the wine story gossips issue no. 8

7/27/2019 The Wine Story GosSips Issue No. 8

1/8Issue No. 81 www.winestory.co

Domaine Clarence Dillon, theownership group that includes theamed rst-growth Chteau Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion,has added another Right Bank estateto their portolio: Chteau LArrose

in St. Emilion. Te deal was closed onMay 29. Te purchase price was notdisclosed.

Chteau LArrose is the second RightBank estate to be purchased by DomaineClarence Dillon in recent years. Term, owned by the Dillon amily andcurrently run by Prince Robert deLuxembourg, purchased Chteau ertreDaugaysince renamed Quintusin2011. Previously owned by the Cailleamily, which bought it in 2002,Chteau LArrose totals nearly 33 acreso vines. Te vineyards, which neighborQuintus, are planted with 60 percentMerlot and 20 percent each o CabernetSauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Speculation that the estates might becombined was premature accordingto Jean-Philippe Delmas, managing

IN THIS ISSUE : Asian Libations - Pairing Wine with Chinese Food . Does Vintage Really Matter? . Brent Lellos Wine Story

Editorial Staf

Chteau Haut-Brion Owners BuySt. Emilions Chteau LArrose

by: James Molesworth

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Chteau Latours Francois Pinaubuys Araujo Estate in Napa

by: Jane Anson

Tis takes the number o wine propertiesnow owned by the French billionaire andhis son Francois-Henri to our Latour inPauillac, Chteau Grillet in the northernRhone, Domaine dEugenie in Vosne-Romane and now Araujo in Napa.

Pinault also owns Chardonnay vines inLe Montrachet and Batard-Montrachet.

Te price o the purchase was notdisclosed, but is likely to have been atleast US$300,000 per acre. Te saleincluded the Eisele Vineyard, 38 acres ovines, the winery and existing stocks.

Araujo Estate and its jewel, the uniqueEisele Vineyard, have been producingconsistently one o the very best wines othe Napa Valley, said Frederic Engerer,CEO o the Pinault wine group, in astatement.

We would very much like to pay tributeto the exceptional work o Bart andDaphne Araujo, whose pioneering vision,dedication to excellence and attention todetail has built one o the most respected

wine estates in the world.

Bart and Daphne Araujo bought Vineyard, located just outside Caliin 1990, although the vineyard itselback to 1884, and is known particor its Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

Ater the purchase, they hired MRolland as consultant, and also conthe estate to biodynamic armisomething that Chteau Latour hasbeen doing over the past ew years.

In a letter to sta and clients, the owners said that they had receivunsolicited expression o interest ro

Artemis Group, owners o Latourwere slowly convinced that they weperect buyers or this amazing vin

we have called home or 23 years.

Te Araujo amily will stay at the until January 2014 to help wit

transition, and the rest o the estatewill remain in place.

Source: decant

Source: winespectator.com

Photo source: mybettanedesseauve.r

director o Domaine Clarence Dillon. Atthis stage, any question about the strategywe intend to implement is premature,he told Wine Spectator. We willcommunicate in due time about it, in thecoming months.

Photo source: ghglobal.org


2/8

Back in the 1600s, Hungarys amousokaji region was the rst to classiy

wine based on quality. Tis regionprobably produced the worlds rstbotryris (noble rot*) wine in 1647,

when they delayed the harvest to preventthe invading urkish troops rom

appropriating the juice. It is said, wasa brave man that rst ate an oyster andsimilarly twas a brave person that rstharvested botryised grapes.

Known as Chinas haute cuisine, Cantonese dishesare much more subtly seasoned. For the best result,try a sweet ruity wine, such as a German Riesling.Meanwhile, a red Bordeaux is particularly appropriateor Shanghai cuisine. Dishes such as Lions Head - largepork meatballs, topped with cabbage to suggest a lionsmane - are quite rich, and the tannin in the wine cutsthe grease. A Merlot works well with Peking cuisine,which oten eatures heavier meats like duck and bee.So does a burgundy such as Pinot Noir.

