Leone Catani – Two litre bottles of Nero d’Avola from Sicily

October 7, 2012

Leone Catani – Nero d’Avola

Well, how should I say it? I cannot afford for every day drinking the wine on offer in 0.7 bottles any longer. Wine prices in Thailand are just too high.

Instead, we have taken to some cheap stuff. I know, that ‘life is too short to drink cheap wine’. However, some of the cheap stuff is actually quite drinkable.

The above wine is one of them, easily available in any super-market in Bangkok. Value for money, so to say, and in a two litre bottle. I feel like in the good old student days.

It is not worth to try to identify the producer or the location. No, just enjoy a drop of red for “the time in between”, I would like to call it.

Cheers from Bangkok.

18 Comments | wine, wine regions, wineries | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver

Buying wine online in Bangkok

June 26, 2012

Last Saturday I did what I have never done before: I bought wine through the internet. Through facebook I found Bacchusonline. I ordered three bottles, some random selection basically, so that the total value was above Bath 2,000.

In that case, Bacchusonline said that they would deliver for free. This was done at 10 in the morning and at 16 h we had our three bottles deliverd. We paid cash and that was it. Fantastic. What great service.

In another post I will tell you what I bought.

17 Comments | wine | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver

SIP – My favourite wine bar in Bangkok

June 21, 2012

SIP Wine Bar and Tasting

Since a long time I want to write about my favourite “watering hole” in Bangkok. It is a small and unassuming place in Soi Ekamai, just a couple of meters from my office. I pass by there every day when walking to and from work.

It’s name is SIP Wine Bar and Tasting. Victor, the owner and manager is a great guy, passionate about wines and extremely knowledgeable. SIP offers value for money. So it is no wonder that tripadvisor gives it 4 1/2 stars out of five.

No space to hide

The other day when we were dropping in for a quite evening sip, we found ourselves in a large group of customers. The place was choker blocker full because the Bangkok Wine Club and about 30 of it’s members had flocked to SIP for their monthly get together.

Our wine

We met some interesting people and had some interesting conversations. The ‘2011 Yellowwood Tree Pinotage’ from the Western Cape in South Africa was a medium bodied wine with nice fruit aromas, a wine for easy drinking.

Victor has a good collection of wines from all over the world. Moreover, given the fact that wine prices in Thailand are astronomical (among other because of the high taxes), SIP offers value for money. You will not regret it. I suggest you check it out yourself.

Address:
SIP Wine Bar and Tasting
33/32 Sukhumvit Soi 63 Ekamai
Klongton-nua, Wattana,
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel.: +66-27142223
Mobile: +66-816998748
e-mail: victor2sipwinebar.com
www.sipwinebar.com

Leave a Comment » | wine, wine bars | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver

Summer lunch with Vinho Verde in Bangkok

May 21, 2012

Casal Mendes Vinho Verde

At the end of the dry season in tropical Bangkok temperatures reach above the 40 Celsius. Fortunately, the humidity is rather low at this time of the year, at least before the casual tropical rain shower goes down. These showeres become more and more frequent over the next weeks until the transition to the rainy season is completed.

Therefore, light lunches are the go. Nobody wants rich and filling food but instead prefers salads, grilled vegetables and maybe something fresh from the water.

Regarding the wine selection low alcohol Riesling wines are my preferred choice. But another wine which is ideally suited to the conditions are whites from Portugal, especially Vinho Verde. Fortunately for us in Bangkok some Casal Mendes Vinho Verde is available.

We had such a lunch last Staurday, with grilled green asparagus, an insalata caprese, and some grilled scampi. The olive oil we are using is of first quality. Needless to say the disheses were just delicious.

Green asparagus

Mozzarella with organic tomatoes

Grilled scampi

What a meal

Leave a Comment » | food, wine | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver

My first whisky tasting (single malts only)

May 7, 2012

The evening program with the first single malt

The Goethe Institute in Bangkok invited me to an interesting new format: “a literary whisky tasting”, which I admit I could not resist. About 20 selected invitees followed the invitation and had assembled in the Institutes library for this innovative event.

Mr Johannes Scherer from the German stock exchange association of the German book traders (Boersenverein des deutschen Buchhandels) who was in Bangkok for the German photo-book price award exhibition, was the presenter.

