Supermarket Senarios: Going French

I was over at Cold Storage Orchard Point. I was quite impressed as Orchard Point has a good range of wines including fortified, sparkling and dessert wines at some reasonable prices. They also have some aged wines at good prices such as 2004 Australian Chardonnay and Soave. Today, we will look more at the French. I recommend you to check it out as there are some good finds there.

1) Chateau Germain Bourgogne 2002 at $42.95. This is a Chardonnay from Burgundy at the lowest entry level. If you are into aged Chardonnay, you can expect something toasty, honey, figs and developed on the nose and heavier on the palate. This is a wine that can go well with salty nuts or even caramel ice-cream if the wine is chilled. For a Burgundy Chardonnay, the price is acceptable
2) Paul Jaboulet Aine Chateaunuef-du-Pape 2007 at $86.55. This price for a CDP is also quite reasonable considering that CDP in France can cost from 30 to 45 Euros. From previous experience in CDP, I expect aromas of wild cherries, pepper, stewed plum notes, soy or the other extreme of floral, cherry, confectionary & liqourice. In terms of body, it is medium plus bodied. This is a wine that can go with lamb dishes with rosemary and thyme.
3) Paul Jaboulet Aine Gigondas 2007 at $57.70. The grapes are similar as Gigondas but the climate is not as warm. The soils of Gigondas too is different as it is limestone at higher altitudes. In a blind tasting, it is not easy to differentiate between CDP and Gigondas. Given the price difference, I would pick the Gigondas over the CDP.
4) Paul Jaboulet Aine Muscat de Beaumes-Venise 2007 at $76.90. This is a wine that is sweet and alcohol has been added to it to stop fermentation. It is honeyed, sweet, grapey with floral aromas and peaches. Good as a starter with fruit salad or at the end of the night by itself. My only problem is the price is slightly too high when I can get half a bottle in France for 10 Euros.

My Choice: Gigondas is my pick for tonight. It isn't overly priced like the Muscat or CDP. Its flavour-profile can be similar to CDP but the quality can be better. I would stay away from the 2002 Chardonnay as there is no guaranteed that a village Burgundy can be aged that long. Most of the time, a village Chardonnay is meant to be drank young. 

Supermarket Senarios - Cabernet or Carménère

Today, we take a look at the shelves in Giant at Supermarket for some affordable swill. I'm thirsty for some red wine tonight. I just bought a steak which I am planning to fry in a pan full of butter. I am going to caramilize some onions first. Don't forget to season the steak with sea salt and cracked pepper. I am going to cook some potatoes in the oven with the rosemary and thyme.

We have:
1) Table Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. $17.90, South African from Stellenbosch. It's from a mediterranean climate, meaning the climate can get hot in the summer, up to forty degrees. I am expecting this Cabernet to be ripe, full-bodied, full of fruits and maybe some cigar box if it is oaked.
2) Deetlefs Cabernet Sauvignon from Rawsonville at $22.80. A South African from Breede River Valley in the Western Cape. The climate is almost similar. This one is at 14% alcohol so lots of heat and ripeness too. Rawsonville and Stellenbosch are not very far from one another but Rawsonville is further from the Ocean. I think this will be even jammier than Table Mountain. Not good to have a fruit bomb affect the wonderful flavours of steak.
3) Hemisferio Miguel Torres  Carménère from the Central Valley in Chile at $25.50. Carménère is a grape with lots of tannins too like Cabernet, but less harsher in texture. It is usually smells of cherries, smoke and earth and tastes of red fruit, tobacco, leather and dried herbs. If you don't like sometime as harsh as Cabernet, go for this.
4) Hemisferio Miguel Torres  Sauvignon Blanc from the Central Valley in Chile at $25.50. Grassy, herbaceous and probably bland in the mid-palate  just like other Central Valley examples. Not always a bad thing but at $25.50 for the same price as the red, forget it.