Kan Pei! (Bottoms up).Born to the earth are three kinds o creatures.Some are winged and fy.Some are urred and run.Still others stretch their mouths and talk.

All must eat and drink to survive.

(Lu Yu, Ancient Chinese Philosopher)

Source: geniusodrinking.com

Te Worlds First Noble Rot

Asian Libations- Pairing Winewith Chinese

Food

Source: chineseood.about.com

When it comes to alcoholic beverages, beer is oten toutedas the drink o choice to serve with Chinese ood. In act,the Chinese have been avid wine drinkers or centuries.But unlike the French and Italian grape wines, traditional,

grain-based Chinese wines havent caught on in the west.Part o the problem - aside rom the sheer diculty onding a liquor store or restaurant that carries Chinesewine - may be its high alcohol content. For example, theresthe notorious Mao ai: a ery, 55 proo concoction servedto oreign dignitaries at diplomatic banquets.

Recently, the Chinese have been experimenting with grapeand other ruit wines. Lychee wine, plum wine, and ahoney grape wine made rom white wine and honey are allon the market. Unortunately, like rice wine, the selectiono Chinese ruit wine in liquor stores and restaurants is notlikely to increase anytime soon (although I recently enjoyeda grape wine rom Northern China). But the diculty inobtaining Chinese spirits doesnt mean you must oregowine with your meal altogether. Tere are several French,German, and Caliornian wines that are well suited toChinese cuisine.

When choosing a wine, consider where the various dishesyou are sampling originated. China is a huge country, withregional dierences in climate and resources, and eachregion has developed its own culinary style.

For highly spiced Szechuan dishes, try a Gewurztraminer.Gewurztraminer literally means spice grapes and theCaliornia variant in particular has a spicy-peach favour

with a hint o ginger. Other possibilities include a FrenchPuilly Fousse or a Sauvignon Blanc.

Photo source:biblicalgenealogy.kavonrueter.com

How to Host a Blin

Wine Tasting Partyby: Chrysta Lea Baker

Trowing a wine tasting party can be both entertand educational or you and your guests, no matteyour level o wine understanding might be. Howthrowing a blind wine tasting can kick your paa notch by making it more o a challenge or gamyour guests, and making wine tasting scents evenimportant.

At a non-blind wine tasting party, guests know wines theyre going to taste beorehand. At blindtasting parties, guests have no idea what wine varbrands, favors, or even what price range theyre to sample. Tis can be a lot o un because people might have a preconceived notion or eveno prejudice about certain kinds o wines, so hablind wine tasting eliminates this sort o bias. Teis truly in the pudding when all the wines are on playing eld o anonymity.

Tere are many ideas or wine tasting party unwhen preparing or blind tast ing, you should deca general theme. You can buy wines that are dierent countries, regions, or grape varieties. (Teeven wine tasting party kits you can buy.) Pryour guests a written description o each characteristics, such as favors, aromas, or

*A parasitic ungus (Botrytis cinerea) that attacks ripe grapes and causes anincrease in their sugar content. Certain wines, such as the French Sauternesand the Hungarian Tokaji, are produced rom such grapes.


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qualities to look or when tasting. Many o these descriptions can comeright rom the wines label.

You can also choose wines o varying price ranges, rom aordable table wines tomore expensive quality wines. Your guests must try to determine which wines arethe most aordable and the most expensive. No matter what your wine theme is,each guest should be given a score card with dierent categories to evaluate eachwines qualities and whether or not they like them.

Beore your guests arrive, you need to conceal the identity o each bottle owine. Purchase some tall brown paper bags, the kind they make or bott les, andput each bottle o wine inside one. Youll want to put either rubber bandsor tape around the bags at the necks to prevent them rom alling o whilepouring. You might want to remove any oil caps rom the wines necks as well,to conceal any telltale markings. Write a letter (A, B, C, etc.) on each bag so youknow which wine to serve next and or your guests to know which wine theyreevaluating on their scorecards.