Johannes Scherer

He read five short stories in German from a collection of stories about whisky. For the ones of you who read German, I write them down in chronological order:

– Elke Schleich: Begegnung mit Whisky
– Markus Niebios: Der perfekte Augenblick
– Reinhart Hummel: Miese Zeiten
– Angelika Brox: Teufelszeug
– Fenna Williams: Goldenes Versprechen

They all came from a book titled “Aqua Vitae – a literary whisky tasting”.

The sequence was as follows: First the art (production process etc.) of making single malts was explained. Then the story was red to us. And finally the specific single malt, his history, the making, and the tasting notes were presented. We tasted the single malts together, and exchanged the experience. Questions could be asked, comments shared. Often the specific whisky was part of the short story.

A slide from the presentation

The five single malts were:

– Lowlands – Auchentoshan 10 years old

– Highlands – Dalmore 12 years old

– Speyside – Craggenmore 12 years old

– Isle of Skye – Talisker 10 years old

– Islay – Caol Ila 12 years old

I had drunk the last three before (especially Caol Ila). Dalmore I had heard of, and Auchentoshan was completely new to me.

We moved from a no-peat content (the first three) to a higher peat content (the last two) so to say. Lots of interesting information about the history of the production of single malts was imparted on us. I loved the tasting notes, I must say – maybe because they reminded me of fine wines?

I usually prefer the malts with peat aromas. However, this tasting brought the more subtle ones closer to my heart.

The five single malts we tasted in the library

Conclusions
This was a great evening. I loved the wonderful atmosphere and the playfulness in the exploration of new “taste territories”. I also enjoyed the stories, some of them funny, some sad, others sombre but always with the bit of wit, some detachment, which allowed them to touch the heart.

Thank you Dr. Spitz for inviting me.

I am contemplating to copy the format and to set something up on “liberalism and the art of drinking whisky and/or wine”.

PS: It turned out that Mr Scherer was a wine connoisseur with a large knowledge about fine wines and an even larger wine cellar.

1 Comment | culture | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver

One of these days – food by phone

April 9, 2012

During the holidays there is always the odd day out where nobody wants to cook and/or prepare a meal but people are still hungry. The natural solution to such a challenge is: yes, right – food by phone.

We all know it, we all experienced it. Here in Bangkok, food by phone is well organized. We all craved for pizza, and pizza it was. Needless to say, it was a delicious pizza.

Pizza Margeritha, my favourite

From the super market, we brought home a bottle of ‘2009 Jacob’s Creek Shiraz’. According to the bottle, it had won a gold (in 2011) and a bronze medal (in 2010) at some wine competition. However, ever since our days in China (1990-96), my wife hates Jacob’s Creek wines, regardless what medals the wine has won.

Jacob’s Creek Shiraz

I did not let it breathe enough, I guess. But after “warming up” it was a very nice wine, with supple plum aromas, a good structure and a reasonable long finish.

I was very pleased with myself, that I had bought this wine despite the strong negative feelings my wife holds towards this brand, and anyway we needed a bottle of wine to go with the pizza.

Hurrah, we had a great dinner, and all four of us went to bed duly satisfied.

Leave a Comment » | culture | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver

Easter Sunday at the Great Hornbill Bistro in Sukhumvit 39, Bangkok

April 8, 2012

The Great Hornbill bistro

It was a glorious Sunday morning, this Easter in Bangkok. The four of us had booked a table at the Great Hornbill Bistro in Sukhumvit 39 which is basically the urban cellar door for PB Valley Wines.

We came for a late breakfast and had planned to spend a couple of hours at the Great Hornbill so that we could also have lunch. I also intended to buy some of PB Valley’s wines.

The inside, light, but the tree in front provides some shade

From the grand opening, we knew that the Great Hornbill offers excellent food and great service. Moreover, we also like the wines of PB Valley Winery. We had not been back since that event, somehow it never worked out with all my travels, school and sport events and so on.

So let us see what we had: Breakfast first.

We start the day at around 5.30-6.00 in the morning, usually on our terrace where we read and linger. So we had had our morning coffee (cappuccino) and a cookie with it. Naturally we were ravenous at about 10 when we got to the Great Hornbill Bistro. At this time of day, the place was not crowded, the waiters were very attentive and very accommodating to our needs.

So what did we have?

