Les Ormes de Cambras – Merlot from France

May 9, 2010

I grabbed the bottle from the supermarket shelve. Just like that. Again, I liked the label. This time a traditional one, with some trees, an alley. Later I learned that they were elm trees. I also liked the price, below 450 Bath (about 11 EURO) which is cheap for Thai conditions. That of course also meant that this wine was a “cheap” one, considered the many import duties and the exorbitantly high Thai alcohol taxes.

‘Les Ormes de Cambras Merlot’, the wine is called (2008 vintage). It’s alcohol content is quite low (12.5%), the colour is a beautiful dark red. Since we produce Merlot ourselves, I am often intrigued to buy other peoples Merlot to see what it is like.

The website of Les Ormes de Cambras told me that the Merlot could be had for 2.30 EURO/bottle in France if you also buy the three other wines produced by this enterprise (a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Cinsault).

2.3 versus 11 EURO for the bottle. I wonder how much the producer of the wine gets from this? What is his profit? 20 cents? 30 cents?

Since the website does not say anything about a vineyard, I assume this is a mass wine of industrial dimensions. But it tasted much nicer than expected. I might consider to get some more bottles.

‘2008 Les Ormes de Cambras Merlot’, Vin de pays d’Oc, France

We always have food with our wine. It was a light dinner, just the celery salad with olives, carrots, peppers and garlic and some self-baked white bread. Delicious, and so healthy.

The Merlot was sufficiently well balanced, not heavy, a fruity almost elegant wine which went well with the salad.

A salad for dinner

The celery salad

By the way, Les Ormes de Cambras is located near the city of Béziers in Languedoc in the South-west of France.

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The good life on the farm

April 22, 2010

We have hearty good food when on the farm in Glenburn. The beautiful autumn weather allowed us to sit outside and enjoy pasta dishes, meats, salads and other rural food in the mid-day sun. And we all love Italian cuisine.

Zucchini pasta

Insalata caprese

We also have wine with the food. Often we just open a bottle of Two Hills Merlot. But more often than not, we are tasting wines made by our friends in the wine industry. The cucchini pasta we had for instance with a bottle of 2009 Sauvignon Blanc from Steve Sadlier’s vineyard, Nenagh Park, in Yarra Glen.

It has no label as yet, what Australians call “clean skins”, but it’s a ripper of a wine, not in the New Zealand style but rather the one of Sancerre, France. Epicurus would give an arm and a leg to be with us, for sure.

Steve’s Sauvignon Blanc

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Getting ready for the 2010 vintage

February 22, 2010

Two Hills Pinot Noir shortly before the nets went on

The nets are on now, and we are expecting a good harvest at Two Hills Vineyard for 2010. After the total loss of last year the prospects are not too bad.

Estimates are:

– Sauvignon Blanc: about 8 tonnes of fruit, and already sold
– Pinot Noir: about 5 tonnes of fruit and still looking for a home

The Merlot grapes look good too, but we are not making any wine this year. This will make the bird in the vicinity very happy, what a feast. That’s the price we have to pay for the grape glut. It’s sad but cannot be helped at this point in time.

Our new tractor will come into action for the vintage. This will make things easier, I hope.
Let us hope no unexpected disaster occurs before the grapes are in safely.

The plan for 2011 is to mothball the vineyard for a couple of years and see if the market recovers.

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Restaurant review: Bombay Palace, Kuala Lumpur

November 17, 2009

Bombay Palace

A beautiful building houses the Bombay Palace: 1001 nights come to mind

I usually do not use business dinners as a source for my blog entries. However, in the case of Bombay Palace I make an exception from this rule. I had started the day (a Sunday) with an Indian breakfast to which my friends took my in one of the many shop-house-eateries in Bangsa. Needless to say that it was super delicious.