Like non-blind wine tasting parties, youll want to serve your wines rom whiteto red, light to ull-bodied, sweet to dry, or young to old. Te glasses used orwine tasting are important - each guest will need a large-bowled wine glass inorder to properly swirl and sni each wine. Using plastic cups will not allow yourguests to ully enjoy and analyze the wine, so stick with real glasses. Each guestalso needs a disposable cup to discard any wine they dont swallow, as well as theall important wine tasting score cards and pencil. Te table should have a largecontainer or pouring out any unused wine guests want to discard and a pitchero water to be used or cleaning out glasses between wines. In addition, youllwant to have something available to cleanse the palate, such as bread, plain

crackers, and water.

Once the wine tasting is complete, each guest should turn in their scorecards andthe results tallied. Remove the bags rom the wines to reveal the identities o eachwine. Prizes can be awarded to those who guessed the most correctly, preerablya bottle o their avorite wine. In the end, you and your guests will have had awonderul time learning about dierent wines and what makes them so delicious!

Source: 100bestwines.com

What is the suggested red wineserving per day for someone who

is managing type 2 diabetes?by: Esther Mobley

Q: My husband was just taken o type2 diabetes pills due to controlling hisA1C number by diet! Im very proudo him, and his doctors were excited orthis accomplishment also. What wouldbe your suggestion on red wine servingper day? Barbara H.

A: Congratulations to your husband.According to the American DiabetesAssociationand as you and yourhusband surely knowmanagingones diet and exercise makes a hugedierence in the treatment o type 2diabetes. Still, red wine (whose eects

Source: winespectat

Second Bordeaux storm destroy4,000 Hectares costing

20 million Euros at the very leasby: Sophie Kevany

On August 5, 2013, Bordeauxs main whitewine growing region, Entre-deux-Mers, hasbeen hit by a massive hailstorm damagingabout 4,000 hectares o vines with manyproducers losing almost their entire crop.

President o the Entre-deux-MersWinegrowers Union (Syndicate Viticole

de lEntre-deux-Mers), Stphane Deraine,said the Friday evening storm cost growersabout 20 million at the very least.It lasted about 15 to 20 minutes where Iwas, longer in other parts, and about 4,000hectares were destroyed, Deraine said.

Currently, growers are assessing the ullextent o the damage, he said, to see what,i anything, might be salvageable, whileexploring the possibility o government aidand zero-rated loans to help manage thenancial impact.

Source: decan

on diabetics have long been the subject oscientic inquiry) can probably help yourhusband manage his A1C, too.

Heres how it works: When you eata meal, especially one that containssugars and starches, your blood glucosesoarsa phenomenon thats especiallyundesirable or diabetics. But researchersat the University o Natural Resourcesand Applied Lie Sciences in Viennaound in 2010 that the polyphenols

in red wine activate a certain receptor,the PPARgamma, which can blockinfammation and convert sugar into lipids.So i you drink red wine together with adiet rich in sugar, the glycemic indexwhich measures how quickly glucose

Growers in the worst hit areas saidvines were stripped bare by the hailNews agency AFP reported thahailstones, some o which were as lacricket balls, killed birds.One o the best-known producEntre-deux-Mers, Chteau Bonne

severely hit by the storm. We lost280 hectares out o a total 300owner Andr Lurton. Te estate proabout 1.5 million bottles o white million bottles o red a year.Te storm is the second to hBordeaux region in as many weeksstrong winds and heavy rain batvineyards in the Medoc in latenotably at Chteau Late where trees were uprooted.

Vines stripped bare in Entre-Deux-Mers near St-Lon and Espiet, credit: Gavin Quinn

appears in the bloodwill be imprexplains Alois Jungbauer, lead authorstudy. Tese results have been conrma number o other studies, includingthe University College London MSchool (2003) and Harvard Medical (2012).

In other words, according to PrJungbauers ndings, the red winyour husband drinks with dinner slow down the release o glucose inbloodstream. As or how much hsaely imbibe every day, thats a matthe should take up with his doctor.


