini, both quite tasty snacks. The Australian Shiraz (Penfolds) was out, so I settled for a bottle of ‘2004 Geoff Merrill Cabernet Merlot’, from South Australia, the only other red wine on offer.

I had not heard of this wine and this producer before. The Cabernet Merlot blend is a medium bodied wine with a wonderful dark red colour (14.5 % Vol). The black fruit aroma was quite nice, and the wine tasted also like black fruit. The mid-palate weight was very remarkable, the finish was OK but nothing spectacular, in short a solid wine. When researching the wine, I did not find it on the Geoff Merrill website (there is no cuvée of this type). But the wines are reasonable priced (16 to 30 A$). The Elbow Room charged INR 469,000.-, about € 30 for the bottle which I find to be a bit on the dear side.

I asked the waiter if I could take the bottle home in case I could not finish it and he kindly agreed (otherwise I would have left the place). I smoked some kretek cigarettes and had a jolly good time.

If you want to know what the interior of this bar-cum-restaurant looks like, you have to go yourself and find out. I personally prefer to eat in more lit up places. The prices for the snacks mentioned above were very reasonable. I recommend to the Elbow Room management to consider introducing a wine-by-the-glass policy. Check the place out if next time in Jakarta, it’s worth visiting. I will definitely visit again.

Address:
Elbow Room Restaurant
Jl. Kemang Raya No. 24 A
Jakarta, Indonesia
Te.: +62-21-7194274

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Riesling-Traminer Cuvée from Saale-Unstrut, Germany

April 6, 2009

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“In all things there is something of the marvellous”, Aristotle, 384-322 B.C.

Four days ago my colleague and friend Christian brought us a bottle of Riesling Cuvée from Saale-Unstrut, the most northern wine region of Germany. It did not last long. The first occasion was excuse enough for us to open this rare bottle of German wine. The ‘2007 Riesling Traminer Saale-Unstrut’ from the Winzervereinigung Freyburg-Unstrut (a type of co-operative) was a most amazing wine, a treasure here in Bangkok.

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Saale-Unstrut is not only the most northern wine region of continental Europe but also one of the smallest in size (below 700 ha). It takes it’s name from two rivers: Saale and Unstrut. Grpae growing and wine production, though, go back a long way. The earliest prove dates from around 998 A.D. and covers the wines from Memleben Abbey.

The climate in the region is generally rough and very cold. Only in very warm years can good wines (Spaetlese, Auslese) be made. Yields are usually very low in comparison with other German wine regions. About 75% of the grapes grown are white varieties, among them Mueller-Thurgau, Silvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Traminer and other white varieties. However, given global warming more and more wines from Saale-Unstrut are of outstanding quality and find eager consumers.

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We had this Riesling-Traminer Cuvée with Sunday lunch. I must admit that I never before heard of such a cuvée blending Riesling, my favourite white wine, with Traminer. Both are aromatic varieties but of a very different nature. The Cuvée displayed a honey aroma and tasted like peaches and apricots. The finish was acidic and sharp but not unpleasant. The wine has 12% alcohol, is very young but well balanced. Unfortunately, we had only this one bottle. It matched the food perfectly. So what was the food?

Well, it was a recipe from my favourite cooking book, the Philosopher’s Kitchen by Francine Segan which contains recipes from ancient Greece and Rome.

“Grouper with herbs and pecorino” (originally the fish in the recipe was ray fish, Francine uses skate, but any white fish will do) was the plate of the day.

The dish is accented with fresh fragrant marjoram, a herb that “Aristotle believed was an antidote to most poisons”. You take the following ingredients:

– 1 ½ cups of white wine
– 2 pounds skinned grouper, cut into 4 pieces
– Salt and freshly milled pepper
– 2 tablespoons minced assorted fresh herbs, such as parsley, mint, dill, and chives, lots of majoram
-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
– 2 tablespoons grated pecorino cheese

How is it done?
Well, first bring white wine to a boil over high heat until reduced to half (5-6 minutes); season the fish with salt and pepper.
Then add marjoram and minced herbs, oil and mix with the hot wine, add fish and cook until firm, about 3 minutes. Serve topped with the cheese and a sprig of marjoram. The recipe can be found in the above book of Francine Segan page 97 (From Life of luxury, Archestratus).

We had it with potatoes and a salad (cucumber with orange and walnuts).

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The potatoes

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The fish with the herbs

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On the plate

Needless to say, the food was very yummy. The four of us gobbled it up in no time. Especially my children were amazed (usually they prefer meat) that fish can taste that good. It is only the second recipe I know of where fish and cheese are successfully matched together.

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After lunch it was espresso and Averna and some Belgian chocolates. I followed up with a cigar (a Casa de Torres, CT, Nicaragua, hand made).

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What a beautiful smoke!

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Back in Bangkok, homesick and nostalgia

March 26, 2009

Being back in the warmth of Bangkok and reunited with the family is not bad after all. And I brought back a bottle of Mosel Riesling. To be correct, a bottle of ‘2007 Ayler Kupp Riesling Bischoefliches Konvikt’ from the Saar. (It’s a pity that wine bottles are so heavy).

But I still feel torn somehow. The short visit to my mum in Trier was lovely as always. My heart is in at least three different places: Bangkok, Trier and Glenburn.

I apologize to my non-German speaking visitors and put here a short video by Helmut Leiendecker from the band Leiendecker Bloas, a local music group from Trier.

The topic is “zobben” and even people who do not understand our local vernacular will get an idea what Helmut Leidendecker is talking about in this beautiful poem.

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Berlin in March

March 20, 2009

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The German flag in front of the parliamentary building

It was our family day, but I was far away from the family in Bangkok. My program in Berlin with my Thai visitors ended late. It was a cold night. I walked around the block in circles and found this Italian place, called “Vapiano”. It was a quite fashionable place as the pictures below show. They used a kind of debit card system as we have it in Bangkok. Red was the dominant colour.

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An olive tree in the middle of the place

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Red chandeliers

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And a red light on the table

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Rioja wine

I asked the bar tender what wine she would recommend. She poured me a glass of ‘2003 Baron de Ley Reserva Rioja’. I do no know much about Spanish wine, so I was grateful for the recommendation.

I loved the wine. It was luscious and heavy, full of red fruit flavours, with beautiful length on the palate. What a beautiful Tempranillo.

I also enjoyed the atmosphere of the place, the friendliness of the staff and promised to come back for some more Rioja wine. If you are in Berlin, check out the place, that’s my recommendation.

Restaurant:
VAPIANO
Mittelstr. 51-52
10117 BerlinTel.: +49-30-50154100

Baron de Ley
Rioja
2003 Reserva
13.5 %
www.barondeley.com

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