Bombay Palace1

The excursion of my taste buds to the Indian subcontinent continued with the dinner at Bombay Palace. I always wanted to dine there but the occasion never arose. Therefore, I was very excited about the prospect of a dinner in this famous restaurant. Ever since living in New Delhi I love north Indian food.

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A water fountain decorated with roses was to be found in the entrance hall

I did not feel like eating any meet, and therefore ordered a vegetarian “platter”, a selection of various vegetarian north Indian dishes as you can see from the photos below. The food was excellent, and so was the service in the restaurant. I can only highly recommend the place. You must eat there! if visiting Kuala Lumpur.

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Condiments

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My “selection” of vegetarian dishes

The wine list included wines from all over the world. After discussing wine preferences with my fellow diners, I selected a French wine, a ‘2006 Sancerre’ by Pascal Jolivet, a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire, France (12.5% vol. alc.). I love Sauvignon Blanc wines not only because we grow our own but because I just love the finesse, the crispness and the fruity flavours.

Pascal Jolivet is a unique guy with a strong philosophy when it comes to the making of fine wines. With more than 30 ha under vines the Domaine Pascal Jolivet is not a boutique producer. His vineyards are located in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume in the Loire valley. In the USA the ‘2006 Sancerre’ retails for about US$ 22. We very much enjoyed this clean and crisp wine, just the right choice since it went well with our meals.

I admit that this was my first encounter with a wine of Pascal Jolivet. I do not drink much French wine but this time I was in an exploratory mood which is good from time to time. I recommend it and also the Sancerre by Pascal Jolivet.

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The wine list

To sum up my experience I must say that the evening at Bombay Palace was just great. The food was excellent and the wine list gives you enough choice to find a complement to the north Indian cuisine. I will come back, promise.

Address:
Bombay Palace
www.bombaypalacerestaurantkl.com
215, Jalan Tun Razak
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan 50400, Malaysia
+60 3 2145-4241

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Climate change and grape varieties

November 2, 2009

RieslingSchoden

Riesling grapes in Schoden, Saar, shortly before vintage 2009

Uff, I am reading in todays “Your Daily Wine News” newsletter that some of Australia’s top wine experts think that over the next 20 years climate change will be responsible for the decline of Shiraz and Chardonnay and the rise of varieties such as Vermentino, Arneis, Nebbiolo, Pinot Grigio and Viognier (some call them “alternative varieties”).

This is bad news for me and my own small vineyard. At Two Hills Vineyard we have concentrated on some of the traditional French varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Chardonnay (first vintage in 2011 or 2012). Our fruit ripens usually well (if we do not suffer severe frosts) and shows a superior quality. But will that persist under the conditions of climate change?

I still remember vividly how I pulled out the 2 1/2 acres of Cabernet. it was hard work, wrapping a chain around every single vine and lifting the hydraulic of the tractor. I should have left them in, I guess. If temperatures rise in Glenburn, the drought persits, and/or we’ll have less percipitation in the future, Cabernet could have been the ideal variety for our spot. I ripped the vines out because the grapes would not fully ripen. At the moment we have sufficient water, our two dams are overflowing after years of drought but that might change quickly again.

Another issue is age, my age. At 55 I might still have a chance to enjoy some of the coming Chardonnay vintages but replanting would “cost” me many years of waiting. I could contemplate to plant on our second hill where we still have another 5-6 acres of space. Well, let us see what is going to come.

At least there is no politician who tells me what to do and chances are small that an elector such as Clemens Wenzeslaus of Saxonia, who changed the Mosel by instructing vintners to ripp out their red varieties and replant with Riesling, would appear on the Australian scene. However, danger is looming from the anti-alcohol lobby in Canberra which is working day and night to convince law-makers that the purchase of alcoholic beaverages needs to be made more costly for the consumer and profitable for the taxmen.