4/8

Does Vintage Always Matter?By: Lettie Teague

Source: winespectat

Health Watch: Wine Helps BreastCancer Survivors

by: Jacob Gaffney

A big drug rm seems less interested inresveratrol-related research; grapes oerheart benets.

A new study provides good news orbreast cancer survivorsthere is no needto give up wine drinking in moderation.According to a study rom the FredHutchinson Cancer Research Center,drinking beore and ater breast cancerdiagnosis does not impact survival romthe disease. In act, a modest survivalbenet was ound in women who weremoderate drinkers beore and aterdiagnosis due to a reduced risk odying rom cardiovascular disease, amajor cause o mortality among breastcancer survivors.

Previous research has linked alcohol

consumption to an increased risk odeveloping breast cancer, thoughthe nature o the link and exact risko consumption patterns is unclear.For this study, published in the Journalo Clinical Oncology, about 5,000participants with breast cancer werequestioned about alcohol consumptionhabits.

Te researchers ound that the amountand type o alcohol a womanreported consuming in the yearsbeore her diagnosis was not associatedwith her likelihood rom dying rombreast cancer. Tey also discoveredthat women who consumed three to sixdrinks per week in the years beore theircancer diagnosis were 15 percent lesslikely to die rom cardiovasculardisease than non-drinkers. Moderatewine drinkers showed an even lowerrisk, the study states.

Our ndings should be reassuring towomen who have breast cancer,said Polly Newcomb, the studyslead author and head o the CancerPrevention Program at the FredHutchinson Center. Teir past

Knowing the best vintages is crucBordeaux, but what about in the rthe world? F&Ws Lettie eague shareasy-to-remember vintage wisdom.

Ive never been much o a studehistory. I just cant keep a lot o dateshead. Or even recall why they matterIn my deense, I like to quote Einsteinonce declared, I never memorize anthat I can look up. He probably reerring to wine (perhaps it was som

elses relativity theory?), but I think thpolicy might apply. With wine, theres so much to keep track o: grapes, reproducer names, not to mention all those vintages, too. Te latter may chaeven the best memories, as there are so many more places where wine is madIts no longer a question o knowing what the year was like in BordeauBurgundy, but also in Central Otago, Rueda and Calabria, as well. Or is it? Arsome places in the world where vintage just isnt that big o a deal?

Vintage Defned

Vintage (the word is derived rom vin, the French word or wine) is simpindication that a wine was made in a particular year. More or less. Te acvintage-dated wine made in either Europe or the U.S. may legally contain 15 percent o grapes rom years other thanthe one on the label. And in some New

World countries, that total may be as high

as 25 percent. Perhaps these wines shouldbe labeled plupartthe French word ormostinstead?

What makes a vintage bad or good? Weatheris key, not just at harvest but throughout theyear. In a bad vintage, there may be excessrain, which could cause rot. Tere might berost or even hail, which could destroy thevines, the canopies or the grapesthemselves. (Hail happens so oten inMendoza, Argentina, that producers otencover their vineyards with nets.) Excess heatis also a problem, as it can result in winesthat are too alcoholic or overripe.

experience consuming alcohol is unlikelyto impact their survival ater diagnosis. Tisstudy also provides additional supportor the benecial eect o moderate

alcohol consumption with respect tocardiovascular disease.

Newcomb added that women who drinkresponsibly may be more responsive tohormone-modiying therapies, but it is tooearly to know or sure.

Big Pharma Ditches Resveratrol

In April 2008, pharmaceutical giantGlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced thepurchase o a small medical research startupcalled Sirtris or $720 million. At the time,Monce Slaoui, then chairman o Glaxosresearch and development arm, said Sirtris

had potentially transormative science,in a statement on the sale. Tatpotential appeared to hinge on researchharnessing the health benets o the red-

wine chemical resveratrol.

Five years later, GSK is closing downSirtris, quietly integrating the companyinto its research and developmentorganization. Remaining sta is beingmoved rom Cambridge, Massachusetts, toa site in Pennsylvania.

