The wines were a-pouring at the Local Nose wine fair, pouring very well indeed, attracting crowds and fans, new and old. And where there are wines, there should be cheese – only stands to reason, yes indeedy. One new enthusiast, fresh off the boat (OK, maybe flight) from Norway, Benjamin, took matters to his hands, walked into the supermarket, and poured the contents of his shopping bag onto the wine barrel lazy Susan, a whole selection of them -  from a creamy Camembert to a stinky Stilton and just about everything in between!

What could one do but to taste and pair, a morsel for a sip, or two, or twelve...

One would think that a simple Camembert (from King Island, Australia) would work with most white, but no, this one wants a red, a Spanish one in particular – Emilio Moro. This Emilio Moro is in fact quite an all-rounder, fitting to other cheeses, such as the Brie and Comté (below).

Southward movement on the cheese to a herb-crusted Tasmanian brie brings about also a southward shift of the wine – the eucalyptus-herbaceousness of Coonawarra Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon accentuates the herb flavours, and the results are mm-hmm....

The funky nose and flavours of the washed rind creamy cheese named “Red Square”, still from Tasmania, called for the frontal berry flavours of Mr Black’s GSM Concoction from Barossa Valley to balance. But a similarly charactered washed rind – Fromage Chaumes from south west France – preferred something more to its locality; the Jacques Boyd Margaux. Isn’t that funny how cheeses could be so patriotic?

Along a similar vein, the Burgundian Comté would have liked to be paired with a white Burgundy, of course, of course, some creamy and woody chardonnay. In the absence of such, we tried Chalkers Crossing Chardonnay, grown in a cool climate Tumbarumba region of New South Wales, Australia, made by a Frenchwoman in the French way, and that in fact work quite well. So perhaps the cheeses’ preference can be fooled... but just a wee bit.

Now onto the stinkies, and the general rule of thumb says that strong stinky cheese needs balancing with something fragrant and sweet. Well, the yummy, runny Rocamadour (au lait cru du chevre – from raw goat’s milk - mmm, mmm, mmm!!!) does go smoothly with sweet but not so sticky Domaine du Tariquet Les Premières Grieves, and the Rocquefort with the fragrant, off-dry but dry-finished Markus Molitor Haus Klosterberg Riesling. But again, there is always one exception to every rule. The Blue Stilton is so big that it needs not just bursting juicy fruitiness, but also body, so no sweet white for it, Mr Black’s Concoction it needs to be. And in fact, if like me, you prefer your strong cheese funkified instead of smoothed, then nibble on your Rocamadour with a glass of Chianti – anyone; the Barone Ricasoli can, the Sensi can also.


And with this, we brought the inaugural Local Nose wine fair to a close. Thank you Local Noses, for your support, for dropping by, and thank you Benjamin for the cheeses!  We look forward to having you around again at the next fair, keeps your eyes and ear open for the news!

A six-course dinner with matching wine for $58 just sounds too good to be true! I figured this fits into the “die-die-must-try” category, so up along Sunset Way we hiked last Thursday evening.

The “Bathers' Café” turns out to be this cosy little joint, with a décor reminiscing of an Australian tea house before the cafés went all trendy-flashy. We were a party of thirteen seated on two long tables – indeed easy going and cosy.

Bubbly is served upon arrival – 2008 Summaroca Brut Cava, fresh and crisp with green apples and mineral notes. The sweetness in the yabbies+mayo+tomato-combo wipes the minerality and accentuates the fruit, in a sense rendering the Cava easier to drink. A rather nice pairing, if I may say so myself.

The minestrone has a similar effect, of reducing acidity and minerality and bringing out the fruit sweetness in the Cava, but my vote still goes to the yabby hor d'oeuvres and Cava pair. Because the food is also cold, the combo leaves a refreshing finish, teasing the appetite for some more!

Again, sweetness brings out fruit. The combination of chicken and cheese tones the typical bone-dry crispness of a young Clare valley riesling – the 2009 Pikes Riesling. A stereotype of its kind, it has the aromas of tropical fruits and minerals, with flavours of lemon and grapefruit. As in the previous courses, this roasted chicken quesadilla tones down the riesling's austerity, bringing out more fruit characters. But the highlight of this course for me was the spoonful of truffle paste on a cute wee tortellita shell –  me lurves truffles!!! Gimme, gimme! Mmm... nomnomnomnomnom!!!

The 2009 Côte du Rhône by Roger Sabon displays characters of grenache on the nose – bright and youthful, bursting with red fruits – raspberries, I think. Its shiraz element comes at the end, with a spicey finish at the back palate. The muskiness of the wild mushroom salad brings out the earthy characters of the Rhône, and in return, the wine blends the garlic-and-mushroom flavours. There is synergy in this pairing!