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2008 Aspen Estate Semillion Sauvignon Blanc

September 6, 2009

Wine prices in Bangkok are somehow comparable to what we call in German “pharmacy prices”, meaning a price for a slightly overpriced product; the reason for the price being that if you buy such an “ordinary product” in a pharmacy you pay top notch prices as for a “luxury” good.

AspenSSB080

Every time I go shopping in our supermarket around the corner in Thonglor, I have this “pharmacy” experience when buying wine. Take my latest buy, a ‘2008 Aspen Estate Semillion Sauvignon Blanc’, a simple mass-produced, industrial wine which is shipped to any place in Australia for about A$ 5.40 per bottle plus a A$ 0.90 surcharge for shipping. This wine costs a whopping A$ 17.30 (about 10 Euro) in my supermarket. With such prices one tends to consume only medicinal dosages of fermented grape juice.

AspenSSB081

Mind you, because of the great wine glut in Australia, companies are flogging their wines for much lower prices than in the past. Therefore, wine prices in my supermarket have come down a little. We also have more choices at the lowest price point (350 to 500 Bath/bottle). Even a Yering Station white you can have for 650 to 800 Bath which is not bad. It is just the taxes which kill us here in Thailand.

I know already your suggestion: why on earth are you not turning your back on Thailand and moving into vintners heaven? Well, eventually I will, be patient mate.

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Germany: Asparagus season

May 26, 2009

Asparagus1

A spring delicacy in Germany

It is the asparagus season in Germany and I had the opportunity to indulge myself into quite a few “asparagus orgies”. Fresh white asparagus is so delicious. I like it with just some melted butter, a few potatoes, and maybe some fresh German ham.

Asparagus2

Tender asparagus tops

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Delicious potatoes

What wine do you drink with asparagus? Well, I had a simple Riesling from the Rheingau. But almost all white wines pair well with white asparagus. Germany is a Mecca for white wines. The recent edition of the “Weinwelt” (wine world) magazine identified four best buy whites to consume with asparagus. All were of different grape varieties (Vinho Verde, Silvaner, Sauvignon Blanc and Grüner Veltliner but no Riesling), and all can be purchased for under € 7.-, what a bargain. They were:

– ‘2008 Quinta de Azevedo Vinho Verde’ by Sogrape Vinhos, Portugal;

– ‘2008 Grüner Silvaner, dry’ by Weingut Manz, Rheinhessen;

– ‘2008 Tour de Pocé Sauvignon Blanc Réserve’ by Pierre Chainier, Touraine, France;

– ‘2008 Grüner Veltliner Hundschupfen, dry’ by Weingut Hagn, Mailberg, Austria.

I have not tried any of them as yet but reading the review brought tears to my eyes, my nose was hallucinating, and my taste buds seemed to feel the crispness of the wines.

Asparagus4

My “simple” Rheingau Riesling

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Spring in Schoden, Saar

May 25, 2009

Spring was in full force when I visited Germany recently. The sky was blue and everything was fresh, a young green covered the land. As always I accompanied my friend Heinz on the hunt in Schoden, Saar. We took a tour around the 500 ha of hunting ground rented from the local land owners association (“Gehoeferschaft).

I took photos of the vines at “Herrenberg” one of the best terroirs at the steep hillside overlooking the Saar valley.

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The canes are bent down and arranged in a circle

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The Herrenberg vineyards are very steep

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The view downwards

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New shoots

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The flowers are almost ready

And guess what I found in my mothers cellar? A rare bottle of ‘2001 Two Hills Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc’.
The colour of the wine was still a splendid light straw, and it was drinkable. Of course it had lost its zest, almost no finish but it was still OK with my meal, I must say. A clean white wine.

Schx

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Wine heaven – my visit to Berlin

May 16, 2009

Wineandcigar

During my brief visit to Berlin, I tasted quite a few fine wines. I do not want to bore you with long stories. The following three wines are, according to my taste buds, highly commendable.