GSK and Sirtris were always careul to stressthat resveratrol science was not their mainocus. Ater all, you cant patent a chemicalound in wine. Instead, the company hopedto produce more eective medicines basedon the properties o resveratrol, ocusingon treating diseases rather than creating ananti-aging pill.

Sirtris hasnt done any research withresveratrol or the last two years and hasno plans to study resveratrol in the uture,Melinda Stubbee, spokesperson or GSKglobal research and development, told

Wine Spectator. Our intention when weacquired Sirtris was never on developing ared wine pill. Our research is ocused on

treatments or diseases o aging and noton extending liespan. Stubbee addedthat research at Sirtris exploring thebiology o sirtuinsproteins thatregulate agingis highly successuland now requires the expertise availableat the larger drug discovery sector inPennsylvania.

But ater several setbacks duringclinical trials o Sirtris medicines, isGSK as condent in the companysmission?

Grape Time to Relax

A recent study nds that grapes, ull opolyphenols such as resveratrol, canimprove the heart health o rats inas little as 18 weeks. For rodents,grape consumption helped reduce theoccurrence o heart muscle enlargementand brosis, and smoothed theheartbeat. Te result was ewerincidences o high blood pressure.

For the study, conducted at University o Michigan Health Sand published in the JournaNutritional Biochemistry, hyperteheart ailure-prone rats were ed a enriched diet or 18 weeks. Te reseaound the rats eating grapes suered lower rates o heart ailure. Tey conthat grape polyphenols spur heart cproduce glutathione, the most abucellular antioxidant in the heart, lowlevels o hypertension.

Lead researcher E. Mitchell Seymouin a statement that the ability o grainfuence several genetic pathways previdence that grapes work on mlevels to deliver benecial eects. Bnot all good news or wine drinSeymour recommends eating whole or the best health benets.


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Source: winespectat

In a good vintage, everything is in balance. Tere may be rain, but at the right time andjust enough to provide sucient moisture to the vines. Tere will be just enough heatat the right time. In other words, in a good year, the grapes will ripen slowly and evenly,and the vines wont be stressed. Generally speaking, there have been more goodvintages than bad in most wine regions in recent years. Tis is thanks in part toavorable weather (global warming has been good or the colder parts o the wine world,like Germany), and also thanks to improved vineyard managementviticulturaltechniques that can ameliorate the eects o bad weather.

And the dierence between a good and a great vintage? I guess you could say thats whenthe growing conditions (i.e., the weather) are not merely avorable but ideal, andeverything happens as it should. In act, winemakers sometimes like to complain that

they nd a great vintage boring, because it leaves them with nothing to do.

Some regions only producevintage wines in great years. Forexample, in the Douro region oPortugal, port producers submittheir wines about two years aterharvest to the IVDP (Port andDouro Wines Institute) todetermine whether the year shouldbe declared. I the quality isound to be suciently high,the producers issue a vintageport, as happens about three timesevery 10 years. (Some o the best port vintages in recent years include 1994, 1997,2000 and 2003.) Tis makes or good ellowship, as well as good marketing sensea

unanimous endorsement enhances the wines credibility, and declaring a vintage ismore dramatic than slapping on yet another label or yet another year. O course, someport producers do buck the system and declare vintages when others do not, and somemay choose not to produce a vintage every time its declared.

Champagne houses are also collaborative when it comes tovintages, though their process is less communistic; there isno single meeting or group to determine a vintage, andproducers can declare a year whenever they eel like it.Perhaps thats why youll nd o-year Champagnes morerequently than o-year vintage port. Indeed, even thoughthere were several bad Champagne vintages in the 90s, everyyear between 1990 and 2001 was, in act, declared by at leastone Champagne house. (Great vintages during those years:1990, 1995, 1996 and 2000.)

O course, winemakers who produce wines in the vintagesshunned by their peers might assert that they were able tomake something worthy in a not-so-great year thanks to goodviticulture (a rigorous selection o grapes, limited yields) orperhaps even a trick or two o technology (such as removingalcohol by means o reverse osmosis). Some winemakers haveeven said to me that they should be paid a lot more or badyears than good ones, given how much more work they mustdo. I guess thats why some people believe that the winemakermatters more than the vintage: Te winemaker has all the tools.

