All posts filed under: Life in France

studying wine in France

Chateau Franc Maillet

Wine More Time – Bordeaux Wine Bar

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I am going through an adjustment phase after I got back from the Burgundy tour; feeling burnt out and lazy. During my tour, I started to miss Bordeaux just after 2 days and became rather desperate for Bordeaux wines after the third day, finding myself counting down to the last day of the tour. The feeling that I had developed about Bordeaux wines, kind of a comfort thing, was so unexpected and surprising that it seemed that my relationship with Bordeaux and Bordeaux wines had gone into a deeper stage in our time apart, like in “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” I didn’t realise I would miss you this much, the charming small streets, the vibrant energy and all.

Château Mirebeau 2002 / Château Labegorce 1998

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The more wine I taste and study, the more complicated and confused I’m getting. New discoveries have destroyed some of my previous knowledge about wine completely. Passion fruit, for instance, is the aroma I associated with NZ Sauvignon Blanc, which I like, but according to wine chemistry, it is one of flaws in wine, and so is the nutty aroma. Recently I’ve been obsessing with chemistry of wine, and some of the questions I had about “sulfite reduction and aromas” caused by the lack of oxygen have been answered through extensive reading and listening. Wine is becoming science at the moment, but I can’t wait to get back to tasting it as fantastic and delicious alchemical grape juice and just enjoying it. The biggest confusion came in a series of tasting events in the last week including Salon de Vignerons Independants, where I detected all kinds of aromas that I had only heard of but hadn’t smelt before. Some wines had very unmistakable off-odors such as cat’s pee, burnt match and cooked cabbage beyond the …

raclette

Raclette Bordeaux Style

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Some might think….”Isn’t it too late for raclette?” Oui, maybe…? I love cheese, but I must admit I am not a fan of raclette or fondue for the same reason that overdosing on cheese in one meal isn’t a good idea. Plus, when you do fondue or raclette, you need to eat fast to get the benefit of hot cheese, but I am a slow eater so….for me, it seems that it just kills the goodness of raw milk cheese. Having said that, it is the atmosphere surrounding the raclette table that matters, and I like the spirits of sharing and eating non-stop. It is, in a way, a BBQ, and in every culture, the ritual of gathering and eating together is at the core of life and humanity.

Review – Portes Ouvertes en Médoc – Part 2

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My journey into the secrets and myths of Bordeaux wine has led me to many things about wine, technical as well as political. I started to feel a bit puzzled, after the visit to St-Emilion last week and the encounters with sommeliers, about the business side of wine industry and the pure love and passion for wine. The more I discover about the politics and dirty deals going on in the wine industry, the less enthusiastic I become about studying. I’ve never been keen on St-Emilion from the beginning simply because it wasn’t complex or savoury for my taste. The wine tasting in St-Emilion last week and an agglomerated cork in  Château Cardinal-Villemaurine Grand Cru Classé, 2009 St.Emilion assured me to steer clear of St-Emilion.

Review – Portes Ouvertes en Médoc – Part 1

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I am sorry for the delayed reviews of the “open doors” tasting in Médoc I did last Saturday and Sunday. Being swamped with the photos to edit and notes I took of the wines I tasted, I begin to realise how convenient it would be to have a smart phone to upload instantly. Especially, last night when I talked about châteaux I visited, I had difficulty matching the  chateaux and their wines. So I’m forcing myself to write the reviews on a Easter Sunday when I’m supposed to be off work! My mentor and I visited 16 châteaux in two days. We started from the far end, St-Estephe, Pauillac, St-Julien, Haut-Médoc on the first day and covered Haut-Médoc again and Margaux on the second day. To list the names of the châteaux and the wines from Day 1, Château Lilian Ladouys 2010 Château Pédesclaux 2009 Château Lynch Bages 2006 Château Tour Seiujean 2008-2012 Château Teynac 2001-2010 Château Larose Trintaudon 2002 Château Perganson 2010 Château Anauld 2010 One or two might be missing in the list probably because …