My decision: Go for stellenbosch. It's much cheaper than the Carménère and has bolder flavours with the steak. But if you like something softer and are willing to pay, the Carménère is good. Serving temperatures at 16-17 degrees Celsius. Forget the SB because SB doesn't work well with steak. Forget Deetlefs because if you want to go for that, you might as well get the Table Mountain.

Supermarket Senarios: Chardonnay Decisions

This week on Supermarket Senarios, I take a look at what's on the shelves of Giant at Vivocity. What should I drink for a Friday night especially when I have to make a decision on the spot without having taste the wines before? The chardonnays are all relatively young, from 2008 to 2010. The age difference is small between the wines so there is no point taking it into consideration.

1) HobNob Chardonnay from Vin d'Oc at $27. The Languedoc is at the south of France. It is a warm climate. I can guess that it has more fruit flavours due to the climate. The price is quite decent.
2) Route d'Or is also from the same region at $25.90.
3) Louis Jadot Chablis is a fresh and mineral style that usually doesn't see oak at the entry level. $43.95 is a normal price for a entry level Chablis  but it definitely doesn't taste $43.95 especially if it is likely not to have seen oak aging. This is just for the brand name that Chablis brings to the table. I am expecting a wine with more green apple and citrus fruit.
4) Louis Latour Ardèche Chardonnay at $27.50. Ardèche is near the Rhone Alps in the south of France, before Languedoc. The land can go up to 300m in elevation with chalk-clay soils. It is still relatively unknown outside of France. This is a style which has been aged in barrels and has undergone a transformation to palate roundness.

My selections: If you are thinking of having oysters and scallops tonight, go for the Laroche Chablis at $36.99. It is more reasonably priced than Loius Jadot and Loius Latour. But if are looking for a quaffer with more fruit flavours to go with your marinated herb-infused pork loin, go for the Route d'Or. It is cheaper than the HobNob. How much difference can $1.10 get you in perceptible quality? Feeling adventurous and don't mind spending $1.60 more? Then try the Ardèche. Limestone and Chardonnay are lovers. There is a tendency for limestone soils to produce elegant, and mineral Chardonnays. This may be more balanced between acid and flavours than the Route d'Or and Chablis. Remember to chill your Chardonnays in the fridge before serving them! Warm Chardonnays under the Singapore heat are no fun to drink!

Supermarket Senarios: Spoilt for Choice

I recently read a book about how humans are poor in making decisions when presented with more than two choices. I am starting a new series on situations where one goes into a supermarket and meets a wide range of choices. What do you do? Take a look at this.

 Let's say you are looking at the above. You have 5 minutes to come to a decision for tonight's dinner soiree. You have to  think of your wine in terms of price and style of what you want. You don't have much information because you have not tasted the wine but you can at least make educated guesses. The options are:
1. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne for SGD54. Not a bad price for a bottle of Champagne. Maybe to impress people who don't know much about wines but know that Champagne sounds like a great idea because of the brand. Expect leesiness, nuttiness and high acid. Tonight will be oysters and shellfish.
2. Asti from Italy for SGD34.40. A pleasing wine for most people. Sweet and good as a starter to get the good mood started. I like that with cake.
3. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for SGD25. For 25 dollars, it should be your typical grassy SB with lots of asparagus and passionfruit. Give me salad with that!
4. Lindemans sweet seasons for a special of 18.95. You may not know the wine but from looking at it, you can guesstimate that it probably has sweetness in there. No idea what grape it is but for that price, it is more about the sugar than the expression of a single varietal. This one is for quaffing and hopefully you won't wake up with a killer-headache.

My choice: Go with the Asti. Be cheap. Save your money for a good day. If you want to splurge, there are other stuff besides the Piper. But the Asti always loosens up the mood and women and new drinkers can associate with sweetness. Let the bubbles take you away. Marlborough is alright but for 25SGD, this one is suspect for ripeness. Good Marlborough SB this days cost more than 35 SGD these days.