And yet, these winemakers are invariably the same ones who proudly declare, My wineis made in the vineyard. (Its todays second-most-popular winemaking phrase, rightbehind a personal denition o terroir.) Tis phrase particularly rankles myex-husband, Alan, a restaurant critic and a man unaraid to use a vintage chart. I their

vineyard is fooded, how much can they really do? he complained. Its the weatherthat aects the vineyard the most, and thereore, the vintage will always count.

Where Vintage Matters

Although I dont always agree with Alan (he is my ex, ater all), I think he has a goodpoint. As long as wine is an agricultural, rather than industrial product, the weather willalways determine a vintage. Particularly in certain parts o the world, like Bordeaux.Orley Ashenelter, an Economics proessor at Princeton University, determines the valueo a Bordeaux vintage based on his own complex weather theorem. Unlike wine critics,who wait until theyve actually tasted the wines beore rating the vintage, Asheneltersmathematical weather model tells him whether or not a vintage will be great. Andthough hes been deemed a crackpot or worse, hes actually been right many times. Inact, hes predicted many great Bordeaux vintages, including 1982 and 2000.

Its not surprising that Ashenelter began predicting vintage quality with the wiBordeaux (hes since added Burgundy and the Rhne), as they are not only the wmost sought-ater wines but also wines whose faws are most apparent when the vis bad. Tis is what Roman Weil, proessor emeritus o Accounting at the GraSchool o Business at the University o Chicago, ound when he led a group throtasting o 12 dierent wines. Te only time they could even tell one wine rom an

was when they were tasting good- and bad-vintage Bordeaux. Just to be sure,repeated the test with some Frenchmen as well. Tey elt the same way. (Is it any wthat the Bordelais have been turning so many o their wines into ethanol?)

My riend Scott Manlin, a Chicago collector who buys wines rom all over the wagrees that Bordeaux is a region where vintage really matters, but he also maintainBordeaux prices dont always refect the vintage quality. In other words, winespoor Bordeaux vintages, like 2004 and 2007, cost nearly almost as much as thosblockbuster years.

Bordeaux certainly has a challenging climate (its about 30 miles rom the oceanthere can be a lot o rain), and yet there are legal limits on what its winemakers cFor example, when amed winemaking consultant Michel Rolland put plastic over his vineyards at Chteau Fontenil in 2000 to protect them rom the rain, hcharged with violating AOC rules, and his wine was denied appellation statuRolland had the last word with the name o the wine: Le D de FontenilDeance o Fontenil).

But Scott isnt interested in the work o particular winemakers with o-vBordeaux; he turns to the Burgundians instead. Producers in Burgundy are usmaller and have more control over their vines, he maintained. (Or maybe reedom with their plastic tarps?) And, as he noted, their prices tend to be a bit

reasonable in poor vintages than in Bordeaux.

And yet Burgundys climate is just as marginal as that o Bordeaux. In acprecipitation rates are roughly the same (except Bordeaux gets more rainBurgundy gets more hail). Other major wine regions subject to weather exinclude Champagne (the northernmost wine district in France) and the Rhne. Talso Piedmont in Italy (lots o og) and, to a lesser extent, uscany; plus all the chieregions o Germany (ditto Austria). In the U.S., Oregon has had a string o good (is to say, sunny) vintages, but its still a pretty unpredictable place weather-wise,the wine regions o New York state: Long Islands North Fork and the Finger Lak

Nevertheless, only the vintages o two o these regions seem to warrant attention in wine stores. According to Nikos Antonakeas, the managing direcMorrell & Company in New York, his clients care only about the vintages o Borand Burgundy. And when the year is bad in either place, theyre reluctant to buyare still struggling to sell 2001 Bordeaux, even though there were some very good

rom that vintage, Nikos noted o the little-praised year. Everyone wants the wi2000 and 2005.