‘2007 Sauvignon Blanc Baron de Philippe de Rothschild‘, Languedoc-Roussillion, France

I do not know much about French wines, but this SB is just perfect. I loved it with the fresh asparagus dish. It had all the varietal character of an SB and a crispness which blew me away. Very dry with wonderful passion and kiwi fruit aromas with a formidable minerality.

‘2006 Merlot Weingut Leopold Aumann‘, Tribuswinkel-Thermenregion, Austria

Austrian wines are the vogue in Germany (highest increase in exports to Germany this year). This Merlot by Leopold Aumann was an excellent example of the high art of wine making by our Austrian neighbours. I could not get enough of it, soft and full blown fruitiness.

‘2007 Künstler Kirchenstück Dry Riesling’, Rheingau, Germany

“Kirchenstück” is one of the oldest (1271 !!!!) and best “terroirs” of the Rheingau. This young and very dry Riesling is a wine with great finesse, filigree and a wonderful lingering finish. I am sure it will ripen well in the bottle and in your cellar. If you can get hold of some bottles: buy, buy, buy.

Soon more about fine wines. Germany is just a Mecca for wine lovers (so are France and Austria).

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Sunday Family Lunch in Bangkok

November 23, 2008

Sunday lunch is our favourite family affair. Usually the girls are doing their homework, Margit does the magic in the kitchen and I try to set the table, prepare the wines and do some of the supporting cast work.

In the morning we went to the Villa Market to buy the ingredients. Asia is great in this respect. Shops are open seven days a week and the Villa Market is just around the corner from our flat in Thong Loh, Bangkok.

“Sole with Walnuts in Parchment” from my favourite cook book –“The Philosophers’s Kitchen” by Francine Segan – was on the agenda. We could not get sole but grouper was available. Parchment paper was also on hand. The adventure could begin. And the recipe goes like this (page 110 of the above book):

Ingredients:
– 1 cup shelled walnuts (have you ever had unshelled walnuts in a dish?)
– 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
– 1 cup fresh mint leaves
– 1 garlic clove, minced
– 1 tablespoon honey
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
– 2 tablespoons walnut or olive oil (we had the latter)
– sea salt and freshly milled five-colour peppercorns (we took fresh green ones)
– 4 lemon sole fillets (in our case grouper), about 8 ounces each
– four 12 by 12 inches sheets of parchment paper
– 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
– lemon wedges

How to do the magic:
Well, first heat the oven to about 220 centigrades. Grind the walnuts finely, add the parsley, the mint, garlic, the cumin, the honey, the oil, the salt and the pepper. Puree this mesh until it is well blended. Divide the stuffing in four parts and spread it on the top of the four fish fillets. Then roll the fillets with the stuffing inside. Put two fillets on one sheet of parchment, dot the top of each with some butter, close the packet folding the parchment in pleads. Tuck the ends under the fish and put it into the oven. After about 15 minutes they are ready.

We had green asparagus grilled with parmesan on top, mushrooms and potatoes with it. Have a look at the dishes below. I love Francine’s recipes.

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The grouper in parchment

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Green asparagus with parmesan cheese

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The mushrooms

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The potatoes

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Voila: the Sunday meal

You will ask what wine we had with this delicious meal. Well, we are still experimenting with the wines here in Bangkok. I choose a Thai wine (a rose). Unfortunately I tried the lower price end. It did not work. Nothing to report on the wine front. Sorry.

Wines are not cheap in Thailand. The lower price range starts at about 6-7 EURO/bottle, minimum prices for mass wines are 10-12 EURO. For a decent drop you have to fork out the minimum of 20 EURO. This situation is not conducive to extensive wine tastings. There is a great variety of wines from all over the world to chose from but the prices hinder you somehow.

I should have chosen a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand or a Riesling from the Mosel (but had nothing at hand).

Source:
The Philosopher’s Kitchen
Recipes from Ancient Greece and Rome for the Modern Cook
by Francine Segan
Random House, New York 2004

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