For fish lovers, the seared barramundi would suit to a tea. It just looks so good, served with half a yabby on the side, holandaise sauce on top. As the chicken rice did to another NZ savvy a while back, the creaminess of the fish+sauce tones down the grassiness and crisp acidity of the 2009 Misha's Vineyeard Starlet Sauvignon Blanc. It is an elegant drop on its own right, with aromas of tropical fruits and hint of herbaceousness, and green pears in the mouth with the crisp grassy finish. With the fish, it is becomes more genteel.

I love a good slab of barra, but I must admit to being one of them feed-the-woman-steak kinda gal, so my choice for main is a no-brainer. I am impressed, the sirloin is served to me rare, just as I ordered. Attention steak-lovers: here is a place you can get steak as you like it, not cooked a minute or two extra for good (or not so good, as the case may be!) measure. And one of my faves – 2007 Peccavi No Regrets Cab Merlot, from Margaret River. Chewiness of tender, rare beef, blended with deep, black fruits flavours, with swishings of eucalyptus and cocoa.... ahhh... am in heaven! I have said this before, and I will say it again – je ne regrette rien!

This is the first time I taste an ice wine from south of the (Canadian) border. OK, just south, from Washington state. The 2008 Kiona Red Vineyards Ice Wine is just bursting with ripe mangoes and jackfruit on the nose, and more mangoes on the palate. But not just any mangoes – the green-skinned “Harum-manis” mangoes - luciously sweet with a tangy finish. I can't comment on the pairing, as being a non-dessert eater, I left the chocolate gateaux and just sipped the ice wine on its own. This wine needs no dessert, IMHO.

I don't know what to say – six-course-wine-dinners for $58 exist, with an evidence beyond the shadow of doubt. With truffles! Steak! Ice Wine! WHOA! Somebody stop them! It's like the TARDIS of wine dinners - there is more value than the price tag!

How to fit all these food and wine into this tiny little price? It must be magic! But one that The Local Nose CAN do. Another is already being planned – 7 May at Bonifacio's – wine with a feast of  Filipino cuisine. Sign up now, and see you there!

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Rev Wines was party central with 45 revellers packing into the tiny little shop often known as “that unnamed wine shop up the road from the Blu Jaz” and spilling into the street. The do celebrated the arrival of their new Champagne “Compte de Noiron” with four different labels in the selection. On top of the bubblies, they also opened a few extra wines from France, Spain and the Americas, well..., actually... more like 21 extra. If they keep going with this sort of revelry, that yet-to-be-named wine shop is sure to be the island's best-kept secret no more!

The range of Champagne Compte de Noiron selection open for tasting were: Brut NV, Premier Cru NV, Brut Rose NV, and Demi-Sec NV. Sonja and I agreed on the Premier Cru to be our preferred, with body and toasty-yeasty nuances. The Brut NV was most certainly a party champers – easy going, easy drinking, with citrus palate (I thought I tasted lemon and grapefruits) - definitely bubbly and happy.

The rest were a plethora of samples they were considering – rather a clever way to conduct exploratory market research, I thought – direct consumer engagement. There were French wines, Spanish wines, Californian wines, Chilean wines... heck, there were lots.

I am rather keen on the red-raspberry-lollies nose of a Beaujolais, and was happy that there were a few on offer, including a semi-sweet one. It was light-medium bodied, easy and refreshing, and went down a treat with blue cheese on baguette. I am still grateful to Sonja for prompting me to make a bee line for this wine, managing to claim the last sip or two of the bottle. We were not the only two into the semi-sweet Beaujolais, methinks.

Another wine that caught my attention was a Spanish Sauvignon-Blanc-Gewurztraminer blend. This was the second time I tasted that blend. The previous had been a NZ wine, which I thought was a weird combination with forward floral nose and strong grassy palate. But this Spanish drop was more balanced and pleasant. Perhaps because the Sauv Blanc was more the fruity rather than grassy style, and the sweet jasmine and tropical fruits together was more harmonious than the attempted flowers-and-cut-grass combo. I do wonder if such experimental (presumably market-driven) blends may one day become ubiquitous on the shelves. I would certainly keep my eyes open for it.

In the absence of Rev's event-organiser-cum-cook Alex, the food offerings were reduced to the humble bread, cheese and salami (well, until the pizza delivery arrived). OK, perhaps free-flow of four different types of cheese and three different salamis weren't so humble, but I was used to being spoiled in their previous tastings with sushi, and Thai curries, and home-made hummous, and BBQ spare ribs, amongst others.

For all this *hic* feast, we paid the princely sum of... $35/head, nett on the price but ++ on the deal. I do think that Rev has been the best-kept secret in town for way too long, and it is my duty as a keen wine drinker to unveil it to my fellow like-minded. Sorry, Aladdin, your treasure cave has been discovered, and “Open Sesame!”

 

 

 

Sonja and I thought it was such a great party, we want to have one there, too! Join us at the TLN wine tour of the Americas at Rev on Thursday, 16 September!

Rev (the wine shop with no name) is located on 31 Bali Lane. Drop an email to alexander@rev-distrinet.com to receive notices of their events.

