The Wandering Palate does partake in the occasional beer however not that partial to commercial bilge water that adorns the supermarket shelves and liquor barns. Like wine (grapes), good beer (Ale) starts with good ingredients (hops, malt, yeast, water).

Wine is of course all about a ‘sense of place’ and that all-encompassing aspect the French taught us – ‘terroir’ – which includes man and craftsmanship. Can beer express something as special as a ‘a sense of place’? Well, no if it’s a formulaic brew made under licence all over the planet. However, take a brew like Spitfire – a Kentish Ale – where the hops are from heirloom local varieties, the water drawn from a sole artesian well in Kent and add over 500 years of traditional brewing history, and you have a real story and real beer, or ale as it were.

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The Standard is the first free English daily newspaper in Hong Kong. The popular daily publication has an audited circulation of 222,413 copies a day. It has evolved into a powerful, influential medium in Hong Kong with a diverse audience and a broad reach since becoming a free newspaper in September 2007. The paper is distributed Monday through Friday throughout Hong Kong.

Editorial quality, integrity and fairness remain guiding principles, with a diverse range of news and features presented in a bold tabloid format.

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Watch the video and listen to our speakers to learn how to pronounce the most important terms connected with German Wines. From A – Z or in this case from Ahr to Württemberg.

Big thanks to Deutsches Weininstitut – www.germanwines.de for creating this great video for the wine community.

Can someone say Gewürztraminer!

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Any good wine reflects the weather, which is the work of nature, and it was especially beneficial in 2009, here in the Beaujolais region.

Things got off to a great start in May, which was lovely and warm with plenty of sunshine. The vines were nearly growing before our very eyes, and this soon led to them flowering. This told us that the harvest would be early (90 days after flowering). In late July, one winegrower said to me “My grandfather used to say that August is always just like May” and his grandfather was right this year.

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A casino owner in Singapore has spent £111,000 on a single case of Romanée Conti from the 1971 vintage.

The wine, which was sold by Bordeaux Index, is being touted by the merchant as further proof of a rising interest in fine Burgundy among Asian customers.

“The price goes to show that it’s not just Bordeaux wines that [Asian] consumers are thirsty for,” commented Gary Boom, adding, “Asian interest in Burgundy has really taken off over the last 12 months.”

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Over the past few years, both in our own vineyards and with the support of our growers, Nautilus Estate has continued to expand and develop its vineyards with 2006 seeing the introduction of the Nautilus VSP pruning system – a world first.

Ongoing research into the best combination of the preference of different clones for different sites continues to improve the fruit characters and aroma intensity of our fruit. For example, we now have over twenty-four hectares of Pinot Noir planted in vineyards throughout the Marlborough region, in a variety of clones including AM10/5, the Pommard clones 5 and 6 and the Dijon clones 114, 115, 667 and 777.

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Curtis Marsh featured as “Personality of the Week” on Life & Style Magazine.

Curtis Marsh is one of the most assiduous and erudite, truly independent wine writers, commentators and presenters in Asia. With nearly 30 years experience in the hospitality, wine and media industries, he has travelled extensively throughout the vineyard regions of the world and the Asia region, with food, travel and culture featuring equally in his commentary.

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The Singapore Sun Festival is Singapore’s leading music and lifestyle festival. The Singapore Sun Festival which was inaugurated by IMG Artists in October 2007 is an annual multi-arts and integrated lifestyle Festival that celebrates the ‘Art of Living Well’ through the 7 disciplines of Music, Visual Art, Literature, Film, Wine, Food and Wellness. The Singapore Sun Festival exposes both Singapore citizens and foreign visitors to many superb, high-quality and prestigious event. The Festival brings top international and regional artists to Singapore every year, including world premieres and exclusive performances by stars from all over the world.

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Micro Blogging industry giant Twitter has announced that they are all set to start selling wine under their Fledgling Initiative.

The company said that they would contribute USD$ 5 for every bottle sold to Room to Read. Room to Read is a non-profit entity aimed to promote literacy for kids around the world.

Twitter said: “The Fledgling Initiative embodies two things that are at the core of Twitter’s mission: providing access to information and highlighting the power of open communication to bring about positive change.”

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Aratong Galleries requests the pleasure of your company at the Opening Ceremony of a Solo Exhibition by Chinese Contemporary Painter, Zhong Chen, “Butterfly Lovers”, to be launched by the Australian Ambassador to China, HE Dr Geoff Raby.

The exhibition will be help at the new Aratong Galleries, Beijing, China on Saturday 23rd October 2010 at 3:30pm

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