Egg Benedictine seemed just the right stuff, one was with salmon the other regular. The girls went for the sweet stuff, a banana pancake. All very yummy. What a good beginning this was.

Salmon

Regular

The sweet stuff

Then (after we had some pleasant parent-teenager conversation) came lunch.

(I admit we ordered a bottle of ‘2010 PB Valley Reserve Chenin Blanc’ with the breakfast. Not because we are alcoholics, no, but because it felt like the first full meal of the day which warranted a proper glass of wine.)

PB Valley Chenin Blanc

This is a very nice wine, medium bodied with a good structure, with tropical fruit flavours and some vanilla from the oak barrels the wine is aged in (12 months). Very refreshing in the tropics, just the right wine to go with breakfast and a light lunch.

..and lunch was????

Lucy ordered the duck a l’orange

Margit went for the spicy penne with sausage

Charlotte had a chicken curry with roti

And I had this lovely pasta

Needless to say, we had a second delicious bottle of PB Valley Reserve Chenin Blanc.

The food was very good, fresh and with great taste. The pasta was “al dente” which in Asia is not easy to get (cooks often seem to think “noodles are noodles”). We had a great time, placed our wine order (the Great Hornbill delivers the wine to your home), and will be back soon.

Do you look for a pleasant place to have breakfast? The Great Hornbill Bistro is it.

Address:
The Great Hornbill Bistro
59/3 Sukhumvit 39 Road
Klongton Nua, Wattana,
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel:+66 2 262 0030 Ext. 118
Fax:+66 2 262 0029
Mobile: +66 81 834 7910
Email: hospitality@pb-partners.com
GPS Location: 13°44’15.58”N 100°34’17.62”E

Leave a Comment » | food, Restaurant Review, wine | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver

La Pala – Pizza Romana – walk in eatery in Bangkok

March 19, 2012

Welcome to my city: Krung thep, the city of angels

Bangkok is a fascinating Asian mega-city. Millions of people visit it every year. Bangkok is where different people from different cultures meet, relax, shop, trade, interact and enjoy each others diversity.

This is also reflected in the great variety of different eateries from East and West. None of the major world cuisines is not represented. And Bangkokians love food, their own and foreign food. Therefore it is no surprise that Bangkok has a vibrant restaurant culture catering to the needs of the poor and the prosperous alike.

The entrance to La Pala, right below the Asoke BTS station

Recently, I discovered a new Italian eatery, La Pala, right below the Asoke BTS train station. La Pala offers Pizza Romana style food. The quality of the food ingredients is the key, as are the service and the hospitality in general.

La Pala is not a romantic place. The crossing with the BTS station, the underground, the overpass and the shopping malls around it, is one of the busiest corners in Bangkok, bustling with people and traffic. La Pala is “practical” without frills, it is down to earth and at the same time a place to escape from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok.

The counter with cheese and ham

The pizza oven and work benches

The food is simple but delicious as you can see from the three pictures below. Of course there is also pizza by the half-meter and the meter, or in small pieces. But you can also order a pasta or a risotto.

A tuna salad

More salad

Focaccia in many different variations

Italian food would not be complete without wine. This is one feature I like best in La Pala. You just order by the glass or a bottle, and there is some good choice of delicious Italian wines.

We sampled a bottle of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, a region West of Ancona in Le Marche. It was immediately put into a bucket with ice to keep it cool.

Claudio Volpetti, the owner, is from Rome. He imports high quality Italian food items for five star hotels in Thailand. He has also a small selection of wines you can order with a order form called Wine “Meranda”.

On this list you can find an Amarone delle Valpolicella by Villa Girardi, a Moscato d’Asti Nivole by Michele Chiarlo, Crede Prosecco Brut by Bisol, a Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi by Garofoli and Liano, a Sangiovese Cabernet Sauvignon blend by Umberto Cesari.

The address of La Pala

So if you find yourself hungry and stressed out from over-shopping in Bangkok, go to Asoke BTS station and find refuge in La Pala, enjoy the warm hospitality, the excellent food and fine wines. Needless to say you will bump into many Italians there, clear evidence for the outstanding quality. Check it out. Enjoy a bit of home far away from home.

2 Comments | culture, food, wine | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver

Fine dining in Bangkok: Patara Restaurant revisited

March 15, 2012

My favourite Thai restaurant in Bangkok is Patara in Thonglor which offers exceptional fine Thai cuisine of greatest quality.