After a glorious month of touring the old world, the TLN-Soma wine tasting series hops down-under. About twenty Local Noses sniffed their way through Margaret River, Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills and further east into New South Wales.

The crisp and citrusy Borambola Wishing Well Sauvignon Blanc of Gundagai, NSW awakens the palate, followed by the riper, fruitier Adelaide Hills Pikes & Joyce Pinot Gris - a perfect match to Yantra's sumptuous, melt-in-the-mouth chicken malai kebab.

But these TLN merry-makers have waited in much anticipation for the Aussie reds, starting with the well renown South Australian shiraz. With a mouthful full-o-fruits, from McLaren Vale was lighter-bodied than its Barossa cousins.  Its gentle tannins made it easy-drinking enough to keep normally-white-wine drinker Kara coming for more!

First-timer Robyn from Australia declared her favourite to be big-bodied 2007 Peccavi No Regrets Cabernet Merlot from Margaret River, WA. Dark and broody, with flavours of cassis, cocoa and eucalyptus, it brought back homely memories of Arnott's Mint Slice, a  dark-chocolate-covered mint biscuit – one of the Aussie national favourites alongside Tim-Tams. With the cute mini samosas, the curry spice danced with minty eucalyptus and made tingles on my tounge! Ahh...as Edith Piaf would put it... je ne regrette rien...

TLN meet-up regular Elena, on the other hand, preferred the even deeper and broodier 2005 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - a perfect example of a Coonawarra Cab, woody and full of black fruits, with a solid tannin structure.

I love Christmas, and 2007 Voyager Estate Shiraz definitely made me think of just that – plummy and sweet spiced, just like a Chrissie pud(ding)! And with the lamb shish kebab – omigod! Yantra's chef Chintan was so spot-on! Lamb and shiraz... have I clicked my red shoes? For a moment, I thought I was in Oz again!

And then came the big brother. 2005 Mr Black's Concoction Shiraz Viognier brought in the full-bodied jamminess of a Barossa shiraz. Jam-packed of fruits, peppered with the white spice on the nose. A family member of our host Soma graced this wine with her preference. She came, she saw, she liked.

The red wines reigned on TLN Aussie tasting. Indeed, growing, making (and drinking) reds were amongst the things the inhabitants of that sun-burnt land do best. Even the white-wine drinkers converted, and there was something for everyone!

 

  I researched the restaurant menu before the outing, to decide what wine to bring, to find that it is a rotary hotpot restaurant (kinda cross between a sushi train and hotpot), offering six different soup-bases, eight different sauces, chicken, fish, seafood, red meats, omigod!

Choices, choices... what to do??!!!! Should I bring white wine or red wine? Dry or sweet? Woody, fruity, flinty, what? Arrgh!!!

Ok, ok, deep breath...*mmm-ahh*...om....

Thankfully, some items are marked “signature.” Let's just go with that. The signature soup is a mushroom broth, and signature sauce contains fermented beans, sesame, sweet chilli, coriander, spring onion and garlic. Now we're getting somewhere.

This calls for fruity white wine, with medium body to hold against the mushroom and bean paste, and forward enough fruit palate to balance the strong flavours of chilli, herbs and spices. So I opted for a German Scheurebe and an Australian Pinot Gris.

 The South Australian 2008 Pike & Joyce Pinot Gris' rich fruit flavours blended beautifully with the sweet prawns cooked in gentle mushroom soup base, the spiced-pears palate with sweet chili and coriander. Most definitely a goer!

As we put our noses to the glass, the 2007 Juliusspital Scheurebe from the Franken city of Würzburg exploded with floral and sweet fruit aromas. Ripe stone-fruit flavours persisted even after being washed with (by then) richly flavoursome soup and mouthfuls of stuffed bitter gourd (my favourite!). I thought the apricot palate even added a dimension to the spicy sweet bean sauce!

 

 

 

Terence, OpenRicer and self-proclaimed absolute novice, swirled, sniffed, sipped, mused over both wines and declared preference to Scheurebe because the wine taste better with the food. The fruit flavours stayed longer, said he.

The restaurant gave us a taste of their house wines, Chilean Montes Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, to try and match with our hotpot soups. The Sauv Blanc was an easy-to-drink, can't-go-much-wrong sort of fruity white, which, well, can't go much wrong.

My initial reaction of the Cab was not impressive, even with the strong “red meat” flavour of pork liver. But OpenRice graphic designer Jayden preference to medium-rare liver showed the way. He mused what it would be like to marinate the liver in the red wine - lo and behold, that combination did bringeth forth the fruit in the Cab Sauv.

There was dessert, too, of chocolate fondue with fruit, but I was too busy yapping, sipping, munching and experimenting that by the time I finished my hotpot soup, the restaurant was empty and staff was cleaning up. What to do - too much fun and not enough time!

For more OpenRice – Local Nose food and wine adventures, watch this space!

2008 Pike & Joyce Pinot Gris is available from Wine Directions, and

2007 Juliusspital Scheurebe from Magma Bistro and Wine Shop.