What about regions where the vintages are ocially declared, like PortChampagne? Did his customers pay attention to those? Not really, Nikos said. buy whatever vintage is in the store. And Caliornia wines? Did they demand cyears? Only i theyre spending $50 a bottle or more, he replied.

Where Vintage Doesnt Matter

Although its home to more than 100 appellations, its sae to say that Caliornplace where vintage matters less than most other places in the world. Te weathehence the vintages, have been consistently good. Indeed, the only truly lousy yea decade ago. Te same is true o Australia and most o Spain, though there are rin those countries that are, perhaps thanks to global warming, increasingly subjdrought. Southern Italian wine regions are also airly reliable, year in, yeMost wine regions in Chile have decent weather, as does the warm Malbec-cregion o Mendoza, Argentina, though hail can occasionally take its toll.

Id also say that vintage doesnt matter when it comes to the grocery-store Chardoand Cabernets that my sister avors (all o which have years on their labels, as she out). Since their quality is more likely to be compromised by a machine breakingthan a bout o bad weather, Id put them in a special category all their own

which vintage never matters at all.

In short, i you dont want to memorize vintages, youll need to learn a bit o geogand choose wines rom places where the weathers reliable. But i youre buyingmore meteorologically marginal places, youll need to know the bad years rogood. I keep a vintage chart in my walletand a world map in my head.


6/8

Wine Story actively promotes sharing wine stories andlearnings through various workshops, classes andhandling wine appreciation nights for clients privatecelebrations.

In photos are what you missed and the upcoming eventsyou should be looking forward to.

A tour to Pomerol will happen throughout the monthof SeptemberChinese Food and Wine Pairing Workshop on

September 30Dessert and Wine Pairing Workshop on October 30

Visit our stores or www.winestory.com.ph for moredetails.

High Fashion Meets Fine Wine

On the 20th o July at Wine Story Serendra, Wine and High Fashion Lovers gathered together to witness the launching o Adesigns.

Spectacular wines were served starting rom the Rose Champagne Bollinger Rose NV, ollowed by Carignan Prima 2005 and DLoosen Pralat Riesling 2010. Te guests enjoyed the beautiul wines with the elegant jewellery!

I you want make your birthdays, anniversaries, conerences, product/art launches more special and done with extraordinary faemail [email protected] or call 637-8888. We will do the work, and you celebrate!

Exciting Events orthe Ber Months

Introduction to Bordeaux& Aroma Workshop Wine and Cheese Pairing Workshop

Filipino Food and Win

Pairing Workshop


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Working with IBM, Brent travels extensively throughoutAsia and takes the time to soak in the local culture and oodand wine hotspots. When at home in Murrumbateman,Australia, Brent enjoys relaxing over ood and wine withhis amily and riends.

Q: How did you get into wine?

A. My parents always had a passionor enjoying wine with good ood andtouring the various wine regions oAustralia. Some o that passion rubbed oon me rom an early age that I developedan interest in drinking wine duringuniversity. Tat soon blossomed into aascination with dierent wine styles andvarieties, and soon realised that there was

a wonderul world to explore. Te more Ilearned, the more the world o wine drewme into its clutches.

Q: What is wine or you?

A. For me, wine is many things. It helpsme unwind ater a hectic day and itlubricates conversation between riends.It is essential to any good meal, yet canalso be enjoyed without ood. Its abouta sense o place and purpose: the soil, thevines, the grapes, the vintage conditions,and the winemaking techniques allsqueezed into bottle ater delicious bottle.I also love how wine evolves over timerom a eisty youngster to sublime andsensual in older age.

Q: What was your frst avorite wine?

A. How tastes change! My rstavourite wine was an Australian sweet,Gewurztraminer-Riesling Black Opal,the wine that my wie, Kym and I rstshared. We quickly progressed to drierwhites then onto red wines. I muchpreer the drier styles these days, but thiswas our avourite o the time and got usmotoring down the wine highway.

Q: What was the wine that changed

your lie?

A. Years ago, my best mate Keith broughtback a white Burgundy, a 1996 Batard-Montrachet. Te rst sip was a revelation,the next gulp was an epiphany. Itslusciousness and the overwhelming senseo terroir were incredible. Words were notenough to explain the experience. I am inan eternal search or a similar experience.

Q: What is your avorite ood and

wine pairing?

A. Without a doubt, the best ood andwine pairing I work with is Pinot Noir

with Peking duck pancakes. Te brightcherry ruit and acid o the wine matchesthe attiness and richness o the duck.

Q: What are the wines that you drink

now?

A. I drink all styles, based on mood, oodand climate. My cellar is stacked ull oShiraz and Cabernet, with a smattering oPinot Noir and an eclectic mix o winesrom Old World regions. My ridgeis stacked ull o ready to drink whites,

just waiting or their own 15 minutes o

ame.

Q: What are your dream wines (those

you would like to acquire/drink

someday soon)?

A. I dream about wines that elevate thepulse, sharpen the senses and transportme to somewhere special. Te searchor such wines is eternal, and there ismuch investment o time, money andspirit involved. Tis is the mission I haveaccepted and will continue to execute.

Q: Have you had any ormal training

in wine? I yes, where and what coursesare these?

A. We did a series o wine educationcourses, which uelled the fame to know,taste and enjoy more wines. We also havea group that regularly conduct blindtastings. Tese are great days, lled withgood ood, great wine and good humour.

Q: Whats the most valuable wine

lesson youve learnt as a wine lover/

enthusiast?

A. Wine is all about the Wine Story.Tere is a story behind each producer,each vintage, each variety. Tese storiesadd to the intrigue, the sense o occasionand the enjoyment o the wine that is inront o us. It traverses cultures, connects

old riends and creates new ones. Itstimulates debate and conversation, yet italso soothes and relaxes. Wine withoutood is enjoying, and also can be purepleasure. I have a saying - Good ood isgreat, ne wine is better, but good oodand ne wine are heaven together.

Brent Lello

Whats Your Wine Story?

Wine Story is set to unveil another glamorous wine evenings thSeptember as we take you to Pomerol, the smallest Bordeaux appellationthat produces sumptuous, exuberant wines which are constantly soughater.

Pomerol is situated on the north o Libourne and has relatively smavineyards. Tis appellation has not been classied, yet the winemakinstandard is extremely high throughout this region. Te most amouPomerol chateaux are ound to the east on the plateau o Pomerol. Tgravel bank, which contains some clay, is a terrain that supports botthe Merlot and the smaller percentage o Cabernet Franc grapes that arplanted. Te usage o these grapes gives Pomerol wines their smootsuppleness, and usually allows them to mature aster than CaberneSauvignon based wines.

Join us this September at Wine Story.

Php 2,600 per person

For more inormation and reservation, e-mail [email protected] ovisit us at:

Shangri-La (633-3556)Serendra (846-6310)

Rockwell (869-0938)


8/8

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France89 points, Robert ParkerDrink by: 2005-2013

Deep ruby/purple with notes o

charcoal, mocha, black cherries andplums, this excellent wine has goodtexture, medium body, and plenty osweet ruit.

Staf Picks

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France91 points, Robert ParkerDrink by: 2012 - 2025

A classic Pomerol with lush kirsch

liqueur, mocha, mineral, and foralcharacteristics. Made in a muscular,rich, ull-bodied style with moderatetannins as well as impeccable purity,texture, and length.

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France90 points, Wine Spectator

Blend o 46% Cabernet Sauvigno

32% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franand 9% Petit Verdot. Tis beautivelvety, seductive eort oers sweblack cherry and black currant ruintermixed with notions o orfoor and roasted herbs.

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France90 points, Wine SpectatorDrink by: 2012- 2017

Dark in aroma and feshy in eel,

but open-knit overall, with enticingtobacco, g and mulled black currantruit carried by a loam hint throughthe broad nish.

La Gravette De Certan2009 75cl

Nenin 2006 75cl La Croix St. Georges2002 75cl

La Petite Eglise 2000

P 4,995 P 3,995 P 4,995 P 4,995

the wine story gossips issue no. 8

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