I have written about the place a few times, but it is always a very special occasion when the four of us, I mean my family, are heading to Patara for a family experience.

In 2009 Patara was awarded the title: the Best Restaurant in Thailand. We have taken some of our closest friends there to share this experience.

The interior of Patara restaurant

The other day, a Sunday, it was time again to patronize the place, and indulge in fine Thai cuisine. And look what we ordered. The starter platter is just a wonderful assortment of various delicious Thai dishes.

The starter platter

Another starter

Pork wrapped in bamboo leaves

Also the main dishes are fabulous. I love the steamed fish with herbs, but also the omelet Thai style, the greens and the steamed rice in four colours.

The steamed fish

Omelet Thai style

Morning glory greens

Steamed rice in four colours

I was pleasantly surprised to find a few Thai wines on the wine list. New latitude wines from Thailand are some of my favourite wines since I live here in Bangkok.

I choose the ‘2010 Colombard’ from Monsoon Valley Wines in Hua Hin. The winery has a German wine-maker, Kathrin Puff, who graduated from Geisenheim. I met her at the 3rd International Symposium of Tropical Wine in Chiangmai in November last year.

2010 Colombard from Monsoon Valley Wine

I usually do not like the grape variety. But here in Thailand Colombard makes incredible delicious single varietal wines. It is Monsoon Valley premium range brand.

The 2010 vintage won silver and bronze awards. It has a crisp acidity with complex aromas, and a nice finish. Needless to say the wine goes very well with Asian food. I was glad that I had selected it, and was reminded that I need to stock up on the wine myself.

The back label of the Colombard from Monsoon Valley

Dessert

And another sweet

Of course we had a coffee after the delicious meal and the desserts. Another highlight is that Patara offers to take you home in their Tuktuk, an open air three-wheeler, which is great fun for old and young.

Check it out. It is definitively worth it.

Address:
Patara Bangkok
375 Soi Thonglor 19 Sukhumvit 55,
Klongtonnua Vadhana, Bangkok 10110
Tel.: +66-0-2185 2960-1
Fax.: +66-0-2185 2962
www.patarathailand.com

1 Comment | culture, food, Restaurant Review, wine | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver

Opening Night – The Great Hornbill Bistro, Bangkok

February 29, 2012

The other day, Heribert Gaksch, responsible for marketing and business develpment at PB Partners which include restaurants and the PB Valley Winery, invited me to the official opening of its newest venture: the Great Hornbill Bistro in Bangkok.

The opening was a great opportunity to also present the whole range of the wines produced by PB Valley Winery. I had visited the winery some years ago and reported briefly about it on this blog.

With the opening of the Great Hornbill Bistro, the winery has come to town, so to say.

At the 3rd International Symposium on Tropical Wine in Chaing Mai in November last year, I had also met Prayut Piangbunta. PB Valley oenologist and wine-maker (he is also the director and manger of PB Valley). Khun Prayut was Thailands first oenologist. From 1996 to 1998 he had studied in Weinsberg, asmall town in my native Germany.

Needless to say, Prayut was also in town for the opening, despite the fact that in the middle of vintage time, the chief wine-maker has to organise pickers and winery staff in Khao Yai for harvesting and processing of the new grapes.

I did not take any photo of the event myself. This is why I just put photos of the brochures into this blog entry. I was just to busy enjoying the food, the wines and the great company at the opening.

Everything was impressive. It was a splendid evening. The wines of PB Valley are just wonderful. I will have more of them, especially the Chenin Blanc and the red blend with the Dornfelder.

So my suggestion to Bangkok wine and food lovers is to check out the Great Hornbill Bistro and sample the wines of PB Valley.
Cheers

Address:
The Great Hornbill Bistro             
Bistro and Wine Shop (B.B. Holding Co. Ltd.)   
59/3 Sukhumvit 39 Road                         
Klongton Nua, Wattana,                                                     
Bangkok 10110, Thailand  
Tel:+66 2 262 0030 Ext. 118     
Fax:+66 2 262 0029
Mobile: +66 81 834 7910     
Email: hospitality@pb-partners.com
GPS Location: 13°44’15.58”N 100°34’17.62”E      

2 Comments | food, wine, wineries | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »